The crane kick is a fictionalized version of the Mae tobi geri ( ja, 前飛蹴). The move was created by Darryl Vidal for the classic film ''

The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue an ...

'' (1984). The move is taught by the character Mr. Miyagi to

Daniel LaRusso Daniel LaRusso is a fictional character in the '' Karate Kid'' franchise. He is the main protagonist of the Karate Kid film trilogy and one of the main characters in its spin-off series ''Cobra Kai''. He is portrayed by Ralph Macchio. Overview ...

and eventually used in the final scene with his arch rival Johnny Lawrence. The move involves a one-legged karate stance and launches into a flying jumping kick. The movie became synonymous with karate in the United States and helped popularize the martial art in that country. The kick is shown multiple times in the Karate Kid franchise, including the season five finale of ''

Cobra Kai ''Cobra Kai'' is an American martial arts comedy-drama television series and a sequel to the original ''The Karate Kid'' films by Robert Mark Kamen. The series was created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, and is distributed ...

'', where Daniel uses the crane kick to defeat the main antagonist of ''

The Karate Kid Part III ''The Karate Kid Part III'' is a 1989 American martial arts drama film, the third entry in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise and a sequel to ''The Karate Kid Part II'' (1986). It stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Robyn Lively, and Thomas Ian Griffith ...

'' (1989),

Terry Silver Terrance "Terry" Silver is a fictional character and the secondary antagonist of the ''Karate Kid'' media franchise, portrayed by actor and martial artist Thomas Ian Griffith. He serves as an antagonist in the film ''The Karate Kid Part III'' (1 ...

Usage and effectiveness

The move's effectiveness and practicality have been questioned by critics. The premise of the technique is to lure the opponent to move forward into a counterattack by appearing vulnerable. This vulnerability is created through two obvious tactical errors which an aggressive opponent would immediately take advantage of. First, standing tall with just one foot flat on the ground creates a stationary target for an opponent to strike. Second, spreading arms wide leaves the head and center of mass undefended. It is also worth noting this kick is an extreme feat of athleticism; it takes unusual leg strength and coordination for any fighter to leap off one foot (which is already bearing all their body weight) to deliver an effective strike with that same foot. Modified versions have been used effectively in

Mixed Martial Arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

, most notably by

Lyoto Machida (born 30 May 1978), is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and karateka, who currently competes in the Light heavyweight division. He formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was a former UFC Light ...

. Starting from a

southpaw stance In boxing and some other sports, a southpaw stance is where the boxer has the right hand and the right foot forward, leading with right jabs, and following with a left cross right hook. It is the normal stance for a left-handed boxer. The corres ...

, Machida feinted with his left leg before leaping off his right foot to deliver an upwards right kick to the mouth of former UFC champion

Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial artist and former collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestler. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he becam ...

, earning a knockout victory. Commentators

Mike Goldberg Mike Goldberg (born November 24, 1964) is an American play-by-play commentator, mainly known for his work with the Ultimate Fighting Championship from 1997 until his departure in 2017. He also worked for Bellator MMA from June 2017 until April 20 ...

and

Joe Rogan Joseph James Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American UFC color commentator, podcaster, comedian, actor, and former television presenter. He hosts ''The Joe Rogan Experience'', a podcast in which he discusses current events, comedy, polit ...

immediately noted similarity to the Crane kick.

In popular culture

In the videogame ''

Street Fighter Alpha 2 ''Street Fighter Alpha 2'', known as in Japan, Asia, South America, and Oceania, is a 1996 fighting game originally released for the CPS II arcade hardware by Capcom. The game is a remake to the previous year's '' Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' ...

'', the elderly character

Gen Gen may refer to: * ''Gen'' (film), 2006 Turkish horror film directed by Togan Gökbakar * Gen (Street Fighter), a video game character from the ''Street Fighter'' series * Gen Fu, a video game character from the ''Dead or Alive'' series * Gen l ...

uses a crane style. He uses it again when he returns in ''

Street Fighter IV is a 2008 fighting game published by Capcom, who also co-developed the game with Dimps. It was the first original main entry in the series since ''Street Fighter III'' in 1997, a hiatus of eleven years. The coin-operated arcade game version was ...

''.

Usage and effectiveness

In popular culture

References

See also