Ushiro-geri 後ろ蹴り
Back kick
The technique, and its job.
A thrusting kick straight to the rear with the heel, the body turning to look over the shoulder at the target. It is the most powerful kick in karate and the most dangerous to throw, because for a moment the kicker cannot see.
Application. A counter to an opponent who has moved past or behind, and — with a spin — a heavy counter to a committed forward attack.
Mechanics
What each part of the body does, in the order it does it.
- Chamber
- The knee lifts and folds with the leg close to the supporting one; the body begins to turn.
- Supporting foot
- Pivots so the toes point away from the target.
- Hips
- Thrust straight backward along the line of the kick.
- Trajectory
- Straight to the rear, the heel leading, the leg travelling close past the supporting leg.
- Extension
- Full thrust, driving through the target.
- Target
- Midsection, solar plexus.
- Contact surface
- The heel.
- Retraction
- Pull back to the chamber and turn to face the opponent immediately.
- Balance
- The head turns to find the target before the leg extends — the eyes lead.
- Guard
- Hands stay up through the turn, and the turn is completed fast.
What survives when the name is forgotten.
- Look before kicking. A back kick thrown blind is a guess.
- It travels straight, not in an arc. A kick that swings out is a different, weaker technique.
- The turn is the risk. Everything about the training is about shortening the moment of blindness.
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. The turn is uncomfortable and slow.
The fix. Turn the head first, every repetition, until it leads automatically.
Why it happens. The hip is not driving straight back.
The fix. Kick along a line on the floor and keep the leg on it.
Drills
- The turn alone, without kicking, until the head leads.
- Pad work with a partner standing directly behind.
- Spinning back kick as a counter to a partner’s forward step.
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.
- Unsu Cloud hands
- Go-no-sen Late initiative — block, then counter
- Attacking in kumite Attack selection and delivery
- Mae-geri Front kick
- Yoko-geri keage Side snap kick
- Yoko-geri kekomi Side thrust kick
- Mawashi-geri Roundhouse kick
- Ura-mawashi-geri Reverse roundhouse kick, hook kick
- Mikazuki-geri Crescent kick
- Fumikomi Stamping kick
The Japanese, explained.
- Ushiro-geri 後ろ蹴り
- Back kick. A thrusting kick straight to the rear with the heel, the head turning to find the target first.
- Kakato 踵
- Heel. The heel, used in back kicks, hook kicks and stamping techniques.
Video
No recording in the register is tagged to Ushiro-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.
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