Video Clip Series: Exploiting the Innate Weaknesses of Kicks to Counter Them

Sifu Wong Kiew Kit’s Home Page
Shaolin Wahnam Video Series

Basic Shaolin Kungfu against Boxing, Kick-Boxing, Muay Tahi and Wrestling -- Part 29
Review of the Regional Shaolin Kungfu Course in Barcelona 2007

EXPLOITING THE INNATE WEAKNESSES OF KICKS TO COUNTER THEM

While an opponent executes a kick, his kicking leg is a good target for your counter-strike

There are many ways to counter kicks by exploiting their innate weaknesses. Using body-movement to avoid the kick and simultaneously strike the kicking leg is an effective way. Intercepting a kick, especially one that takes some time to reach its target, is another. Felling an opponent as he kicks is a third way.

Many martial artists are not accustomed to these counters. It is because in their arts, which are actually sports, they are not allowed to do so. In Taekwondo, for example, you are forbidden to strike at a kicking leg, or to throw an opponent to the ground when he kicks. In real combat such restrictions give kungfu exponents numerous advantages, but many kungfu practitioners do not know how to exploit these advantages nor the innate weaknesses of kicks.

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Understanding Fine Points and Principles
Grandmaster Wong and Donovan go over again the movements of attacks and counters. It is necessary to perform the movements slowly in order to realize the fine points and understand the underlying principles. Then we can practice to be fluent and increase the speed.
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Striking and Intercepting Kicks
Grandmaster Wong demonstrates another series of counters against the three Muay Thai kicks. Strike the frontal kick as before, but instead of avoiding the sweeping kick, intercept it with a leopard punch and follow immediately with another leopard punch at the attacker ribs as he drops his leg.
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Intercepting with a Strike
Here is another way of countering the three Muay Thai kicking attacks. The first and the third counters are the same. In the second counter here, Grandmaster Wong does not change his step like before, but intercepts the sweeping kick from his Bow-Arrow Stance. He stresses that it is not a block, but an interception with a strike.
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Opening your Opponent to Strike Him
If the opponent continues with a right hook despite being hit, you should intercept his hook with your left hand and simultaneously strike him with your right hand. If he attempts to attack again with his left hand, intercept it with your right hand and simultaneously strike him with your left hand. Here you open your opponent and have him at your mercy. You may also kick him if you like.
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Open Opponent and Strike Chest with Knee
Here are some possible developments. In this encounter, Grandmaster Wong changes step into a sideway Horse-Riding Stance as he intercepts the Muay Thai sweeping kick. Then he opens the opponent and strikes the chest with his knee using the Shaolin pattern “Golden Cockerel Stands Solitarily”.
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Making Changes According to Combat Situations
Grandmaster Wong leads the class in practicing the counter sequence. But in a real fight, an opponent may not follow the same sequence. Of course, the sequence in combat may not be in the same order as the one you practice. But once you are familiar with the sequence and movements, you can make appropriate changes or modifications according to the actual combat situations.
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Hitting an Opponent Many Times
Actually in a combat, you often need not complete your sequence because you would have defeated your opponent at the middle or even at the start of your sequence. Yet, you may continue the planned movements of your sequence if you like even when the opponent has been defeated. In other words, you would hit him many times, not just once or twice. Of course you can stop an inch from contact to be merciful.
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Different Hand-Forms for Different Occasions
In kungfu we use the best hand forms for the occasions. When striking the kicking leg, Grandmaster Wong uses a reversed fist. When striking the knee and solar plexus, he uses a leopard punch. Notice how the leopard punch is driven into an opponent’s solar plexus. This is a deadly strike which we usually stop an inch or two before target.
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