Rear Roundhouse Kick
- Striking
- Kicks
- fundamental
- Orthodox stance
- 4 steps
A whipping rear-leg kick that drives the shin through the target via full hip rotation. Also known as the Round kick, the Te chiang or the Rear leg kick. Here is the exact breakdown from the DARCE app: 4 steps, the details that make it work, and the mistakes to avoid.
When to use it
Throw the rear roundhouse at kicking range when the opponent stands square or flat-footed. Jab first to occupy their lead hand and eyes, then kick behind it. Kick to the body as they step in, so their weight moves into your shin.
Step by step
- 01
Set your stance
Balanced, hands up, rear leg loaded.
- 02
Step and pivot
Step out with the lead foot and pivot on the ball of it so the hips can open toward the target.
- 03
Whip the shin through
Turn the base foot fully over, swing the rear leg up in an arc and drive the shin through the target as the rear arm swings down for torque.
- 04
Retract and reset
Snap the leg back and return to your stance so it cannot be caught.
Key details
- Pivot the base foot ~90° or the hips cannot turn over.
- Strike with the shin and swing through the target, not at it.
- Swing the same-side arm down to add rotation.
Common mistakes
- Not pivoting the lead foot, killing the power.
- Kicking with the instep on a hard target.
- Dropping the hands while kicking.
Common counters
The common answers are a shin check, a catch followed by a sweep of your standing leg, and a straight punch as your leg lifts. A slow, telegraphed kick gets caught. Kick through the target and bring the leg back fast.
How to drill it
Kick and check with a partner: you throw a light rear roundhouse, they check it, then they kick and you check. Do three rounds of two minutes, then finish with three sets of ten hard kicks on the heavy bag.
Related techniques
- Switch KickStrikingA lead-leg roundhouse set up by a quick stance switch to generate rear-leg power.
- Low KickStrikingA rear roundhouse aimed at the thigh or calf to chop the base out from under the opponent.
- Calf KickStrikingA low roundhouse that chops the shin into the outside of the calf, attacking the peroneal nerve to buckle the leg.
- Axe KickStrikingA kick that swings the leg high and drops the heel straight down onto the head or collarbone.
- Spinning Back KickStrikingA spinning thrust kick that drives the heel straight back into the target like a mule kick.
- Spinning Hook KickStrikingA spinning kick that whips the heel horizontally across the target at head height.
Train it with the AI coach