Aknee strike (commonly referred to simply as aknee) is astrike with theknee, either with thekneecap or the surrounding area. Kneeing is a disallowed practice in manycombat sports, especially to the head of adowned opponent. Styles such askickboxing and severalmixed martial arts organizations allow kneeing depending on thepositioning of the fighters. Knee strikes are native to the traditionalSoutheast Asian martial arts and traditionalOkinawan martial arts.
Thestraight knee (also known as afront knee) is a typical knee strike, and involves thrusting the front of the knee into the head or body of an opponent. The straight knee can be applied from a stand-up position both when the combatants are separated, or when they areclinching. A particularly effective clinching position for throwing front knee is thedouble collar tie, where the head of the opponent is controlled. On the ground, front knees can be effective from a fewtop positions such as theSide control andnorth-south position. Typical targets for the front knee include the head,hips,ribs,solar plexus,stomach andthighs. In Muay Thai, a double collar tie with a front knee to the face was traditionally calledHak Kor Aiyara. The groin is widely considered the key target for knee strikes and clinch knee attacks in a street fight according to karate, tae kwon do, muay thai, and many other martial arts.
Thecurved knee (also sometimes called aside knee orroundhouse knee) is similar to the front knee except that it does not use a forward thrusting motion, but is instead rotated from the outside. Whereas the front knee needs some space in between the combatants to be performed, the curved knee can be executed from a minimal distance, such as in a closeclinch. This technique is often employed when an opponent is attempting to protect from a straight knee. Typical targets includefloating ribs,hips, and the side of theabdomen.
Aflying knee (known ashanuman thayarn inMuay Thai, and sometimes called ajumping knee) is a knee strike very similar to a front knee, except that it is performed instand-up fighting by jumping, and often by rushing towards the opponent.[1] A more reckless application of the flying knee strike can be applied by rotating the body so that the side of the knee strikes the opponent, used more as an offensive pushing attack rather than a concussive KO attack.[2] Generally, flying knee strikes can be effectively applied when the opponent is off-balanced, recovering from previous strikes, or as a counter to a strike by the opponent. It can also be used as a follow-up maneuver after delivering a particularly incapacitating strike. One example took place at aUFC event, whereJorge Masvidal knockedBen Askren unconscious in 5 seconds with a flying knee when Askren shot in for a takedown. A famous flying knee strike in pop culture is the "Knee of Justice" used byCaptain Falcon in theSuper Smash Bros. series.
Provided that it makes impact with the head, a flying knee offers substantial momentum andknockout power. This spectacular strike is a crowd-pleaser in fighting sports such asK-1 (kickboxing) and MMA. In one UFC bout,James Irvin knocked outTerry Martin with a flying knee; Martin was unresponsive for three minutes and left on a stretcher.[3] AtK-1 Hero's 5,Norifumi Yamamoto knocked out Kazuyuki Miyata with a flying knee at four seconds into the first round. 3 time K-1 championRemy Bonjasky is known for his flying knees.[4]Japanese professional wrestling, in keeping with itsmartial arts roots, has many wrestlers utilizing knees in matches.Tomomi Tsuruta used a jumping knee as one of his signature moves, inspired by kickboxerTadashi Sawamura.[5]Takashi Sugiura andJun Akiyama are known for their effective knee strikes.José Aldo landed a double flying knee atWEC 41 againstCub Swanson, in one of his first international MMA fights, scoring a knockout win just eight seconds into the first round of the fight.
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