How to Throw an Oblique Kick: Video Breakdown

Quick Verdict:

• What it is: a stamp with the sole or heel onto the front of the opponent's front leg, thrown off your lead leg.
• Where to aim: the thigh just above the knee, the way Jackson Wink teaches it. The knee itself when the angle gives it to you.
• When: as their lead foot steps in or plants, before they settle or change direction.
• Where it's legal: no explicit ban in the written Muay Thai rules we checked, though IFMA fouls intentional joint hyperextension. Banned in GLORY and WAKO kickboxing. Legal for professionals under the Unified Rules of MMA as of October 2026.

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The oblique kick has a reputation as a knee-wrecker, and that reputation is mostly built on highlight clips. Watch Jon Jones's camp explain it and the picture changes. They aim it at the thigh just above the knee, and the bigger effect is on the other fighter's mind: he starts walking forward worried about his front leg instead of thinking about his punches.

This guide covers how to throw it, where to aim, when it lands, the Muay Thai version, and which rule books let you use it.

Two Videos Worth Your Time

The video at the top is The Oblique Kick With Jon Jones: Fight School (VICE Sports, March 2015). Coach Mike Winkeljohn and Jon Jones break the kick down at Jackson Wink in under three minutes. At the gym they call it a push kick to the knees; the oblique name came from fight commentary.

The second is from the Thai side: Lerdsila's seminar on the oblique kick into the head kick (Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA, September 2024). More on that one below.

What the Oblique Kick Is

Think of a teep that turns sideways at the last moment. You lift the lead knee the same way, but instead of pushing the ball of the foot into the belly, you turn the foot out and drive the sole or heel down and forward into the front of their leg.

It is not a low kick. A low kick swings the shin through the thigh with a full hip turn. The oblique is linear: no hip turnover, short travel, and the foot comes straight back. That is why it costs so little to throw and why it is so hard to see coming.

How to Throw It

1. Keep your weight back. Your rear leg carries you while the kick goes out. Jones's version keeps the upper body leaning away, so a punch thrown back at him falls short.
2. Lift the lead knee like the start of a lead teep. Hands stay up.
3. Turn the foot out so the sole and heel face their leg. Toes pointing out, never at the target.
4. Stamp down and forward through the front of their leg. Push through it; don't tap it.
5. Bring the foot straight back to stance, or let it land forward and fire the cross as it touches down.

With a partner: place it on the thigh above the knee and push. Never stamp the joint in training.

Where to Aim

The thigh just above the knee is the default. The reasoning in the video is practical. Kicks there bruise the thigh and the damage builds over a fight. And if your foot meets a kneecap square on, your foot can come off worse.

The knee itself is a target when the angle gives it to you. If they are standing slightly side-on, the front of the knee is open. If you are on the inside, so is the inside of the knee. This is where the kick's reputation comes from. A hard push on the front or side of a planted leg, or one that bends the knee backward past straight, is a known way to tear knee ligaments (Cleveland Clinic: knee ligaments, hyperextended knee). Nobody has studied what an oblique kick specifically tears, so treat the "it snaps ACLs" talk as unproven.

The oblique kick page in our Target Atlas shows where it lands on the figure, with the calls played out loud, and gives the rules by sport.

When It Lands

As they step in. Time the kick to their lead foot landing, before their jab arrives. Their weight transfer can make the leg harder to withdraw.

When they walk you down behind a high guard. A high guard covers the head, not the legs. Stamp the front leg to stop the walk, then punch as your foot lands.

When they start thinking about it. This is the point the Jackson Wink video keeps returning to. Once an opponent has eaten a few, he comes forward unsure whether the next kick goes low or high, and a fighter guarding his knee is not committing to his punches. The kick opens everything else you throw.

The Muay Thai Version: Lerdsila's Oblique Into the Head Kick

Lerdsila is one of the best-known technical (Muay Femur) Thai stylists, and in this seminar he teaches the oblique kick as the opener for a head kick. He brings up Somluck Kamsing, the boxer who won Thailand's first Olympic gold medal in 1996, several times along the way. The seminar is in Thai, so we are not going to put words in his mouth, but the pairing in the title works for a reason any Muay Thai fighter will recognize.

The oblique drags their attention and their weight down to the front leg. And because it comes off your lead leg and lands forward, your weight is on that lead leg and your rear leg is free. The rear head kick goes up while their eyes are still down. One of FightFlow's oblique combos uses the same idea with punches in between: oblique kick, cross, lead hook, rear roundhouse. The hook turns your hips back so the rear kick has something behind it.

Where It's Legal

Rules decide whether you can use this kick at all, and they disagree.

A few caveats. None of these Muay Thai rule books names the kick, but Rajadamnern Stadium's own rules guide calls kicks aimed at the knee joint illegal, and the ABC's archived 2011 Muay Thai rules made a side kick to the front of the knee a foul. Rules also change: in September 2026, AgentMMA reported that CSAC executive director Andy Foster advocated banning kicks to the knee in MMA. That report does not establish an adopted rule change. Check with your promotion or commission before you fight.

Training It Without Hurting Anyone

• Solo: shadow it as a stop kick against an imaginary step-in, then stamp the bottom of a heavy bag or a kick shield held low.
• With a partner: thigh above the knee, push, never stamp the joint.
• If you get hit with one: a knee that pops and gives way, swells fast or can't take weight needs a doctor. A knee that went out of place and came back, or a foot that goes cold or blue, is an emergency. The full list: when to get a knee checked.

Drill It in FightFlow

The oblique kick is in FightFlow for Muay Thai, and only for Muay Thai, because GLORY and WAKO kickboxing rules ban it. FightFlow calls "Oblique kick!" in:

• Oblique Stop Kick (Kick Drills): circle until you hear the incoming jab or cross, then stamp the step.
• Oblique Kick Defense (Defense Drills): FightFlow calls the oblique at you; check it and teep, pull the leg back and punch, or step your lead foot off the line and kick the leg they land on.
• Oblique Stop Kick, the last level of The Teep in Skill Academy.
• Five Pad Rhythm combos, from jab into oblique up to oblique, cross, lead hook, rear roundhouse.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is the oblique kick legal in Muay Thai?

Muay Thai rules vary. The WMC, published Lumpinee and ABC 2024 rules we checked do not explicitly ban the kick. IFMA prohibits intentional joint hyperextension. The ABC's archived 2011 Muay Thai rules made a side kick to the front of the knee a foul, and Rajadamnern Stadium's rules guide calls kicks aimed at the knee joint illegal. Your promotion's rules are the final word.

Is the oblique kick legal in the UFC?

Yes, as of October 2026. Under the Unified Rules of MMA the stomping foul only covers an opponent who is on the ground, and kicks to a standing opponent's knee are not a foul. In September 2026, AgentMMA reported that CSAC executive director Andy Foster advocated a ban; that report does not establish an adopted rule change. Amateur MMA rules can be stricter, so check your commission's current rules.

How do you defend the oblique kick?

Take the knee off the line. Lift it into a check and teep straight off the raised leg, pull your lead leg back so the kick falls short and punch as they land, or step your lead foot out to the side and kick the leg they plant. A straight knee pointing at the opponent is the target.