Spins are Pivots

Spinning techniques are often scoffed at as “too fancy” or “too showy”. This may be true from a practical self defense standpoint. Perhaps that jump spinning hook kick isn’t the wisest idea when one is beset upon by a gang of miscreants.

Let’s accept the argument: spin techniques are less than useless for self defense. Not only will they fail, but attempting to use a spinning technique will put you in a worse position.

I’d still like to argue that learning spin techniques, in a style that touts itself as centered on practical self defense, is useful.

I think they are useful because they a require a level of coordination that well exceeds what you need to throw non-spinning techniques. I think that if someone can throw a good spinning side kick, they probably have a really solid side kick. I’d like to argue further that developing that spinning side kick improves the power, balance and accuracy of their standard side kick.

So even though a spinning side kick might not be a valid self defense technique, I think that the martial artist who develops a strong spinning kick will fair better using their kicks in a self defense situation than that same martial artist who did not practice their spinning side kick.

Of course there might be more effective ways to building a better self defense oriented martial artist than working on spinning strikes. That point is arguable. As far as our art goes, I feel like spinning strikes are a small slice of the pie but one that can not be neglected and one that some students relish (and some despise).

As far as my personal belief around the efficacy of spin moves in self defense, it seems unlikely but not impossible.