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A soccer kick, also known as a soccer ball kick or PK (penalty kick) in
puroresu is the predominant style of professional wrestling that has developed in Japan. The term comes from the Japanese pronunciation of , which is shortened to puroresu. The term became popular among English-speaking fans due to Hisaharu Tanabe's act ...
and
shoot fighting Shootfighting is a martial art and combat sport, with competitions governed by the International Shootfighting Association (ISFA). It incorporates techniques from a multitude of traditional martial arts, the most principal of these being wrestlin ...
, and as tiro de meta in
vale tudo Vale Tudo (; en, Everything Goes/Everything Allowed), also known No Holds Barred (NHB) in the United States, is an unarmed, full-contact combat sport with relatively few rules. It became popular in Brazil during the 20th century and would event ...
, is a reference to a
kick A kick is a physical Strike (attack), strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee (strike), ...
that is similar to kicks used in association football. It is the colloquial term for a kick performed against a
prone Prone position () is a body position in which the person lies flat with the chest down and the back up. In anatomical terms of location, the dorsal side is up, and the ventral side is down. The supine position is the 180° contrast. Etymolog ...
, kneeling, rising or
supine In grammar, a supine is a form of verbal noun used in some languages. The term is most often used for Latin, where it is one of the four principal parts of a verb. The word refers to a position of lying on one's back (as opposed to 'prone', lyi ...
opponent by a fighter who is in a standing or semi-standing position, to any part of a downed opponent. The technique is banned under the
Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts Most rule sets for mixed martial arts (MMA) competitions have evolved since the early days of Vale Tudo. As a result of health, legal, and moral concerns, many different rulesets were created, which give different countries and promotions very dif ...
however other rulesets, including the ones used by
Pride Fighting Championships PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...
do permit them. Soccer kicks have been regularly discussed as to potential damage. There has been a regular debate on the usage of them within MMA. Some MMA fans and fighters support them while a fight doctor and politicians have opposed them.


Description

A soccer kick is performed when a fighter is standing to the side or in front of an opponent on the ground and kicks the grounded opponent's head. This is done in a style similar to an association football player kicking a
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
. Most practitioners aim to use their shins for the point of impact rather than the foot. While soccer kicks are usually delivered to the head, kicks to other parts of the body in a similar style are also referred to as soccer kicks.


In mixed martial arts

Dr. Johnny Benjamin stated his belief that soccer kicks could cause serious injury, based on the assumption that an MMA fighter would be able to generate the same amount of force in a soccer kick as a professional association football player. Some MMA fans argue that no-one has ever been seriously injured from a soccer kick and stated that there were already equally dangerous moves allowed in MMA. Dr. Johnny Benjamin argued that soccer kicks could result in broken necks and paralysis if performed with the wrong positioning and high velocity. In 2000, the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts were written with the intention of making the sport of MMA appear more acceptable in a wider society. Under those rules, soccer kicks were explicitly banned and classed as a foul defined as "kicking the head of a grounded opponent". It is noted that while soccer kicks to grounded opponents are fouls,
axe kick A kick is a physical strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee strike). This type of att ...
s, downward strikes with the back of the heel, are not considered fouls if done to any part of a grounded opponent. In the years after the banning of soccer kicks under the Unified Rules, a number of fans and MMA fighters have argued for them to be permitted under the Unified Rules along with face and foot
stomp Stomp may refer to: *Stomp (strike), a downwards kick using the heel Music and dance * ''Stomp'' (album), by Big D and the Kids Table, 2013 * Stomp (jazz), a type of rhythmic jazz tune popular in the 1920s *Stomp (theatrical show), a percussive p ...
s. Their justification is that soccer kicks and stomps being disallowed hindered fighters who were used to using them under other MMA rule sets.
Mauricio Rua Mauricio may refer to: *Mauricio (given name) *Maurício José da Silveira Júnior (born 1988), Brazilian footballer known by the mononym Maurício *Maurício (footballer) (Maurício dos Santos Nascimento, born 1988), Brazilian footballer *216428 M ...
, who mostly used soccer kicks to earn victories in
Pride Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...
, argued that elbows caused more pain than soccer kicks and claimed that soccer kicks were safer than elbows. Rua also argued that
elbows The elbow is the region between the arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and the media ...
were more dangerous than soccer kicks and yet were allowed under the unified rules. Opponents of soccer kicks argued that they needed to be banned in order for the sport of MMA to move forward. They also argued that in the face of opposition to the sport from politicians such as
John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 â€“ August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...
, soccer kicks had to be banned in order to ensure that the sport was not viewed as illegal "human cockfighting" and could be sanctioned as legal in the United States by Athletic Commissions. Although a soccer kick is a foul when delivered to the head in the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts which prevail in North America, the technique was commonly employed in Pride Fighting Championships in Japan. Fighters
Wanderlei Silva Wanderlei César da Silva ( , , ; born 3 July 1976) is a Brazilian-American former mixed martial artist who competed in Japan's Pride Fighting Championships and the American-based Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He holds the record for the ...
and Mauricio Rua were notable practitioners of the soccer kick in MMA. Under the Unified Rules, some MMA fighters attempted to use tactics with the "kicking the head of a grounded opponent" rule, which defined a fighter as grounded if they had any part of their body apart from their feet on the ground. This meant that fighters, such as
Jon Jones Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC L ...
, would often try to provoke illegal soccer kicks by putting their hand on the ground or as a way to avoid strikes such as the soccer kick after a failed takedown. However, in 2013, referees were encouraged to interpret the rules that if a fighter is deliberately intending to provoke an illegal soccer kick and one was used, then the referee could decide that it was a legal move. There are still MMA organizations such as Japanese-based
Rizin Fighting Federation Rizin Fighting Federation (Rizin FF or Rizin) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. Rizin was founded to be the spir ...
that allow soccer kicks to the head of downed opponent.
ONE Fighting Championship ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports Promoter (entertainment), promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its eve ...
previously had an "open attack" rule, which required fighters to get permission from the referee to use soccer kicks. In 2012, the company changed its rule set to the rules used by Pride Fighting Championship allowing fighters to use soccer kicks without asking for permission from the referee. ONE banned soccer kicks entirely in August 2016 as part of the company's worldwide expansion plans. Their CEO
Chatri Sityodtong Chatri Trisiripisal ( th, ชาตรี ตรีศิริพิศาล, ), known by the ring names Chatri Sityodtong ( th, ชาตรี ศิษย์ยอดธง, ) and Yodchatri Sityodtong ( th, ยอดชาตรี ศิภ...
stated that despite studies showing that soccer kicks are the same as a normal head kick because you cannot generate any more pivotal force, the technique invites "bad publicity".


In professional wrestling

In
professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
, some wrestlers use the soccer kick is as a
finishing move Finishing can refer to: *Finishing (whisky), a whisky making method that involves aging of multiple casks *Finishing (bookbinding), the process of embellishing a book * Finishing (manufacturing), processes that are applied to a workpiece's surface ...
. A number of professional wrestlers prior to the 1980s professional wrestling boom were taught to use wrestling moves and strikes legitimately. This was due to the likelihood of attacks on the wrestlers from fans. This included the soccer kick, which pro-wrestler
CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...
stated was the easiest tactic to use when a fan tried to get in the ring to confront a wrestler. High-profile users of soccer kicks as a finishing move includes
Katsuyori Shibata is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and professional wrestling trainer. In professional wrestling, he is known for his hard hitting offense. He is currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In NJPW, he is a fo ...
, and
Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor who is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand but is currently out of action due to a back injury. H ...
. In Japan within a 1977
puroresu is the predominant style of professional wrestling that has developed in Japan. The term comes from the Japanese pronunciation of , which is shortened to puroresu. The term became popular among English-speaking fans due to Hisaharu Tanabe's act ...
match between
Antonio Inoki Muhammad Hussain Inoki (born ; February 20, 1943 – October 1, 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. He was best known by the ring name , a homag ...
and
Great Antonio Antonio Barichievich (October 10, 1925 – September 7, 2003), was a Croatian-Canadian strongman, professional wrestler, and eccentric, better known by his ring name The Great Antonio. He was a popular local figure in Montreal until his death. ...
, Inoki started to
shoot In botany, a plant shoot consists of any plant stem together with its appendages, leaves and lateral buds, flowering stems, and flower buds. The new growth from seed germination that grows upward is a shoot where leaves will develop. In the spri ...
on Great Antonio after Great Antonio refused to sell Inoki's offence. Inoki used a takedown on Great Antonio and then used soccer kicks and head stomps to legitimately knock out Great Antonio.


In video games

In the 2010 video game, ''
EA Sports MMA ''EA Sports MMA'' is a 2010 sports video game which was developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports. It was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 19, 2010, in North America and October 22, 2010, everywhere else. Online serv ...
'', soccer kicks were included in the game. In the 2012 video game ''
UFC Undisputed 3 ''UFC Undisputed 3'' is a mixed martial arts video game featuring Ultimate Fighting Championship properties and fighters developed by Yuke's and published by THQ. It was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is a sequel to '' UFC Undisputed ...
'', soccer kicks are included in the game in the Pride mode. This mode was intended to replicate Pride Fighting Championships. This was different compared with the normal UFC mode which does not include soccer kicks due to UFC following the Unified Rules. The soccer kick has also been used in professional wrestling video games. It was used in the 1999
Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and Au ...
game, '' WWF WrestleMania 2000''.


See also

*
Stomp (strike) A stomp (also referred to as a stamp) is a downwards strike with the heel of the foot from the stand-up position, and is usually directed at the head or body of a downed opponent. A stomp similar to an axe kick is referred to as an axe stomp, w ...


References

{{reflist, 30em


External links


Maurício Rua teaching Chute Boxe's trademark soccer kick to the head of a downed opponent
Kicks Mixed martial art techniques Wikipedia Did you know articles that are good articles Banned sports tactics