Kicks include front kick, side kick, back kick, roundhouse kick, crescent kick, ax kick, hook kick and more. When you add the many variations--including, stepping, turning, jumping, jumping and spinning--and also consider that each kick has different levels and angles and can be performed with the lead foot or rear foot, then there are maybe more than 240 kicks?

The author’s skill was well recognized in China where they used him for numerous Chinese movies. Apparently he was once challenged by a Vietnamese knife expert and he took the challenge and won. You can find the details on the net somewhere. They say never kick to the head but when you have the skill of this master these rules can bend.

I think the video is useful for anyone concerned with how to kick and how to defend against the kicks. Although the defense is not really talked about too much, it helps if one sees the angle, power and speed of these various kinds of kicks in order to get a mental impression of how fast you need to move.

Many clubs train defense against kicks with some success and also kicks seem to be not that successful in UFC, but for the most part there probably are no high quality kickers who specialize in kicking in many schools or in UFC. Defending against kicks from someone pretending to be a kicker at your club from someone who is a high level kicker is very different.

Martial arts of course are multifaceted with many variations. Capoeira kicks again are quite varied and very different from Taekwondo kicks and very impressive. When you have seen these then Thai kicks are again a different challenge to deal with. Still more methods can be found in various Silat styles and some specialized Chinese Kung Fu systems. I would say this tape is a handy reference for anyone in TaekwonDo or Karate and anyone else who likes to learn how to kick or wants to know what a real quality kicker looks like.

What we don’t see is these kicks applied in a tournament stetting against opponent of similar skill level. Kicking is one of the important aspects of martial arts. The other important aspects include punching, grappling, locking and ground fighting. This video is very educational and was one of five special videos produced in Hong Kong in 1981. The same producer produced four other videos at the time dealing with Wing Chun, Hung Gar, Tai Chi and Women’s Self defense. All were very well done and should be a part of every martial artists library no matter what your style or art.

The instruction cycles through some warm up activities, a series of kicks, and then those same kicks performed with a spin or with a step. It also gives advice on how to deliver kicks with your lead foot and your rear foot.

Like Wing Chun, The Science of In-Fighting, this dvd bears repeated viewing while you train along if you wish to make improvements. I find the lessons on proper chambering are very helpful. Recommended for students and the curious.

Is he as impressive a "real" martial artist as he is a film fighter? Um, you better believe it! As a practicing martial artist since 1986 I have trained in different styles (though the awesome Shinowara Jujutsu is my #1 art) and viewed countless instructional tapes. These tapes are far from the most practical way of learning any self defense or fighting techniques. They do however, often serve as a good introduction to something new. Watching them gives you an idea of whether or not you might want to pursue a particular style further. And if you do, then the tape is a tool that can be used to compliment your training.THE ART OF HIGH IMPACT KICKING is one of my all-time favorites, and a great learning tool. I've been watching my Beta copy over and over for many, many years. It's a great supplement to any martial artist's training, though perhaps too much of a stretch (pun intended) for the laymen to attempt.

Nowdays, many of these programs are high on visually impressive graphics and presentation. You won't find any high-tech stuff like that here. It begins with a bunch of goons attacking Hwang ( sporting his groovy 70's hair) and him kicking their collective asses most severely. It then cuts to a plain white background where Master Hwang (a 7th degree black belt in Tae Kwon DO at the time this was filmed) demonstrates different kicks while a narrarator clearly explains the science and subtleties of each technique. Every movement is shown several times from full speed, to ultra slow for clarity. The big difference here, is that instead of always utilizing slow-motion, Hwang just lifts his leg, with perfect balance, at an unbelievably slow pace, and extends and holds. Anyone with even the most basic understanding of martial arts will find this display staggering!

Highly recommended to practitioners and also a great and astounding collecter's item for Hong Kong movie fight fans.