Teep Range of Freedom (Patreon)

• LMA Curriculum

A technique is not a single isolated movement but rather a range of movements. We've already covered some teep variations, but rather than thinking of variations as modifications of a parent technique, think of them as various degrees of the same technique. You have the freedom to execute a teep as you see fit. There is no one teep. Within the teep, there are multitudes. Since you can never deliver the same teep twice, the degrees within the teep are infinite. The universal binding agent for the teep is that you always land with the ball of your foot. Seeing movements as ranges makes it that much easier to organize, recall, adapt, and own them.

Here are some (but not all) examples of teeps:

Push teep: It pushes an opponent away or stops their forward movement. You can also use it to push yourself away. It's much like a shove or a stiff arm. It creates and manages distance.

Snap teep: Rather than a shove, it's more like a punch. The intent is not to move an opponent but to damage them. The snap teep is quicker than a push teep but lacks the same reach. It works best when an opponent is leaning forward. Since it is so quick, it's harder to catch and adds unpredictability. They may expect to be pushed away and eat a kick to the sternum or chin instead.

Rear teep: It's the push teep with the rear leg. All your kicks with the rear leg have more power at the cost of speed. It travels further, which is how it generates momentum but is also why it's slower. However, your rear kicks also have more reach since you're essentially stepping forward while your lead leg temporarily becomes your rear. The rear teep also adds diversity to your attacks and makes you harder to predict. However, it's an easier teep to catch, parry, or avoid. That's also its strength. For example, if you perform a rear teep, your opponent will expect rear teeps and look to catch them. If you throw a rear turning kick instead, you can catch your opponent by surprise while they're out of position trying to catch a kick that isn't there.

However, against the opposite stance, your rear teep will be your primary teep as it's lined up against their body, and your lead teep will be the one that's easier to catch.

Rear teep on the ball of foot: This can produce more reach and power and, for some people, make it easier to reload their kick. Since the rear teep is a powerful kick, it can inadvertently pull you forward, putting you in an unintended position. By getting on the ball of your foot and driving with your hip, you make a rocking chair motion, where you rock forward with your teep, giving you added reach. Then, as you retrieve your foot and put your heel down, you rock back into stance. If you need to immediately teep again, having your heel off the ground makes it easier to reload and deliver a second kick. However, your mileage may vary as it can also make your kick unstable.

Rear snap teep: It has more reach than the lead snap teep, is one of the most powerful kicks in martial arts, and has the highest reach. Even someone who lacks flexibility can kick someone in the chin with this kick. Since it can go to the stomach or the opponent's nose and only requires a little flexibility, it's difficult to know where the kick is going. The speed and unpredictability makes it nearly impossible to catch or parry. The timing is also flexible. You can hold your leg in the load position without immediately firing the kick, making it hard to know when the kick is coming or whether it's a push teep or a snap teep. You also won't lose any power by holding it in the load position since snap teeps get their power from a snapping motion rather than a pushing motion. For all these reasons, it's one of the most dangerous kicks and requires caution.

Rear snap teep on the ball of foot: Has the same advantages and disadvantages as the rear teep on the ball of the foot.

Position One into rear teep: Allows you to march into a rear teep. Be aware this has you stepping forward into your opponent and switching your stance. It's a deliberate movement often meant to set up a follow-up technique. Since it can expose you, it requires experience and game sense for success. You can return to your starting position up until you extend the kick, but once you extend, you will be in the new stance.

Heel turn rear teep: It allows you to use the rear teep to stance switch or disguise a stance switch. Rather than starting with Position One, you pivot on your standing foot as you rear teep. This adds power and extends your reach. However, just as with Position One into rear teep, you can't return to your starting position and will be in a new stance. Only use this teep if you intend to switch stances. Once you start pivoting, you can't change your mind. You'll also be accelerating quickly, which commits you to the movement.

Inside diagonal teep: Your teeping leg's range of motion isn't just forward and back. Turning in is also within its range of motion. Think of your foot as a dial—it can turn in, out, or stay vertical. You have the freedom to execute this with the mechanics of the snap teep or the push teep. It can land like a hooking punch or a push. If you snap it like a snap teep, you can deliver it under your opponent's defenses.

It's hard to keep your foot vertical, and you'll notice your foot naturally turns inward when you're trying to extend your reach. This is because your body knows if you turn sideways and/or lean back, you have more reach with your legs. This turns your foot inward. If you watch enough Thai-boxing, you'll notice the foot rarely points perfectly straight up during a teep. You'll also notice there is no one way they teep. It's a range of movements.

Outside diagonal teep: This requires some hip and knee dexterity. Just as your foot can turn in, it can also turn out. This move is intended mostly for opponents in the opposite stance. If your standing foot is pointing forward, you'll find a lot more slack for this movement.

The benefit of a movement like this is that it adds more variability. Not only will it be hard for your opponent to guess which movement is coming, but also from which direction. If both legs can move up, down, left, and right, you've made yourself that much harder to read. Much like footwork, you have an infinite number of combinations going to your left, but if you can also go right, your infinity expands.

Increasing range of freedom: You can get on the ball of your foot, pivot, or hop with every kick. Getting on the ball of your foot gives you extra reach at the cost of stability. Pivoting gives you greater rotation, which can help you chase a moving target. However, it takes longer to reload. Hopping adds extra power, speed, and reach, but at the cost of control. Whenever your feet leave the ground, you have no ability to change directions.

For each technique: I load, release, then reload before setting my foot down. Make loading and reloading a general, but not absolute, habit for every technique.

– Sam