Straight Knees & Half-Roundhouse Knees (Yellow Belt)

Straight Knee

Roundhouse Knee

Straight Knees & Half-Roundhouse Knees (Yellow Belt)

 Knee attacks provide some of the most punishing strikes and a strong finish to any technique.  Elbows and hammerfists are strong follow-up combatives into retzev.

Knee your opponent with the same technique you use to kick. Rather than make contact with your foot, however, you’ll jam your kneecap into your target.  By returning to your left outlet stance, you will rechamber your knee which provides additional powerful and debilitating strikes.

Straight Knee

Kneeing with your rear leg will connect with enormous power to your opponent’s  groin, thigh and midsection. You can also knee an opponent in the head if you fell him with a strike lowering his level to allow you to target his head with a knee.  Elbows are strong follow-up combatives into retzev.

• Pivoting on your non-kicking or base leg (in this case, your rear leg) is the key to developing maximum reach and power.
• Although the optimal turn is 90 degrees, some people experience knee discomfort when they turn the knee this far.
• Turning approximately 90 degree son your base leg will thrust your hips forward, giving you maximum extension and power using glicha or sliding step to carry your body weight through the kick.
• This enables you to throw your body mass behind the knee strike.
• As you knee, keep your hands up to protect your head.
• Launch the knee from low to high or “under the radar screen” of your opponent’s vision.
• Connect with your patella against your target.
• After impact, land with your kicking leg forward. Keep your hands up the entire time. Many people unconsciously drop their hands to improve their balance. (Note: You can practice keeping your hands up by grabbing your shirt collar as you kick).

Half-Roundhouse Knee

Similar to the front and rear knee, your support base leg will turn out as you use glicha (Hebrew for a “sliding step”) to launch your body weight forward and close the distance to your opponent. 

• Angle your knee and shin on an approximate forty five degree angle to the ground. 
• As you make contact with the patella and shin, thrust the shin out for added impact and power. 
• You may also add a simultaneous straight punch with your lead arm for a combined upper- and lower-body attack.