Mechanical Efficiency and Injury Risk in Leg Kicks Across Combat Sports: A Narrative Review of Stance, Hip Rotation, and Striking Surface Effects

Abstract

Highlights: What are the main findings? Pivot optimizes hip rotation and power but increases rotational stress on the knee and ankle of the supporting leg (risk of ACL and sprains). Contact with the tibia (shin) maximizes momentum but is associated with a high risk of tibial contusions and stress fractures (typical of Muay Thai/MMA). Contact with the instep promotes speed and scoring but exposes the foot and ankle to sprains and fractures. What are the implications of the main findings? The same technical choices that maximize performance (impact force and speed) create specific vulnerabilities to injury. Results highlight a performance-safety continuum. Leg kicks are fundamental techniques in combat sports based on a proximal-distal sequence involving several factors that can affect mechanical efficiency and injury risk. However, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews that integrate biomechanical and epidemiological evidence on injuries in an interdisciplinary context. Background/Objectives: This narrative review synthesizes current evidence to explore the relationship between mechanical efficiency and injury risk in kick-based combat sports. Methods: The search was conducted across Web of Science and Scopus (January 2000–March 2025) or studies investigating the biomechanics and injury risk factors associated with leg kicks in Taekwondo, Karate, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, and MMA. Results: Analysis of 23 studies identified three primary technical determinants of efficiency: stance mechanics, hip rotation, and striking-surface selection. High-impact force is consistently associated with a pivoted support leg stance and proximal-to-distal coordination. However, these same mechanics create specific “load concentrations” that align with documented injury profiles: pivoted stances increase rotational stress on the support leg knee (ACL/meniscal strain), while striking-surface choice (shin vs. instep) dictates the trade-off between tibial stress and metatarsal/ankle trauma. Conclusions: This review proposes an Integrated mechanical efficiency–injury model that suggests that performance optimization and injury awareness are two sides of the same biomechanical process. Future research should fill the gaps relating to the subject’s age and gender parity, as well as direct comparisons between different sports.