I did a piece on Gokhan Saki’s leg kick a while ago and here’s another fighter from the K1 circuit; Daniel Ghita. I hadn’t heard of him before but he recently fought in the K1 GP and knocked out every one of his opponents in the first round. Impressive…
Here’s his fight in the finals, against Sergei Lascenko:
You notice how for a guy his size (240 pounds), he moves very well. What I liked best about his leg kicks:
- There is no preparation to it, nothing to give it away: he just goes from a stationary position into the leg kick. Perfect.
- Even though he only uses the half-hip, there is still loads of power in every kick.
- He kicks when his opponent is unable to block. This is a basic strategy but so many fighters forget this, it’s a pleasure to watch one who gets this right.
- He stays cool as ice. Even when Lascenko goes into overdrive to force the issue, he just covers up and calmly waits for the opportunity to counter with the leg kick again. Excellent.
I’m curious to see how he’ll against Paul Slowinski in November. It’ll sure make for an explosive fight.
If you’re looking for more info on this technique, take a look at my “How to do a leg kick” guide.
UPDATE: Here’s Daniel Ghita’s leg kick, Part Two
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Danny Young says
What I like is he moves his kicks from target to target. He doesn’t just hone in on one place.
Wim says
Indeed, he sets it up real well. Looking forward to the rest of his fights.
Danny Young says
What I like is he moves his kicks from target to target. He doesn’t just hone in on one place.
Wim says
Indeed, he sets it up real well. Looking forward to the rest of his fights.
Loren Christensen says
The average bozo on the street couldn’t take more than a couple of these kicks, especially since most are landing on the peroneal nerve. Consider it a delete button on the leg.
I like how he doesn’t just kick and hopes that it lands somewhere, but that he kicks at specific vulnerable targets: the peroneal, the femoral artery and the liver.
Wim says
I remember the first time I received a leg kick done by a good Thai player. Wanted to cry like a little girl and go home.
Loren Christensen says
The average bozo on the street couldn’t take more than a couple of these kicks, especially since most are landing on the peroneal nerve. Consider it a delete button on the leg.
I like how he doesn’t just kick and hopes that it lands somewhere, but that he kicks at specific vulnerable targets: the peroneal, the femoral artery and the liver.
Wim says
I remember the first time I received a leg kick done by a good Thai player. Wanted to cry like a little girl and go home.
markstraining.com says
Well placed kicks. Its amazing how his opponant, who is fighting in K1, probably the biggest striking combat sport around does not prepare enough for low kicks. Without this vital part of overall combat preparation, anyone would simply crumble to the power of the leg kick.
Wim says
I don’t think he was not prepared, Ghita just had superior timing with them. He used them when the other guy couldn’t block or set them up well with other techniques. OTOH, Lacenko is 22 I think. Maybe he needs some more seasoning.
markstraining.com says
Well placed kicks. Its amazing how his opponant, who is fighting in K1, probably the biggest striking combat sport around does not prepare enough for low kicks. Without this vital part of overall combat preparation, anyone would simply crumble to the power of the leg kick.
Wim says
I don’t think he was not prepared, Ghita just had superior timing with them. He used them when the other guy couldn’t block or set them up well with other techniques. OTOH, Lacenko is 22 I think. Maybe he needs some more seasoning.
TheMartialArtsReporter says
Wow! Those kicks were coming out of nowhere and executed in such a way that they really look easy, even while he weighs 240 lbs.!
The other guy, prepared or not prepared, I don’t know, but to me
it looked like he stood still in the kicking range. Major mistake.
He didn’t look bad when he was in the punching range where he could
have stayed out of trouble and maybe inflicted some damage himself.
But those kicks hurt. Ouch!
I was on the receiving end and got kicked only once real bad/good
that I could not use/stand on my leg for about an hour.
Great post and observations, Wim.
Wim says
Ghita made a big impression on me with those fights in K1. But I was VERY disappointed with his performance against Sem Schilt. If he had thrown his shots with the same authority against Schilt, the outcome would surely have been different. Maybe next time…
TheMartialArtsReporter says
Wow! Those kicks were coming out of nowhere and executed in such a way that they really look easy, even while he weighs 240 lbs.!
The other guy, prepared or not prepared, I don’t know, but to me
it looked like he stood still in the kicking range. Major mistake.
He didn’t look bad when he was in the punching range where he could
have stayed out of trouble and maybe inflicted some damage himself.
But those kicks hurt. Ouch!
I was on the receiving end and got kicked only once real bad/good
that I could not use/stand on my leg for about an hour.
Great post and observations, Wim.
Wim says
Ghita made a big impression on me with those fights in K1. But I was VERY disappointed with his performance against Sem Schilt. If he had thrown his shots with the same authority against Schilt, the outcome would surely have been different. Maybe next time…
calin says
I wonder what Laschenko’s backgtound is; he’s probably an ex-boxer, while Ghita is an ex muay thai fighter,
Wim says
I thought Laschenko also came from a MT background, but I’m not sure.
calin says
I wonder what Laschenko’s backgtound is; he’s probably an ex-boxer, while Ghita is an ex muay thai fighter,
Wim says
I thought Laschenko also came from a MT background, but I’m not sure.