General notes:
Developed fully in the last few decades by American full-contact fighters,
the hook kick is one of the most difficult to master, but one of the most
effective for surprise attacks. This is because the kick is brought up
very similar to a side kick and then a sudden change of angle of attack
brings the foot across the side of the face, not the front. Also a very
good kick to start off a good combination since the kick does not require
as much movement of the hips as the other kicks do. A lot of the power
comes from the hamstrings during the actual 'hook' of the kick meaning
the hips are ready for movement in either way - setting you up for other
kicks from either direction - (i.e. Roundhouse kick or another hook kick).
 |
1) Stand in the ready stance. |
 |
2) Begin transferring all of the weight on to the rear foot while
lifting the kicking leg so that you are facing side on to the opponent.
Make sure that your hips move away from the opponent while moving
the leg. It is of vital importance that while going into this position
the supporting foot is turned so that it facing away from the opponent. |
 |
3) To get maximum power and speed from the kick, the chamber position
tends to be quite low to the floor rather than the higher position
that the side kick adopts. This gives maximum distance for the foot
to travel to its target area, (which is usually the head). |
 |
4) This is the more complicated part of the kick, requiring the
attacker to use one set of muscles to bring the kick up to head height,
and then use another set to 'hook' the foot in to the side of the
opponents head. The leg should be brought up in to a position so that
it is situated very close to the side of the opponents' head. At this
point, the torso should be angled so that it is facing side on to
the opponent, and slightly leaning back. |
 |
5) This is the point of contact. The hamstrings and the movement
of the hips are then used in unison to bring the foot across the side
of the opponents' head using the back of the heel to make impact. |
 |
6) Continue to bring the leg round the side of the body. |
 |
7) The kicking leg is placed as the rear foot turning the torso
to accommodate the resultant changes in stance. |
 |
8) Back in to the stance again with what was the supporting foot
as the leading foot. |
 |
|
Click here to see the kick in action !
|
Back to tutorial index page
|
