The Top 5 Techniques Used By Hobin Yoo in Viral Hit
It is scarce to find a series that shows what a fight really entails. Viral Hit demonstrates great research and attention to detail with the techniques it portrays. This Manhwa does a fantastic job of showing off many vital and invaluable techniques in an easily digestible manner.
While practically every move used in this series is absolutely viable in streetfight, not all techniques are made equal. In this post we will cover the top 5 moves used in this incredible Webtoon (plus some honourable mentions).
Please note that this list, as the title suggests, will only include moves that Hobin has used himself.
5 - Overhand Punch
Starting off the list, we have one of the first moves taught by Samdak. It is used in Hobin's fight against the scumbag bully, Pakgo.
Boxing is undisputedly an effective combat sport and while an overhand strike is not exactly as fundamental as punches such as the jab or cross, this strike holds tremendous knockout power and acts as an incredible punch to throw as a counter. By distracting Pakgo with his calf kicks, even with his smaller frame and terribly limited experience, he is able to knock Pakgo out clean. This punch is used well by Hobin again in a way used in many MMA matches by feinting an initial tackle and throwing the overhand instead.
4 - Oblique Kick
Of course, if we are looking at the best moves, this list would not be complete without the forbidden moves that Samdak swore to never teach.
We see the oblique kick used by Samdak against Logan Gracie in their flashback, and more noticeably, by Hobin as he absolutely bodies Daniel Smith, the criminal MMA fighter.
The oblique kick is a front push kick, or sometimes side on, delivered to just above the opponent’s knee. This is often thrown as more of a stomp and can hyperextend the knee severely, snapping it. If this sounds terrifying to you, then you would be rightfully worried, and it is no wonder why Samdak was so hesitant to teach this move. This is a potentially career ending technique in the MMA world and would most certainly take someone out of a fight.
If you want to see examples of how the oblique kick is used in practice, this move was made famous by MMA fighter Jon Jones with many clips available online. Even if this move doesnt break your opponent’s leg, it will most likely damage it and distract your opponent since this will hurt a hell of a lot more than getting knocked out.
3 - Liver Kick
Ah yes, the liver kick. No matter how big you are, getting one of your organs poked isn't fun for anyone. Liver strikes are known for being excruciatingly agonising. While it may not knock you opponent out cold, they'll wish it had. Even the biggest and toughest fighters can be brought to their knees by a well-placed strike.
The strike used by Hobin is most commonly seen in various forms of Karate since instead of using the shin or the instep, it actually stabs into the body with the ball of the foot.
Even the powerful Jinho Lee is extremely damaged by this and as such, becomes wary of this part of his body leaving himself vulnerable to Hobin's other tricks.
2 - Elbow from clinch
Whilst not the flashiest move, this remains one of the simplest, yet most devastating attacks. Elbows are finicky, being one of the closest ranged strikes one can throw. However, once in said range, you have access to the most powerful, fastest and safest strikes. But this isn't elbows, more specifically, this is the elbow from the clinch.
In streetfights, in the chaos and panic of it all, how often is it that one person haphazardly grabs the opponent by the skin of their neck? To many inexperienced fighters, or practitioners of martial arts that do not practice elbows, it may seem intuitive to throw a hook to the head or body. If you have done your clinch training, you should know that from that range, your elbow is going to fly out faster and stronger than that strained, last ditch hook.
Some Muay Thai gyms dedicate whole sessions to the clinch due to just how technical this area is. And as demonstrated in Hobin’s fight against Hyeonsu Lee, is something that kickboxers may be unprepared for. Once well positioned, the elbow can be difficult to defend against or counter and can easily have you seeing stars.
Honourable Mentions
HM 1 - Muay Thai Style Check
Our first honourable mention is the Muay Thai Style Check AKA the Aerobic Dance by Samdak. Anyone who has trained Kickboxing or Muay Thai knows how devastating a few leg kicks can be, or how a clean body kick can take someone out. So how do you stop these kicks from hurting you? Well, to be honest, it's still going to hurt. The difference is that you can stop the kick from damaging more vital parts of your body whilst making sure that the pain you feel in your shin will be felt just as much by the person who's throwing the kick!
HM 2 - Calf Kick
The Calf Kick was close to making it on the list. Personally, I much prefer the more conventional leg kick of aiming for the thigh. A well-placed calf kick will cause much more damage than a leg kick due to the fact that the calf is a much smaller and weaker muscle that usually does not get trained as thoroughly.
The reason that it did not make the list is due to the fact that these kicks are much easier to check which can potentially break you shin if you hit the stronger part of the upper shin since it is likely you will be striking with the weaker part of the shin nearer the foot. Furthermore, it requires a significant amount of footwork and set up compared to a regular leg kick.
Additionally, while it may intuitively seem the opposite, the calf kick has to be thrown from a closer range than the normal leg kick which can leave you much more susceptible to counters.
HM 3 - Spinning Back Kick
By far, the coolest looking technique on this list and one of the heaviest hitting strikes available to a fighter. It is not as fundamental as a roundhouse or a push kick, but due to that very reason, it can often catch the opponent off guard since it can be done off of a feint or to recover from a failed strike without sacrificing any power. No matter how big your opponent is, a spinning back kick to the liver or Solar Plexus (or the no no area) can leave them wheezing and regretting ever facing you.
Now with the honourable mentions out of the way, we can finally see the best technique used by Hobin.
1 - Single/Double Leg Takedown
As stated by Samdak himself, although striking is in no way worse than grappling, it is nearly impossible to beat a grappler through sheer dumb luck!
While this is certainly an exaggeration, there is definitely a lot of truth behind it. In a regular fist fight, even a drunken idiot could land a lucky haymaker on a proficient striker! However, once someone's tangled up with a grappler, luck seems nearly absent.
Getting into a top position in a ground scramble is the number 1 goal. Even if you don't have any submissions under your belt, a good ground and pound may be more appropriate. This is especially apparent in the chaos of the situation when tricky techniques may slip your mind. Once you have your opponent pinned, even if you do not want to hurt your opponent, you can keep them under control much more easily from this position. Alternatively you can more easily escape the altercation entirely if an additional unwanted adversary joins the fray.
Now, let's say you want to make them hurt. While getting taken down on the nice soft mats may still wind you and leave you with a nasty bruise, imagine getting slammed into the ground on asphalt. Samdak stresses the danger of Jinho Lee's wrestling due to this aspect of a streetfight. Frankly, this move is unbelievably dangerous and can very easily grievously wound your opponent or even have lethal consequences.
The takedown is used so frequently in streetfights, whether skillfully or not, but being able to shoot a sharp double leg takedown will be the absolute bane of your opponent’s existence and is why knowing takedown defence is equally as important.
The beauty of these takedowns is that they are likely some of the most basic of all takedowns while remaining the Kings of all wrestling techniques. I would like to note, the classic takedown which involves dropping to the knee may want to be altered due to the fact that dropping onto your knee on concrete can obviously cause severe damage to your knees and may prevent you from continuing to fight.
Thank you so much for reading! Check out this article if you want to see the members of Hobin’s team ranked from weakest to strongest!
Disclaimer: this post does not condone the use of martial arts as a way to harm others. Please use your skills responsibly 🐱
