Snap round kick vs Thai round kick. What's best?

Firstly lets discuss each style of kicking and the advantages of each;

A snap kick commonly used in the arts of Karate and Taekwondo aquires power from the flexion and extension of the knee to form a snap of the leg. This style of kicking allows for the leg to come up at fast speeds and commonly uses the instep or foot to strike the opponent.

The Thai round kick, on the other hand, has a straighter leg through out the motion of the kick and involves the hip rotation to acquire power. The shin is used as the desirable weapon for this style of kicking.

Now I must mention, if you speak to people who have just trained in one art, they will most likely be ignorant to the other arts affectivness and will commonly put them down. Quotes I often hear "Those flick kicks don't hurt, you'll hurt your foot" Thai boxer, "That kick is too slow and if I am bouncing I'll get out of the way of it easy" Taekwondo/ karate fighter.

Having trained in both arts and having experience in fighting in a range of disciplines I came to conclude that both are extremely effective. It is up to the practitioner to know when's best to apply each technique to gain the desirable affect.

I like to look at the round house kick on a spectrum, with the snap kick used for optimum speed, whilst the Thai kick used for optimum power. Along this spectrum there can be kicks that flick out like a snap kick but uses the hip motion and dead weight of a traditional Thai kick. Being able to perform both kicks gives you huge advantages in changing the timing of your round kicks. Also being able to perform both kicks allows more dexterity in your leg which allows the leg to come up with less effort.

My personal preference is to grind people's body with the Thai kick, then snap a fast kick to the jaw. Both kicks have the ability to KO an opponent and both can be super fast! However, looking at them on this spectrum allows you to be mindfull of when to best apply each technique.

I like to mix them up to keep my opponent guessing on the timing and the power I am throwing (peppering) to make me more unpredictable. Why not try to implement a style you haven't practised into your game? "Be like water"

Any doubt, please take a look at my highlight video. You will see both kicks being used to stop an opponent. Can you replicate?

#roundhousekickkaratethaiboxingMuayThaiTaekwondocoachLondon