How to Do a Shin Kick

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By Andrea Hermitt
eHow Contributing Writer

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Do a Shin Kick

The shin kick is very much like a round kick in kickboxing. It is called a shin kick because contact is made with the shin instead of the foot or instep as in the round kick. Another name for this kick is the Muay Thai kick, which is an ancient form of martial arts. While a round kick is used to kick a target directly in front of you, a shin kick is used to kick someone who is off to the side, opposite of the foot you plan to kick with. It is also used to kick people in their sides. The shin kick is a very powerful kick and can be used to knock a person off their feet when aiming at the legs.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Target for practice

Step 1

Placing your weight on your front foot, shift your body forward and lift your back leg to kick.
Step 2

Rotate your body with your front leg and hip, using the momentum to propel your leg into the target. Your front leg will never move, only pivot as your back leg swings around to hit the target.
Step 3

Do not snap your leg forward as you would when doing a round kick. Instead, keep your leg slightly bent (45 degrees) as in a boomerang. You want the power of the kick to come from the hip. There are some arguments that, when kicking high, as in at the head, you may want to straighten the leg to increase your range.
Step 4

Pivot your front leg back into the original position as you recover to land another blow if necessary.