Bandal Chagi
반달 차기
Literally: half-moon kick
Also known as: Anuro Bandal Chagi, Bakuro Bandal Chagi, An Chagi, Bakkat Chagi
Korean crescent kick that strikes the target in an arc from the side; ITF distinguishes an inward and an outward variant.
Quick Facts
Katas containing this technique
About
Bandal chagi (반달 차기), literally half-moon kick, is a Korean crescent kick. The leg is raised as for a front kick, but the knee points past the target, to the left or right of it. A swing then redirects the energy into an arc, and the leg strikes the target from the side. The kick is meant to penetrate the opponent's guard and strike the side of the head, or to sweep or deflect the opponent's covering arms and follow up with a close attack. The Taekwondo Compendium ranks it among the 10 basic kicks and also gives it the names an chagi for the inward kick and bakkat chagi for the outward kick. ITF taekwondo terminology distinguishes two variants: anuro bandal chagi, the inward crescent kick, and bakuro bandal chagi, the outward crescent kick. The term also appears in Korean kinesiology literature on competitive taekwondo sparring. Its karate counterpart is mikazuki geri (三日月蹴り), whose name, however, refers to the sliver of the moon rather than the half moon. While sources link mikazuki geri to specific kata, bandal chagi is presented as a general basic technique, not as a movement of a particular tul or poomsae.