Editing Kick (section)

==History==
The English verb [[:wikt:kick|to kick]] appears in the late 14th century, meaning "to strike out with the foot", possibly as a loan from the Old Norse "kikna", meaning "bend backwards, sink at the knees".<ref>{{Cite web |title=kick {{!}} Search Online Etymology Dictionary |url=https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=kick |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=www.etymonline.com}}</ref>

Kicks as an act of [[human aggression]] have likely existed worldwide since prehistory. However, the earliest documentation of high kicks, aimed above the waist or to the head, comes from [[East Asia|East-Asian]] martial arts.  Such kicks were introduced to the [[western martial arts|west]] in the 19th century with early [[hybrid martial arts]] inspired by East-Asian styles such as [[Bartitsu]] and [[Savate]]. Practice of high kicks became more universal in the second half of the 20th century with the more widespread development of hybrid styles such as [[kickboxing]] and eventually [[mixed martial arts]].

The history of the high kick in Asian martial arts is difficult to trace. One theory was that it was developed in [[Northern Chinese martial arts|Northern Chinese Martial arts]], in which techniques involving the use of the foot to strike the [[Pressure point|vital points]] of the head was often used. Another theory was that it was developed in the ancient [[Korea]]n foot-fighting art of [[Taekkyon|Taekyyon]] as a form of exercise and [[self-defense]]. The high kicks seen in [[Taekwondo]] today bear a resemblance to the kicks in Taekyyon. The high kick also seems to be prevalent in all traditional forms of [[Indochinese kickboxing]], but these cannot be traced with any technical detail to pre-modern times. In [[Muay Boran]] ("ancient boxing" in Thailand) was developed under [[Rama V]] (r. 1868–1910) and while it is known that earlier forms of "boxing" existed during the [[Ayutthaya Kingdom]], the details regarding these techniques are unclear. Some stances that look like low kicks, but not high kicks, are visible in the [[Shaolin temple]] frescoes, dated to the 17th century.{{Citation needed|date=June 2011}}  The ''[[Mahabharata]]'' ([http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m04/m04013.htm 4.13]), an [[Sanskrit epics|Indian epic]] compiled at some point before the 5th century AD, describes an unarmed hand-to-hand battle, including the sentence "and they gave each other violent kicks" (without providing any further detail).  Kicks including ones above the waist are commonly depicted in the stone carvings of the [[Khmer Empire]] temples in [[Cambodia]].

<gallery>
File:BanteayChmarRahu.jpg|A kick delivered to a downed or falling enemy (a demon), [[Angkor]] period (c. 13th century) bas-relief at [[Banteay Chhmar]] in [[Cambodia]].
File:Ms.Thott.290.2º 100r.jpg|A kick used in armed combat as a means of displacing the opponent's shield in [[historical European martial arts]] ([[Hans Talhoffer]] 1459)
File:Passchen38.jpg|A kick to the knee as depicted in a Baroque ''[[Ringen]]'' treatise (Johann Georg Passchen 1659)
File:Bas Relief at Banteay CHhmar templeBanteayChhmar2.jpg|[[Khmer people|Cambodian]] soldier uses a thrust kick to the chest of a [[Chams|Cham]] soldier.  Thrust kicks are still used in [[pradal serey]] matches today. [[Bas-relief]] at the [[Banteay Chhmar]](12th/13th century).
Stone_Carving_at_Bayon_Temple.png|Bas-relief at the [[Bayon]](12th/13th century) in [[Cambodia]]. In the upper left corner, a martial artist delivers a thrust kick to his opponent's torso. In the lower right corner, a martial artist demonstrates a high kick.
</gallery>