Crescent Kicks: How to Use Them in MMA 

I love how your making more videos on traditional strikes cause people seem to forget about these

That variation of the spinning crescent is a very basic kick in Capoeira called 'Armada'. Was one of the first kicks I learned in that discipline. Great instruction, Shane!

The only time I've ever done crescent kicks is when I got really pissed off in a bakery

Shane you have no idea how much this video helped me. I have a real traditional background in martial arts especially blue dragon kung fu and I never knew how to apply this kick in a real mma situation. I would pull off the kick sometimes but always have terrible difficulty doing so. This filled in every hole I had with this kick set up. Thank you 🙏🏽

Joe Rogan and Bill Burr brought me here. But I’ve been to this channel many times before also haha.

Another important difference between the wheel kick and spinning hook kick vs the spinning crescent kick is the reach. The spinning crescent kick works only from closer range. On the other hand if the person steps forward your balance will be a little bit better as your standing upright on one leg rather than leaning back on one leg. My favourite set up for the spinning crescent kick is to fake a frontkick and use the knee up to step in closing the distance for the crescent kick (as you step down you land with the foot pivoted for the spin).

I love these videos! You're essentially confirming all the techniques and tactics we use in Capoeira from an MMA perspective. It's just that we disguise it all behind the Ginga. Beautiful work. :)

Finally. Although not recently, I've been asking you to teach this kick. Thank you Shane!

Love bro, you always have great insight and training tips. Thanks!

Just saw like 50 kick experts in a comment section saying this guy did a crescent kick and others were saying it was a twist kick. I’m so glad all there expert opinions were different.

I really like this move as an asset. Pretty useful for a defense/recovery, and honestly it’s pretty unpredictable. Most ppl wouldn’t see you throwing a kick from the inside to the outside most kicks are expected to be someone spinning going from a stance, kicking across the body or ig towards the inward of the body for lack of better explanation. Cool stuff man

Beautiful! Thank you for the great info!

I’ve been wanting this video for so long you have no idea

Very nice set up. Also loved that you explained the difference between spin crescent & wheel kick.

Great breakdown of the crescent kick. Appreciate it :)

I learn so much from your video,, shane ur very talented,, and keep it up bro,, just upload ur video as fast as u can,, thank u

Very helpful thank you Shane

Excellent video!

Great Video and Beautiful Form

Trying to incorporate the jumping crescent kick in sparing this video has given me a few ideas on how to do it thanks man

Great video, never thought that kick had a place in mma... When i miss a roundhouse i usually come back with a hook kick befire the foot touches the floor... In karate roundhouse is "mawashi geri" and hook kick is "ura(inverted) mawashigeri" so i just come back like rewinding the kick...

Love using this to the body in sparring. Another weapon that's perfect when your opponent is circling outside your lead leg. Added bonus of using the whole side of your foot to find the liver.

You've got a real knack for making your videos easy to watch Shane, I don't know about other people but I'm sometimes hesitant to watch tutorial videos because the creator over-explains the subject matter to the nth degree and the actual lesson seems to get lost in the exposition. You make videos about fighting and physical activity, your videos are solely concerned with fighting and physical activity - good on you.

Hey Shane you & Faze sensei should have an mma match. I reckon that would be a great video !! Thanks your videos are always amazing

One of my favourite kicks since I was a kid. Also leads to the axe kick

I love the crescent kick. Thanks for another great video.

Ooooh, that round house to crescent kick is nice!

another great vid.

Nice kicks! I personally like the inside high kick directly into spinning outside Cresent kick/knee combo.

Awesome. Was going to mention the axe kick and you brought it up lol. Also in capoeira we know these kicks by different names but they definitely have use case at least in muay thai (I don't do MMA). Eddy Gordo in Tekken 8 uses the quiexada (jaw in portuguese, inside crescent) from the same position as your missed round house kick. The difference is that he leans more into the failed kicked and gets more rotation on the inside crescent and turns it into a deadly axe kick. It's a very good recovery kick and might even end the fight if you land it right.

You have excellent form on your kicks...nice work!

I practice that move too, the roundhouse to cresent kick. I discovered that just playing around, I love that we think a like. Let's me know I'm onto something when I'm having fun playing around.

Also!! Really dig that missed round to crescent. I usually use a missed round to side kick, but I’m going to start trying this in sparring to see how well it works for me. Thanks a lot Shane!

These are some of my favorite kicks.

Love it!

Very good ! ! !

Thnx 😊 so much

Can I gain flexibility by continuing to practice my kicks, hoping that they will eventually get higher and higher, or would you suggest static stretches? Thanks Shane!

could you make a video about set ups for the jump spinning hook kick? I think you can send you opponent knock out land with it .

Its great to see the crescent kick get more respect. A ton of people ragged on it just because its a traditional technique and most people were used to roundhouse, but this is a superior kick for most people for the reasons stated. You don't have to be as flexible and its more versatile than the roundhouse.

Cool we practice these crescent kicks in Kung do a lot thanks for putting them in context

Very effective and under utlised kick, the stepping crescent kick is a great way to close distance to, being inside to outside crescent. 1 hop forward to close gap and whoop around the gaurd to the side of the head, sorta like a 1step side kick but chambered a bit differently obviously.

This is just perfect 👌

Awesome I think this kick is very underrated and I would like to see it used more in mma

I was literally thinking of this kick a few days ago relating to Capoeira and when youd actually use this kick in a fight/ HOW to use this kick. Big ups Shane \mn/

One of my favorite kicks

Shane this kick is very owesome to half distance in any combat or discipline. I often use it as part of my thecnique in mma.

Shane you gotta breakdown my next fight after i get that finish! Since you popularized my head getting hook kicked ;)

I use that inside to outside with that roundhouse recovery also. I like that one. Or I do the full spin around and make it a spinning crescent instead of that thai shell spin. I used to not like crescent kicks, but now I have some context to use them.

you are a nice teacher

very useful

that JRE experience with bill throwing me to the rabbit hole, 2nd video for crescent kick lol

Crescent kick was the first kick I got good with. Harkens back big time to my first few months, so many years ago.

Great use of those kicks

Shane do you think I should put in the time to practice this move or should I just learn something else

First time seeing a spinning crescent kick was Nick Diaz vs Gsp. Nick went for the kick and missed, then gsp imitated by kicking back but neither landed. Idk but i just fell in love with that motion.

As a southpaw the inside-outside crescent kick is actually quite hard for my opponent to see and can setup a rear roundhouse or spinning attack or side kick after the foot lands.

Sawadee Khrap Shane this good to know its like you know what problems we are having

This is one of my favourite tkd sparring kicks.

Shane u have influenced me to join an MMA gym this summer and pursue martial arts

Hey shane can you make a video about recovery after a muscle sprain please?

I love this

You are awesome bro

Hey Shane I am also a martial artist I have got a serious hamstring sprain during kicking what should I do ???

The first ones a great one for beginners who don't have a good front leg hook kick

Do Silva head kick next time it would be nice to see setups and how to do it right way

Cool shit bro

shane can you teach me how to use a reflex bag?

YEEEESSSSSSS This will make my capoeira even more useful!

Hey Shane I’m 15 and I’m pretty good in boxing and my dream is to be a pro boxer but the gym I go to has only 2 boxing bags that’s all and there are only 3 boxing schools in my country 1 is like fat but pretty expensive and it’s like for fitness only and the other one is very far I wanna be a boxer as I’m one of the few southpaws in my region and I believe in what Ali said that champion are not made in the gyms but what they’ve got deep down So please give me some tips man

The one thing that I'd add to this video that I don't believe was said... The crescent kick is really nice in a lot of cases when fighting against someone that has an inch or two on you specifically in terms of height. Reason for that being, if you're well stretched out your heel should elevate above your head like shown in the video and crossing the face of your opponent for a direct hit.

Ty

Shane your kicks are pretty quick. They look fast even on camera.

My main question is about Axe kicks. How do you gain any power on the downward thrust. I don't seem to be able to get any force behind the kick. Any ideas please?

Is thr cresesnt kick the same as inside out and outsidr in axe kick? In korean karate they teach you axe kick

One of the few relevant capoera kicks.

I wish I had trained kicks! I learned weaponry and kicks were deemed too risky in a weapon fight, even though some styles have a beautiful blend of weapon work with the kicks. I have really excellent, mobile footwork. I'm good at making angles and getting into good position, and getting behind people and fighting multiple opponents!

Love the video,id love to see a video on baiting and faking

Will you do euro seminar some day?

Nice video

I just saw a guy doing a "which kick would you choose to master?" then I saw this kick and thought as like "not seen that before, let me see how it's done and how it's used".

Yeah🌙

But sir I think jab cross and outside crescent kick would be easier and more damaging to their face/nose and for their block too

i should be revising for my GCSEs that start tomorrow, but here I am :P

I chamber mine like a question mark until the very last moment and then snap it out like super fast, always done it like that for some reason idk

Shane have u tried the voball?

🔥🔥

I just joined Muay Thai gym can u tell me what I should be prepared for

I would use the inside to outside one twice then on the third time I would go into an axe kick. Worked quite a bit actually.

486 likes, no diskes, way 2 go man :)

i allways do these when warming up or stretching, never knew it was a lefit kick

Hey Shane, so I am training muay thai for like 3 months but I have an issue in sparring. I don't really know how to let myself go and then my partner looks incredibly better than me. Do you have any tips on confidence and self control in sparring? I hope you make a video on this.

Could you make a video about sledgehammer workouts?

Clean wheel kick

Hey! I'm pretty solid throwing the inside-outside crescent kick (I can throw probably five in a row with my foot going over my head and staying on balance) but the outside-inside kick isn't feeling natural yet - my hip flexor joint feels tight and it isn't a fluid motion at this point like throwing the inside-outside crescent kick is. To anyone who's really learned the outside-inside kick well, any pieces of advice in terms either of the kicking motion or stretches that can help me out?

Any way to deal with shoulder popping?

if I have a little chip in my shin will it effect me getting hard shins

Oh that's why my ankle is tweaked thank you alot

Can yoy talk about sanda and kickboxing styles?

Funny how I always do the crescent kick and just think that I'm stretching or something..... * sigh *