“Okinawan Karate kata feature mostly low level kicks.” ??
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Paul Enfield 8th dan Goju Ryu – GKCglobal
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In the modern dojo, practically every combination has a kick somewhere within it. This is primarily because kicking is very effective in the competitive environment. Also, because high-level competitors are amazing athletes, they can apply kicks in ways that would be totally inappropriate for those who are not as physically gifted.
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If you compare the techniques of modern karate with the techniques recorded within the katas – which are a record of the original version of the art – you will note that kicks are nowhere near as widely used. The simple reason for this is that the techniques of the kata were designed for real combat, and because kicks are not that effective or readily applicable in that environment, they are not emphasized to the same degree.
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Kicking is probably the least effective of all the combative methods. This is because your motion and stability are severely curtailed the instant you take a foot off the floor, and you rarely get the space to use kicks anyway. That is not to say that kicking does not have a role to play, because it does. (Remember the context)
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Okinawan Karate kata feature mostly low level kicks, in addition to implied kicks with stepping. The kicks work in conjunction with the hand movements to form the ‘technique.’ Kicks may be delivered before the hands or after the hands, either way they are complicit in bringing the opponent into the strike, lock, or throw through ‘kuzushi’ (unbalancing/destabilizing).
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Kicking has a limited role to play in self-protection situations because there is rarely the space needed, and your stability and mobility are greatly reduced the moment you take your foot off the floor (which is why they are relatively sparse in the traditional katas). If you do use kicks, they should be used sparingly, they must be powerful and they should be delivered lower than mid-thigh. Although you would ideally like to hit one of the weaker or vulnerable areas, it should be remembered that, due to the nature of live fights, delivering an accurate blow is not easy and hence the key thing is to ensure that your kicks are delivered with great force.
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With thanks to Iain Abernethy & Paul Enfield.