Mawashi geri
Encyclopedia
can be translated as "spin kick", although it is also sometimes referred to as a roundhouse kick
. It is a kick used in Japanese martial arts
.
If the kick is being thrown from the rear leg, another option is available. The rear leg lifts with the knee bent and pointing to the side, and the entire body rotates as the knee swings around to the front (picture swinging one's leg over to mount a bicycle). The rotation of the body and lateral movement of the leg add to the momentum of the lower leg, which moves in and out the same as above.
The final possible variation is in the foot, itself. One may either strike with the instep of the foot (with the ankle and toes extended), or with the ball of the foot (ankle and toes bent back). Alternately, one could forgo the use of the foot entirely, and strike with the shin instead (for example, at extremely close range).
There are many versions of roundhouse kick.
Martial arts have many different methods of delivering a roundhouse kick. The original method involved bringing up the knee, and then swiftly turning the hip over and snapping the leg outwards from the knee to deliver a strike with the ball of the foot.
As the years have gone by, some martial arts schools also practice kicking roundhouse kick with the shin, which has always been the preferred method of Muay Thai
.
Another popular point of contact is with the instep, which, for safety reasons, is usually practiced when sparring in the martial arts school.
There are now more and more martial artists practicing the 'cutting roundhouse kick', this is where the practitioner will lift their attacking leg higher than the intended target, they will then execute the kick in a downward cutting movement. A very effective attack against the thigh.
A popular way of using mawashi-geri in the Goju Ryu
style of karate involves aiming a snapped round house to the opponent's groin.
Roundhouse kick
A roundhouse kick is a kick in which the attacker swings his leg around in a semicircular motion, striking with the front of the leg or foot. This type of kick is utilized in many different martial arts and is popular in both non-contact and full-contact martial arts competitions...
. It is a kick used in Japanese martial arts
Japanese martial arts
Japanese martial arts refers to the enormous variety of martial arts native to Japan. At least three Japanese terms are often used interchangeably with the English phrase "Japanese martial arts": , literally meaning "martial way", , which has no perfect translation but means something like science,...
.
Technique
Mawashi-geri may be executed from a variety of stances, and there are several methods of proper execution. The portion of its execution that is always consistent is that the kick is executed inward and at an angle that is anywhere from parallel to the floor to 45 degrees upward. In general, it is a lateral kick that strikes with the foot. Ideally, the foot that is on the ground during the kick points directly away from the opponent, but 90 to 45 degrees away from the opponent may also be acceptable.Variations
If mawashi-geri is being thrown with the lead leg, the lead leg comes straight up from the ground, moving into a position with the knee bent back and pointing at the desired target area on the opponent. Without stopping, the upper leg rotates inward to whatever angle the kick will be thrown at, and finally, the lower leg flicks out to strike the opponent, and then immediately back in.If the kick is being thrown from the rear leg, another option is available. The rear leg lifts with the knee bent and pointing to the side, and the entire body rotates as the knee swings around to the front (picture swinging one's leg over to mount a bicycle). The rotation of the body and lateral movement of the leg add to the momentum of the lower leg, which moves in and out the same as above.
The final possible variation is in the foot, itself. One may either strike with the instep of the foot (with the ankle and toes extended), or with the ball of the foot (ankle and toes bent back). Alternately, one could forgo the use of the foot entirely, and strike with the shin instead (for example, at extremely close range).
Targets
Common targets for this kick include the head (especially in competition), as well as the knees and floating ribs. Kyokushinkai karate practitioners commonly use low mawashigeri attacks to strike the thigh of opponents whereas this move is less common in other styles.There are many versions of roundhouse kick.
Martial arts have many different methods of delivering a roundhouse kick. The original method involved bringing up the knee, and then swiftly turning the hip over and snapping the leg outwards from the knee to deliver a strike with the ball of the foot.
As the years have gone by, some martial arts schools also practice kicking roundhouse kick with the shin, which has always been the preferred method of Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
.
Another popular point of contact is with the instep, which, for safety reasons, is usually practiced when sparring in the martial arts school.
There are now more and more martial artists practicing the 'cutting roundhouse kick', this is where the practitioner will lift their attacking leg higher than the intended target, they will then execute the kick in a downward cutting movement. A very effective attack against the thigh.
A popular way of using mawashi-geri in the Goju Ryu
Goju Ryu
, is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. Both principles, hard and soft, come from the famous martial arts book Bubishi , used by Okinawan masters during the 19th and 20th centuries...
style of karate involves aiming a snapped round house to the opponent's groin.