The Turning Back Kick is one of the ten primary kicks associated with, but not limited to, the martial arts of: Karate, Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, Kenpo, Hapkido, MMA, Kickboxing, etc. This kick is delivered with a straight, backwards type motion and relies more on actual physical strength for power, rather than speed and momentum. The striking surface utilized in the delivery of this kick is the bottom of the heel or calcaneus bone.

The Back Kick is used almost exclusively to an opponent’s head and torso. The primary target points for the Back Kick are the temple, nose, jaw, chest, ribs, abdomen, groin and hips. Although there are several major factors involved in the correct execution of a Back Kick, one of the most important is the proper “coiling” of the kicking leg prior to execution of the kick. Many a student has succumbed to unnecessary injuries and wasted effort, due to a lack of understanding and improper technique when executing the Back Kick.

When executed correctly, the Back Kick is arguably the most devastatingly powerful kick that you can have in your kicking arsenal. However, due to the fact that you must turn your back directly towards your opponent before you can execute this kick, extreme care must be taken to insure that you don't put yourself into a potentially dangerous position. Properly applied, the Back Kick is very hard to defend against and is a very effective kick to use in a fighting or self-defense/combat situation.

The Back Kick along with the Front Kick, Roundhouse Kick, and Side Kick, are the only kicks that can be effectively applied to almost anywhere on your opponent's body. In order to obtain the maximum amount of impact potential in the Back Kick, your base leg, kicking leg, hips and upper body have to be utilized correctly throughout the entire kicking sequence.