[IrishBeatDown]

why don't you see any in MMA? in my opinion there is little more devastating than a stiff side kick to the face... it seems about as practical as a superman punch in that its not easy to find an opening but i feel like it could be a good surprise tactic to throw in to at least mix your game up and give your opponent a new look... thoughts?

[Tabris]

Bas said in one of his tapes if they are used at all, you should throw them to the head. The reason is because you can easily sweep your arm across the leg and it will either make the kicker lose balance or turn their back to you.

I think in order for the actual technique to be effective in MMA you need great flexibility, speed, and a shortened stance (to throw a lead leg sidekick to the head). All of those are probably not very high up on the list of someone training for MMA.

[IrishBeatDown]

Originally Posted by Tabris

Bas said in one of his tapes if they are used at all, you should throw them to the head. The reason is because you can easily sweep your arm across the leg and it will either make the kicker lose balance or turn their back to you.

I think in order for the actual technique to be effective in MMA you need great flexibility, speed, and a shortened stance (to throw a lead leg sidekick to the head). All of those are probably not very high up on the list of someone training for MMA.

thats a pretty fair analysis. but the stance thing i don't find to be an issue, reason being that a fight requires a fighter to change stances multiple times to prepare for the next attack, adapt to a more defensive position, shift body weight for leverage etc... get inside, exchange a few blows...a quick shuffle backward to a shallower stance... opponent follows in BAM! he walks right into the side kick OR oh shit he spun me around, kick rear leg back into wider lower stance to defend the take down...

i mean... i dunno i agree that it should be thrown at the head, because unless you catch an opponent square in the middle of the chest(unlikely because he should be in a fighting stance) a side kick anywhere else isn't going to do much damage.

i guess what i really want to see is a fighter like liddell come out, his opponent expecting liddells usual counter punch game but instead walk into a side kick to the face for an early KO...

i feel that what makes the side kick a great strike is that it is so unused an unexpected...

[NinjaKilla187]

Originally Posted by IrishBeatDown

why don't you see any in MMA? in my opinion there is little more devastating than a stiff side kick to the face... it seems about as practical as a superman punch in that its not easy to find an opening but i feel like it could be a good surprise tactic to throw in to at least mix your game up and give your opponent a new look... thoughts?

Too slow to land it with any regularity.

And they are deceptively not that powerful. Because you can use all of those big, long, slow twitch muscle fibers in your thigh to do a leg press style push you can really move the heavy bag around or push your pad holder across the gym and think you are kicking powerfully with a side kick. Unfortunately, most guys are getting a lot more push than pow.

The bang for the buck value just isn't there for most guys and they leave you in terrible position to get taken down.

Cung Lee is a possible exception but he still hasn't faced top level MMA talent.

[IrishBeatDown]

Originally Posted by NinjaKilla187

Too slow to land it with any regularity.

And they are deceptively not that powerful. Because you can use all of those big, long, slow twitch muscle fibers in your thigh to do a leg press style push you can really move the heavy bag around or push your pad holder across the gym and think you are kicking powerfully with a side kick. Unfortunately, most guys are getting a lot more push than pow.

The bang for the buck value just isn't there for most guys and they leave you in terrible position to get taken down.

Cung Lee is a possible exception but he still hasn't faced top level MMA talent.

i see the power argument. and you are right about most guys getting more of a push than a pow, but its not so much the power of the kick that i think would be most devastating... its the centerline attack... it's the stiff force of the heel with a solid base and the weight of your whole body driving a few inches into your opponents mouth.

now, accuracy is certainly an issue so i am not arguing that this kick should be a staple in a fighters arsenal. only a possible tactic to consider to either catch your opponent off guard or at least confuse him... it is my opinion that in a fight psychological warfare is far more important than strength, speed, or technique... if you control your opponents mind you control the fight. if you can surprise your opponent with something like a sidekick, a superman punch, something unorthodox to throw your opponent off his game... the mental shifts vastly in your favor.

[cockysprinter]

the bottom line is most people just arent good at them. side kicks are not slow, not weak, and can be thrown from any stance. when we see more people that know how to use them, well see them more in mma. its the same with front kicks.

[kickboxing_fan1]

I agree that they are underutilised though according to this article they are the easied to get height;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kick
Also according to the clips from human weapon on youtube they are less than half as powerful as front kick and roundhouse kicks generating 400 pounds of force as opposed to 1000

[Kyryllo]

Originally Posted by kickboxing_fan1

I agree that they are underutilised though according to this article they are the easied to get height;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kick
Also according to the clips from human weapon on youtube they are less than half as powerful as front kick and roundhouse kicks generating 400 pounds of force as opposed to 1000

I would not rely much on that numbers, especially since force is not measured in pounds.



On topic: side kicks are simply a difficult technique, there are multiple applications for a side kick that may be useful in mma but it's still a difficult technique to learn.

Should I make a tutorial?

[D.R.H.]

Your risk to rewards ratio is higher for sidekicks than round kicks. They are also harder to learn to use effectively. That's why you don't see as many people use them in mma.

[XTrainer]

I like them for the simple fact that they cane come from interesting angles when used in combinations, and with a step or hop, they can be used to hit pretty darn distant targets.

Having said that, my flexibility for side kicks is lame (tightness in the outside part of my hip), so I only throw them high when I have a golden oppurtunity.