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The Mae Geri thrown like a strike however is a very important kick in Karate and very effective, but it's different to a push kick.
So I use the Karate Mae Geri (front kick) to strike and hurt the body, and the Muay Thai teep to push and put off balance.
Something i like to repost every time I think there is a confusion between front kick, push kick and teep:
"
-The front kick, you see it mostly in Karate and Taekwon-Do, you raise your knee and snap your foot upwards. You hit with the ball of the foot. (think uppercut) The foot is making an 90° angle with the leg at the contact.
-The teep is mostly use in Muay Thai. You raise your knee, but you use your hips to extend your foot forward. You hit with the ball of the foot. (think straight).
A lot of the power comes from the hip.
The foot is align with the leg at the contact.
For the push kick, the contact is made while the leg is still chambered. You push your opponent while you straightened your leg. Most of the sole of the foot is in contact. (think shove).
Most of the power comes from the extension of the leg, and not so much from the hip.
"
The unbalance of your opponent from a teep, comes from the timing (teep while he raises his leg to kick) or from the target (the hips, to make him bend at the waist), not so much from the technique itself. Otherwise it's more of a push kick, which it's not the same... Obviously, you can mix those 3 techniques, and make your teep more "pushy", or make your front kick a bit more like a straight teep kind of strike. Put technique wise, those are 3 different strikes...
Am not saying a teep wont unbalance your opponent, I just want to be clear that push kick, front kick and teep are different strikes... There is enough confusion from commentators, or even trainers about it...