Setting Up Strikes with Oblique Kick Faints in MMA

Understanding the Oblique Kick

The oblique kick has become an increasingly popular technique in MMA and other combat sports. This kick targets the knee joint while also keeping distance from your opponent. Executed properly, the oblique kick can be used to set up other strikes or cause damage on its own.

How to Throw an Oblique Kick

When executing the oblique kick, you turn your body sideways and lift your leg bent at the knee, thrusting your heel out towards your opponent's knee joint. The power comes from your hips as you push your leg straight while pivoting your standing foot. Timed right, this kick can hyperextend your opponent's knee.

Proper form is crucial when throwing an oblique kick. Keep your chin tucked and hands up to protect your head. Pivot hard on your standing foot while straightening your kicking leg. Make sure to retract your leg quickly after making contact.

Setting Up Strikes with the Oblique Kick

One way MMA fighters use the oblique kick is to set up other strikes. Throwing a couple hard oblique kicks gets your opponent thinking about defending their knees. This opens opportunities to mix in other attacks like straight punches or body kicks when their hands drop.

Faking an oblique kick is also effective. Lifting your leg as if you're going to throw it will often cause your opponent to react. In the brief moment they adjust their defense downwards, you can attack other openings. The key is to sell the fake oblique kick before throwing your real strike.

Using Oblique Kick Faints

Fainting with the oblique kick can create offensive opportunities. By faking the oblique kick and baiting a reaction, you can take advantage of the brief defensive lapses it causes. Timing is critical when fainting kicks to land clean punches.

Baiting Reactions

The first step is making your oblique kick fake look real. Lift your leg and push your hips forward as you normally would. Keep your eyes on your opponent instead of your kicking leg. This helps sell the fake and see how they react.

Many fighters will react by dropping their hands to defend against an expected oblique kick. Others will lean back or laterally to move away from the kick. Pay close attention to these defensive reactions you trigger.

Landing Strikes

As soon as you see your opponent react to your oblique kick fake, throw a punch combination. A simple faint to jab or faint to cross are great follow ups. The key is taking advantage of the momentary opening created by your kick fake.

You don't have much time to land your strikes after baiting a reaction. Fire off your punches or other attacks decisively when you see your opponent respond to your feint. With proper timing, you can land shots before they realize the kick was just a set up.

Drilling Oblique Kick Fakes

Like any technique, consistently drilling oblique kick faints is key for mastery. Repetition builds the proper muscle memory so you can sell your fakes and respond with strikes quickly.

Making Kick Fakes Realistic

Start by throwing actual oblique kicks on pads or bags until it feels natural. Then practice faking the same kick with all the same mechanics minus final contact. Integrate head movement and hip torques so the feint looks real.

Have coaches watch to provide feedback. Tell them to only react if they would have actually believed the kick was coming based on your fake. Keep drilling until your oblique kick faints consistently draw reactions.

Responding with Strikes

The next step is linking your oblique kick fake to punch combinations. Set up pads or work with a coach acting as your opponent. When they react to your feint, explode into straight punches or other strikes.

Again, focus on speed and timing your strikes off your opponent's reactions. Keep drilling combinations initiated by your oblique kick faint until the movements feel natural. With enough practice, this technique can become an instinctual reaction you can rely on in fights.

Fainting kicks to set up punches takes coordination but can lead to high reward offensive opportunities. Mastering oblique kick fakes just requires repetitively drilling the sequences. Over time, baiting reactions and landing strikes can become second nature for any striker.

FAQs

How do you throw an effective oblique kick?

Turn sideways, lift your leg bending at the knee, and thrust your heel out towards your opponent's knee joint. Pivot your standing foot while straightening the kicking leg. Make sure to keep your hands up to protect your head.

What reactions can an oblique kick faint bait out?

Oblique kick faints can bait reactions like dropping hands to defend the knees, leaning back away from the expected kick, or lateral movement away from the kick. Pay close attention to how your opponent reacts.

What are some good strike combinations after an oblique kick faint?

Some solid combinations include fainting the oblique kick to a jab, cross, or lead hook. You can also mix in knees, body kicks, or uppercuts if your opponent reacts by leaning one way or another.

How can you make your oblique kick fakes more believable?

Making your oblique kick fake convincing requires matching the same mechanics you'd use when actually throwing the kick. Drive your hips forward, pivot your standing foot, bend your knee, and thrust the heel out with good form and balance.