What Is The Martial Art With The Strongest Kick?

There are a lot of different striking martial arts, all have different rulesets, however, some share the same kicks. Whilst we may see a front kick or a roundhouse kick in various striking arts, we will rarely see a spinning heel kick in any sport other than taekwondo. This doesn’t mean that this kick isn’t legal or powerful but perhaps is too low percentage to be used frequently.

It should also be added the strongest does not necessarily mean the most practical. In fact, the strongest possible kick is likely a very low percentage since it requires a tremendous amount of torque and power. If we think of a low kick to the knee of the opponent, it is not the hardest kick you’ve ever seen, but damages the opponent and is extremely accurate.

Therefore there is often a trade-off in martial arts. You are not always trying to throw the most powerful kick, but at the same time, you’re not always trying to throw the most accurate kick since it may lack power. Against a stationary target, there are a couple of martial arts that practice the most powerful kicks, as we will now find out.

Karate & Taekwondo – Spinning Heel Kick

The spinning heel kick (also known as the wheel kick) is able to generate an unbelievable amount of force. In taekwondo training videos we will often see students jumping and hitting various paddles at different heights. Whilst this may be impractical in terms of fighting, it certainly shows how much power can be generated from twisting.

The spinning heel kick shows its devastating knockout power in the image above. Almost exclusively the kick will be aimed at the head, as a spinning back kick is usually used for a body shot. The heel kick provides a massive arc for your leg raising it from ankle height to head height in one complete motion. The kick also utilizes the full range of hip flexibility, which performs almost a 360-degree spin before hitting the target.

Lastly, the amount of torque placed through a single leg is incredible. The kick aims to hit with the heel of the foot, although even if it doesn’t, it can still cause a very brutal knockout. Terry Etim was knocked unconscious before he even hit the floor when the spinning heel kick of Edson Barboza landed flush to the side of his head.

Capoeira – Meia Lua De Compasso

The meia lua de compasso directly translates as “the compass half moon”. The half moon is aptly named for the direction of the kick. Whilst a standard kick to the head usually requires the leg to go from the bottom to the top of the opponent’s head. The meia lua de compasso also does this but has an even larger arc.

It is quite strange to see a capoeira technique to make this list, but this kick is likely the most powerful kick possible. In fairness, it is a low percentage kick that requires you to put both hands on the ground. For this reason, it is not seen too much in sports such as MMA, since this is generally a bad thing to do.

With that being said, the meia lua de compasso is brutal when it connects and will almost certainly be a knockout blow when it lands.

Technique

The hands of the aggressor are both lightly planted onto the floor whilst the attacking leg whips up and around in a circular motion. Meia lua de compasso is actually started with the upper body and this is what makes it so powerful. Most kicks simply utilize hip power and torque, the meia lua de compasso does do this as well but also uses the arms and shoulders.

You want to almost perform a handstand when throwing the half moon kick. Your shoulders should be almost upside down with your legs, whilst your head will still look at the opponent, but your chin should be facing upwards. From here your leg will make a massive arc and aim to strike the opponent in the head.

The kick requires a massive follow-through where your leg will land on the ground the opposite side of where it started. This gives the kick more power and also allows you to spin and try again if you miss.

Muay Thai – Roundhouse Kick

The roundhouse kick used in Muay Thai is extremely powerful but is certainly not as powerful as the spinning heel kick or a meia lua de compasso. With that being said it certainly is the most powerful high percentage kick. This is because the kick has a simple setup and can be thrown repeatedly to the head or body. Body shots are a lot easier to land compared to head kicks.

In addition to this, the roundhouse kick can be thrown at varying degrees of power and does not require a massive spin to set up. Even if the roundhouse kick misses, you are not in a bad situation. In comparison to capoeira kicks this is quite a big deal since you don’t expose your back to the opponent, neither do you throw yourself to the floor. The roundhouse kick is extremely functional and effective.

Another factor that helps the roundhouse kick is that there are so many variations. There is only really one method to set up a spinning heel kick or meia lua de compassa, whereas a roundhouse can be disguised and even thrown in reverse.

What Can A Powerful Kick Do In Terms Of Damage?

A popular sports science TV show demonstrated it takes approximately 750lbs of force to break a baseball bat. This is calculated by hitting the bat at its weakest and thinnest point. If you were to try and break the thick end it would take a lot more power. The show measured that a Muay Thai low kick broke the bat with 790lbs of force.

This is certainly not the most powerful kick, so it would be interesting to see what some of the spinning techniques could break. Although even though it’s not the most powerful, you can see from the image you certainly wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of this.

After watching the video of the bat breaking, it’s no surprise that leg injuries are common in full contact kickboxing and MMA. Even if you are training sport karate or taekwondo, you still won’t be able to escape minor leg injuries. They will likely not be as severe as full-contact striking, but still will happen nonetheless.

Injuries

Anderson Silva lost his rematch against Chris Weidman for the UFC middleweight championship. The notorious leg break has been seen many times around the world and is an example of what a hard kick can really do. Silva got a decent connection on the low kick landing his shin on the inside of Weidman’s knee. If you were to play footage like this without the aftermath of the leg break, it could be described as a textbook kick.

The same can be said for knockouts. There is a long list of kickboxers and MMA fighters who have a very long list of opponents they have knocked out. If a low kick is able to snap a leg in half, it makes us wonder, what happens to the brain? Concussions are very common in kickboxing, but what is the long-lasting damage?

Overall kicks are extremely powerful since they are the longest and strongest limbs on the body. In addition to this, they can have added power from twisting the hips, which adds even more force to certain techniques. Whilst kicks aren’t thrown as often as punches, they certainly deal their fair share of damage when a connection is made.

How do I make my kicks more powerful?

To make your kicks more powerful, one way is increasing speed. Often drills are capable of upping the speed and therefore power. Similarly, gaining muscles in your legs will add extra weight behind your kicks to add power. There are other methods too, such as conditioning which is effective but takes time. A common route to creating powerful kicks is by practicing on a kick bag. This freestanding punch bag in particular can take a real beating and is good value too.