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In Bruce Lee's Fighting Method I read that spin kick in JKD is hit directly to the opponent. However, I noticed a Taekwondo friend hitting his kick in a cyclic manner. Which one are most effective and why?
To further clarify what I am talking about, I cite Bruce Lee's "Fighting Methods: Skill in Techniques (1977) by Bruce Lee, Mitoshi Uyehara, and Mike Plane. The following screenshots are from the book, describing spin kick. enter image description here enter image description here

Mehdi Haghgoo
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    Can you explain what you mean by "in a cyclic manner"? Do you mean the difference between a spinning side or back kick, and from a spinning crescent or heel kick? – Macaco Branco Jan 04 '15 at 00:48
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    Not sure, but I think what MehdiHaghgoo might be referring to is the fact that Taekwondo will often keep the knee bent during the spin and then snaps it out (extends the leg) at the very last moment to complete the kick. This is a two cycle/phase motion. And to be technical, you first turn the upper body, then lift the leg while rotating the lower body, and then snap the kick out. JKD, I believe, just turns everything simultaneously and keeps the kicking leg fully extended throughout the kick (emphasizing waist and hip strength). I'm not certain this is what he/she is referring to. – Steve Weigand Jan 04 '15 at 07:46
  • @steveweigand right. Which is more powerful? – Mehdi Haghgoo Jan 04 '15 at 08:10
  • @seanduggan bruce's book says spin kick in JKD is hit directly opposed some other sports that hit it from a side direction. I hope this makes it clear. Sorry I don't know specific terminology :-) – Mehdi Haghgoo Jan 04 '15 at 08:18
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    It's hard to know how to interpret that, though. "Direct" in JKD can mean that the kick impacts on the front of your opponent's body (in a direct line from you to your opponent). But Bruce Lee also said that it can hit at a 90 degree angle (at the sides of your opponent), if that is the most direct path. In this case, I think using a spin kick to hit the front of your opponent's body is wrong. The only way you can make that work is by stepping to the side of your opponent first. So I think your interpretation of "direct" might be wrong. Can you list the page number in "Tao of JKD"? – Steve Weigand Jan 04 '15 at 20:42
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    @SteveWeigand - Depends on the kick. Heel and Wheel spin kicks use straight legs. – JohnP Jan 06 '15 at 15:48
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    A point of terminology - Typically, a "spin" kick is one in which you end up back in the same stance you started. So if you start right foot back, you will end up in the same place, same stance. A reverse kick is one where you advance a stance length, as you don't replace the kicking foot behind you, but place it in front. As far as efficacy, they all can be effective when done properly, it's more a choice of space and application than anything. Some reverse and spin kicks in TKD target in a linear fashion, some target in a circular fashion. – JohnP Jan 06 '15 at 15:51
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    Yes, you're right. A spinning side kick is linear. What I was imagining was Bruce Lee's most famous "Dragon Whips Tail" kick, which is another name for the spinning inside-to-outside crescent kick. In JKD, as in all kung-fu/wushu, you keep the leg unbent and locked during that kick. You use the hip/waist to control the kick and don't snap the kick out at the end like TKD does. At least in Jun Fan / JKD. – Steve Weigand Jan 06 '15 at 19:30
  • @steve i checked out tao of JKD. It had a classification of various spin kicks. The one under question is just one of them opposed to my former assumption that JKD has only one spin kick. – Mehdi Haghgoo Jan 06 '15 at 20:35
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    Just to clarify: The JKD kick in question is called a "spin kick" in JKD, and in TKD it's called "spinning side kick" (also known as "reverse side kick"). The TKD kick the original question asks about, I think, is the "spinning inside-to-outside crescent kick", because it's circular (what I interpret "cyclic" to mean from the context of the question). Are those the two kicks you want compared? – Steve Weigand Jan 06 '15 at 21:20
  • Yes that's right @steve. And it now seems rather hard to do a comparison. They look very close in practice in how effective they are – Mehdi Haghgoo Jan 06 '15 at 21:32
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    Yes, they're both used effectively, but in different situations. I will say that the spinning side kick is a very powerful kick. Some would say the most powerful kick. Adding a hop forward (and landing your back leg on the ground at the same time as you complete the kick) would make it even more powerful. It's deceptive, too, making it hard to anticipate. But the spinning crescent kick is also hard to anticipate, just not as powerful. Targets are different in both kicks. The side kick will be to the front of the torso. The crescent kick to the side of the head. – Steve Weigand Jan 06 '15 at 21:49
  • As for the down-side of all kinds of spinning kicks, if an opponent is able to anticipate that you're doing any spinning kick, he will rush in towards you, neutralizing your kick completely as well as putting you in a very vulnerable position. You will have one leg on the ground, making you temporarily immobile and susceptible to being grabbed, tackled, your leg caught, and/or your base leg swept. It's wise to have a back-up plan in case this happens. Or avoid spinning kicks completely. – Steve Weigand Jan 09 '15 at 22:07
  • What do you mean by backup @Steve – Mehdi Haghgoo Jan 09 '15 at 22:11
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    Lots of different scenarios. Too many to go over here. Someone grabs your right leg, then jump up and towards your opponent with a high left knee to his body or face (clinch first for stability). Some do a high round kick to the head to escape the leg grab also. Alternatively, kani basami (scissors kick). If no leg is grabbed, but he's rushing in to tackle or push you over, grab hold of him first, then turn your body to face him while putting your leg down, and sprawl. Practice it with a partner. Tell him to do these things at random, so you're not expecting anything in particular. – Steve Weigand Jan 10 '15 at 00:19
  • @SteveWeigand Assuming JKD spin kick is shot with fully extended leg, does not that destroy one's balance? – Mehdi Haghgoo Apr 07 '18 at 20:38
  • @JasonStack Yes and no. Most people who get really good at kicks in general (TKD / Muay Thai) know how to recover when the kick doesn't land (opponent parries). They don't just end up falling because they over-extended themselves. Where people get in trouble is when they throw caution to the wind and don't hold a little back in order to be able to recover if a kick goes wrong. That happens when people get sloppy. – Steve Weigand Apr 08 '18 at 00:37

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If you are fighting for real then you skould not kick higher than your opponent's balls. Reason is you're legs are to easy to get a hold of. Bruce Lee's high kicks and spin kicks are just for show. They look cool but if he used them in a real fight he would get his ass kicked. There are plenty of targets to hit below the balls, especially the knees. i would practice all areas below the balls and focus hitting exactly what you're aiming at. Hand techniques are very effective without risking you're legs getting caught and throwing you to the ground. Bruce Lee made the sport popular with his kicks but in reality it is wise to keep you're legs on the ground.

Arthur Wittert
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  • Are you sure they are ineffective in real fighting? – Mehdi Haghgoo Jan 09 '15 at 23:12
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    Yes, it's a higher risk than using low kicks, that is 100% certain. The risk is partly because you can have your leg grabbed, but also because it can cause you to slip or lose your balance. Adding spins to it increases the risk, and it causes you to use more time, which means it takes more time to recover if things go wrong (like if your opponent rushes in to body check you). But, there are opportunities for everything. When you're done developing your basic techniques to a high degree, you can add a spin side kick to your game. Caveat is to always have a back-up plan when things go wrong. – Steve Weigand Jan 10 '15 at 04:22
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    @SteveWeigand Yes, it's higher risk. However, it's not ineffective. Where most people go wrong is they don't set up/disguise the kick, they just throw it. Fast techniques (jabs, front leg snap kicks, etc) don't need much in the way of prep/disguise. The slower and more involved you get, the better you need to set it up. There are numerous videos through the years of professional fighters quite successfully using spinning kicks in fights. The percentage of success only goes up against the massively untrained general public. – JohnP Jan 15 '15 at 20:48
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    Very true. Any technique can work. Just depends on the situation. Doesn't change my general recommendation. Train high percentage stuff first and foremost. Get great at it. The low percentage stuff can come later. And practice a back-up plan when things go wrong. Eventually those low percentage techniques can be pulled off so reliably that they become someone's most useful technique. (Percentages are just averages and can be used as a guide, but each person is unique. ) – Steve Weigand Jan 16 '15 at 04:00
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They're both effective at their intended purpose. Just to be fair though, TKD also has a spinning back-kick, which is much closer to the JKD spinning kick.

Captain Kenpachi
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I'll admit that I don't follow Steve's explanation of the difference on the spinning kicks, so I won't address that.

There's also this video where they discuss another perceived difference between the two. Namely, the teacher is suggesting that all TKD (or, as he says it, Karate) back kicks require a full 360 degree spin, and are therefore slower, albeit potentially carrying more power. As best I can tell from the video, the JKD spin kick is closer to an abbreviated back kick than a TKD spinning back kick.

Macaco Branco
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I dont know about JKD but in Taekwondo, there are many effective round kicks like one of them is called "Touch Back" which directly hits the face of opponent by sole of foot and the other kick is known simply as round kick in which opponent is hit by the heel of foot. Also there is a kick called Hook which hits chin of the oppenent. Moreover there is backthrust and butterfly which are used as counter attacks and probability of hit is upto 90%.

Faizan Akram Dar
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