Ushiro Geri or Back Kick

Ushiro Geri is a very strong kick, the leg is stronger than the arm. On this page, we will review, learn and study more facts and details of the back kick.

This is a very effective kick that can save your life because it can push an attacker away from. It can be applied to the knee, groin, stomach, and even to the face depending on how flexible you are. The hip rotation creates the power in this kick. One of the most common mistakes is not to look where to kick.

• Ushiro Geri is a much more powerful kick than Mae Geri and having the heel (Kakato) as the hitting area, which is a very solid area of the body and not the football (Koshi) that is less solid, it is evident that it’s about a kick of more forceful results.

Another advantage of Ushiro Geri is that it is more difficult to detect and block than Mae Geri. The disadvantage of Ushiro Geri that you can not directly visualize the target you want to hit, but you can only intuit it through peripheral vision.

Ushiro Geri Step by Step

First of all keep in mind there are several variations of Ushiro Geri but all of them share these step by step requirements:

• Look at your target before you kick
• Lift the knee in the opposite direction of your target
• Align your hips with your kick to add more power
• Keep your hands up
• Keep your back straight

Rear Push and Ushiro Geri Counter Attack

Keep in mind you could be attacked anytime anywhere. You could be walking to your car, to a door, and then out of a sudden, you are pushed. This is what you can do.

• You are pushed and heading to the ground.

• You are on your knees and need to counterattack now.

• Now you execute your Ushiro Geri aiming at the groin, stomach, or face.

Recommendations

• In some styles, they recommend that the knee be raised to the height of the abdomen, as if it were a Mae Geri, while other schools recommend that the knee be raised to the knee height of the leg it holds.
• It is necessary to maintain the balance and firmly set the sole of the support foot, including the heel, as well as to contract the ankle strongly, this foot should open outward as the opposite foot advances, with Mae Geri.
• The leg that holds must have some degree of flexion.
• It should be fully flexed forward with the fingers raised to the maximum to allow the blow to be made with the bottom of the heel (Kakato)
• Once the foot has reached its target it must be picked up immediately as if it were a spring, to prevent the leg from being caught by the opponent, or to reach the floor quickly to continue with any other action.
• The heel should be stuck back to the back of the thigh if it is Ushiro Geri Keage or quickly seek to touch the ground if it is kekomi.

Without a question, the back kick can be applied effectively in Kumite and in Self defense techniques, but it requires practice to master it. The intention of this page is to provide you with helpful information which you can use to improve your Ushiro Geri or Back kick.

Recommended Karate Kicks

• Mae Geri Keage or Front Kick
• Karate Sparring, Strength, Conditioning & Competition

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• Karate Techniques Page
• Karate Stances
• Karate Punches
• Karate Kicks
• Karate Blocks
• Karate Strikes
• Karate Traditional Katas
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