Do kicks to the head work?

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

 Well, simply, Yes. A Kick to the head does work.

In the case of this MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fight, just one kick to the head will do the trick.   Go ahead and watch the video, its over pretty quickly!

A kick to the head does work video here.

So, a few things you should know if you’re “not into that MMA stuff”  Those two fighters have trained for years to be in the kind of shape to be able to have a shot at success in the octagon.  They’ve had to develop not only boxing type skills, but kicking and grappling skills as well.  Their cardio is phenomenal.

But here’s the thing about a kick to the head.

Your brain is in there.  There is no glove on the foot, it has more mass than a hand and the entire leg is behind the kick.  The leg is longer than the arm, so the rotational energy at the end of the leg is substantial.  A well placed kick to the head that is poorly blocked or not blocked at all,  well it just does the trick.

By the way, a kick traveling in the opposite direction in which the heel is what makes contact in the kick to the head is called a hook kick.  Here is an animation of the hook kick to the head:

Why don’t we do a kick to the head all the time?

There are a few reasons why not.  Your own physicality my not allow you to perform such a maneuver, …just not stretched out enough.  In self defense (not tournament situations) you really want to have your “go to” techniques be ones that are available to you all the time.  As Grand Master Ed Parker would say, “you need to be able to defend yourself the moment you get out of bed.”  Techniques that require warming up and careful stretching such as a roundhouse kick to the head are not so available to most of us.  Additionally, there are considerations involving the kick to the head not striking because of a miss or a block.  You are in a vulnerable position with only one foot on the floor and your leg where it can be captured!

 Have you ever been on the giving or receiving  end of a kick to the head?  Care to share? Comment below about your experience.  Share the Blog and find out what others think or have experienced.  You could have your own blog and write about whatever interested you, and earn some money.  Click This Link to watch a presentation video on how to get started.  I look forward to reading Your Blogs!