Mae-geri 前蹴り
Front kick
The technique, and its job.
The straight kick to the front, delivered with the ball of the foot from a raised and folded knee. It is the first kick taught and the foundation of all the others, because it establishes the chamber-extend-retract cycle that every kick in the syllabus follows.
Application. Stopping an opponent moving in, and attacking the midsection at a range where hands do not yet reach. Its chamber is also the disguise from which several other kicks are launched.
Mechanics
What each part of the body does, in the order it does it.
- Stance
- From zenkutsu-dachi, kokutsu-dachi or free-fighting kamae.
- Chamber
- The knee lifts to the target height and the heel folds tight to the buttock. The chamber is set before anything extends, and it is what conceals whether the kick will be mae-geri, mawashi-geri or something else.
- Supporting foot
- Flat and stable, or pivoting slightly outward as the hip opens. The weight sits over its whole sole, not on the toes.
- Hips
- Push forward and slightly upward as the leg extends, which is where the penetration comes from.
- Trajectory
- Straight forward from the chamber along the shortest line to the target.
- Extension
- The lower leg snaps out from the knee. The toes pull back hard so the ball of the foot leads.
- Target
- Solar plexus, lower abdomen, or the chin.
- Contact surface
- The ball of the foot — koshi — with the toes pulled up out of the way.
- Kime
- At full extension, momentary.
- Retraction
- Snap the lower leg back into the chamber immediately, before the foot is set down anywhere.
- Balance
- The supporting knee stays soft. The torso stays upright — leaning back to reach is losing balance in advance.
- Guard
- Both hands stay up. A kick is not a reason to lower the hands.
- Breathing
- Exhale sharply into the extension.
What survives when the name is forgotten.
- Chamber, extend, retract, place. Four beats, always in that order, however fast it is thrown.
- The toes pull back before the kick lands, not as it lands. Kicking with the toes injures the kicker.
- The hip drives forward. Snapping only the knee produces a kick that lands but does not penetrate.
Common errors, and how to fix them.
Naming a fault teaches nobody. Each one below carries why it happens and what corrects it.
Why it happens. Rushing, or insufficient hip flexor strength.
The fix. Practise the chamber alone, holding it, then extend from the hold.
Why it happens. Fatigue, and the fact that not re-chambering is easier.
The fix. Kick, re-chamber, hold the chamber for a count, then place. Insist on the hold.
Why it happens. Reaching for a target that is too far away.
The fix. Fix the distance. The spine stays vertical over the supporting hip.
Why it happens. Not attending to the foot.
The fix. Kick a pad slowly and check the contact surface every repetition.
Drills
- Chamber only, held for a count, both legs, no extension at all.
- Kick, re-chamber, hold, place — deliberately slowly.
- Front kick against a held pad, checking the ball of the foot makes contact.
- Front-leg kick from kamae with no weight shift beforehand.
This one is not settled.
Whether mae-geri is trained primarily as keage — a snap — or as kekomi — a thrust — differs by organisation and by grade. Both exist; the chamber and the retraction are identical in either case.
It is written here rather than resolved silently, because a student whose instructor teaches it the other way should find that acknowledged and not contradicted.
Where it appears.
Kihon is the vocabulary, kata is the literature, kumite is the conversation. Every link below was written down deliberately; none of it was inferred from a name matching.
- Heian Shodan Peaceful mind, first level
- Heian Nidan Peaceful mind, second level
- Heian Sandan Peaceful mind, third level
- Heian Yondan Peaceful mind, fourth level
- Bassai Dai To storm a fortress, major
- Kanku Dai To view the sky, major
- Jion Compassion and kindness; also the name of a Buddhist temple
- Maai Engagement distance
- Attacking in kumite Attack selection and delivery
- Gohon kumite Five-step sparring
- Sanbon kumite Three-step sparring
- Kihon ippon kumite Basic one-step sparring
- Yoko-geri keage Side snap kick
- Yoko-geri kekomi Side thrust kick
- Mawashi-geri Roundhouse kick
- Ushiro-geri Back kick
- Ura-mawashi-geri Reverse roundhouse kick, hook kick
- Mikazuki-geri Crescent kick
- Fumikomi Stamping kick
Mae-geri appears in these shapes.
These are conceptual families, not MMAKF grading combinations. The federation has approved no combination list, and none is invented here.
- Kick into reverse punch — Use the kick to close the distance, and land the punch as the foot comes down.
The Japanese, explained.
- Mae-geri 前蹴り
- Front kick. The straight kick to the front with the ball of the foot, from a raised and folded knee.
- Koshi 腰
- Ball of the foot. The ball of the foot, used with the toes pulled firmly back. The same word also means the hips, which is a source of confusion worth naming rather than avoiding.
- Hiza 膝
- Knee. The knee, both as a striking surface at close range and as the joint whose position defines every kick’s chamber.
Video
No recording in the register is tagged to Mae-geri. MMAKF has not filmed this technique, and the discovery pass did not find an external recording specific enough to attribute to it without guessing.
Nothing is shown here rather than a search link dressed up as a demonstration. What has been found, checked and registered is listed in full on the source register.
The video source register →