The kryptonite to the Roundhouse. With timing, precision and follow-thru, this can be a very devastating weapon. There has been enough televised moments of when a satisfactory back kick causes the receiver to cringe and shrivel into the ground.
Oh, How I wish it was easy to maintain a good Open Stance for the perfect Counter Back Kick! Alas, In a sparring match with a stranger, especially against someone who has trained their kicking for a good while, they will not give you the opportunity to setup a convenient counter. You, as the fighter, have to figure out when and how to use it during a match for greatest efficiency.
We’re here to talk about a Back Kick that is used as a Counter Attack.
The point is to get your opponent into committing an attack for you to counter with… Ta Daah! A Back Kick.
What is a Back Kick?
In its simplest form, your body can move like a see-saw to throw the most basic back kick. Torso leans forward while one leg kicks directly behind you for counter balance. As archaic as this kick may seem, please notice how effortless it feels to execute this action. Perhaps, you can consider this to be a “natural movement”. I say, there’s just less things happening and one point of axis. The basic back kick seems to disregard an important aspect in the context of sparring. There’s an opponent actively trying to kick you, so you should probably be facing that way. Fighting Stance! GiYap! hiyah…
Beginning at your fighting stance, turn your head, arms, and torso to the opposite side, eventually facing away from the opponent.
From there, as you shift weight onto your Post Leg, bring in the kicking leg and “Chamber”.
Extend the kicking leg behind you as your torso spins to get a better view.
Spinning Back Kick seems to be the popular term used by sports commentators. However, this term is misleading. Spinning in this context is likely referring to the full trunk twist required to execute a back kick with the rear leg without overextending yourself. It is the axis of your spine that is spinning. Please do not focus on the spinning of the kicking leg. Decrease distance of foot trajectory by Chambering and for more fluid transfer of energy.
Remember, the action is towards your opponent. Your overall momentum should be going towards the opponent in a linear path. Think of your energy and momentum going through the target.
First Accuracy, Then Precision
Practice in phases to get the Body Mechanics right for a well-aimed Back Kick. The bullseye being the center of the Hogu, or chest guard, which is about where the diaphragm is. Train yourself to get comfortable moving multiple segments of the body simultaneously during a half-way blind twist. First, work on Accuracy. Understand how the body moves to execute a back kick to achieve center aim. Then, applying it to Reaction Drills, train your back kick to hit center target more often and more frequently. More often, as in, higher percentage of hitting center area. More frequently, as in, more kicks in quick succession to develop Muscle Memory.
The Turn Around
The Counter Back Kick, sort of, “comes out of nowhere”, and this is partially due to the reverse trunk twist.
By turning away from the opponent, it gives you extra torque when followed-up with a Back Kick. And, with the Turn Around, the kick is shot from an outside angle.
In one of my early sparring practice matches, as a green belt, I got hit with one of these straight to my sternum. Knocked the wind out of me! KO.
That taught me that a simple kick; Back Kick, Mule Kick, Donkey Kick, (was that the same thing?) when applied with accuracy, it can do some serious damage. As usual, practice for accuracy. Slow and steady, at first. Then, you can slowly increase your speed and hone your precision.
Open Stance
When you are in the opposite stance of your opponent, you are hoping for him to commit to a rear leg Roundhouse. This is the optimal scenario for the Counter Back Kick because it gives you buffer space to aim better. The only way to aim your kick accurately is to look. The extra space provides an extra split second to see where your kick is going. Unless you have practiced it thousands of times to where it is “muscle memory”, you’re probably going to need that extra moment to turn your head around and be able to view your kick with, at least, your peripherals.
Utilize the same fundamental movements of the Back Kick. Once the opponent commits to an attack, turn towards the rear, Chamber, and extend the kicking leg. Be mindful of foot travel distance. When this is timed just right, your heel should land flush on center mass. It’s best to catch them in mid-swing of their offense when their chest is facing straight into the flying foot of ouch.
Closed Stance
Going for a Counter Back Kick in this stance is definitely a race. The Closed Stance is sort of a stalemate position. Both you and the opponent have fairly equal grounds for offense and defense. However, one danger of the Counter Back Kick is the fact that you are turning your vision away for a moment to turn around and view from the other side.
To counter a rear leg Roundhouse in the Closed Stance with a Back Kick sets you at a disadvantage by one move. The turnaround. After having practiced Accuracy and Precision, the turnaround should happen simultaneously with Chambering. Extend and strike on target before the opponent is able to deflect the trajectory of your kicking knee. If your Counter Back Kick is late, you are likely to be stuffed down by your opponent’s higher kick. Whoever raises their knee high enough to finish the extension of the kick will win the race.
When it’s Good, tho…
When that Counter Back Kick comes out like Lightening and strikes like Thunder, it is a beautiful sight to see. It is Deceptive. Quick. And can go Low or High.
Trust me. All that training. Blood, Sweat, Beers Tears. It will be worth it all when this moment happens to you. Even if it happens just once, you realize, “I’m fuk’n dangerous!”