Roundhouse Kicks to the Back of the Opponent’s Knee
In a real confrontation, a roundhouse kick to the back of the opponent’s knee can be devastating. One of the most important aspects of this kick is the incorporation of our entire body into the kick so that the focus in on driving that kick right through the back of the attacker’s knee. Also, our weapon for the kick need not be the instep of the foot only, but rather the instep of the foot right up the shin bone. This works contrary to much of what we see in Kenpo with the focus being on snapping the roundhouse kick out and back from the target, chambering the leg prior both prior to, as well as after the execution of the kick, and with emphasis placed on kicking specifically with the instep.
Since most people are right-handed, and for the most part, tend to fight with their left side forward, let’s assume that we are in a left neutral bow stance facing our opponent, who in turn also has his left leg forward. We first step into the action by dropping our height slightly, then by utilizing torque, we pivot our hips and shoulders into the roundhouse kick to the back of the opponent’s lead leg to generate maximum power. Also, similar to Reversing Mace and Repeating Mace (although in these techniques our right side is forward when executing the kicks), we should be kicking downward to drop the opponent.
As simple as this sounds, try the dynamics of this kick out slowly with a partner, but have a knack for detail, ensuring that your body mechanics are "sound". Once you are satisfied with your movement, execute the kicks full-out on a kicking shield.
