There are many variables that are contained within the question of how hard a person can kick. Physical condition as well as age, sex, and height can all affect the answer to this question. The answer has been a source of a lot of attention due to martial arts enthusiasts and sports-related interests.
The average adult human can kick with 1,000 pounds of force. The average child can deliver 600 pounds of force. These numbers can increase greatly with training or due to height, weight, and unique skill at kicking activities.
The force of a kick can also be altered by the kind of kicking motion that is used to deliver the force.
How Much Force is an Average Kick?
An average kick for an adult delivers around 1,000 pounds of force. Experts in martial arts are able to deliver as much as a ton of force, but this is the result of years of training and specifically utilized skills. The amount of force that is needed to deliver a kick in a sports setting is not as much as this and even 1,000 pounds of force can be quite effective for many sporting needs.
Professional soccer players can kick the ball hard enough to send it 30 meters per second, which amounts to about 1,200 pounds of force. A youth player will be able to deliver a speed of 14.9 meters per second which amounts to about 600 pounds of force.
How Much Force Does the Kick of an Average Man vs Woman Deliver?
The average man is 70-80% stronger than the average woman. This means that their kick will be 162% more powerful on average. Women can kick with a force of 300 to 500 pounds of force on average, but there are outliers to these numbers as well.
The force of a kick is calculated by using the formula, Force (F) = Mass (M) x Acceleration (A) where the units are F (Newton) = Mass (kg) x Acceleration (m/s2). This method is used to make sure that you are able to calculate the right amount of force per kick, no matter what the kicked item is or the kicking conditions and styles are.
Martial arts and sports kicking are very different, and creating the same force may not be needed or necessary when you are not engaging in kicking for defense or for fighting. Football and soccer are two of the sports that do require a similar amount of potential force per kick that martial arts and MMA might require. These sports are largely populated by men, so good statistics on women’s average for this kind of activity are not readily available in some cases.
In MMA, women are able to deliver knock-out kicks that have around 50 pounds of force. This is more than enough force to knock someone out when delivered correctly. This means that the average force of a kick can also be altered for effectiveness in unique situations per sport.
How Hard Can a Very Well-Trained Martial Artist Kick?
A highly-trained martial artist can kick with up to 9,000 newtons of force. This is like 900 kg of weight being thrown at someone or something! There is also an increased level of effectiveness of a kick if the martial artist is taller and heavier. These numbers are almost always calculated with the use of male martial artists kicking for the test, not female martial artists.
There have been studies that have shown that female martial artists can kick with about the same amount of force as male martial artists. The 9,000 pounds of force that were mentioned in relation to the average kicking force of male martial artists can be accomplished by female martial artists as well. The effectiveness of a kick in martial arts is more highly prized than the force in many contexts, as not every blow is designed to be a knockout blow.
Who Has the Hardest Kick in the World?
MMA is often the standard for these kinds of statistics, and the current list of the top 5 MMA hardest kickers includes Rafael dos Anjos, Stephen Thompson, Jose Aldo, Justin Gaethje, and Edson Barboza. According to an MMA expert, Edson Barboza is arguably the most powerful kicker in the world at this time.
There are still some records for hardest soccer kicks that have yet to be beaten, and one of these records is held by David Hirst who still holds the record for this skill by delivering a shot that went 114 mph in 1994.
The hardest kickers in the world are most often funneled into the martial arts, where kicking for knock-out blows creates excessive shows of force that would not be possible in other contexts.
How can I Increase my Kicking Power?
Kicking power is largely connected to strength and overall fitness. Even a shorter person will be able to improve their overall kicking strength with the right training regimen on their side. Sticking to a routine of workouts that are directed at leg strength and core strength can generate big results for your overall kicking power.
· Sumo Deadlifts
These are very effective exercises and they can develop a very strong core as well as strong legs. You will want to slowly increase the weight that you can deadlift over time as your body develops and gets used to the weight that you are currently training with. This is a great exercise to use as it protects your back from injury while lifting heavyweight.
· Jumping Back Squat
This is an exercise that develops explosive power in your legs. You will want to do this with a fairly lightweight bar or just using your body weight. You will simply squat the weight, then jump at the top. This is a very effective way to increase your ability to drive upwards and outwards with your legs, essential skills for kicking strength.
· Jump Split Squats
This is like the jumping back squat but done with split legs that alternate per jump. This is a great exercise to work on your standing leg’s balance as well, which can help you to deliver a more forceful kick.
· Box Jumps
This is a really good training method for harnessing the explosive power of your legs. Jumping straight up with your body weight to resist your jump is a great way to train the legs as well as the core and to help you to direct power generated by your legs in chosen directions. This translates directly to actual kicking skills training.
The Power of Your Kick is Related to Your Strength Training Regimen as Well as Your Sport
In most instances, the sport that you are training to compete in as well as your weight training strategy will greatly improve or reduce your ability to kick with a lot of force. You may not need to kick with a lot of force for your sport, but if you do, you need the right training protocol on your side as well to improve your skills.
Kicking force is linked with sex and size as well, but you can overcome limitations related to these factors in some degree through proper training. Female MMA competitors are often able to be as effective as male competitors despite the sex and size gap. This is all related to training and this opportunity is open to everyone who wants to alter their physical training regimen to include this kind of training.
The most powerful kick is a result of a combination of training and specific skill sets that are required for unique sporting events.
Related Information
How Hard Can an Average Person Punch? – There is significant debate around how much training can contribute to a person’s punching capability vs. their genetic predisposition. This article explores everything you want to know about how hard an average person punches. You should definitely check it out to learn about punching as well.