How to do the Teep Kick / Push Kick for Muay Thai & MMA

The Teep Kick is a move used in MMA that originated in Muay Thai. The use of the Teep Kick was designed to push the opponent back if they get too close to you. With this said, the idea of the Teep Kick is aimed at pushing people away to create space. It should be noted that the Teep Kick is not to be confused with the Front Kick. The Front Kick is an aggressive kick, designed to kick the head of the opponent. In other words, the Front Kick can instantly knock out an opponent by striking them in the head.

However, the Push Kick is literally that…a kick designed to push the opponent away and defend. The point is that sometimes certain moves are designed to create space and defend. As a fighter, you can’t always rely on attacking and sometimes need to defend instead. Because of this, the Teep Kick can be seen as the ideal kick when on the back foot. Without it, you could eventually get knocked out. Nonetheless, with it – you are well equipped to deal with super aggressive opponents who are intent on charging forward.

How to set up the Teep Kick

Unlike some kicks, the Push Kick isn’t reliant on the lead or rest leg. Basically, you can hit it with either, as long as you judge the distance beforehand. The last thing you want to do is throw it aimlessly and for it to miss. If this happens, you could get your leg caught and taken down. Alternatively, you could get countered with a knockout strike. With this said, make sure the opponent is within reaching distance before striking.

Once ready, you want to transfer your weight onto the resting leg. Whether this leg is chosen as your front or back leg is irrelevant. What is relevant is to use this leg to carry your body weight. The idea of this is to make your striking leg as light as possible. Once this is done, you should then raise your knee to get ready to strike. Obviously, it is ideal to be flexible for this kick as it will make it a lot easier. Regardless, the Push Kick isn’t as flexibility-based as certain other kicks are, such as the Hook Kick. Ideally though, your knee should be as high as possible, this will add more speed and bite to the kick which is never a bad thing.

Finishing the Teep Kick

To finish the Teep Kick, you want to shoot the leg and foot forward as if punching a jab. In fact, thinking about the Push Kick as a jab is actually a very good idea. The reason for this is that a single jab will very rarely end a match. However, the point is to be used to turn defense into attack. At the same time, in some cases the Teep can work in ending a fight. If hit correctly, it can act as a liver shot and put the opponent to the floor and shut down their body. Whether this is done by luck or technique, it is one of the many benefits that the Push Kick offers. Of course, unlike punching, the Teep Kick cannot be hit in succession and is more of a single strike than anything.

When finishing the Teep Kick, remember to keep your rest leg planted firmly on the ground for base. With this in place, you should then strike with the sole of your foot. Further, your foot and leg should ideally be straight whilst striking. Remember, the idea is to kick the opponent, so the foot placement is ideal for this. Some variations may have a twisted leg or land with the foot on the side, but for now we will focus on the main version. As soon as your foot makes contact with your opponent’s stomach, you should then extend your leg into them, effectively pushing them, hence the name.

Often for more power, practitioners will lean back with their upper body whilst they throw the Teep Kick. The reason behind this is to add even more force to the kick. Of course, when throwing kicks balance is always relevant and is something you should be aware of. If your balance is bad then you shouldn’t lean too far back. However, if possible, leaning back as much as possible will only help with the push. Ideally, the Teep Kick should land around the stomach area and may even wind the opponent if hit efficiently enough. This would be perfect as you can then go on the offensive and think about ending the fight.

Once the strike has been landed, you then want to retract your foot and leg back to their original position. A good way to think of this is that you’re reverse-engineering the original kick. In other words, you should then work the finish back to the start, so then you bring your foot and leg back to your knee, put your foot to the ground, and go to a neutral base with both legs holding your weight. As ever when throwing kicks, be mindful of counterattacks. For this, make sure your hands are held up to your head, this means if a punch is thrown, your fist will take the blow and defend your head from being hit.

Problems with the Teep Kick

Perhaps the main issue with the Teep Kick is that people get it mixed up with the Front Kick. As mentioned earlier, the two are for very different scenarios and both have a different strategy behind them. Sometimes, fighters will get confused and throw the Teep Kick as if trying to end the fight. It should be noted that this lack of understanding is typically found with inexperienced fighters and isn’t really seen at the elite levels. Nonetheless, with enough adrenaline and a tired mind, you would be surprised at how many people get the two mixed up.

Again, as mentioned too many people will throw the Teep Kick as if trying to end the match instantly. This may result in getting countered by throwing too much into it and over-exposing yourself. Another common issue is those trying the Push Kick is when it’s too slow or lacks flexibility. Whilst the Teep Kick may not require as much flexibility as other kicks, it still relies on being flexible. This often means flexibility from your hips as this is where the initial movement comes from and what generates the power.

In short, you’ll need to be able to not only strike high enough but also fast enough. If you lack flexibility and power from the hips then neither of these will work properly. Basically, your kick may be too low or too soft. As a result, this won’t phase the opponent. Especially if it’s too slow, the opponent may even have time to grab the leg and take you down with it. In a Muay Thai setting, this may count as a sweep, however in MMA, it may have dire consequences. Although getting swept is not ideal, it won’t end the fight.

However, getting taken down in an MMA fight is terrible, especially at the heavier weights or against a skilled grappler. As a result, you should only throw the Teep Kick if you are very confident in striking cleanly with no reprisals. Of course, to counter these issues you can improve your flexibility through yoga or by drilling strikes either on a training partner or on a bag.

Examples of the Teep Kick in MMA

Due to its popularity, the Teep Kick has been used commonly in MMA over the years. Of course, it is not as common as its use in Muay Thai which is understandable considering the problems it can encounter if your leg gets caught. Nonetheless, there have been several big names down the years who have used the Push Kick to their advantage. One main user of the Teep is Conor McGregor. The Irish UFC Champion would often use the Push Kick to gauge distance between him and his opponent’s.

Not only this but he would use the technique to keep his opponent guessing and to avoid becoming too predictable. Elsewhere, the Teep Kick is usually favored by tall, long-legged strikers such as Anderson Silva. Due to the length of his legs, he could easily use Teep Kicks to fend off opponents from getting too near him. You may have noticed a pattern, that the Teep Kick is ideal for strikers who want to keep a distance from their opponents and avoid grappling. However, as proven by McGregor – you don’t have to have massive legs to use the move, it certainly helps though.