Dwi Chagi
뒤차기
Literally: back kick
A heel kick straight backward after turning the back to the opponent; often used in taekwondo as a counterattack.
Quick Facts
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Bad timing of the turn: the practitioner over-rotates, loses balance, and the kick misses the target.
💡 Key Tip
Look over your shoulder before you kick; without looking at the target the kick goes in blind.
About
Dwi chagi, literally back kick, is a kick in which the practitioner turns the back to the target, looks over the shoulder, and straightens the rear leg directly backward. The strike lands with the bottom of the heel, toes pulled back so only the heel hits the target. It targets the ribs, stomach, jaw and chest. It differs from the side kick in the extent of the turn: the body turns about a hundred and eighty degrees, but the kick stays straight. It differs from the spinning heel kick in going straight, not in an arc. In taekwondo it is often used as a counter when the opponent attacks and the defender retreats. World Taekwondo rules class it among the spinning techniques, scored higher than kicks without a turn. Karate knows the straight back kick as ushiro geri.