Last week, I promised to share something 'high brow'... so I dug up an attack that lands high... on the brow.

It's called the Axe Kick... and it's arguably the highest brow attack there is.

(Other than perhaps Glaube Feitosa's "Brazil Kick" (which he managed to loop over his opponent's guards and actually kick down onto their confused faces.)

Nevertheless, there's a gentleman named Andy Hug who made the Axe Kick his trademark move... and in this highlight reel / tutorial you can even see him drop it on CroCop's head several times.  

I must say... having watched that video makes me want to build this attack.  

Unfortunately, the tutorial in this video is useless, and I don't agree with many of its points.

Any Axe Kick tutorial that doesn't start with "Here's how you can train yourself to kick your leg up over your head" is really not helpful.

So... if you want to build an Axe Kick, start with some basic Leg Swings.

Stand up, and repeatedly swing one leg out in front of you, taking note of where you start to feel a stretch on your hamstring (and the hip flexor of your standing leg).

Feeling little more than the lightest of stretches, slowly progress up inch by inch.  If you feel a heavy stretch, you are going too fast. 

This is retraining your brains 'acceptable range of motion'... as I like to call it.

That stretch you feel as you attempt a head kick is usually not due to a "tight hamstring".  YOUR BRAIN FLEXES YOUR HAMSTRING, when it thinks that you're moving your leg in a range of motion that might cause damage.

In other words, you try to whip up an axe kick, and your brain says, "Holy crap... what are you doing!?"  ...and it contracts your hamstring, to stop the motion.  

That contraction is often the cause of injury, and it's certainly the cause of limited kick flexibility.

So start with 30 leg swings.  Each rep, get another 1/4 inch higher.  By the time you hit 30, you'll realize that your kicks are now probably a couple feet HIGHER than when they started.  

This is not because your muscles are any 'looser', its because you have retrained your brains 'acceptable range of motion'.  Your brain has learned that you will not be hurt by this motion, and as such, it has lessened the contractile response.  

You'll still never see me Axe Kick someone, unless they're on the ground in front of me...

Nevertheless, I promised you something 'high brow'. 

I think this qualifies. 

Have a fantastic weekend!

-Trav

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