Ushiro Mawashi Geri
後ろ廻し蹴り
Literally: back roundhouse kick
Ushiro mawashi geri is a spinning kick in which the practitioner turns their back to the opponent and sweeps the leg through a large arc, typically to the head.
Quick Facts
⚠️ Common Mistakes
A poorly executed attempt fully exposes the practitioner's back and costs them their balance.
About
Ushiro mawashi geri (後ろ廻し蹴り), literally back circular kick, is a spinning kick where the practitioner turns their back to the opponent and sweeps the leg in a large arc. It strikes with the heel or foot, powered by the rotation of the whole body. It typically aims at head level. The Kyokushin glossary lists it as spinning roundhouse kick. It differs from ushiro geri by its body rotation, since ushiro geri is straight and has none, and from mawashi geri by not being a forward circular kick. The source also notes a jumping variant, ushiro ura mawashi tobi geri. It is especially common in Kyokushin karate; the source names champions Hatsuo Royama and Lechi Kurbanov as noted masters of it. The same source ranks it among karate's most spectacular yet technically hardest kicks. A poorly executed attempt fully exposes the practitioner's back and costs their balance.