How effective are Soccer Kicks in streetfighting? Especially compared to ¨martial arts¨ style kicks like roundhouses?

Wow that was kinda long lol.

Soccer kicks have their place, mainly to treat a human head that is close to the ground like a soccer ball. Getting hit with this in the face as you’re on your hands trying to get up (learn technical standup!) is 100% effective and it’s impossible to say that it’s not effective.

I wouldn’t say that it’s super easy to defend or super easy to get a KO with. I mean if you’re in a position like this or this, then yeah you might just die. The soccer kick is an effective finishing move once your opponent is badly hurt and unable to move well. What the soccer kick lacks in speed and finesse, it makes up for in raw power.

That being said if a fighter has his full wits and ends up on the ground somehow, he will be more ready to defend the soccer kick. I would imagine head movement being key as blocking a soccer kick will 100% still hurt. Dodging the slow and big windup kick and maneuvering into a single leg, standing up, or engaging in a leg entanglement would probably be ideal if you were good at those. If not then technical standup ASAP.

Now if we are standing and striking and you throw a telegraphed and slow ass soccer kick, I will prob kill you easy. A slow upwards and linear kick that you see coming... every counter striker’s dream lol. A sharper push kick or front snap kick would be more ideal. Same with the roundhouse, you just get a better speed to power ratio with these than you would with a big ol soccer kick. Powerful windup strikes are often reserved as fight finishers.

In da streetz it only makes sense. Some sorry guy is knocked on his ass and getting up slowly using his hands and is all hunched over. He is in punting territory for a lonnnng time.

As for why people dislike it, well it’s brutal and unnecessary at times. I’ve seen my share of fight videos and most soccer kicks happen when the opponent is already dazed and nearly unconscious. ManyMMA folks dislike it because it easily adds mileage onto fighters meaning your favorite fighter will have to stop fighting sooner when he’s taking soccer kicks to the dome. Not to mention that even more people would be against MMA being legal. Soccer kicking someone in the head while on the ground is not the same as roundhousing someone in the head while standing. The soccer kick just generates sooooo much more power, especially with the opponents head being so low to the ground.. id say you could easily mess someone up for life with one. So yeah pretty frowned upon unless you’re fighting for your life for most people.

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