Kawi Chagi
가위차기
Literally: scissors kick
Also known as: Gawi chagi, Scissors kick
Scissor kick in a jump: after a run-up both legs kick at once in two directions; a showcase taekwondo technique for board breaking.
Quick Facts
About
Kawi chagi (가위차기), literally scissor kick, is an advanced jumping technique of taekwondo. After a run-up and jump both legs kick at once in different directions, one a side kick and the other a twisting kick, similar to a splits; in the air the legs resemble open scissors. There is also a version where one leg kicks to the side while the arm strikes to the other side with a fist. The origin of the Korean name is unclear; one Korean source allows for the influence of the football term for scissors. The kick is used for breaking several boards, at tests for red belt and black stripe, and in demonstrations; in sparring it has no practical use, because there is only one opponent. The same principle, a simultaneous strike by both legs at two targets, is known in vovinam and pencak silat under the name gunting. A different technique is the judo scissor takedown kani basami, which judo's competition rules ban.