Knees
In Short
The straight knee is a short-range power technique legal in K-1, GLORY, ONE, Dutch, and WAKO rules but illegal in American full-contact and low-kick variants. The flying knee is an advanced, high-risk move that launches both feet off the floor to drive the knee into the head or upper body.
Straight Knee
BeginnerThe straight knee drives the point of the knee upward into the body, most often the solar plexus, floating ribs or the inside of the thigh. It is the shortest-range power technique legal in kickboxing, and its availability is one of the cleanest dividing lines between the codes: legal under K-1, GLORY, ONE, Dutch and WAKO K-1 rules, illegal under every American full-contact and low-kick variant, illegal in savate, and restricted to the body under Sanda and Kyokushin.
Flying Knee
AdvancedThe flying knee launches both feet off the floor and drives the knee into the head or upper body. It is a genuinely high-risk technique with a genuinely high reward: it carries the fighter's entire bodyweight into a small, hard striking surface, and it arrives at head height from an opponent who was watching the hands.
Frequently Asked
- Which kickboxing organizations allow the straight knee?
- The straight knee is legal under K-1, GLORY, ONE, Dutch, and WAKO K-1 rules.
- Where is the straight knee typically aimed?
- It drives the point of the knee upward into the solar plexus, floating ribs, or the inside of the thigh.
- What makes the flying knee a high-risk technique?
- It is considered high-risk because it launches both feet off the floor, carrying the fighter's entire bodyweight into a small, hard striking surface at head height.
- How does the legality of the straight knee differ in Sanda and Kyokushin?
- In Sanda and Kyokushin, the straight knee is restricted to the body.