Catching Kicks

Catching Kicks is an integral part of fighting. Because kicks have the longest range of techniques, and because leg muscles are strong, kicks are a vital part of fighting. Learning to catch kicks makes kicking much more risky because if a kick is caught you are left off balance and are likely to be thrown. There are three basic kick catches:

Straight Kicks

Front kicks, side kicks, and back kicks all follow the same straight line towards the body. As long as the kick isn't aimed at the head (in which case dodging is preferrable) the kick is caught by wrapping the lead hand under the kick, then clamping on top with the rear hand:

Low Circular Kicks

The roundhouse kick is often thrown at the thigh; the goal being to wear out the leg muscles and make kicking and supporting the body weight more difficult. To catch a low roundhouse kick move along with the kick so you don't catch the kick at the point of hightest impact. Circle the lead hand down to the knee, then scoop the leg up to the armpit:

High Circular Kicks

The roundhouse kick, as well as the hook and spinning hook kicks circle towards the upper body. To catch these kicks we move along with the kick and block with the lead forearm. Once the kick is stopped, circle the other hand underneath and pinch the kick between your two arms:

Once you've caught a kick there are a number of options. You can perform a sweep or a throw and bring the person to the ground. You can also use the fact that the person is off balance and hit the person while it is harder to dodge or absorb power. Finally you can also use joint locks on the person's leg or knee.