The previous blog was on foot and leg sweeps. Now we’ll look at the back kick in Karate. It is an intermediate and powerful kick to attack an opponent in Karate practice as well as self-defence. The back kick mainly aims to hit the chest, face/head of the opponent using the heel of the foot.

It requires flexibility of the legs and balance of the body while kicking, to hold the weight of the entire body supported on the non-kicking leg. For this reason, Karatekas go through a lot of balance and leg flexibility and strengthening exercises. There are three variations of the back kick which are explained below.

Back Kick with Back Leg, Backwards

In this technique, the Karateka, in a forward stance, lifts up his back leg, folded at the knee, with the knee pointing towards his chest, while balancing the weight on the leading leg and thrusts the leg backward, making a strike with the heel.

Keep your foot close to the body while kicking and your eyes on the target behind you. The kicking leg then lands back and forms a forward-stance position. A slight variation of this execution involves turning your leg while moving it backward for the strike. This is a backward side kick. You can also try a scissor-move back kick by crossing your legs as you move back, kicking and then landing in the same stance.

Back Kick with Leading Leg, Backwards

In this technique, the Karateka, in a forward stance, lifts up his leading leg, bending at the knee while transferring the weight onto the back leg, and thrusts the foot backward, making a strike with the heel. The kicking leg then lands down and forms a forward-stance position.

Back Kick with Back Leg, Forward (Turning)

In this technique, the Karateka, in a forward stance, lifts up his back leg, folded at the knee, with the knee pointing towards his chest, while balancing the weight on the leading leg, makes a 180-degree turn and thrusts the leg backward, making a strike with the heel. The kicking leg then lands back and forms a forward-stance position, getting back to the original stance. Remember to start turning from the back shoulder.

These kicks are used in varied applications in Kihon, Kata and Kumite. They are a great weapon for the Karateka to attack the opponent. With the kicks you have learnt in this blog, it's time to practice, practice, and practice until you get them right. Our next blog will be on Techniques for Green Belts.