• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workouts
      • Best Whey Protein
    • Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Machines
    • Certifications
      • ISSA Review
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Fitness

Swinging the Bat: How to Do the Muay Thai Roundhouse Kick

The most devastating kick in martial arts is the roundhouse kick. There is significant technique to the muay Thai roundhouse kick, though. I'm going to walk you through it, step by step.

Eric C. Stevens

Written by Eric C. Stevens Last updated on November 26, 2012

The most devastating kick in martial arts is the roundhouse kick. This is in large part why muay Thai has become the preferred stand up modality for many MMA fighters. While muay Thai allows for elbows, knees, and spinning back kicks, the foundation of the art is the roundhouse kick. While it isn’t necessarily the prettiest kick, it’s the most damaging, and make no mistake, the goal in fighting and the mixed martial arts is maximal damage.

I started my journey in the martial arts studying Shaolin kung fu. I love the pretty circular movements found in the Chinese martial arts. My favorite kick was the crescent kick, or outside half-moon kick, because it’s flashy. That circular high kick and some similar kicks thrown in many martial arts have a particular aerobic and spectacular beauty to them. While beautiful, such kicks have limited effectiveness in a street fight. I have yet to see a crescent kick thrown successfully in the UFC. When it comes down to real fighting, if you’re going to throw a damaging kick, make it a roundhouse kick.

With that in mind, let’s consider two key questions:

  1. Why is the roundhouse kick so effective and powerful?
  2. How do I throw said kick?

To the first question, the muay Thai roundhouse kick is so damaging because it uses the whole body in the same way swinging a bat is ultimately a full body motion. When swinging a bat, we move through the ball, using our legs, core, and arms. In a similar sense, our roundhouse kick moves across the opponent by using the rotation of our bodies when kicking. This kick generates superior force by weight transfer and connecting to the ground, versus the snapping motion that many other martial arts kicks use.

Start With Your Stance

In terms of optimally throwing the kick, let’s start with the basics – the ground. In a muay Thai stance, the feet are generally in the traditional 45-degree angle also seen in Western Boxing. However the body is more upright than in Western Boxing, in order to explode up onto the ball of the foot to throw kicks. Also, unlike boxing, the weight in your stance is distributed more to the rear leg. Additionally, the weight is in the ball of the feet on both the rear and the lead foot, whereas in boxing, the weight is in the ball of the foot only in the rear leg.

roundhouse kick, muay thai kick, muay thai roundhouse, how to muay thai kick

With the weight on the ball of your foot in the front, it allows you to easily lift up the foot for a lead left roundhouse or to pivot on the ball of the foot to start the rear leg roundhouse. Once you have the foundation correct, you are in a position to begin your roundhouse kick. For ease of explanation, I’m going to assume you’re right-handed and therefore your left leg is your lead leg.

Step #1

Pivot the lead/left leg on the ball of the foot and open up the rear/right hip as you begin your motion. This can be performed by stepping with the lead leg to a 45-degree angle or skip stepping to generate more power.

roundhouse kick, muay thai kick, muay thai roundhouse, how to muay thai kick

Note that any time a step is added to a kick sequence it takes time, giving your opponent the opportunity to adjust or counter. When pivoting, the kicker is coming up on the ball of the foot completely to generate maximum speed.

Step #2

As your hip opens and you swing your rear/right leg, point the rear knee toward opponent as you pivot. As you pivot the lead foot, that heel rotates towards your opponent. Also slightly bending the front knee of your lead/left leg will enable you to generate more torque and power. Power, though, ultimately comes from the hip. Your right hip should fully rotate over the left hip while you swing your body. This means your kicking hip ends up in a parallel position over the hip of your base leg.

Yet another way to generate speed and power is to whip the hand down at your side of the kicking leg. This is done at the risk of leaving your head open to a counter strike, so use this technique with caution. It’s vital to keep your other hand up near your chin to help protect from this counter attack.

Step #3

Impact. Connect with the shin right above the foot. Your kicking leg should be straight, for the most part, as you make impact. Remember, the leg comes across your opponent like you’re swinging a bat. Once you’ve made contact, bring that leg back the same way you came in, and do it quickly. Leaving your leg out there even for a fraction of a second is another good way to leave yourself vulnerable to a counter and/or takedown. Kick hard and fast, and then move.

roundhouse kick, muay thai kick, muay thai roundhouse, how to muay thai kick

Rounding It Up

The muay Thai roundhouse kick is the mother of power kicks, but it’s certainly not the only effective kick. In fact, while it’s unparalleled in power, it takes more time to throw. The commitment of rotating the hips and even whipping the arm down can leave one vulnerable to a take down. Using the roundhouse kick effectively can be tricky in the way that using a powerful right cross in boxing requires being set up. This is because of the commitment of transferring your weight towards your opponent and the time taken to throw it correctly. Therefore, a roundhouse kick has to be used strategically. When it is used effectively it is an awesome and powerful sensation in the way that swinging a bat and connecting with a ball gives one such a pure feeling of power and speed.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

Eric C. Stevens

About Eric C. Stevens

For the past seventeen years, Eric Stevens has established himself as a leading fitness professional, consultant, writer, presenter, and television personality. Currently, Eric is the Fitness and Membership Director for the Allegria Spa & Club at Park Hyatt in Avon, Colorado.

In addition to his extensive fitness experience, having managed, coached, and trained in the private health club and non-profit industries, Eric has been a long-time instructor of Western boxing, most recently as boxing coach for the Denver Athletic Club. In 2011, Eric was selected to serve as a trainer in the nationally televised series "I Used to Be Fat" on MTV. Eric is also a published author and regular contributor to Breaking Muscle, Muscle & Performance, and the Whole Life Challenge.

Eric is originally from Portland, Oregon and is a graduate of the University of San Diego. Since 2003, Eric has been a nationally certified personal trainer with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

View All Articles

Recommended Articles

Method Man Incline Dumbbell Presses December 2022
Check Out Rapper Method Man Cruising Through 120-Pound Incline Dumbbell Presses for 10 Reps
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Leg Workout
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Crushes 5 “Monster Sets” of a Leg Workout
Michael B. Jordan poster for Creed III
Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors Look Like Shredded Boxing Stars in “Creed III”
person running on road
How to Run an 8-Minute Mile Pace

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

Olympia Legend Dorian Yates Describes His Favorite Back Exercise

Amanda Lawrence (84KG) Squats 11.5 Kilograms (25.3 Pounds) More Than IPF World Record In Training

How to Do the Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown for a Bigger Back

Jessica Buettner (84KG) Ties All-Time Raw Squat PR of 220 Kilograms (485 Pounds)

Latest Reviews

ISSA Personal Trainer Certification Review

ISSA Personal Trainer Certification Review

Best Whey Proteins for Packing on Muscle, Shredding Down, Meal Replacement, and More

Best Pre-Workouts for Building Muscle, Running, Taste, and More

Best Home Gym Machines

Best Home Gym Machines

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2023 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About