CHAH-GI (Kicks)

Why Emphasize Chah-Gi (Kicks)?

Taekwondo is known for the power and dynamic chah-gi (kicks) learned by it's practitioners. However, many arts try to discredit the "flashy" chah-gi of Taekwondo.

To evaluate the importance of Taekwondo chah-gi, we must first look at the important benefits of kicking as opposed to striking with the hands.

There are four major points to be considered:

First, the legs are longer than the opponent's arms. This gives the Taekwondo student the advantage of reach and allows the student to stay outside of the opponent's striking range, yet inside his or her own kicking range.

Second, the legs are stronger than the opponent's arms. In most cases, even a small adult has stronger legs than most adult's arms. Utilized properly, this strength advantage can allow the student of Taekwondo to defeat a person much larger and with a substantially stronger upper body.

Third, access of vulnerable targets. If you can only chi-gi (strike) with the arms, this eliminates many vulnerable and dangerous targets such as the groin, knee, shin and instep. Not only is it important to have more weapons, (body tools-hands, feet, elbows, etc.) but it is also important to know and be able to access more target areas. It is easy for a person to defend three or four vital points on the upper body, but it would be much more difficult to protect 10 to 15 vital points located throughout the body.

Fourth, the element of surprise. Taekwondo students are trained to expect chah-gi to the head. However the average person on the street expects to be punched in the head...not kicked. A chah-gi would have hit them before they even realized the leg was moving. This is because their eyes are not trained to see these techniques. The "surprise" is increased when a jump and/or spin is added to the attack.

Excerpted from "The Way of Traditional Taekwondo", Volume A (Philosophy and Tradition). Rank titles have been updated to the current titles. To learn more about your martial art stop by the front desk to obtain your copy.