Head High Kicking

Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

Even in my white belt days I never understood the attraction to kicking above the waist or what most do is kick to the head. It seemed soooooo dangerous and counterproductive especially in regard to self-protection. After all, it is the worst thing one can do out in the wild against a determined attack. 

Think fundamental principles like, "posture, alignment, structure, rooting, stabilization, and the ability to apply maximum effective forces in applying impacts, drives (pushes), pulls, twists, takedowns and throws and compressions" because all of those to apply force and power require movement of our mass and the ability to remain stable with structure, etc. and if that fails as it will when you remove one of your legs from the ground - on purpose - those principles and others go the way of the doh-doh bird. 

If you deliberately give away your balance, inhibit your movement of mass and the ability to position, angle and timing, rhythm, and control of your body you lose. Or, at the very least open up the probabilities that you will lose and give away the advantage to one who is attacking. 

Many will contest this and those many of the many will do so based on what they know and what they know most often is sport and possibly social violence both that are and can be controlled and avoided. In these two examples if you go to town with someone the chance of grave harm or death drops a lot, mostly achieved by accident. If you are exposed to asocial predatory process-resource attacks then the ball game changes from basketball to rugby.

If your choice of martial philosophy and practice is sport or self-improvement/help then don't worry about it but if it is self-protection for self-defense then consider a shaper focus on that intent. 

An argument was presented that one does this type of technique to challenge the mind and body, that is good except that when the rubber hits the road in a predatory attack, resource and/or process violence, you want as much of what you practice and train to either be exact or related closely so that when it happens you will not be forced to take a longer span of time in applying because the mind may become locked, the freeze, trying to choose, on the fly, an appropriate methodology to get-r-done. 

This lists can be long for both "for" and "against' (pros-n-cons) that would fill a volume or two on just this subject and in the end it is about one's "intent" in training and practice along with a focus and awareness during that training and practice on that which is most critically important. In my view, self-protection for self-defense, especially in the lower echelon of martial disciplines, so that intent is dominate in any adrenal stress-conditions of either sport or self-protection. You have to set, and let cure, all the basics and principles and methodologies you will need to self-protect for self-defense so that dabbling in the others will not detract, deter or undermine that intent - self-protection for self-defense through martial discipline training, practice and application. 

Personal Note: I would use all my skills to avoid violence but if I am forced to use force then I want all my faculties and physical skills available in their most efficient and effective form and function so I may protect and defend within the social and legal mandates of self-protection for self-defense. Both my legs, on the ground, maintaining my balance, structure and movement of mass so that I may stop the violence. 

For reference and sources and professionals go here: Bibliography (Click the link)