The side kick is another great tool in point fighting. It allows you to create distance and to setup kicking combinations as well. With the side kick in point fighting you can either strike with the ball of your foot or your heel.
Before we go any further, let’s talk about why we would ever want to commit the sin of using the ball of our foot when striking with a side kick. In point fighting, we are not looking to hit with a tremendous amount of force. We are also not looking to strike an object for maximum penetration. Instead, we are simply trying to place a part of our foot in an open target area, with enough force to have it register as a point. Now, distancing is an important part to our sparring strategy. If we look at our foot you will notice that if you extend the ball of your foot away from your knee, you have a greater distance than that of your heel. This will give you inches in a game that is sometimes determined by centimeters. You have that much more reach to score the point. While, scoring the point is important, you do also want to keep in mind your next move as well. I typically use my side kick to setup another combination, so much of the time I use my heel, however, there are a few times when I know I’m going to stretch out for the point and will use the ball of my foot. This is just something to keep in mind while training the side kick.
To perform a side kick in point fighting, we will once again start from the universal chamber. It’s from the universal chamber that the side kick has it’s most versatility. With your knee in any place all you need to do is extend your leg in a piston action at whatever level you are aiming and strike your target. Nothing fancy. Don’t forget to retract your kick.
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