Stop and Drop
The Power of Kicking an Attacker
Kicks are a powerful ‘defensive’ weapon for women — as well as for children and men. When I say ‘kicks,’ I mean any part of your leg that can defend against an attack. In martial arts we practice using our toes, balls of our feet, heels, shins, and knees to both defend against attack..
What I’d like to share with you is the ‘Stop and Drop’ technique found in many kicking arts — like Karate, Kung Fu, Kempo, Savate, etc.
Stop
As someone approaches you to attack, do the following —
step slightly backward (if you can) so that your back leg serves as a foundation for your stance .. that will make your front leg lighter for a STOP kick .. be sure to keep your back straight and slightly rounded .. sit into your back hip to help you with balance and power in delivering the snap kick
raise your arms and hands out to help put some distance between you and the attacker
kick the attacker with your front (light) leg using the ball of your foot — the front SNAP kick is the quickest kick in our arsenal — if the attacker is too close to kick him with your foot, kick him with your knee
the target area is the attacker’s shin, knee, groin, or stomach — keep the kick low and fast so the attacker can’t block the kick
if the attacker is close enough, you can follow with a stomping kick with your heel to the top of one of their feet — that will possibly break some of the small bones in their foot, making it difficult for them to chase you
Drop
After completing the STOP kick (and possible stomping kick), do the following —
put a little more weight on your front foot and leg so it becomes the foundation of your stance .. try not to lean forward or backward with your body so that you maximize your balance and power
use your back leg to kick the attacker with what we call a THRUST kick — you can use the ball of your foot again or heel, though we practice using the heel because it is a larger, harder bone that penetrates deeper into the attacker’s body for maximum effect — that has more power than the quick SNAP kick, which is why we call this the DROP kick — the thrust kick, coming from the back leg, has the power to DROP your attacker to the ground or at least move them several feet away from you .. that gives you room to run or prepare for another defense if necessary
the target area is from just above the groin (intestinal area) to the stomach (slightly below or about belly button) .. if you make contact with your thrusting heel into an attacker’s stomach or intestinal area, the chances are good that they will drop to ground in pain giving you time to escape
Liza, who is a Red Belt in Yon Ch’uan Martial Arts, has the flexibility and strength to kick an attacker in the face, which is why her ‘drop’ kick in the photo above is higher than the stomach level I mentioned. If you have the strength, flexibility, and balance to kick someone in the solar plexus, that’s fine. However, if you don’t then aim for the stomach area. Kicking someone in the shin, knee, groin, or stomach is more difficult for an attacker to defend against.
How To Practice ‘Stop and Drop’
‘Stop and Drop’ is part of our warm-up time at Grace Martial Arts. It’s also an effective self-defense tool. Here’s a short example of how to practice the combination —
Once you’ve ‘dropped’ your attacker, escape to safety.
“Perfect Practice Makes Perfect”
Grand Master Robert Xavier
Yon Ch’uan Martial Arts
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I am here to help you, so please share your comments, concerns, and questions about self defense. Even though I’m emphasizing “Women’s” self defense, the principles and techniques I’ll share are just as applicable for boys and men.
You can be attacked anywhere, at anytime, by anyone. Be ready.
