Hi, this is Randall with KravMagaTraining.com and in this video we’re going to cover how to use the jab as a set up for your back kick with a spin.
After our students have learned the spinning back kick, they have trouble actually integrating it in their sparring or actually able to use it when they fight. So like a lot of techniques when you spar, you need to learn how to set it up properly. And one of the best ways to set them up is to throw the jab.
This is what I mean: What I do is I like to throw the jab up here and my goal is to either pop the guy in the face, or at the very least, to get them to bring their hands up and cover. Either way is a good thing. Now once I get that response I’m going to throw the technique again, however, I don’t really have any intent of actually landing with this. Whether it be the jab or it could be the eye strike too, that’s fine. My goal is just to throw the hand out there up there in the air close to their face and to get them to react to it. To get them to cover up. Start bringing their arms up to defend which opens up now this area right here. As I throw that jab or eye strike, that’s when I take my lead foot and start the spin. With this hand up here it brings all their attention up and they never see what’s going on with my lower body. So there peripheral vision is focused up here they never see the set up, and even better, a lot of times they don’t see the kick until it’s already landed. And as you guys know, it’s not just the power of the technique, it’s also whether the opponent sees it or not. The strikes that hurt the most are the ones you don’t see. And to me this is a double whammy because the spin back kick, once you get really good at it, is probably one of the strongest combatives you’re ever going to learn because the side kick is very strong, the back kick is very strong once you learn it. Now you’re adding the momentum of the rotation of the spin. And also when you get really good at this they won’t see it coming. So I’ve, I’ve not meant to be a dick but I’ve actually doubled over some of my students or sparring partners accidentally by just popping them a little too hard with this technique. So it is effective once you get good at it.
So again, maybe throw a jab first. Throw an eye strike first. Get them to respond to it, whether they cover up, or even better, pop them in the face so they’re like “oh crap, I need to start watching out for this”. And then on the next one step across. Throw the hand. You don’t have to hit them with it. Throw it up in the air. Get their attention with it up high. And then before they know it, “boom”, I’m driving my heel into their body.
Now one question that comes up is “well, I can’t hit them in the face because they are too far away and when I throw the kick I feel too jammed up”. Well, I’ll address both those things. The first thing is you don’t have to make contact with the face. At least not with the actual jab you are using as a setup. Just get it up in the air. That’s all I want. Get them to respond. So we don’t have to worry about if our body is too far away to be able to land it. And now to address the concern about the back kick being too short. The truth is, as long as you are really competent with your back kick and you hit with your heel properly into their body, you can still cause a lot of damage. Even if the kick is short. I actually like having the back kick being too short because it’s harder for them to see it. When I’m out here and I fully extend it, not only does it take longer for my foot to actually make impact, which means they have more opportunity to see it coming, to react to it. The other is when I’m this close to them all their vision is up here. They never see that short back kick. So it’s very effective because it kind of hits them in a blind spot. And the truth is when you get really good with the kick, you can generate a lot of power. Whether it’s short here, mid range, or fully extended. The key is, it’s just like throwing a straight punch. Ideally, yeah I want to be fully extended but the truth is even when I’m shortened up a little bit I can still put power into it. And this spin back kick is no different.
So once again, set them up with the jab, “boom”, blast them with the spin back kick. And there are other ways to set this kick up but I’ve found this is one of the easiest and most effective set ups that you can use when you try to integrate this kick in your sparring sessions.
And it can also be good even when you are in a self-defense situation. When you catch yourself being spun around in a particular scenario. Or if you have to deal with multiple attackers, and you’re fighting this guy and “oh shit” you see some guy sneaking up behind you. The spin back kick, or any spin kick for that matter, even though you don’t use it a lot, it does have its merits.
To me, a good analogy is like you’re a baseball pitcher. The, you know, for most baseball pitchers the most important pitch is the fastball. Throwing the heat. So when we’re sparring that’s like our moves like our straight punches, round kick, front kick, knees, our basics. But just like a pitcher does, you can’t just throw fastballs all the time because the hitters going to catch onto it. You got to mix it up a little bit. Throw some curve balls. Throw in a changeup every once in a while. And to me that spinning kick is that. It is the curveball. It is the changeup. There so much looking at for the punch that they “boom” they never see that spin kick. Now don’t go out there and throw it like 50 times in a row because, obviously, your sparring partner is going to figure it out. But every once in a while throw it out there. You’ll be surprised. You’re going to catch your sparring partner by surprise. But don’t be a dick like me. Don’t kill them and double them over. Play nice when you hit them, okay?
Alright, that’s your training tip to set up the `back kick with a spin.
