Push Kick / Front Kick
Voorwaartse trap · 前蹴り · เต้ตรง · Chassé frontal
The push kick is the range-management tool of kickboxing, and the closest thing the legs have to a jab. Thrown by chambering the knee and thrusting the ball or flat of the foot into the opponent's midsection, hip or thigh, it does two jobs at once: it stops forward movement and it buys the space to reset. Fighters who cannot teep effectively spend their fights being walked backwards.
The lead-leg version is fast and primarily defensive — a stiff-arm to interrupt someone's entry or break their rhythm before a combination starts. The rear-leg version travels further, carries the rear hip behind it, and is a genuine offensive weapon: a hard rear teep to the solar plexus winds people, and one to the hip can rotate an opponent out of position entirely.
Under every ruleset the teep is legal, but its value changes sharply with the rules. Under GLORY or K-1, where the clinch is broken quickly, it is mostly about distance. Under Sanda it doubles as a set-up for entries, since an opponent knocked off balance is a takedown waiting to happen. Under savate the same motion becomes the chassé, delivered with the sole of the boot and treated as a precision technique in its own right rather than a spacing tool.
Defensively the teep can be scooped, parried or stepped past, and against rulesets that allow catches an extended foot is a liability. The fix is the same as for every kick: chamber high, extend, retract, and do not leave it out there.
Key points
- Chamber the knee high before extending — a teep pushed from a low chamber has no penetration
- Strike with the ball or the flat of the foot, driving through rather than slapping
- Use the lead teep for interruption and the rear teep for damage and displacement
- Lean the upper body back slightly to counterbalance without over-rotating
- Retract immediately; an extended foot is an invitation to catch and sweep
- Target the solar plexus to wind, or the hip to turn an opponent out of stance
Common mistakes
- Pushing from a low chamber, which turns the kick into a shove with no stopping power
- Leaving the foot extended after contact
- Leaning too far back, which sacrifices balance and slows the recovery
- Pointing the toes instead of flexing the foot, reducing contact area and risking the toes
- Treating it as an afterthought rather than a primary weapon
Drills
- 1Partner advance drill: one fighter walks forward, the other maintains distance using only the teep
- 2Bag work alternating lead and rear teeps with emphasis on chamber height and fast retraction
- 3Timing drill: the pad holder steps in unexpectedly and the fighter must intercept with a teep
- 4Constraint sparring where both fighters may use only teeps and footwork