The snap kick is a technique that has been ignored by most martial artists due to its seemingly basic and impractical nature. Most people think a snap kick lacks many applications, which is true anyway because you only use it under certain conditions, and when the distance between you and the opponent is right.

Snap Kick Tutorial (Front Kick)by KihapGeek

But it's also easy to think that this technique doesn't yield any reasonable force when fired against an opponent, especially if compared to the more visibly powerful ones like the front kick or roundhouse.

If you concentrate on what you are seeing vs the invisible force that is being transferred (of course when technique is done correctly), you will easily conclude that snapping on your opponent isn't very effective.

 All that matters in a snap kick is the force that is transferred to the opponent. Have the technique first, then learn to feel your kicks and slowly progress with speed.

So, how effective is the snap kick?

My classes have always started with snap kicks before a new technique is introduced. We are made to understand that it takes practice and patience to refine the snap kick, which is true considering that many people make terrible mistakes when firing the kick. Worse still, they always don't know that they are making a mistake.

I can confess that I have learned many lessons about the snap kick, most of which I end up discovering when practicing on my own.

The point is, it can take thousands of attempts to get this kick right. Some people rise up a little bit with their supporting foot to fire a snap kick. Others don't move the hip forward when firing it, thereby failing to transfer the energy of the body into the kick, ultimately the target. There are plenty of mistakes that people do without realizing it.

The correct way to practice a snap kick with good precision is to stretch your foot and toes to full length (as if preparing to walk on your toes) until you cannot stretch anymore. Then try bending your knees causing it to swing freely and then fire a few times. Remember, we are rocking our hips forward with the kick to transfer our body weight into the kick.

Once the kick reaches its target, it should be retracted with the knees still raised. This is the best way to practice it anyway.

Applications

With the right timing, I can close in the gap a little bit and fire at my opponent when I feel comfortable.

It's normally fired on the groin to cause your opponent to bend forward. This way, you still have a chance of hitting them with your elbow or something. There are many techniques that could go be applied on your opponent in this position.

Conclusion

Practice, practice practice! The snap kick is very basic but hardest to get right. I do not know what other way to put it in. 

People have often argued that Shuo Shu is impractical and ineffective, hence the reason most of us don't want to get involved in some sort of a competition.

Well, most Shou Shu martial artists won't get into the ring to demonstrate their skills, and the reason is totally different from the assumption above.

For one, Shou Shu wasn't meant for sports or competitions. Its principles cannot work in a ring fight unless rules are relaxed. But if rules are relaxed, then there is no Shou Shu.

It's an efficient way of defending oneself on the streets. A student who learns Shou Shu is one who will equip themselves with Beast Knowledge because this martial art is translated to mean fighting way of the beasts.

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The fighting style itself mimics the fighting motion of7 different types of animals. These are seamlessly combined to work harmoniously with one another so we can have a vast array of self defense weapons to rely on.

The fighting way of the 7 beasts won't mean anything to anyone who hasn't taken their time to study this wondrous art of fighting. It is total crap to the average Tom, Dick and Harry. But it is a golden knowledge to people who understand how effective and efficient those techniques can work together to achieve a common goal.

Each one of the animals exhibit a special motion when resisting an attack. Also, each one of the animals creatively utilize the laws of physics to generate immense power, although in different ways.

So when you have a combination of all the 7 animals' fighting motion, you get a system that creates an immense power that can be used to bring out a desired effect.

Each animal represents a complete martial art. Nevertheless, if you separate these animals so that they can act individually, this is not known as Shuo Shu. Instead, it's known by the individual animal's name.

Every fighting system is extremely fast and efficient. They are guided by strict principles, and this adds some sort of limitation to the equation. But also, it is for this reason that the fighting will seamlessly transition among the 7 animals.

A Shoushuer does not constrain themselves to a particular fighting style -- as popularized in many Kung Fu movies. Instead, he uses all animals because he is trained from the word go to utilize all strengths at once.

Obviously this reminds us of the weaknesses of the individual animals which make up Shou Shu martial art system. In as much as these animals have their own strengths, they also have weaknesses too, and that's the reason ShouShu must combine all their strengths to cancel out their individual weaknesses.

A fighter will therefore transition seamlessly such that it is not apparent which animal style they are using. Ultimately, this creates one effective system that exhibits a fighting style that none of the 7 animals are able to achieve. Because of this complex combination, new principles emerge, giving the fighter the advantage that could not be realized using one beast alone.

Martial art is not sport. In fact, the term martial art was used to refer to hand-to-hand combat in the battlefield. So in essence, martial art only refers to the skill of fighting a hand to hand battle -- as was the case centuries ago. For this reason, ShouShu will never be used as a sport. It will not be applied in a competition or anything close to that. It is purely for self defense purposes, or if you like, street fighting.

Most people treat casual punches as mere tools of asserting dominance. But I want to sound a fair warning out there to anyone who might think there is a safe way to punch someone. Truth is, there isn't. Unless you're participating in a mixed martial arts bout where a lot of parameters are formed with safety as priority, you should know that one punch can send someone to their grave. Worse still, it could see you getting prosecuted for murder.

Photo credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org

So, isn't all this worth it? Of course not, and here's why:

Punches occur everywhere around the world, and at least dozens of those result in deaths annually. Another research claimed that people are more likely to get punched in Texas than in any other state in the U.S. In my view,  I don't see any correlation or reason why you'd most likely get punched in Texas than in any other place.

Anyway, young, energetic men around the globe continue to be fooled with the idea that they can settle their differences with a punch. In the ideal world, it is thought that male dominance can be determined by throwing a punch or two on the offender.

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The idea of the movie fight myth has sunk into the minds of young men around the world. They believe that at worst, punches would only result in a few bruises and maybe drops of blood trickling from one corner of the lip.

This lie is further carried forward by the popularity of mixed martial arts today. You've probably watched it on wrestling, where two professional fighters last for between 3 or 4 rounds and emerging out of the fight with only few bruises, or if you like, minimal injuries.

Okay, that is for the professionals. But how about an amateur blow from a guy who has never stepped into any Karate, Wing Chun or Shou Shu class?

An amateur punch up ignores a lot of parameters that are often present in fights which take place on the streets.

The streets don't present ideal atmosphere for performing mixed martial arts, let alone a single punch. It is not the punch that will kill you here, rather, it's the impact of the concrete you're most likely going to fall on that will inflict maximum damage on you.

If you smacked your head on a concrete as a result of a punch, it would be extremely disastrous, trust me. Many people have not liked the outcome either. It's pathetic, and sometimes lawsuits often get involved. I am sure you wouldn't want this kind of thing to happen to you irrespective of which side you were taking in the fight.

Why typical casual punches are different from those in MMA

If you have been trained in MMA or any other martial art for example, you wouldn't spar on the streets, right?

All sparring classes take place in a safe atmosphere where participants are not likely to get hurt in the event of one fighter sending the other one to the ground. So we cannot debate that street fights are not dangerous, and especially if you're not trained. Just keep off.

On avoiding street fights

A real street fight is often chaotic. Dynamics are not predictable here because a punch or punches could come from different dimensions.

A simple verbal confrontation could see you ''eating up'' an unexpected punch which could see you losing a tooth or worse still, hurting you in the process.

Apparently, in the situation where two young men are participating in a fight because either of them want to prove a point, there is never any form of order such as one that typically exists in an MMA fight. No one says, ''Okay, young boys, I want a good clean fight. Ready...... go!''

This is what I call a surprise attack situation -- where a weapon hits you off-guard. Surprise attacks don't always come from behind you anyway.

Also, you should keep off from ''drunken'' fights or those which young men engage in when out in the bar. With too many bottles of beer, your mind is probably intoxicated already. While alcohol may fool you into believing you're the strongest man on earth, that may not be necessarily the case, and thus a fight would cause a lot of damage on you (considering your status quo).

MMA fighters are often conditioned to take in hard blows. The same applies to every other sports fighter out there - if they've been trained sufficiently.

Natural pressures select them. Combat sports fighters generally don't enter the ring unless they've been through countless hours of training or hard sparring during which their coaches will determine if they are physically fit and capable of undertaking a cage fighting scenario.

Combat sports are highly regulated to eliminate a significant chance of injuries. For this reason, mixed martial art fighters will be matched up by their equal in terms of experience and weight.

Finally, if you don't have any self defense skills, it's dumb to try fighting or participating in some sort of fighting which, obviously involves punches. Otherwise, you'll be like a sitting duck to every punch that is directed at you.

P.S

There's also another issue that I have seen out there -- people rushing to find out why others are fighting, and they blindly enter the fight as if this fight was there's.

If you don't have any training, God knows whatever you're going to contribute in that fight. But as for me, I can assure you that your lack of training will be met by another surprise you least expected. You might fail to block a punch coming your way, or better still, you might end up pulling the flight, fight or freeze kind of response. Whatever move you make, you will most likely invite trouble.

Next: Flight, fight or freeze