Crescent Kicks

[Blackjack]

Could someone give some examples of fighters in UFC using crescent kicks?

 

[Uchi Mata]

There aren't any. Guns and knives aren't allowed in the UFC, and the only use for crescent kicks is to kick weapons out of people's hands. And then only if you're Chuck Norris. Are you Chuck Norris?

Seriously though, I've never seen one other than as a setup for an ax kick, and those are pretty rare. They're just too slow and don't generate enough force. You don't even see them very often in Oly TKD, where you'd think they'd pop up if anywhere.

 

[PointyShinyBurn]

Katsunori Kikuno is the only MMA fighter I can think of who has had any high-level success with them. He didn't throw them during his first-so-far-only fight in the UFC that I can recall.

 

[DeformedGravy]

Didn't Anderson throw one (or two) against the Chris in their first fight?

 

[Nuclearlandmine]

Google.

 

[Azam]

Hardly anyone using it in the UFC except of course Katsunori Kikuno, but as a poster mentioned he didn't really use it during his UFC debut, most likely because his opponent was roughly 6ft3 whereas he's about 5'7 (my height lol) - considerable reach advantage & probably jitters from his debut.





Definitely useable & effective but takes a lot of training/stand up experience to pull off. You won't really see kicks like this being used all that much because very few fighters have that striking pedigree to be able to use it & more importantly it's more obscure but a technique more common to Karate & it's sporting formats.

Outside of the UFC - it's used regularly in knockdown karate by karateka like Ryu Narushima & Hitoshi Kiyama (the karateka who taught it to Kikuno).

 

[Torrid]

There aren't any. Guns and knives aren't allowed in the UFC, and the only use for crescent kicks is to kick weapons out of people's hands. And then only if you're Chuck Norris. Are you Chuck Norris?

This is an awesome answer. I can just imagine all the rubber knives and wood gun blocks flying around the McDojo.

To the OP - they just don't generate enough power. People like to say that about a lot of TMA kicks, but usually it's not true. They usually just sacrifice some power for speed and accuracy. However, in the case of the crescent kick, it's just an odd attack that really only works to slap someone across the face. It can be used for an axe kick set up, or turned to dig into the body for a weird front kick variant, but just the classic sweeping motion, I doubt you'll ever see really applied unless a guy is just trying to show off.

 

[Jukai]

Wasn't Kikuno's crescent kick very different, much more with a roundhouse kick motion?

 

[fluffball]

You see crescent and axe kicks all the time, probably an average of 1 per event. The reason no one can think of a time when they saw it is because they are relatively useless.

One of these days someone is going to land one clean and get a KO, then you'll see everyone throwing them like 3 per fight.

 

[barnowl]

This is an awesome answer. I can just imagine all the rubber knives and wood gun blocks flying around the McDojo.

To the OP - they just don't generate enough power. People like to say that about a lot of TMA kicks, but usually it's not true. They usually just sacrifice some power for speed and accuracy. However, in the case of the crescent kick, it's just an odd attack that really only works to slap someone across the face. It can be used for an axe kick set up, or turned to dig into the body for a weird front kick variant, but just the classic sweeping motion, I doubt you'll ever see really applied unless a guy is just trying to show off.

You can get knock out force with them, just not easy. One of the big uses for them is actually defense/setup for strikes, but as mentioned earlier I don't think there is enough striking skill to make the setups useful or the blocking applications worth the effort.

 

[shinkyoku]

You can get knock out force with them, just not easy.

You see them cause KO

 

[Big Nasty Edison]

I spar with crescent kicks I learned in TKD and HKD. The thing with them, like side kicks/back kicks/spin kicks etc is that you don't throw them often and only off of a decent set up. Like the round kick of various flavors is the bread and butter kick, but MAYBE once a fight after conditioning an opponent to your attacking combinations you can mix in a crescent. I used to set up a few 1-2-low round kick. Get them to think the round was coming low again, then from close distance go with crescent. Would land with decent success if not spammed wildly.

 

[nomilkforsanta]

Anyone use the kick in modern K1, glory, or lion fight?

 

[TheFinerDetails]

It's sort of like side kicks. They're super predictable and telegraphed, you have to hide it with some nice hand work and distraction imo.

 

[kickingtime]

Jon jones, dont think its any harder to land then a front kick or a teep tbh. it all depends how limber and quick you are. for some reason i can land the front kick and cresent consistently but cant do the same with the sidekick. its all a matter of practice.

 

[Paradigm]

You see crescent and axe kicks all the time, probably an average of 1 per event. The reason no one can think of a time when they saw it is because they are relatively useless.

One of these days someone is going to land one clean and get a KO, then you'll see everyone throwing them like 3 per fight.

1 per event? what events? low level MMA?

I watch pretty much every fight of UFC PPVs and all the main card fights of the lesser UFC and Bellator events and don't think I see a crescent kick every event. certainly not axe kicks.

 

[nomilkforsanta]

1 per event? what events? low level MMA?

I watch pretty much every fight of UFC PPVs and all the main card fights of the lesser UFC and Bellator events and don't think I see a crescent kick every event. certainly not axe kicks.

The last time i saw an axe kick in high level MMA was by Cung Le, the time before that was Cro Cop vs Mark Hunt.

 

[Paradigm]

The last time i saw an axe kick in high level MMA was by Cung Le, the time before that was Cro Cop vs Mark Hunt.

don't forget about Nick!

 

[CaptHANDSUP]

They're really effective if you throw front kicks to the face at least once in a while. Throw mostly front kicks and then once in a while throw a crescent kick. There is a spectrum of crescent kicks from ones that almost come up as straight as a front kick while others come so far from the side they are pretty much an opposite roundhouse and you have to use the side of your foot to land (not the instep). I prefer the version that is more similar to front kick as it has more power, is quicker, and can be set up with a front kick. It can also be used to set up an inside axe kick just like the other versions. You can get a surprising amount of power in them (at least in the front kick version).

You definitely get a lot more power hitting some one in the face with them rather than hitting a bag though, because the angle that the kick generates power at. When you use it to hit a bag your leg almost keeps sliding upwards. The power doesn't transmit through a bag horizontally like a roundhouse. I bruised a guys eye just touching him with it very lightly in soft sparring class with shinpads on. Its also especially effective because it is very hard for the guy to see coming and those are the ones that knock you out. Also it can be thrown in at an insanely close range (you would actually be surprised, its ridicolous) unlike a front kick. It is actually very often used in TKD when guys are making body contact (pretty much the clinch) and when one of them takes a step back or pushes the other back to create space and throws it.

EDIT: ^ JBJ threw 2 in the Glover fight, one landed. And also Cro Cop vs. Barry along with a few other examples. Though axe kicks have definitely not been used very effectively in MMA yet. Maybe we will get an Andy Hug type-guy sooner or later.

 

[fluffball]

1 per event? what events? low level MMA?

I watch pretty much every fight of UFC PPVs and all the main card fights of the lesser UFC and Bellator events and don't think I see a crescent kick every event. certainly not axe kicks.

UFC. They're more common than you're remembering, I promise. Rogan usually yells "AXE/CRESCENT KICK!" Take 2 shots every time you see one from now on.

I was looking over the upcoming fight cards to think about making a wager, but I'm not seeing many/any of the fighters you would expect to throw a crescent or axe kick. Iaquinta might throw one. Chiesa miiiiight throw one. Doubtful on both.

They're generally the creative competent strikers. Carlos Condit throws them. Spencer Fisher throws them. Dennis Siver throws them. Obviously Wonderboy throws them. Obviously Jones throws them. I think I remember Mike Pyle throwing one? I don't remember Bendo, Makdessi or Pettis throwing them but I wouldn't bat an eyelash if they did.