Mae geri

The front kick in martial arts is a kick executed by lifting the knee straight forward, while keeping the foot and shin either hanging freely or pulled to the hip, and then straightening the leg in front of the practitioner and striking the target area. It is desirable to retract the leg immediately after delivering the kick, to avoid the opponent trying to grapple the leg and (unless a combination is in process) to return to stable fighting stance.

[edit]Details of the technique

In martial arts implying either barefooted combat or very light footwear, the strike is usually delivered by using ball of the foot (while pointing the foot toward the target area and keeping toes up to prevent injury) or by heel. When heavier footwear is used, there is an option using whole sole as a striking surface. It is also possible to kick with the top of your foot (the instep) in cases of striking at the groin or under the arm which can be very damaging.

The front kick is typically performed with the straight and balanced upper body, but it allows for variety in motion of hips and body overall. Martial arts systems exploit this ability in different fashions. For example, a karateka may perform mae geri while standing upright, or lean somewhat back during the attack, intending to increase the reach of the kick. If a simple 'kick-punch' combination is executed, this slight lean allows for more momentum placed into the movement of upper body, thus the karateka will end with a more powerful body movement behind the punch.

[edit]Applications and counters

Front kicks are typically aimed at targets below the chest: stomach, thighs, knees or lower. Highly skilled martial artists are often capable of striking head-level targets with front kick (albeit rarely use it this way). Front kick is fast to do and involves little body motion betraying the technique's nature prior to actual execution. This makes a well-developed front kick an excellent asset in both offence and defense.

[edit]In Karate

The Front Kick, called Mae Geri in Japanese, is certainly the main kick in traditional karate of all styles. It is the most used kick in traditional kata forms and the most practiced kick in traditional ki-hon practice. The kick is a very strong and fast strike, and easier to master than less “natural” kicks. The kick generally connects with the ball of the foot, under the toes, but other points of impact are sometimes used in the many variants existing in Japanese Karate, and other styles. It can be penetrating (kekomi) or upward (keage), or somewhere in between. It can be delivered with hopping (surikonde) or jumping (tobikonde), and sometimes with a straight leg all-the-way (Mae Keage). It can be executed with the front leg, defensively or hopping forward, or the rear leg. It can be executed with nearly square hips, or with hips lined sideways like the Yoko Geri of Wado-ryu Karate. There are many other variations, as the kick can also be feinted, angled or delivered from the ground.[3]

[edit]Notes

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[edit]References

Scott Shaw (2006). Advanced Taekwondo. Tuttle Publishing. p. 45. ISBN 0-8048-3786-4. Woo Jin Jung (1999). Freestyle Sparring. Jennifer Lawler. p. 22. ISBN 0-7360-0129-8. De Bremaeker, M. et al. (2010). The Essential Book of Martial Arts Kicks: 89 Kicks from Karate, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Jeet Kune Do, and others. Tuttle Publishing. p. 11-57. ISBN 0-8048-4122-5.