Muay thai doesnt utilize a back kick only a front (teep) kick and a unique round kick. Maybe Muay Thai Boran but regular Muay Thai doesnt.
muay thai does use this kick but very rarely..... if walk down the halls of lumpinee stadium there are pictures of all kinds of rare kicks and moves.... the thing is no one uses the back kick in muay thai because the thai stance does not allow it to be executed without cosiderable telegraphing.
yea, back kicks are best used from a 45 degree to sideways stance Or as a follow up from a lead leg kick . Personally i only use them as a counter kick.
People are starting to use them more in MMA. Both GSP and David L. have pretty nice explosive and effective turning back kicks.
This isnt a traditional Thai boxing kick but I learned this kick in Jun Fan/JKD years ago and adapted it into Thai boxing. Its a risky kick, I dont recommend exposing your back, but I would throw it to a untrained opponent. You might see some variations but this is how I set it up: in a regular stance make a small step with your lead leg laterally to narrow your stance. Pivot on the balls of your feet, swing your arms with your body to add a little momentum and turn so your back and hips are square to your opponent. Pick your foot and aim with your heel but dont move your knee of the kicking leg untill you throw it. Throw it and follow through the target be careful to not lean to far forward.
The most common problem people have throwing the back kick is that they swing their leg out to far, put too much spin into it and make it easy for their opponents to read.
I love seeing and Im glad more guys are using them in mma, but I wouldnt. They're kinda cool to have them in the tool box when you want to kick the shit out of someone. If I throw it for real I always do it with a jump to put more sting on it. If Im going to risk it Im going to throw it with everything Ive got.
not to sound like a bitch but both GSP and the crow learned their back kicks from TKD. I belive back kicks are fucking amazing and damaging if the timing is right on. I saw the benny the jet video where he broke the guys ribs with a well place back kick. Just dropping in my bit of info
I have seen Thai fighters use such kicks, but only twice. What my coach has told me is that it's something you only use in a bad situation when you can't do anything else, because it's easy to read. The only drill i've done with this is one where you miss with a leg kick, i.e., too far away and you're not facing the opponent. That's a good opportunity for them to blast you, so he told us to throw a back kick from there to hold them back and give you the space to turn and face them again. One of those things he told us to know but that we may not ever even use.
They have it. You don't see it often because muay thai is more about landing the high percentage stuff. The back kick leaves you kind of exposed and it doesn't land effectively often so people don't use it much. But they do have it and there is a thai name for it that roughly equates to crocodile's tail (because it whips around) in english. As far as explaining the mechanics of it....I don't think I could even begin to do it here. Sort of the kind of thing you have to see to get.
To throw the kick effectivly you need to pick your leg up before you make the turn, and that will cut down on the telegraphing considerably. If you constantly jab at someone and they circle away from your jab to the outside, that is a good time to throw the kick
If it's done correctly it's a very powerful kick, though i think it would be more useful for TKD competition rather than muay thai
Muaythai does have it as a technique. There's the "chorakee fad hang" which is like a spinning hook type kick. The other one, the name I can't remember, but it's something like "deer turns it's back". Thats the thrusting back kick. The old Thai Ch. 7 shows used to have a segment on muaythai technique. They had Kru Tui from Sit Yodtong demonstrating. I have old tape footage of him demo'ing both of these. As far as actual fights-Jomhod ko'd Aussie fighter Luke Kempson with the back thrust kick, and Coban, believe it or not, used to throw the occasional spinning hook kick. Also, Somluck Kamsing, the master of the unorthodox, would bust it out, too.
As the other posters have said, it is quite rare to see in MT. However, it is a very popularly-used kick in TKD. The proper way to execute it is to keep the "looping" to a minimum. When done correctly, it is lightning fast and powerful. In a street fight situation, it should only be used as an evasive maneuver i.e. to get away.
It's a very effective kick if it's hits the target right face or liver, it could result in an instant KO but like many of you already said also a very risky kick to use in a Muaythai, kickboxing match. I would use it but not 100 times in a match, like some fighters do or not at full power and determination. Timing and on the right target is the key of this technique !!!
I don't know how easy it is to read if done properly. Especially considering that it's so rare in MMA that most oppopnents don't expect it. I've seen Georges throw one in nearly every fight of his I've seen, and most of the time he connects. Never really gets caught by a counter, either.
