fostel@ncsu.UUCP (06/16/83)
Historically, the "flowery" high kicks were developed when the relatively
short easterners were confronted by the relatively tall North and Western
invaders (remember why they built the wall). What would YOU do if you
were confronted by a strong opponent who was a good 9-12 inches taller?
With longer arms to match. Legs are longer then arms, and if you want
to get a variety of vital points at neck level and up, you are going to
need to go airborn to use those legs.
As to the effectiveness of such things, the answer is -- maybe. I've always
tended to regard them as surprise or distraction techniques. Also, amusing
enough, as defensive maneuvers. While easy to block of dodge because of
the telescoping effects, they are very powerful blows if not blocked and
do require attention -- making it more difficult to strike an out of
position opponent. After they spin around, they will have the oportunity
to rectify the defects of their posture -- often using the momentum of
the missed kick to reposistion themselves rather quickly.
Certainly NOT for begginners, which are sadly the ones who tend to be
most anxious to learn such stuff. Dangerous since its harder to aim
and can be a very hard blow. Dangerous for sparring I mean.
----GaryFostel----