Trouble creating space with front kicks

Dougall

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So I was sparring last night and getting really tired half way through a round. I was trying to create some space between me and my sparring partner with a few teeps and snapping front kicks. But every time I tried to kick him, he would pick his knee up and I would hit my toes on it. After a few of these I had to resort to sidekicks because of the pain in my foot.
So is there any way throw front kicks against someone who checks them constantly? Or is there any other way to create space against a bigger guy when hes in your kicking range but your in his jab range?
 
If you wanna teep him away, teep at the end of a punching combination. But make it count. He have to respect your punches enough that you can hide your teep behind the punches.

Or teep him away when he moves backward already, or when he kinda leans back.


If you wanna front kick him like a stabbing kick, you need to do it when he comes forward to attack you. But you need to be first.

Lastly. If he block you or counters you every time, you are probably telegraphing your kick.

You telegraph either by having bad technique, or kicking at the same time every time.
 
Use feints to make him raise his leg, and throw the teeps when he is putting his foot back down.
The front kick may be faster, but it's easier to catch a knee with your toes. Your teep should be able to strike above it, you just need to learn the proper distance and timing. Usually a good teep cannot be blocked by a checking...

Mix teeps, with round house coming from low (45°), not from the side (90°)

Throw front leg low kick fast to a rear leg teep...

Throw the teep immediately after checking his round, in the same motion as you're putting back down your leg.

Use (and train) the front foot teep. Faster and for closer distances.

Work on your flexibility.

People with good teeps are able to throw them from very close distance, you just have to train them. If you like that strike, spend some time on the bag just on you own, doing technique, no need for power. Just try different distances etc... Then try it on a partner while his is closing the distance until you get the timing and distance right...
 
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Solid advice so far.


You already know what his response to ur teep is so use that. Pretend to teep/front kick the body and hit the leg he is standing on to check ur attack. And when u can muster the energy, fake the teep and round kick that leg or go for the sweep.
 
Sounds like you could be telegraphing your teeps somehow, as for making range, step in knee is nice at that range
 
So I was sparring last night and getting really tired half way through a round. I was trying to create some space between me and my sparring partner with a few teeps and snapping front kicks. But every time I tried to kick him, he would pick his knee up and I would hit my toes on it. After a few of these I had to resort to sidekicks because of the pain in my foot.
So is there any way throw front kicks against someone who checks them constantly? Or is there any other way to create space against a bigger guy when hes in your kicking range but your in his jab range?

If you're hitting his knee as your leg comes up to the point that it hurts, you might not be chambering your teeps high enough. If you chamber fairly high and make sure to pull your own toes back when you extend your hips for the kick you probably won't hurt your foot even if you do hit his knee.
 
Flex your toes. Use your balls not your toes. Even if he blocks, you should still push him away. Heck, he's on 1 leg, it should be even easier to kick him away. Or kick lightly/slowly at first and push once your feet touches his knee. Then follow up right away.

Or what I like to do nowadays is kick a bit sideways with the feet. I used to jam my toes too. I don't jam as much if my feet is turned a bit.
 
Definitely exploit his tendency to check the kicks. Raise the knee to fake the teep amd draw the check, then hop in for the sweep.
 
If you can reach, teep to the face......<45>all depends on how much you like him or her, after a while they get the picture but all the other advice is valid.
 
It sounds generic but jab more, the jab and teep are bedfellows. You see him catching your teeps? Feint a teep and pop him in the face with some 1-2's, as Jimmy suggested, you'll quickly find more success with your teeps, guaranteed.
 
If he's checking your front kick, I agree with everyone who says you're telegraphing it. Also, where are you aiming it?

Technique-wise @Uchi Mata is spot on that you need to bring the knee high and pull the toes back so that you're striking with the ball off the foot. But that's not really going to prevent it from hurting if it's getting checked regularly.

4 targets for the snapping front kick are the groin, the stomach, the chin and the side of the knee (if you can to his side). Obviously 2 of those aren't for sparring. If you're kicking to the chin and he's checking it then you're chambering the knee too low, you're too close and you're telegraphing. If you're kicking to the stomach and he's checking it then you're telegraphing it or you're slow.

Chamber higher, learn to set it up better, hide the set up better, get faster at execution, vary the targets.

A decent way to take advantage of his checking is to bring the knee up like a snap, don't snap and use the supporting leg to drive to his off side and close the distance. Like an exaggerated step forward.

Or question mark kick.
 
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