Front Kick

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.

The front Kick described is the typical basic front kick of Karate or Tae Kwon Do. But Front Kick can also be defined more broadly as a straight forward kick directly to the front, and then include several variations from many different styles. A front kick can be delivered forward in a penetrating way (hip thrust), or upwards to attack the groin, armpit or chin. The height to which it is delivered will also influence the way it is delivered. The kick is delivered differently depending on whether it is executed with the front or the rear leg; or whether it is an offensive kick or a defensive stop-kick (like the “Teep Kick” of Muay Thai). Among many other variations, Front Kicks can be executed in hopping, flying, or angling ways.