I am a 1990 U.S. Olympic Festival Silver medalist & 1990 U.S. Nationals Bronze medalist in TKD. I was trained by American TKD legend, two time Olympian (’88 & ’92) and former U.S. team head coach, Han Won Lee. I learned to wrestle from 1980 U.S. Olympic Team member James Bryant (the year we boycotted the games) and I am a purple belt in jiu jitsu under Eddie Bravo.
I’ve heard Joe Rogan talk about how the Spinning Side Kick is superior to the ‘knee down’ back kick for years. After hearing him speak with Kirik about it on his podcast I felt like sharing some ideas about it.
The spinning side kick that Joe talks about and impressively demonstrates in his Youtube videos is the older way of doing the kick. The ‘knee down’ way of doing the kick was the cutting edge way that the world class TKD athletes began to do the kick in the 1980’s. There are a few reasons for this.
The ‘knee down’ kick is faster because the path to the target is more direct if you don’t raise your knee and because the knee isn’t raised it is harder to see coming at you.
In Olympic style TKD there is a concept of counter kicking which can be done at the same time a person is kicking called a Padachagi. A Padachagi is a round house kick which is done at the same time a person is kicking by switching your feet and sliding to the side. For example, if both people are standing in a conventional stance and fighter A throws an Axe kick with the back leg, it is possible for fighter B with the correct timing and distance control to throw a back leg roundhouse kick to the body while avoiding the axe kick to the head.
This same Padachagi, with the correct timing and distance control can be used to counter the knee up spinning side kick. It requires a high level of skill to do but it can be done.
It is true that you can develop a lot of power from the hip thrust in the knee up kick as Joe demonstrates in his videos but mechanically the ‘knee down’ kick is more powerful.
I wouldn’t say the spinning side kick with the knee up was wrong or ineffective but there are reasons why Olympic level TKD athletes no longer kick that way.
I’ve heard Joe Rogan talk about how the Spinning Side Kick is superior to the ‘knee down’ back kick for years. After hearing him speak with Kirik about it on his podcast I felt like sharing some ideas about it.
The spinning side kick that Joe talks about and impressively demonstrates in his Youtube videos is the older way of doing the kick. The ‘knee down’ way of doing the kick was the cutting edge way that the world class TKD athletes began to do the kick in the 1980’s. There are a few reasons for this.
- The ‘knee down’ kick is faster
- The ‘knee down’ kick is less telegraphed
- The ‘knee down’ kick is harder to counter
- The ‘knee down’ kick is more powerful
The ‘knee down’ kick is faster because the path to the target is more direct if you don’t raise your knee and because the knee isn’t raised it is harder to see coming at you.
In Olympic style TKD there is a concept of counter kicking which can be done at the same time a person is kicking called a Padachagi. A Padachagi is a round house kick which is done at the same time a person is kicking by switching your feet and sliding to the side. For example, if both people are standing in a conventional stance and fighter A throws an Axe kick with the back leg, it is possible for fighter B with the correct timing and distance control to throw a back leg roundhouse kick to the body while avoiding the axe kick to the head.
This same Padachagi, with the correct timing and distance control can be used to counter the knee up spinning side kick. It requires a high level of skill to do but it can be done.
It is true that you can develop a lot of power from the hip thrust in the knee up kick as Joe demonstrates in his videos but mechanically the ‘knee down’ kick is more powerful.
I wouldn’t say the spinning side kick with the knee up was wrong or ineffective but there are reasons why Olympic level TKD athletes no longer kick that way.
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Originally Posted by Amos
