Low kick

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  Low kick applied on the outside of the thigh

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  Low kick applied on the inside of the thigh

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  Low kick with support leg

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  Low kick lock

A low kick is always applied at the feet of the opponent: as a result of the strike, the enemy not only experiences pain, but can lose support under his feet and slow down. Permanent low-kicks are fraught for an attacker with bone fractures, torn ligaments or other injuries of joints and muscles ^[1] . The sciatic nerve , the longest in the human body, runs from the tailbone to the very leg and is often the target for low kicks ^[2] .

The main type of protection against low-kick is blocking the kick in the form of a foot stand ( English checking ), when the leg is bent and pulled forward to protect it from hitting the hip. In this case, the batter gets into the exposed shin or knee and experiences pain himself. In some cases, this blocking can even become traumatic for the attacker: in the UFC 168 tournament , that’s how it endedan outsider low kick performed by Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman ^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7]} .

• Low kick is one of the essential techniques in kickboxing . In kickboxing, there is a “low kick” section that allows you to kick on the outer and inner sides of the thigh or hook in the ankle, but it is forbidden to hit the knee or calf muscle. Moreover, such kicks are in principle allowed in kickboxing according to international and eastern rules, but are prohibited in the American version with full contact.
• Low kick is found in varieties of karate like asihara karate , ensinkaykan , kyokushinkai and seydokaykan . Hatsuo Royama was considered one of the low-kick masters, the holder of 9th dan in kyokushin karate: this kick was called “gadan mawashi-geri” (circular kick to the lower level) and was previously used only as a hook before a more powerful kick. Through the efforts of Royama, low-kick was already used as a powerful blow to the opponent’s thigh ^[8] .
• In Thai low-kick boxing , it is the lower side kick, called the "tae code" and must be applied to the thigh or popliteal fossa. You can block it by raising the knee so that the blow falls on the lower leg ^[9] , but this is extremely difficult, since an athlete who has received such a blow can often go on a technical knockout ^[10] .
• Low kick is also one of the techniques in sanda and boxing , and thanks to Thai boxing has become an integral part of many martial arts.
• In the mixed martial arts competitions, the low-kick masters who won thanks to this became Maurice Smith , Pavel Slovinsky , Daniel Gitse , Mirko Filipovich and many others.