The Good Old Leg Kick

You've seen the Thai kick destroy an opponent - you've felt the power you can produce on the pads and you've even been kicked in the thigh with this kick.  It's a great tool, but not one that is always the best in a self defence situation.  If you do use it in self defence, remember you will be targeting the knee, and in order to compromise that joint you really don't need all that much power.  The knee is a weak point, and in self defence situations a low regular front kick or oblique kick is going to be your best friend.  You ever bang your knee? I mean really bang it. It brings tears to the eyes immediately. Anyone can learn to develop this kick.  If you can kick a ball then you can bust a knee.  The only caveat being you can sometimes miss in the heat of battle with the front kick.  This is where the larger surface area of the oblique kick comes into play. You can use it like you are kicking a ball or you can stamp down and literally destroy the joint.  People overlook this kick because they think martial arts, and they think of head height kicks.  Also, its a difficult one to practice. One way is to get someone to wear substantial shin pads and just drive the foot into the shin - you get the same reaction.  You can work it on a decent heavy bag, or one way we have found useful at the gym is some foam lagging duct taped around a metal pole.  Remember to be fast and accurate and follow up with good strikes.  Think about your fighting strategies such as attack by draw, so you low kick then attack high when they react. Alternatively, you drive the kick home and it becomes a single direct attack.  You want to take a tool and work it and see what you can come up with.  Train smart and intelligently and, most of all, safely.