One of the first tools of real use for self defense after the initial mauvering and non physical de-escalation phase of a self defense scenario is the low front kick. Front kicks have several advantages for use in self defense. A front kick can keep an aggressor at range, they are easy to learn and use and can remove an attackers ability to follow you as you esacape from a situation.
If you are not very fast and flexible I would suggest sticking to a basic front kick to the shin or knee. Don’t turn your body as you would for a side kick since unless you have set this up with punches or other strikes and know what you are doing the turning motion will be a signal to your attacker that you are up to something and will give them time to react. simply lash out forward with your foot trying to hit the attacked shin or knee with the ball of your foot, its not really that important that the ball is the bit that makes contact but its important to remember not to kick with your toes as this can cause you to damage your own foot. Remember dont leave your foot out there, as soon as you make full contact with your assailants leg pull your foot back and back off, the longer your foot is off the ground the longer you are unbalanced. You want your full balance back as soon as possible. Holding your leg in the air like Tony Jaa form Ong Bak may look cool but for self defense purposes its a really bad idea.
The front kick is a very effective tool and can easily cause severe damage (especially if applied to an attackers knee). Please remember to use common sense and only practice this move if you know what you are doing or have experienced supervision.
If you are going to spar this move with a partner and do it with contact be sure to pad up their legs and not to kick too hard as this can be quite nasty and even permanently damaging to the leg. Another thing to remember is to keep your “boxers guard” (hands by cheeks elbows in) when you do this front kick in order to try to keep your face protected and keep an attacker form grabbing an arm.
The simple low front kick may not be sporty but if you do it right and without warning its likely to hurt your attacker sufficiently to make them think twice about giving chase, it also ensures that they wont be chasing you as promptly as they might have without the kick.
Keep it real, keep it safe!