The rear push kick is fairly similar to the front snap kick in its action, with the difference being that you use the rear leg instead of the front.

This is the second of the basic kicks which can be used as an offensive or defensive kick, depending on how it is executed. Snap and rear push kicks are typically aimed at targets below the chest: abdomen, thighs, knees or lower. Highly skilled martial artists are capable of striking to head level targets with the rear push kick, but rarely consider this practice viable as your opponent can catch your leg if not executed quick enough which will put you in all sorts of trouble, especially if they take you to the floor.

Defensively

The rear push kick can be devastating to your opponent when they are closing in on you, thrust out your leg and strike your opponent in the mid-section when they are moving in, inflicting heavy damage, also a great way of keeping your opponent out of punching range.

Offensively

The rear push kick can be used to force your opponent to dodge or deflect the kick which creates an opportunity for you to open up with a punching combination to head, body or a combination of head and body, or you could also follow up with a kicking combination. When using the rear push kick as an offensive technique use your hips more in a thrusting motion which will give you a good method of increasing both reach and power, once again causing heavy damage to your opponent.

When using this particular kick you must keep your upper body straight and balanced, lean back and you will be off balance, lean forward and this will hinder the height of the kick. Keep your guard up nice and tight to your body and always keep your eyes on your target. The strike point of the foot will depend on the style of martial arts that you participate in. Generally it is the ball of the foot which allows for a more penetrating strike as used in Karate. Tae Kwon Do practitioners utilise both heel and ball of the foot when striking a target. Many modern day martial art combat systems especially the military tend to teach the heel and the whole bottom part of the foot. In kickboxing I tend to use all of the above as remember kickboxing is more of a freestyle system. You must always remember that to avoid injury you need to pull back your toes and flex your foot before striking your target. You can land this kick forward or return it to the rear where it began, depending on how you intend to follow it up with more techniques.

Execution

Assume fighting stance in left or right leg forward, with full guard position.

Raise your rear leg to the front of your body towards your chest, ensuring that the knee is high and fully bent in the chamber position. Your toes are pulled back and foot is fully flexed. Keep your body straight with again good guard position.

Thrust the kick out towards your target area keeping your toes pulled back and foot flexed. Strike the target with the desired part of your foot, ball of foot, heel or whole of the base of the foot. When executing the strike pivot the foot of the standing leg outwards which enables you to thrust your hips forward to gain extra power. Again keep good guard position at all times

Snap back your leg into the chamber position as quickly as possible. Pivot back on your supporting leg for good balance and retain strong guard position

Return your kicking leg either back to left fighting stance or forward to right fighting stance, depending how you want to execute further techniques into a combination of punches, kicks or both combined.

Top Tips

Always keep your back straight when using the rear push kick.
Thrust your hips into the kick for extra power.
Always keep your toes pulled back and foot flexed when striking a target to avoid injury.
Exhale on impact of your kick for good breathing techniques, that should always be used when kicking or punching.
Always return your kicking leg to the ground via chamber position as quickly as possible to avoid your opponent grabbing your leg.

Combinations

Now that we have 2 of the basic kicks and four basic punches used in kickboxing, we can really experiment in various combinations for a great workout, usually with the aid of a partner to hold pads for you. Make sure that your partner knows how to hold pads correctly before you start to avoid injury. Holding pads correctly is an art form in itself.

Try this

Left fighting stance

Lead left snap kick, followed by left jab, right cross and finally right leg rear push kick. Add in a left hook and right uppercut after the right cross for an extra combination.

Right fighting stance

Right hook, left uppercut, left rear push kick landing forward into left stance, followed by a slight shuffle forward and execute a lead left snap kick landing forward and ending in a left jab and right cross.
There are many combinations that you can try as well as the above, experiment, have fun and enjoy a great workout.

Train Hard! Fight Hard! Sleep Easy!

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