This page looks at the Karate technique know as Hiza Geri. This is the Japanese word for knee strike or more literally knee (hiza) kick (geri).
A knee strike is often used for close-in fighting where a martial artist can not fully extend their legs (i.e. unable to launch a roundhouse kick due to the close proximity of the opponent), grappling situations where arms are trapped or restricted, etc. Targets for knee strikes include an opponent’s ribs, thighs, chin/face (if the head is pulled down during grappling), etc. For other knee strike variations (i.e. the knee bomb or Muay Thai knee strikes), you should visit Black Belt Wiki’s main Knee Strikes section.
For information on other Karate kicking techniques, please visit Black Belt Wiki’s main Karate Kicks page. Or visit our Martial Arts Kicks section for instructions on a wide variety of kicks used by other martial arts styles.
Instructional Video on Karate’s Hiza Geri (starts 0:30 into video)
Knee Strikes for Kyokushin Karate
Karate Instructor Discussing Knee Strike Targets