Martial arts have become very popular in the Western world as a recreational/competitive sport. One of the most common and useful moves in nearly any martial art is the kick. There are multiple types of kicks, each with its own use.Front Kick
The front kick ("Mae Geri" in Japanese, "Ahp Chagi" in Korean) is generally used to attack a target's legs, groin, solar plexus, throat or face. Because of its simplicity, the front kick can be used rapidly with little sacrifice to power. It is one of the first technique a martial arts student often learns.
- Stand in a fighting stance. The preferred fighting stance differs between different disciplines, but the general rule is that your dominant leg is behind your other leg - the dominant leg's toe pointed to its side. Your secondary leg is in front, its toe pointed straight forward. Your torso is generally facing the direction of your dominant leg (righties' bodies will face right & vice-versa). Your hands can be in a guard position or relaxed. For a kick, your hands are (obviously) less important.
- If you want a faster kick, you will use your front foot (secondary leg). If you want a more powerful front kick, use your back leg (primary)
- Raise your kicking-leg's knee so your thigh is parallel to the ground, about hip/waist level. Breathe out as you do this.
- Kick your leg, snapping it forward quickly. With a front kick you can use the ball of your foot or your instep as a striking surface. As you kick, rapidly release the air in your lungs. Doing so will ensure that if you are doing kicking drills, you don't forget to breathe (which is easier to forget than it sounds!). Remember, breath in when you contract, breath out when you expand. This also will relax your body, allowing for proper technique, because holding air in means your muscles are too tense, and you are trying to control your kick too much, which weakens the kick, slows it down and will tire you out faster.
- Unsnap your leg so your thigh is once again parallel to the ground.
- Set your leg back on the ground. If you used your secondary leg for the kick, it will go back where it started. If you used your back leg, place it down as if it were your secondary leg (switching sides on your stance)
- Variations in execution include height, power, speed, and whether or not you return your foot to the ground. Many disciplines have techniques where you do multiple kicks with one foot, and it never returns to the ground.
The front kick ("Mae Geri" in Japanese, "Ahp Chagi" in Korean) is generally used to attack a target's legs, groin, solar plexus, throat or face. Because of its simplicity, the front kick can be used rapidly with little sacrifice to power. It is one of the first technique a martial arts student often learns. 
