Question-Mark Kick Playbook
Mat Manual companion guide to "The Question-Mark Kick: A Roundhouse That Lies." Print it. The article explains why the lie only works after the truth lands. This book builds it in order: prove the low kick, build the hi…
| Art | Muay Thai |
|---|---|
| Family | Muay Thai & Ring Sports |
| Level | intermediate |
| Format | playbook |
| Topics | kicks, sparring, training-plans |
Mat Manual companion guide to "The Question-Mark Kick: A Roundhouse That Lies." Print it. The article explains why the lie only works after the truth lands. This book builds it in order: prove the low kick, build the hip redirect at half speed, chain the honest setups, train the receiving side, and dose the kick so it stays a surprise.
Name: ______________________________ Gym: ______________________________ Current level: ______________ Lead leg for this kick (train both): ______________
BEFORE ANYTHING: SCOPE AND SAFETY ☐ Head-height kicking in partner work runs at agreed contact, and in early stages at control only: the kick arrives at the guard or the pad, not through a partner's head. Either partner stops any rep with one word. ☐ Neck, jaw, and head symptoms of any kind end kicking work for the day. A kick that lands wrong is information for the instructor, not a rep to shake off quietly. ☐ Hip, knee, or ankle pain that is sharp or in the joint ends redirect work for the day. The redirect loads the standing leg; train it on a sound base or not at all. ☐ The roundhouse standard in this book is assumed, not rebuilt. If Part 2's audit fails, your next block is the roundhouse book, and this book waits. That is the programme working, not a delay. ☐ Sparring use of this kick follows your gym's normal gates for head contact. A new kick does not raise your clearance.
Part 1: The Kick Card
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Question-mark kick: a roundhouse that starts as a low kick or teep feint and redirects to the head |
| Feeds on | The low roundhouse and the teep, both already established and scoring |
| The one new skill | The mid-flight hip redirect: the thigh changes lanes, the shin follows |
| Target line | Over or around the guard, at head height, landing with shin or instep per your gym's teaching |
| Best moment | The opponent's hand drops early to catch a low kick they have learned to respect |
| Dose in a round | One per earned setup. Repetition teaches the defense |
| Your gym's standards | Landing surface: ______________ Head-contact rule in sparring: ______________ Guard hand convention: ______________ |
Write your instructor's answers on the card before the first drill. Rooms differ on small points of the roundhouse, and the kick you are graded and sparred with is your own gym's version.
Question-Mark Kick Playbook
Mat Manual companion guide to "The Question-Mark Kick: A Roundhouse That Lies." Print it. The article explains why the lie only works after the truth lands. This book builds it in order: prove the low kick, build the hip redirect at half speed, chain the honest setups, train the receiving side, and dose the kick so it stays a surprise.
What's Inside
- Part 1: The Kick Card
- Part 2: The Gate: Roundhouse Audit
- Part 3: What the Opponent Reads
- Part 4: Establish First, Stage One: The Low Kick That Lands
- Part 5: Establish First, Stage Two: The Low Kick That Scores in Motion
- Part 6: Establish First, Stage Three: The Teep as a Second Truth
- …and 22 more sections
The full guide is a paid Mat Manual product. Checkout is not connected yet — no payment is taken on this page.
Free companion article: The Question-Mark Kick: A Roundhouse That Lies — the full article, free in full.
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