Roundhouse kick
Kick in which the practitioner lifts their knee while turning the supporting foot and body in a semicircular motion
回し蹴り · 돌려차기(迴旋踢) · 돌려차기
- Type
- Kicks
- Martial arts
- Kickboxing, Capoeira
- Meaning
- Ponteira
- Classified as
- kick, kick
- Listed in
- Bimba's new techniques (capoeira)
- Learning path
- Muay Thai: step 9 of 32 (beginner)
A roundhouse kick (also known as round kick or turning kick) is a kick in which the practitioner lifts the knee while turning the supporting foot and body in a semicircular motion, extending the leg striking with the lower part of the shin and/or the instep (top of the foot). The ball of the foot can also be used to strike the target and is preferable when power breaking thick boards. This type of kick is utilized in many different martial arts and is popular in both non-contact and full-contact martial arts competitions. The kick has many variations based on stance, leg movement, striking surface, and the height of the kick.
Other Kickboxing kicks
- Front kick
- Kick
- Meia lua de frente
- Scorpion kick
- Bênção
- Meia lua de compasso
- Chapa de costas
- Martelo
- Low kick
- Armada
- Queixada
Japanese terms for kicks
| Term | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 回し蹴り | mawashigeri | roundhouse kick; turning kick |
| 飛び蹴り | tobigeri | dropkick; flying kick |
| ハイキック | haikikku | high kick |
| マルテーロ | maruteero | martelo; roundhouse kick in capoeira |
| ネリチャギ | nerichagi | axe kick; ax kick |
| かかと落とし | kakatootoshi | axe kick; ax kick |
| ケイシャーダ | keishaada | queixada (capoeira kick at the opponent's jaw); outward crescent kick |
| サイドキック | saidokikku | side kick |
| 後ろ回し蹴り | ushiromawashigeri | spin kick |
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q4165161 (CC0); text quoted from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0); Subskills sports technique taxonomy (CC BY 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.