The Rear Round Kick is the kick most people picture when they think of Muay Thai. It is also one of the most common kicks beginners struggle to do the correct way.
Most beginners focus on swinging their leg when throwing a Muay Thai Round Kick. But the real power comes from the entire body working together, starting with the supporting foot, rotating through the hips, and using the arm to help generate power.
This post follows a short video from FIGHTCOACH.TV. It breaks the kick into six steps, and I explain each one below.
The Video: Six Steps in About a Minute
Video: FIGHTCOACH.TV YouTube channel.
Watch the entire video first. It takes just over a minute. Then watch it again, pausing at each step to practice the technique.
What Is the Rear Round Kick?
A Round Kick (Teh /เตะ) swings around in an arc and lands from the side. You may also hear it called a roundhouse kick.
The Rear Round Kick is thrown with your back leg. For a right-handed fighter in Orthodox Stance, that is the right leg. For a left-handed fighter in Southpaw Stance, it is the left leg.
In Muay Thai, you strike with your Shin (Na Khaeng /หน้าแข้ง), not your foot. The shin is the hard front part of your lower leg. It is much tougher than the small bones in the top of the foot.
You can throw the Rear Round Kick to the leg, body, or head. The same six basic steps apply at every height, with a few adjustments depending on your target.
To see this kick in action, watch this video of Miguel Trindade at GLORY 110.
How to Throw a Muay Thai Round Kick, Step by Step
Step 1: Step Out and Turn Your Lead Foot
Step slightly outward with your Lead Foot, pointing your toes out at about a 45-degree angle. This opens your hips and allows you to generate more power with your Rear Round Kick.
Your Lead Foot becomes your supporting foot, the one you stand on as you kick. Stepping outward also moves you off your opponent’s centerline, making it harder for them to land a straight counterpunch.
Tip: Focus on stepping outward rather than straight ahead. This gives your hips more room to rotate while reducing your exposure to straight punches.
Step 2: Rise Up and Pivot on the Ball of Your Foot
As the Rear Leg comes up, spring up onto the ball of your Lead Foot. Then twist on it.
A flat foot sticks to the floor and stops your body from turning. Up on the ball of the foot, you can spin your whole body through the kick.
Step 3: Turn Your Hips Into the Kick
Your hips are the engine of the Round Kick. Turn them over as the leg swings through.
A kick thrown with the leg alone feels like a slap. When the hips turn, your whole body weight goes into the strike.
Step 4: Swing Your Kicking-Side Arm Down
Swing the arm on the same side as your kicking leg down and back. If you kick with the Rear Leg, the Rear Arm swings.
This arm swing does two jobs. It helps your body turn faster, and it keeps you balanced while you stand on one leg.
Step 5: Land With Your Shin
Now throw the kick hard and land it with your shin bone. The foot is not the weapon in Muay Thai.
Aim to make contact with the lower half of the shin, between the ankle and the middle of the shin.
Step 6: Keep Your Other Hand Up
While the kicking-side arm swings down, keep your Lead Hand up by your face. That hand protects your head while you are on one leg.
Your opponent can still punch while you kick. A dropped Lead Hand gives them a clean shot.
Common Round Kick Mistakes
These are the mistakes the six steps are built to fix.
- Kicking with the foot: The top of the foot is full of small bones. Land with the shin.
- Standing flat-footed: A flat Lead Foot locks the hips in place. Get up on the ball of the foot and pivot.
- No hip turn: The leg swings, but the hips stay square. The kick has little power.
- Dropping both hands: Only the kicking-side arm swings down. The other hand stays up by your face.
More Kicks to Read
For more Round Kicks, see the Round Kick to the leg, body and head in my Saenchai and Sudsakorn kicks post. To see how a kick gets set up with punches first, read how Andre Fili set up his head kick KO.
Practice the Round Kick in Portland
The Rear Round Kick looks like one big motion, but it is six small pieces working together. Step, pivot, turn the hips, swing the arm, land with the shin, and keep your hand up.
Each piece is easy to learn by itself. Putting all six together takes a coach who can watch your feet and hips while you kick. In my Muay Thai private lessons in Portland, Oregon, we build the kick one piece at a time.
If you’re in the Portland, Oregon area, reach out to me when you’re ready. Use the contact form on TrainWithSean.com.
