Thrust kick

Kekomi geri, thrust kicks, are variations of the “snap kicks” which we have discussed previously. By convention, all thrust kicks have a “-kekomi” suffix, and all snap kicks have a “-keage” suffix. This website breaks from this standard convention because Goshin-Jutsu relies on snap kicks so heavily that we assume that all kicks are snap kicks, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Thrust kicks are performed just like standard front, side, rear, or stomp kicks, except that your knee locks at the moment of impact, when your leg is fully extended. This augments the technique’s power, and improves the technique’s ability to cancel an opponent’s forward momentum, or to off-balance them. This off-balancing aspect is leads many other martial arts to call these “push kicks.” However, we discourage using this name, which establishes a wrong mindset which leads to a weak technique. Instead, visualize your kick thrusting through your opponent’s bones, just like breaking down empty cardboard boxes to fit them into the recycling bin.

All thrust kicks impact their targets using your heel. Be aware that this causes thrust kicks to have a slightly shorter range than snap kicks, so your muscle memory cause you to miss or glance off of your opponent unless you make a serious commitment to padwork and bagwork.

Locking your knee also requires unlocking your knee before you can rechamber. This additional step slows down your rechambering, and a skilled or clever opponent can exploit this moment of vulnerability to unbalance you.

[video front, side, rear, and downward thrust kicks, fast and slow, from the front, side and rear.]

Thrust kicks are also half-jokingly called "Sparta kicks", for their use in an iconic scene from Frank Miller’s “300" (2006).

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