Front Push Kick

 In Muay Thai Kickboxing there is a technique called the Front Push Kick. 

It's basically a front kick that is used to create or keep the distance between you and the opponent.

Some fighters use it strictly as a distancing tool while others will blast you with it. 

This technique works well in the world of Muay Thai Kickboxing.

If you land the Front Push Kick on the opponent's solar plexus and cause them to hunch over, you will be in good position to blast them with several strong shots to the head. 

Even if they block your attacks they will be rocked creating opportunities for you.  

So the Muay Thai fighter doesn't want to be hunched over, they want to be upright. 

However being upright makes them susceptible to the Front Push Kick. 

In MMA a Front Push Kick to the midsection can be countered with a take down or by clinching.

So MMA fighters tend to aim the Front Push Kick a little bit higher towards the opponent's chest and above. 

However the higher the kick the longer it takes to bring it back down making you vulnerable during that time.

My answer to this was two fold. 

Number one was to use a pendulum style front kick that would look like I would move forward but I didn't. 

This allowed me to leave a gap between the opponent and myself that I could fill with another attack. 

My second move was to Front Push Kick the opponent's leg. 

A Muay Thai fighter's front leg is light so this technique would not be good against someone like that. 

However this worked like a charm on a Boxer and a Wrestler because their front legs were part of their base.

I could kick the front leg and use that to push myself backwards rather than trying to move them. 

So I was still able to keep the distance.

I also like the more traditional method of the Front Push Kick to the solar plexus and using that as a jab to wear them down. 

I also mix up the Front Push Kick with a front kick to the jaw to make things harder to predict.