User:Lebronjames0047/sandbox

The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a period in American history which began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California.[1] The news of gold brought—mostly by sailing ships and covered wagons—some 300,000 gold-seekers (called "forty-niners", as in "1849") to California.[2] While most of the newly arrived were Americans, the Gold Rush also attracted some tens of thousands from Latin America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.

The effects of the Gold Rush were substantial. At first, loose gold nuggets could be picked up off the ground, and since there was no law regarding property rights in the goldfields, a system of "staking claims" was developed. In 1849, a state constitution, governorship, and legislature were established, and as part of the Compromise of 1850, California officially became a US state. Agriculture and ranching expanded throughout the state to meet the needs of the settlers. Roads and other towns were built throughout the new state, and new methods of transportation developed as steamships came into regular service. By 1869, railroads were built across the country from California to the eastern United States.

The California Gold Rush was a particularly violent period for the new settlers of the Wild West. After the initial boom had ended, explicitly anti-foreign and racist attacks, laws and confiscatory taxes sought to drive out foreigners, especially Chinese and Latin American immigrants.[3][4] The toll on US immigrants was also severe: roughly one in twelve perished due to the extraordinarily high crime rates and the resulting vigilantism.[5] While the total of gold recovered would be worth tens of billions of US dollars today, eventually the technological advances reached a point where frequently by hooved animals as well as humans in the context of stand-up fighting. Kicks play a significant role in many forms of martial arts, such as savate, Combat Hopak, taekwondo, sikaran, karate, Pankration, Kung fu, Vovinam, kickboxing, Muay Thai, capoeira, silat, and kalaripayattu.

Contents [hide] 1	History 2	Applications 3	Practicality of high kicks 4	Basic kicks 4.1	Push kick 4.2	Roundhouse kick 4.3	Side kick 4.4	Traditional Back kick 5	Advanced kicks 5.1	Axe kick 5.2	Butterfly kick 5.3	Calf kick 5.4	Crescent kick 5.5	Hook kick 5.6	Reverse roundhouse/heel kick 5.7	Flying kicks 5.8	Scissor kick 5.9	Spinning heel kick 5.10	Vertical kick (thrust kick/push kick/side kick) 5.11	Multiple kick 6	See also 7	References 8	External links History[edit source | edit] Further information: Asian martial arts (origins) The English verb to kick appears only in the late 14th century, apparently as a loan from Old Norse, originally in the sense of a hooved animal delivering strikes with his hind legs; the oldest use is Biblical.

Kicks as an act of human aggression have likely existed worldwide since prehistory. However, high kicks, aiming above the waist or to the head appear to have originated from Asian martial arts. Such kicks were introduced to the west in the 19th century with early hybrid martial arts inspired by 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. It appears to be prevalent in all traditional forms of Indochinese kickboxing, but these cannot be traced with any technical detail to pre-modern times. For example, Muay Boran or "ancient boxing" in Thailand was developed under Rama V (r. 1868-1910). 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] The Mahabharata (4.13), an 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).

A kick delivered to a downed or falling enemy (a demon), Angkor period (ca. 13th century) bas-relief at Banteay Chhmar.

A kick used in armed combat as a means of displacing the opponent's shield in historical European martial arts (Hans Talhoffer 1459)

A kick to the knee as depicted in a Baroque Ringen treatise (Johann Georg Passchen 1659) Applications[edit source | edit] As the human leg is longer and stronger than the arm, kicks are generally used to keep an opponent at a distance, surprise him or her with their range, and inflict substantial damage. On the other hand, stance is very important in any combat system, and any attempt to deliver a kick will necessarily compromise one's stability of stance. The application of kicks is thus a question of the tradeoff between the power that can be delivered vs. the cost incurred to balance. Since combat situations are fluid, understanding this tradeoff and making the appropriate decision to adjust to each moment is key.

Kicks are commonly directed against helpless or downed targets, while for more general self-defense applications, the consensus is that simple kicks aimed at vulnerable targets below the chest may be highly efficient, but should be executed with a degree of care. Self-defense experts, such as author and teacher Marc Macyoung, claim that kicks should be aimed no higher than the waist/stomach. Thus, the fighter should not compromise their balance while delivering a kick, and retract the leg properly to avoid grappling. It is often recommended to build and drill simple combinations that involve attacking different levels of an opponent. A common example would be distracting an opponent's focus via a fake jab, following up with a powerful attack at the opponent's legs and punching.

Further, since low kicks are inherently quicker and harder to see and dodge in general they are often emphasized in a street fight scenario.

Practicality of high kicks[edit source | edit] The utility of high kicks (above chest level) has been debated.[1]

Proponents have viewed that some high front snap kicks are effective for striking the face or throat, particularly against charging opponents, and flying kicks can be effective to scare off attackers. Martial arts systems that utilize high kicks also emphasize training of very efficient and technically perfected forms of kicks, include recovery techniques in the event of a miss or block, and will employ a wide repertoire of kicks adapted to specific situations.

Detractors have asserted that the flying/jumping kicks performed in synthesis styles are primarily performed for conditioning or aesthetic reasons while the high kicks as practiced in sport martial arts are privileged due to specialized tournament rules, such as limiting the contest to stand-up fighting, or reducing the penalty resulting from a failed attempt at delivering a kick.

Basic kicks[edit source | edit] Push kick[edit source | edit] Main article: Push kick

Taekwondo front push kick Delivering a front kick involves raising the knee and foot of the striking leg to the desired height and extending the leg to contact the target. The actual strike is usually delivered by the ball of the foot for a forward kick or the top of the toes for an upward kick. Taekwondo practitioners utilize both the heel and ball of the foot for striking. Various combat systems teach 'general' front kick using the heel or whole foot when footwear is on. Depending of fighter's tactical needs, a front kick may involve more or less body motion. Thrusting one's hips is a common method of increasing both reach and power of the kick. The front kick is typically executed with the upper body straight and balanced. Front kicks are typically aimed at targets below the chest: stomach, thighs, groin, knees or lower. Highly skilled martial artists are often capable of striking head-level targets with front kick.[2][3]

Roundhouse kick[edit source | edit] Main article: Roundhouse kick

Roundhouse-Kick Not to be confused with the round kick or turning kick, this is the most commonly used kick in kickboxing due to its power and ease of use. In most styles, the instep is used to strike, though most Karate styles would allow the shin as official technique for a street fight. To execute, the attacker swings their leg sideways in a circular motion, kicking the opponent's side with the front of the leg, usually with the instep, ball of the foot, toe, or shin. Also performable is a 360-degree kick in which the attacker performs a full circle with their leg, in which the striking surface is generally either the instep, shin or ball of the foot.[4]

There are many variations of the roundhouse kick based on various chambering of the cocked leg (small, or full, or universal or no chambering) or various footwork possibilities (rear-leg, front-leg, hopping, switch, oblique, dropping, ground spin-back or full 360 spin-back). An important variation is the downward roundhouse kick, nicknamed the Brazilian Kick from recent K-1 use: A more pronounced twist of the hips allows for a downward end of the trajectory of the kick that is very deceiving.[5]

Due to its power, the roundhouse kick may also be performed at low level against targets, such as the knees, calf, or even thigh, since attacking leg muscles will often cripple an opponent's mobility.

Side kick[edit source | edit] "Side kick" redirects here. For other uses, see Sidekick (disambiguation).

Paige, an professional wrestler performing an Sidekick The side kick refers to a kick that is delivered sideways in relation to the body of the person kicking.[6] It is one of the most adaptable kicks, useful as both an offensive move and as a defensive counter to a blitzing opponent. There are two areas that are commonly used as impact points in sidekicks: the heel of the foot or the outer edge of the foot. The heel is more suited to hard targets such as the ribs, stomach, jaw, temple and chest. However, when executing a side kick with the heel the toes should be pulled back so that they only make contact the heel and not with the whole foot. If a person hits with the arch or the ball of the foot, then that can injure the foot or break an ankle. A standard sidekick is performed by first chambering the kicking leg diagonally across the body, then extending the leg in a linear fashion toward the target, while flexing the abdominals.

Another way of doing the side kick is to make it an end result of a faked roundhouse. This technique is considered antiquated, and used only after an opponent is persuaded to believe it is a roundhouse, and then led to believe that closing the distance is best for an upper body attack, which plays into the tactical position and relative requirement of this version of the side kick. In Korean, yeop chagi. In Okinawan te fighting, it is sometimes called a dragon kick. Some have called this side kick a "twist kick" due to its roundhouse like origins. This side kick begins as would a roundhouse kick however the practitioner allows the heel to move towards the center of the body. The kick is then directed outward from a cross-leg chamber so that the final destination of the kick is a target to the side, rather than one that is directly ahead.

Traditional Back kick[edit source | edit]

Taekwondo back kick. Also referred to as a donkey kick, mule kick, or turning back kick. This kick is directed backwards, keeping the kicking leg close to the standing leg and using the heel as a striking surface. In wushu, this kick is called the "half-moon" kick but involves the slight arching of the back and a higher lift of the leg to give a larger curvature. It is often used to strike opponents by surprise when facing away from them.

Advanced kicks[edit source | edit] These are often complicated variations of basic kicks, either with a different target or combined with another move, such as jumping.

Axe kick[edit source | edit]

Axe-kick by Christine Theiss 2013 In Japanese, kakato-geri; in Korean, doki bal chagi or naeryeo chagi or "chikka chagi".

An axe kick, also known as a hammer kick, stretch kick, or thigh of obliteration kick, is characterized by a straightened leg descending onto an opponent like the blade of an axe. It begins with one foot rising upward as in a crescent kick.[7] The upward arc motion is stopped, and then the attacking foot is lowered so as to strike the target from above. The arc can be performed in either an inward (counter-clockwise) or outward (clockwise) fashion.

A well-known proponent of the axe kick was Andy Hug, the Swiss Kyokushinkai Karateka who won the 1996 K-1 Grand Prix.

Butterfly kick[edit source | edit] Main article: Butterfly kick

Wushu Butterfly kick (animated video) The butterfly kick is done by doing a large circular motion with both feet in succession, making the combatant airborne. There are many variations of this kick. The kick may look like a slanted aerial cartwheel, and at the same time, the body spins horizontally in a circle. It begins as a jump with one leg while kicking with the other, then move the kicking leg down and the jumping leg up into a kick, landing with the first kicking leg, all while spinning. This kick involves also the arching the back backwards when airborne to give a horizontal body with high angled legs to the horizontal. It may also resemble a jumping spin roundhouse kick (developed by James 'Two Screens' Perkins) into a spinning hook kick, all in one jump and one spin although the difference is that both legs should remain in the air at the same time for a considerable amount of time.[8]

First practiced in Chinese martial arts, the butterfly kick, or "xuan zi", is widely viewed as ineffective for actual combat. However, its original purpose was to evade an opponent's floor sweep and flip to the antagonist's exposed side or it may be used as a double aerial kick to an opponent standing off to the side. It is now widely used in demonstrative wushu forms (taolu) as a symbol of difficulty. Also note the similarity in execution when compared to an ice skating maneuver known as a flying camel spin (aka: Button Camel).

Calf kick[edit source | edit] This kick strikes with the backside of the calf. A variation which is known as the jumping calf kick is when the user jumps before performing the kick. This attack often takes the form of a sweep in clinching situations and is most often seen in MMA matches.

Crescent kick[edit source | edit] In Japanese, mikazuki Geri; in Korean, bandal chagi (반달 차기).

The crescent kick, also referred to as a 'swing' kick, has some similarities to a hook kick, and is sometimes practised as an off-target front snap kick.[9] The leg is bent like the front kick, but the knee is pointed at a target to the left or right of the true target. The energy from the snap is then redirected, whipping the leg into an arc and hitting the target from the side. This is useful for getting inside defenses and striking the side of the head or for knocking down hands to follow up with a close attack. In many styles of T'ai chi ch'uan and Kalaripayattu, crescent kicks are taught as tripping techniques. When training for crescent kicks, it is common to keep the knee extended to increase the difficulty. This also increases the momentum of the foot and can generate more force, though it takes longer to build up the speed.[10]

The inward/inner/inside crescent hits with the inside edge of the foot. Its arch is clockwise for the left leg and counter-clockwise for the right leg. Force is generated by both legs' hip adduction. The inward variant has also been called a hangetsu geri (Half moon kick) in karate and is employed to "wipe" an opponents hand off of one's wrist. It can quickly be followed up by a low side-blade kick to the knee of the offender.

The outward/outer/outside crescent hits with the 'blade', the outside edge of the foot. Its path is counter-clockwise for the left leg and clockwise for the right leg, and force is generated by both legs' hip abduction. This is similar to a rising side kick, only with the kicking leg's hip flexed so that the line of force travels parallel to the ground from front to side rather than straight up, beginning and ending at the side.

Hook kick[edit source | edit] In Korean, huryeo chagi (후려 차기) or golcho chagi.

Steven Ho executing a Jump Spin Hook kick The hook kick strikes with the heel from the side (or flat of the foot in sparring). It is executed similar to a side kick. However, the kick is intentionally aimed slightly off target in the direction of the kicking foot's toes. At full extension, the knee is bent and the foot snapped to the side, impacting the target with the heel. In Taekwondo it is often used at the resulting miss of a short slide side kick to the head, but is considered a very high level technique in said circumstance. Practitioners of jeet kune do frequently use the term heel hook kick or sweep kick.[11][12][13] It is known as Gancho in Capoeira.

There are many variations of the hook kick, generally based on different footworks: rear- or front-leg, oblique or half-pivot, dropping, spin-back and more. The hook kick can be delivered with a near-straight leg at impact, or with a hooked finish (Kake in Japanese Karate) where the leg bends before impact to catch the target from behind. An important variation is the downward hook kick, delivered as a regular or a spin-back kick, in which the end of the trajectory is diagonally downwards for a surprise effect or following an evading opponent.

The hook kick is mainly used to strike the jaw area of an opponent,but is also highly effective in the temple region.

Reverse roundhouse/heel kick[edit source | edit]

Low, middle and high Reverse roundhouse kicks performed in succession In Japanese, ushiro mawashi geri (後ろ回し蹴り?); in Korean, bandae dollyo chagi (반대 돌려 차기), dwit hu ryo chagi, nakkio mom dollyo chagi or parryo chagi.

This kick is also known as a heel kick, reverse turning kick, reverse round kick, spinning hook kick, spin kick, or "wheel kick".[14] A low reverse roundhouse is also known as a Sweep Kick. This kick traditionally uses the heel to strike with. The kicking leg comes from around the kicker's back and remains straight, unlike a reverse hooking kick. See above for more on hook kicks. Variations exist for low, middle and high height. Spinning and leaping variations of the kick are also popular, and are often showcased in film and television media. Edson Barboza executed the first wheel kick for a knockout in the UFC at UFC 142:Aldo vs. Mendes. He knocked out Terry Etim 3:23 into the third round of their fight.

A different kick that is similarly named also exists. It is literally a roundhouse kick performed by turning as if for a back straight kick and executing a roundhouse kick. It is known as a Reverse Roundhouse Kick because the kicker turns in the opposite, or "reverse", direction before the kick is executed. This kick strikes with the ball of the foot for power or the top of the foot for range. The kick was exhibited by Bruce Lee on numerous occasions in his films Enter the Dragon, Fist of Fury and The Big Boss. Bill Wallace was also a great user of this kick, as seen in his fight with Bill Briggs, where he KO'd his opponent with the clocked 60 mph kick. The Jump Spin Hook Kick was popularized in the mid-eighties by Steven Ho in open martial art competitions.

In Olympic format (sport) taekwondo, this technique is performed using the balls of the feet, and in a manner similar to a back thrust, rather than the circular technique adopted in other styles/Martial Arts.

Flying kicks[edit source | edit] Main article: Flying kick

Flying back kick. Note: The running-up part of the flying kick sequence is cut off in this animation, so only the jumping component of the kick is seen. A flying kick, in martial arts, is a general description of kicks that involve a running start, jump, then a kick in mid-air. Compared to a regular kick, the user is able to achieve greater momentum from the run at the start. Flying kicks are not to be mistaken for jumping kicks, which are similar maneuvers. A jumping kick is very similar to a flying kick, except that it lacks the running start and the user simply jumps and kicks from a stationary position. Flying kicks are often derived from the basic kicks. Some of the more commonly known flying kicks are the: flying side kick, flying back kick and the flying roundhouse kick, as well as the flying reverse roundhouse kick. Flying kicks are commonly practiced in Taekwondo, Karate, Wushu, and Muay Thai for fitness, exhibitions, competition, as well as self-defense. It is known as tobi geri in Japanese martial arts, and twyo chagi in Taekwondo.

Scissor kick[edit source | edit] Main article: Scissor kick (martial arts) Several kicks may be called a scissor kick, involving swinging out the legs to kick multiple targets or using the legs to take down an opponent.

The popularized version of a scissor kick is, while lying down, or jumping, the kicker brings both legs to both sides of the opponent's legs or to their body and head, then brings both in as a take down (as the name states, leg motions are like that of a pair of scissors).

The scissor kick in Taekwondo is called kawi chagi. In Capoeira it is called tesoura (scissors).

Scissor kicks and other variants are also commonly applied in Vovinam.

Spinning heel kick[edit source | edit] A spinning heel kick is where the artist turns his/her body 360 degrees before landing the heel or the ball of his/her foot on the target. It is found in Muay Thai.

Vertical kick (thrust kick/push kick/side kick)[edit source | edit] The vertical kick involves bringing the knee forward and across the chest, then swinging the hip while extending the kicking leg outward, striking with the outside ("sword") edge of the foot. It can deliver a considerable amount of power. This is called a yoko geri keage in karate.

In Taekwondo, the vertical kick is called sewo chagi, and can be performed as either an inward (anuro) or outward (bakuro) kick.

Multiple kick[edit source | edit] In Japanese karate, the term ren geri is used for several kicks performed in succession. Old karate did not promote the use of the legs for weapons as much as modern karate does, seeing them as being too open for countering. However, in modern sport karate (non-traditional) competitions, the ability to use multiple kicks without setting the foot down has become a viable option, not only for effectiveness but also for stylish aesthetics.

In Taekwon-Do, three types of multiple kick are distinguished:

Double kick (i-jung chagi) - two kicks of the same type executed in succession by the same foot in the same direction.

Consecutive kick (yonsok chagi) - two or more kicks executed in succession by the same foot but in different directions, or with different attacking tools.

Combination kick (honhap chagi) - two or more kicks executed in succession by both feet.

One such Multiple Kick commonly seen in Taekwondo, is a slightly complex Side Kick where a High Side Kick is followed by a Low Side Kick which is in turn followed by a more powerful Side Kick. This combination is done rapidly and is meant not for multiple targets but for a single one. The Multiple Kick usually targets the face, thigh, and chest, but in turn can be a multiple chest attack which is useful for knocking the breath out of an attacker. The Multiple Kick is usually done in the "second" style described in the Side Kick article which "involves shooting the leg forward as in a front kick and then pivoting and turning so" to actually deliver a side kick. That style "has far less power but is much faster and more deceptive", which is what the Multiple Kick was designed for. The Multiple Kick, unlike some Side Kicks or "side blade kicks", never uses the outer edge of the foot; it is intended solely for the heel to be used as the impact point. Depending on the strength and skill of tsignificant financing was required in order to mine the gold, causing increasingly important mining companies to take over the industry and leading to great wealth for a few. Many of those who had had to rely on simple gathering methods, such as gold panning, returned home with only a little more than they had originally started with.

A major genocide was furthermore conducted on Native Americans who resided in the Great Basin, a watershed which had supported the tribes for more than 14,000 years.[6] Peter Burnett, California's first governor, declared that California was a battleground between the races and that there were only two options towards California Indians, extinction or removal.[7] The State of California directly paid out $25,000 in bounties for Indian scalps with varying prices for adult male, adult female, and child sizes. It also provided the basis for the enslavement and trafficking of Native American labor, particularly that of young women and children, which was carried on as a legal business enterprise.[8] Miners, loggers, and settlers formed vigilante groups and local militias to hunt the Natives, regularly raiding villages to supply the demand.[9] The Native population of California, once perhaps as high as 705,000 in numbers, but by 1845 already down to some 150,000, further spiraled downward until by 1890 it had reached below 20,000.[10][6