How to Perform a Spinning Hook Kick

Co-authored by John Graden

Last Updated: October 25, 2024

Prior to the 1970s, spinning kicks were less popular in Taekwondo and were considered too risky to be used by all but the most experienced competitors. Roundhouse and side kicks were dominant for knockouts then, and spinning kicks seemed just too slow and obvious. But with the significant evolution of Taekwondo since, including the advent of modern footwork and the refinement of strategic maneuvers, spinning kicks have become the most powerful and dangerous kicks in the tae kwon do competitor's arsenal. Sanshou also uses spinning kicks which is a much more efficient and effective art when compared to Taekwondo. However, with the rise of spinning kicks came the rise of such kicks as the spinning side kick and the back kick. These kicks are indeed effective but they are easily vulnerable to counterattacks either during or shortly after the kicks have been performed. The question arose in many Taekwondo competitors, life-long dedicated and still only a Newbie: Was there a spinning kick out there that was both effective and not as vulnerable to counterattacks? The answer is yes, and that kick comes in the Spinning Hook Kick--when done properly could easily knock out an opponent.

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If you don't and just want to get straight to the Spinning Hook Kick, then read on for it will also contain how to do a Hook Kick, intertwined with the spinning aspects of this effective and efficient move.
For this kick, I found, it's better if your knees are bent a little more and if your legs are wider apart because that way you will be able to kick a lot higher. How much you lean back on your non-kicking leg also has an influence on how high your kick will be. ^{[1]
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If you're gonna kick with your right leg, step in with your left leg. If you're gonna kick with your left leg, step in with your right leg. If you kick with your right leg, your right leg should be out in front of you and your back or left leg trailing behind which you will bring around in front which will start the spinning aspect of the hook kick. And vice versa with the other leg.
To spin more quickly and confidently, therefore having more momentum and power in your kick, begin to swing your arms around with the stepping of your non-kicking leg in front of you.
Some people who perform this kick make the mistake of not looking over their shoulder confidently and therefore not looking into their opponent's eyes confidently and instead looking at the ground. Don't do this! This not only makes you look stupid and timid and uncertain, but it also dampens your target and aim of knockout: the opponent's head. Also, there is a higher risk of falling flat on your face. ^{[2]
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Let's briefly go over The Hook Kick. It's self-explanatory really. The kick goes in the motion of a hook. For this, imagine a fish hook. Or the hook attached to a Pirate Captain's missing hand. There's a fs and bs Hook Kick and fs and bs with practically all other kicks, but in this WikiHow we are going over the bs kick so don't get it mistaken with the fs spinning hook kick. If you can't tell a fs spin hook between a bs spin hook then maybe this will help: If you are doing a fs spin hook kick with your right leg then you are spinning left rather than right and doing your kick from there. And vice versa with the other leg. But with the bs spin hook kick, the one we are going over in this WikiHow, you are spinning right and then doing your kick from there. So now, once again, onto the actual kick. The(stationary) bs Hook Kick. This is the one for kicking with your right leg. So, you're in stance, right leg in front, left leg in back. Same concept with your fists covering your face. Leaning most of your weight on your non-kicking(left)leg, you begin to bring up the kicking(right)leg in a sweeping, rainbow curvature-like hook motion with the sharp, glimmering point ending at the right. You are using either the heel or the ball of the foot to inflict damage upon your opponent's head. This may come naturally but it is recommended that when you begin the kick you turn your non-kicking, standing leg slightly more to the left so your kicking leg can have more space to make a wider and therefore more effective arch in its kick. ^{[3]
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So, you're turned about 180 degrees and you are looking over your shoulder, your fists clenched tightly up to your chest. From here, lift up your kicking leg and do a Hook Kick like how we went over in step 6. Since you're spinning you will have more momentum in your hook kick and may even flip your opponent over if you kick him/her in the head hard enough, with a grand sweep, almost shoving. ^{[4]
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Once you have done this, bring your kicking foot back to your side, and your other leg will naturally pivot along with it but this time as you are back in the stance, your right leg will be behind you and your left leg will be in front of you. ^{[5]
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When you bring both legs back down it'll be like Step 2 again and you can get ready for another spinning hook kick but by now, s/he will surely be on the ground, wanting absolutely no more of you.

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How can I increase my kicking power?

David Engel
Muay Thai Instructor & Self Defense Trainer
David Engel is a Muay Thai Instructor and Self Defense Trainer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 15 years of martial arts instruction and training experience, David runs California Martial Athletics with co-owner Joe Chernay. He has created and maintained martial arts programs at Rise Combat Sports in San Francisco and Round 5 Martial Arts Academy in San Leandro, with a mission to provide students with a level of comfort and competency that manifests both within and outside the martial arts context. He is also a registered cornerman for amateur and pro competitors under the IKF (International Kickboxing Federation). David was the youngest apprentice instructor of the Thai Boxing Association of America under Ajarn Chai Sirisute (2009), and was a top-ranked amateur competitor in his weight class (127-130 lb) in California between 2013 and 2015.

David Engel

Muay Thai Instructor & Self Defense Trainer

Expert Answer

A more powerful kick can be done with exercises like short-distance sprints, lunges, and deep squats. If you have a weighted vest, slip that on for extra resistance. The best thing to do is just repetition—the more you get the mechanics down, the less effort you will have to put into it.

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How do I practice?

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Practice the kick in a large area with plenty of room. Warm up and stretch first. Keep doing the move until you get it down.

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How can I get higher kicks?

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Try leaning back more and increasing your leg flexibility. Use an exercise like the splits.

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As you begin to spin, using your arms to swing around in a dipping up and down motion rather than just having them down in fists, will really help you spin better, therefore, have more momentum and power in your kick.

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Be sure to kick with your heel and the ball of your foot only--not with, for example, the side of your foot. If you did the following steps above and ended up kicking your opponent with the side of your foot instead of with the ball or heel of your foot it wouldn't be a spinning hook kick anymore. Instead, it would be a spinning crescent kick.

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Warnings

When you are trying to kick your opponent directly with your heel rather than with the ball of your foot, maintaining balance is more difficult and you are at higher risk of falling down and hurting yourself. Although , using your heel is much more effective than using the ball of your foot.

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Practice this move slowly at first and then pick up speed. Spinning too fast or too slow could result in you jamming and slipping, falling down, and hurting yourself.

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This kick, like all other spinning kicks, has a less accurate aim because these kicks are dependent mostly on peripheral vision; most people's peripheral vision is not that sharp. While you may be aiming at someone's head with a kick like this, you could end up missing even if by a bare inch, and become open and vulnerable for a counterattack. Not only on good peripheral vision do these spinning kicks rely on for perfect aim and striking, but it also depends a good deal on the footing and how far away or how close you are to your opponent. There are many instances in various sports like Kickboxing where a fighter attempts to spin hook kick their opponent's head and knock them out, but they are too close to their opponent and they end up with their foot being hooked over their opponent's shoulder; from here, he can easily grab onto the other fighter's leg and trip them over. So, if you are ever going to attempt a kick like this, always be sure to practice a lot and get your aim and peripheral vision and footing and how far you are from your opponent, perfect, otherwise you could miss and it could backfire with you ending up on the ground knocked out instead of your opponent.

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