The Muay Thai Front Kick or sometimes referred to as the Muay Thai Push Front Kick (Teep) is the most basic kick you will learn in Muay Thai. The kick can used towards your opponents mid-section, thighs or face to create damage and a bit of distance. In this article I will go through the simple step-by-step instruction on how to do the kick.
Stance and Post Foot Position
First get into your basic Muay Thai fighting stance. Then what you need to do is push up on the balls of your post foot. The reason for this is to help generate power and improve your accuracy when you kick. You want enough power in your kick to help push your opponent back when you make contact.
Left And Bring Up Your Knee
The next step is to lift up and bring your knee to your chest. The higher you bring your knee the more likely you will be able to get pass their defense. Now extend your leg out outward and thrust hip forward. Stay balanced and snap your kick just like you would snap your jab or cross. Then return your foot back to it’s original position. The Muay Thai front kick is not always used to land a fatal blow, it can sometimes be used to set up a strike for something else.
Pivot Your Post Foot
Remember to extend your hips and pivot your post foot slightly. This is where you generate the power and the snap of your front kick. Pivot the same way as you would when doing a roundhouse kick. It’s not just your leg doing the work, it’s your hips too! While doing this your opposite arm stays up to protect your face from getting strike and your same side arm swings down to generate leverage and power behind your Muay Thai front kick.
This is how to do a complete Muay Thai Front Push Kick, and I said earlier you don’t necessarily need to use it as a fatal blow. You can use the front kick like you would your jab or fate the front kick in order to land other strikes. It can be used in many different ways on different body parts of your opponent. One thing I’ll advise is to make sure to focus on the basics of the Muay Thai front kick first before messing around with set ups and fakes. you want to have a good grasp on it before trying other things.