Kicks are not mere variations of punches and slaps, and the potential force behind them is much greater. Add to that the fact that most people have no idea how far their foot can really travel on a kick, and you’ll see how we’ve moved a step up on the danger ladder. To reduce that risk, we have to be even more attentive to relative body positioning at every point in the kicking simulations.
Global principles that apply to every kick on this page:
- Kicks carry significantly more force than punches or slaps.
- Most actors underestimate how far their foot actually travels.
- The audience has no depth perception; do not aim “close.”
- Illusions work best when the energy of the kick resolves away from the partner, not toward them.
- If a kick looks athletic but feels unsafe, it is unsafe.
Each kick below is presented using the same four-part structure:
Set-up – relative positions and spacing
Picture – what the audience sees immediately before the action
Action – the illusion itself
Reaction – how the victim sells the effect
Fan Kick
In reality, this is a big looping slap to the face using a foot instead of a hand.
Set-up
The victim stands full back. The aggressor is upstage and full front, facing the victim. The distance between the two must be generous—at least twice the length of the aggressor’s arm. To verify spacing, have one actor touch the other lightly on the shoulder, then take a large step back with the non-kicking foot.
Picture
The aggressor keeps the non-kicking foot planted, then takes an additional step back with the kicking foot. Body weight must remain over the planted foot.
Action
For a right-footed actor, an inside fan kick travels right to left; an outside fan kick travels left to right. The leg remains straight as it swings in as large a circle as is comfortably possible, landing in the same spot from which it began. Try this very gently at first—you’ll quickly discover that this requires considerable hip flexibility and strong thigh control. Most actors will not be able to perform this kick safely unless the victim is already low, often on hands and knees.
Reaction
The aggressor’s reaction is static, ready for the next move. The victim moves the head and body in the direction of the kick. In broad comedy (for example, The Three Musketeers), this reaction may be exaggerated into a cartwheel. As the victim’s back is to the audience, the sound can be provided by a simple hand clap.
Groin Kick
(Non-contact illusion only)
CRITICAL SAFETY WARNING
Do not suggest to actors that contact groin kicks are safe, even with an athletic cup.
Athletic cups are designed to protect against incidental contact only. On a full-force kick, the edges of the cup can rupture the lymph nodes on either side of the groin, leading to systemic toxic shock within an hour. People have died this way.
Do not suggest aiming for the inside thigh instead.
A slight miscalculation can still result in a groin strike—or worse, the kick landing low and breaking the leg. It takes roughly 45 pounds of sideways force to break the knee. Any movement traveling toward the victim is unacceptable.
There is a widely circulated video online in which an “expert” demonstrates a simulated knee to the groin with the aggressor facing the victim and the victim holding interlaced hands in front of the body. This demonstration is unsafe for several reasons:
- The knee must rise far higher than groin level to strike the hands.
- Striking interlaced hands risks broken fingers or wrists.
- The aggressor’s leg travels toward the victim; a small spacing error can result in real contact.
This video claims to demonstrate safety while actually introducing additional risk.
Approved Groin Kick Simulation
(Energy resolves away from the victim.)
Set-up
The victim stands full back to the audience. Without turning the head, cheat eye contact with the aggressor before continuing. The aggressor stands in profile, slightly upstage of the victim, about one and a half arm’s distance away. The aggressor’s body faces the empty space directly upstage of the victim, not the victim himself. The downstage foot points toward the victim’s toes and remains planted; the upstage foot—the one furthest from the victim—performs the action.
Picture
As with a slap, the illusion works best as a surprise, but the audience still needs a subtle preparatory cue. This may be a brief lift of the foot or a small shift of weight in opposition.
Action
The upstage knee rises and points toward the empty space upstage of the victim. The foot then swings out and back quickly, parallel to and upstage of the victim’s toes. Do not allow the foot to arc toward the victim. The foot must return immediately to its starting position; any hang time destroys the illusion.
If the foot rises to true groin height, the audience will read the kick as a stomach strike, because the eye adds motion. Stop slightly lower. To sell contact, allow the foot to rebound sharply, as though it has bounced off a wall. It may help to bring the foot up slightly slower than it retreats.
Reaction
The victim performs the universally understood response: knees bend, hips push back, chin lifts. Do not collapse the head downward or bend sharply at the waist—this confuses the illusion. The reaction is funnier if the knees draw together and the collapse continues after the initial shock. The aggressor should remain upright and victorious; do not bend over in sympathetic reflex.
If a knee rather than a foot is used, the same principles apply. See “Knee to Stomach.”
Front Kick to Stomach — Victim Standing
This kick follows the same mechanics as the groin kick, with several key differences.
Set-up
The victim stands full back. The aggressor stands in profile, slightly upstage of the victim, about one and a half arm’s distance away. The body faces the empty space upstage of the victim. The downstage foot remains planted; the upstage foot performs the action. Establish eye contact.
Picture
The aggressor steps back with the kicking foot and bends the supporting leg slightly, as though gathering energy.
Action
The kick travels in a fuller arc from the ground upward, swinging from the hip rather than flicking. The foot may rise slightly higher than in the groin kick, but still below actual stomach level. There is no need to hook the kick toward the victim; the audience cannot perceive depth. The victim may pat the stomach for sound, but the most important auditory cue is a sharp exhalation of breath.
Reaction
Unlike the groin kick, the victim may allow the head to look down. The body may move slightly downstage, even hopping as it doubles over, since the force appears to rise from the ground.
Front Kick to Stomach — Victim on the Floor
This simulation is particularly dangerous. When it was taught to me years ago, it was done as full contact. I was expected to clench my abdominal muscles and absorb the blow. That worked—until the night it didn’t. Just before the kick, I ran out of air and instinctively inhaled. The kick landed as my stomach relaxed, forcing the air violently out of my lungs and lifting me off the floor. I was left crumpled onstage, unable to continue, while my partner stood waiting until I could speak again.
If this simulation must be done, here is a marginally safer approach.
Set-up
The victim is on all fours, angled roughly 45 degrees from profile or straight. The aggressor approaches from the side but remains upstage of the victim, facing slightly out. The non-kicking foot is planted approximately six inches from the victim—no closer.
Picture
The kicking foot steps back; the front leg bends slightly to aid balance.
Action
Slowly bring the kicking foot forward to a point parallel with the planted foot. At the moment of “impact,” pull the foot away sharply. Slow in, fast out. The foot must never travel closer than the planted foot.
Reaction
The victim’s reaction is obvious and may include a concealed self-knap. Do not allow the aggressor to strike the floor with the foot for sound—it never reads as a body impact.
Front Kick to Head
This kick follows the same mechanics as the groin and stomach kicks, but the victim is lowered to compensate for limited flexibility.
Set-up
The victim is on hands and knees, full back to the audience. The hands are positioned slightly upstage of the head so the head can be held back. The aggressor stands stage left, profile right, aligning the toes of the kicking foot with the victim’s fingertips. Once set, the victim shifts weight off the hands so they can provide the knap. Eye contact is established only when ready.
Picture
The aggressor steps back with the kicking foot, bending the supporting leg slightly.
Action
The foot swings in an arc parallel to the proscenium, following the path of the victim’s fingertips. Unlike other kicks, this one continues past head level rather than rebounding. The victim provides the sound by striking the hands together at head height, then allowing them to drift down. Keep the elbows quiet; visible flapping exposes the illusion. Vocalization should be higher in pitch than a stomach hit.
This kick is sometimes taught using a “cage knap,” where the aggressor kicks into cupped hands. I avoid this entirely; I have seen the victim’s hands driven into his own face, breaking his nose.
Reaction
The aggressor allows a brief hang time before the foot returns to the floor. The victim arches the back and lets the head snap up and slightly away.
Roundhouse Kick
This kick originates in martial arts rather than street fighting. Its danger level is extremely high, and it is rarely required onstage. There is no justification for including it in a production without expert supervision. No description is provided here.
Rear Kick
This simulates kicking someone standing behind you and resembles a front kick mechanically. It is difficult to control, balance is easily lost, and accuracy is unreliable. Omit unless taught directly by an experienced instructor.
Knee to Stomach
This is an effective close-range illusion.
Set-up
The aggressor faces the victim’s right side. The victim is turned out in right profile. One or both of the aggressor’s hands may rest lightly on the victim’s right shoulder. The aggressor’s left foot is placed behind the victim’s right heel, nearly straddling the leg. Establish eye contact.
Picture
The aggressor bends the knees and sells intent through body language.
Action
The knee glides up the front of the victim’s leg and stops at stomach level, remaining there briefly. The victim doubles over around the leg, closing the distance. A full breath exhalation replaces the need for a knap.
Reaction
The victim remains doubled over; this is a fight ender. The aggressor allows the leg to drift back to the ground.
Head to Wall
This illusion combines three separate actions: hair pull, cross, and head impact.
Actors often try to run these together. Do not allow it.
Set-up
Assuming the aggressor has been pulling with the right hand, she ends up to the left of the victim at the wall. The victim faces the wall with knees bent, possibly bracing one foot against it. No pressure is applied.
Picture
The victim arches back, releasing the aggressor’s hand entirely.
Action
The victim snaps the head down, then immediately back up as though it has bounced off the wall. The victim’s own hands lead the motion and strike the wall at head height to create the sound, then drift away. The aggressor’s hand moves straight toward the wall, parallel to the floor, flaring slightly at impact but never close enough to be seen making contact.
Never allow an actor to strike the wall with a foot for sound.
Reaction
The victim remains upright with knees bent, hands drifting down so the audience forgets their involvement.
Knee to Head
(Instructor supervision required)
This simulation is more dangerous than it appears. Even when taught carefully, actors frequently misjudge the path and drive the knee directly toward the face. I only include this under direct supervision, after solo rehearsal, then slow partnered work, with the instructor physically present to stop the motion.
Do not attempt this without expert oversight.
End reminder:
If a kick requires courage, it is unsafe.
If it moves toward the partner, it is unsafe.
Illusion always beats athleticism.