[Darkender]

Just recently I was searching the internet for some information on one of my favorite kicks: the bit chagi. Much to my surprise I found a forum post written by none other than myself. Apparently, I asked this community whether or not they have ever heard of the bit chagi (inside half kick, inside round kick, inside diagonal kick, crescent round kick, inverse snap round kick, et cetera) being used in Tang Soo Do.

From the responses that my thread garnered, I found that not many people had not seen the bit chagi, or at least not the bit chagi as I know it. Most of the kicks which every one mentioned were from another style, a waste of effort, or easily telegraphed. In many respects I felt as though the kick that I knew as the bit chagi wasn't practiced in many tang soo do schools.

Well, now I'm back with a bit of insight toward this technique.

After a great deal of experience with another Tang Soo Do master-teacher I've learned that the bit chagi does exist, it does have it's applications, and it's not anymore telegraphed than a side kick; but its advantages (and it seems, its very identity) are off-set by the difficulty/awkwardness of the kick. Let me reiterate: for me, this kick was very difficult due to some rather atypical hip contortion. And I'm a rather flexible person to begin with. In other words, this kick requires some unorthodox flexibility. Assuming that one does develop this flexibility, to execute the bit chagi that I know one must:

1. Lift their knee as though they were going to execute a front kick.
2. Lean their upper body (and in turn tilt their hips) toward the lifted leg.
3. Point the toes of their base leg 45 degrees to the outside of their body.
4. Extend their kicking leg outward as though preforming an inverse round kick upward at a 45-75 degree angle.
a. hit with the ball of the foot "by default."
b. one could also hit with the instep or tibia if so inclined to do so.
5. And of course, there is the near obligatory retraction of the kick. Retracting is done by doing steps 1-4 backwards.

The technique requires a great deal of flexibility in both the base and kicking hip. Just like with a standard round kick less flexibility results in less power, but even more so with the bit chagi due to its unnatural inverse nature. But the bit chagi as I use it isn't used (primarily) as a power technique. The main use of the bit chagi is one of misdirection; when using this kick I intend to shift my partners guard away from certain vital points (floating ribs, the solar plexus, the throat, etc.), the kick looks just as though it is going to be front kick which attacks the font of an opponents guard.

I have found that if an opponent believes you will attack their front guard they will reinforce their front guard. In reinforcing their front guard an opponent will weaken their "side guards". The bit chagi starts out as though it will attack the front guard, but with a quick shift of the hips attacks the side guard. If done ideally, the kick will attack an unprotected side guard.

There are many who argue that this kick is very "telegraphed". I can only assume they believe it is telegraphed because one must lift the leg as though doing a front kick, but then shift the hips to do the bit chagi. Here I would argue that the problem is not with the technique, but the practitioner. Think of the side kick delivered from the back leg. The side kick is another technique that essentially starts as a front kick, but draws its power from the turning of the hips/extension of the leg. When done properly, the bit chagi is no more telegraphed then a side kick. It is when someone lifts their front leg, holds it there, shifts their hips, THEN kicks that there is some predictability. Up above I outlined the kick in five steps, but those five steps are done merely for educational purposes: in usingthe kick on another there is one step:

1. Do the bit chagi when most opportune.

Actions speak louder than words, so I will work towards getting footage (I do not own a camera of my own, unfortunately) of my performance of the bit chagi. I also feel as though I've said some things about the side kick that people may try to debate, so I will also try to post footage of that as well. I hope that until then this post will suffice in reigniting discussion about the bit chagi.

See this web page for a picture of the bit chagi as done by Master Ivan Chuan Hoe Tnay: Australian Tang Soo Do Academy - Chief Instructor