Back and Side Kick Theory and Praxis (Patreon)

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Building off the back kick against the wall, this movement task alternates between the back kick and the side kick. Like before, you can also do this with a person holding a pad.

This task illustrates how the back kick and the side kick are the same kick adjusted differently. Remember, every technique has a range of freedom; therefore, within every technique are infinite adjustments.

We use Marxism, wayfinding, and play to guide practitioners in self-discovery. One of the first techniques we teach is the front kick, followed by the back kick, and now the side kick. Here, we bring it all together and explain how they're all the same kick. This isn't just important to simplify learning but also to illustrate what's important isn't the mechanics but recognizing the conditions for adjusting mechanics. A martial artist shouldn't be oriented to their technique but their conditions.

In the demonstration, I look at my target before kicking. I load both kicks so that the bottom of my foot faces my opponent. If they come toward me, I can use my foot to create space. I cannot do that if the bottom of my foot faces the ground.

When I lift my foot for the side kick, I pry my knees apart, as illustrated in hip mobility. When my foot touches the wall, my foot is parallel to the floor. During the back kick, my foot is perpendicular to the floor. For both kicks, my foot touches flush, ensuring my heel touches the target. It's less important for the ball of my foot to make contact.

I'm not landing hard, just touching. It's essential to learn control early. After making contact with the target, I return my foot to the load position before setting it down. The reasons are still the same. In case an opponent tries to come toward me, I have my foot to push them back. I leave no vulnerability before or after the kick.

You can never deliver the same technique twice, which includes kicks. I included several versions of me alternating between kicks to show how they're all slightly different. I don't always pry my knees apart the same way or to the same height. The side kick sometimes starts like a back kick, then ends as a side kick. My foot isn't always parallel or perpendicular to the ground. I'm not always making right angles. That's all okay. You have lots of freedom in delivering any technique. What's important isn't how it looks but how it does its job. Did it affect you and your opponent the way you wanted it to? Did it protect you from their rush, and did it push your opponent back?

Think of your kicking leg as a dial; all that changes is the degree to which you turn it. Any degree between perpendicular and parallel is fine. What happens when you turn the dial past parallel and keep turning until your toes point up? Now you have the front kick (teep). Front kick, side kick, back kick, and everything in between are all the same kick at different orientations.

In the final segment of the video, I start with my right foot turned out 90 degrees until it is perpendicular to my left. This should look familiar; I am in a backward L-stance. When you look down, your feet should look like a "7." A backward J-stance resembles a "Γ," the Greek letter for gamma. Now I execute the side kick like before: load, touch, reload, and restart.

– Sam