HOW TO DEAL WITH LOW SWEEPING KICKS
Low Sweeping Kick
Question
Could I ask you for advice on how to deal with these kicks? Just ignoring them is probably not the most elegant solution and I would prefer not to be hit at all.
-- Sifu Roeland Dijkema, Netherlands
Answer
If you understand the innate weaknesses of a kick, you can work out many counters. The weaknesses are innate, i.e. the weaknesses are necessarily incorporated in the kicking technique, and not because of any inadequacy of the attacker.
As the kicks do not cause you any damage, you can let the kick reach your body which will stop the kick, grip the kicking leg with one hand and strike it with your other hand. You should strike the leg with the knuckles of your other hand at a side of his shin, his knee or his upper leg.
Be careful that the opponent may hop in to strike you. If he does so, you may retreat your front leg to pull him to fall forward, then finish him off with a decisive strike. Or you may ward off his strike, and counter-strike his face, still holding his leg.
Another effective counter is to retreat your front leg from the Bow-Arrow Stance to a T-Step to let his sweeping kick pass you. Immediately move forward to fell him on the ground and finish him with a decisive strike.
A third way is to intercept his sweeping kick. Depending on the spacing, you can intercept his kick with the front leg or the back leg of your Bow-Arrow Stance. Use the sole of your leg to kick at the knee or thigh of the attacker as his sweeping leg is approaching. Immediately after intercepting, kick him with a frontal thrust kick or a side kick. You may have to jump in to kick him.
Another effective counter is to move diagonally forward in the other direction and simultaneously strike or kick him as he kicks.
Suppose you are at a right Bow-Arrow Stance, and your opponent kicks at your right thigh with his left sweeping kick. Move diagonally with your back left leg and kick his groin with your right leg, or strike his ribs with your right leopard fist.
If your opponent kicks your right leg or body with his right sweeping kick while you are at a right Bow-Arrow Stance, move diagonally forward to your right side with your right front leg, and kick his groin with your left leg or strike his ribs with your left leopard fist.
You are at a left Bow-Arrow Stance, and your opponent kicks at your thigh or body with his right sweeping kick. Move diagonally forward with your back right leg, and kick his groin with your left leg or strike his ribs with your left leopard fist.
You are at a left Bow-Arrow Stance, and your opponent kicks at your thigh or body with his left sweeping kick. Move your front left leg to your left, and kick at his groin with your right leg or strike his ribs with your right leopard fist.
You must practice all these movements with an imaginary opponent. Only when you have become very fluent with the movements, should you apply them on your opponent. In an actual free sparring, as soon as your opponent applies his sweeping kick, you will defeat him with your planned movements.
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