Sweeping Kicks

Sweeping kicks remain a very misunderstood offensive tactic. Most people regard them as flashy kicks that have little or no power. That is a partially correct assessment although it is based upon the notion that all kicks should serve a knockout purpose. This is easily the most misinformed canard found in the martial arts. Usually, this comes from the lame, static karate training of kicking in the air. If you are not going to hit anything, then every kick might as well be a knockout shot!

Here is the deal: not every strike needs to be a knockout shot. They can be used for a multitude of purposes. Let's use the sweep kick as an example.

using the sweep kick that hits with the sole of the foot and driving the impact AT AN ANGLE will off balance your opponent leaving them wide open for a cross. (Sorry. I forgot to mention I am looking at this from a savate perspective)

This makes the sweep kick a very powerful and vital tool and definitely not a kick that should be disregarded