Calf Kicks in Muay Thai

[TheMadHatter]

I was wondering if calf kicks were illegal in Muay Thai. I was told that kicking the knee and below is against the rules but am having a hard time finding anything backing up that statement. Thanks in advance fellas!

 

[TheMadHatter]

Just saw calf kicks being thrown on the One card in a Muay Thai match. Questions answered!

 

[Tayski]

It's not illegal but not often used as nak muay are great at checking kicks so it's a high risk low reward technique in Muay Thai. Besides, fighters tend to stand much closer to each other than in MMA and they dont put as much weight on their front legs, making the technique less effective than in MMA.

 

[Snubnoze707]

It's a lot more difficult to land when fighters aren't in a wide bladed stance like you see a lot in MMA, and against opponents that are good at defending against low kicks.

Nothing new or revolutionary about the technique though, it's been used for decades. Benny Urquidez used them, here's a cool image from an old Manga depicting this (credit to @Takasan43228157 on twitter):

 

[maximus__]

I was wondering if calf kicks were illegal in Muay Thai. I was told that kicking the knee and below is against the rules but am having a hard time finding anything backing up that statement. Thanks in advance fellas!

It's so easy to check with the upright muay thai stance. It works so well in MMA because fighters are jumping in and out or fighting on the front foot with a wide stance. In Muay thai you just lift your foot a few inches. Throw it higher and you have to worry about it being a leg kick, body kick, head kick or feint. I love it when people throw calf kicks in sparring, I actually manage to check kicks for a change because they are easier to read.

 

[TheMadHatter]

thanks for everyone's input. I was wondering more so because I was called out for it in sparring and was told it was an illegal shot, which I had never heard before. I understand it is easier to check and not as practical outside of MMA due to stances, etc, but we were doing muay thai sparring and I landed one and it turned into a bigger deal than it had to be.

 

[Tayski]

thanks for everyone's input. I was wondering more so because I was called out for it in sparring and was told it was an illegal shot, which I had never heard before. I understand it is easier to check and not as practical outside of MMA due to stances, etc, but we were doing muay thai sparring and I landed one and it turned into a bigger deal than it had to be.

What kind of gym is that?

 

[samuelsoncast]

What kind of gym is that?

Taekwondo

 

[TheMadHatter]

What kind of gym is that?

It’s a Muay Thai gym. I won’t name it, but there is one top notch coach there. I believe this is just one apple is all.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

Not illegal at all. Quite a common technique, just not as devastating in Muay Thai as already mentioned.