Muay Thai kicks are considered to be one of the most important training techniques in Muay Thai boxing because kicks are powerful weapons that can injure your opponent due to the force one can achieve. "Tae" is the Thai word for kick and you will hear the crowds screaming this at arenas and boxing stadiums around Thailand.
There are many variations of Muay Thai kicks depending on the region of Thailand you will be training Muay Thai.
Muay Thai kicks are commonly used in competition fights due to the power and can knock-out the opponent in one shot. Normally, we use only some part of lower leg from shin to foot to kick. However, use shin to kick is much more powerful than using foot due to the bone, but its disadvantage is opponent can grab your leg easier and attack or drop you to the ground.
Five kinds of popular kicks in Muay Thai Boxing are as follows:
The Tae Tad or side-kick is commonly used in Muay Thai fights as it is very easy to control and allows the fighter to maintain balance after the kick to defend against the opponents return strike. The Tae Tad can be achieved by swinging the leg to attack the opponent, and at the same time, your hip should also be twisted in the same direction of the swing.
The correct movement for this kick is for the boxer to bend his legs slightly and swing the kick to the area around the knee-joint or the back of the knee joint. To allow for most power, the kicking leg should be straight. The fighter should move forward to kick, but ensure their hand-guard is up at all times to defend oneself. Nevert drop your guard, or you might suffer from the counter-punch and find yourself on the ground.
The main target of the diagonal kick is to attack lower rib-cage and we normally use shin to attack. The kick can be done by swing leg diagonally upwards to attack against the target.
Generally, a proper kick must be Tae Chiang or Diagonal kick to attain maximum efficiency, the kick should make an angle of 45 degree against the floor. This kick is quite straight forward. You should kick by letting the instep or the back of foot hit the target. Incline the body a little in the opposite direction to that of the kick. Swing your leg upwards in the appropriate angle. Before the point of impact, twist the foot so that the arch faces downwards, and the instep would hit the back of the neck.
Hook kicks are also commonly used due to its full of power, which more than side kick or diagonal kick. This is because when you kick, your hip and body will fully twisted in the same direction of the swing, which will increase the power of the kick. The hook kick can be used to attack opponent when he is ducking down or in the lower position. However, the major disadvantage of the hook kick is if you miss the target, you may totally lost the balance and give a chance to opponent to strike back.
Tae Pub Nok is the kick that kicks to the outside of the knee joints. For a proper kick, the boxer must sway his body a little away from the opponent, then move right up to the opponent with this of kick as a greeting (althougn unwelcomed) gesture.