Legs First, Hands Later: Teaching Students to Use Kicks to Set Up Strikes by Grand Master Jonathan Field

Legs First, Hands Later: Teaching Students to Use Kicks to Set Up Strikes by Grand Master Jonathan Field

One of our ongoing challenges as instructors is teaching students to move beyond basic combinations and start thinking strategically. A concept I emphasize regularly in sparring class is using kicks not just as scoring tools but as setups—specifically, to open the door for effective hand strikes. It’s a principle that works across sparring styles and belt levels, and when students learn to apply it properly, it completely changes their sparring game.

Many students, especially those in traditional martial arts like Taekwondo, lean heavily on their legs. That’s not a bad thing—we want students to develop strong kicks—but what often happens is that they become one-dimensional. They either kick and reset or kick and try to follow with another kick. The result? Their opponents learn to expect the same rhythm and respond accordingly. That’s where this strategy comes in. When we teach them to use their kicks as distractions or misdirections—and follow up with clean hand techniques—they become far less predictable and more effective.

In class, I like to introduce this concept with a simple drill: a lead leg roundhouse kick followed by a quick drop-step cross or backfist. We slow it down at first, emphasizing the kick’s intention. I tell students, “Don’t try to knock anyone down with the kick—just get them thinking about their ribs or their head.” As soon as the opponent reacts by raising their guard or shifting back, that’s the moment to step in and let the hands do the real work.

This approach is especially helpful for students who struggle with reach or who get overwhelmed by longer-range fighters. Kicks help control the space, and once the opponent adjusts their guard to defend, the student can move in with focused strikes. It teaches timing, distance control, and ring awareness all in one. And more importantly, it helps students develop layered combinations instead of isolated techniques.

Another bonus is that this strategy builds confidence in students who might be unsure of their hands. Some martial artists feel much more comfortable kicking than punching—especially early on. But they trust their hand techniques more when we show them how to pair the two together and land clean points with their hands after a kick. That trust grows into creativity—and that’s when sparring really becomes fun for them.

So the next time you run sparring drills in class, challenge your students to think of their legs as the opener and their hands as the closer. Once they see the success of setting up their strikes rather than forcing them, they’ll start to understand the game on a much deeper level. As we say in my school: use your feet to set up your hands.

Grandmaster Jonathan Field

Cobourg Tae Kwon Do Ltd.

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