technique 6 min read
Mae-geri: the front kick a Kolhapur student can practise
Mae-geri is the front kick. A Kolhapur student can learn the shape from a published drill, then see how the 2026 kumite rules score a legal body kick at two points and a legal head kick at three.
Mae-geri is the front kick. A student in Kolhapur can learn the shape as a basic drill, then meet a kick in a bout that the world rules record only as keri. Where a source is silent, the fact is unconfirmed.
What the kick is
The Japan Karatedo Federation glossary entry for 前蹴り, read mae-geri, calls it the basic kick among kicks. It goes toward the front of the opponent. The knee folds once, then releases, and the upper sole kicks jodan, chudan, and gedan. The entry is in Japanese. It names no belt and no class in Kolhapur.
The Japan Karate Association Technical Manual for the Instructor says the same kick in English, in the Internet Archive copy of 18 February 2021. On 27 October 2026 the association host returned an error for that file, and its English site showed a maintenance notice.
It uses the ball of the foot toward someone face to face, names the solar plexus, the groin, or face level, and pulls the leg back at once, in a 3:7 proportion of kick to pull-back. A front kick generally travels upwards. A heel thrust to the thigh and knee sits in that section too, while the kumite rules below forbid the groin, the legs, and the joints.
SK Martial Arts terms, updated 1 September 2026, call the karate traditional Goju Ryu: kata, kihon, kumite, and dojo etiquette. The association manual is not the Kolhapur syllabus. Whether a class in Kolhapur uses the name mae-geri, or that 3:7 pull-back, is unconfirmed.
A beginner drill from the manual
The first practice starts in feet-together natural stance, heisoku-dachi. The left foot stays planted, the right knee rises toward the chest with the ball of the foot level, a sharp spring extends the leg, and the leg returns before the start stance. Both sides are practised.
A high knee, kaikomi, is basic. Reaching too far lets the knee leave the tuck, and the spring dies. Stay upright, keep that heel close, and leave the hands out of the swing. A second drill, from left front stance, hidari-zenkutsu-dachi, shifts the hips, lifts the rear knee, kicks upward, and sets the supporting heel down. It is an air drill, with no claim about health or injury. The teens and adults page at SK Martial Arts welcomes beginners and lists sparring, kata, and grading. It does not name mae-geri.
When the kick is used
The academy terms name kihon and kumite. Which week a partner is added is unconfirmed.
The World Karate Federation kumite rules used here are valid from 1 January 2026. The master copy marks its note as 13APR26, read here as 13 April 2026, on articles 3.5.8, 3.6.1, 8.11 f), and 12.5.2. The file never says mae-geri. Article 7.6 has the referee name the athlete, the area as jodan or chudan, and the technique as tsuki, uchi, or keri. Keri is the kick.
Two or more judges must agree, or the video review judge after a coach's request. The first correct technique scores, unless a combination earns the higher score. Chudan is above the pelvis through the collarbone, excluding the shoulder junction, and jodan is above that. Six criteria all have to hold: form, no intent to injure, speed and power, awareness, timing, and a working distance. The athlete must not turn away or fall unless a foul caused it.
Article 8.6 gives three scoring options.
- Yuko is 1 point, for a straight punch or a strike to a scoring area.
- Waza-ari is 2 points, for a chudan kick.
- Ippon is 3 points, for a jodan kick, or for any legal technique when more than the opponent's feet are on the mat, except hiza gamae, one knee down while a technique is made.
Chudan impact must not injure. A jodan kick can score within 5 cm, or 10 cm in cadet and under-14 bouts, and skin touch must not send energy into the head. The throat takes no contact. A kick after yame, during wakarete, from outside the area, or after a foul does not score. Article 9 bars the groin, the legs, and the joints, so a kick there is not a waza-ari. No source here names a winner or a student in Kolhapur.
One safe practice note
Lift the knee in the air, alone, before the foot goes toward anyone else. The Japan Karate Association manual asks for that high knee, and for the supporting heel to stay down in front stance. The SK Martial Arts terms of 1 September 2026 say to follow the sensei. Reckless contact is not tolerated, and a student who feels unwell must stop. Instructors are not doctors. No mae-geri distance is printed for the Kolhapur class, so that measure is unconfirmed.
What a Kolhapur student can use
Fold the knee, kick with the upper sole or the ball of the foot, and pull the leg back. A legal body kick can be two points, and a legal head kick three, under the rules of 1 January 2026. When a partner is added on the Goju Ryu path is unconfirmed on the public pages.
Teens and adults train at SK Martial Arts in Kolhapur, Front of Pinjar Galli, near Main Road, Shahu Colony, Kasaba Bawada, Maharashtra 416006. A batch is matched from the student's age. No clock time for this kick is printed. Brochure timings can change, and the terms say to call and confirm.
FAQs
01 Is mae-geri a roundhouse kick?
The Japan Karatedo Federation entry is a front kick: the knee folds, then the upper sole reaches jodan, chudan, or gedan. A roundhouse takes another path, and that path is not in the entry. One name for both is unconfirmed.
02 Does every front kick score two points?
Under the rules of 1 January 2026, two points is waza-ari only for a chudan kick that meets every criterion. A kick to the leg or groin, or a kick after yame, does not score. The label mae-geri is not a score by itself.
03 Is mae-geri in the first class at SK Martial Arts?
That is unconfirmed. The teens and adults page welcomes beginners and lists sparring, kata, and grading. The terms of 1 September 2026 include kihon. Neither page puts the front kick on day one or on a named belt. Ask when a batch is offered.