Why is crane kick illegal?

The principal reason why it is widely believed that the Karate Kid crane kick was an illegal move is the fact that LaRusso kicked his opponent squarely in the face. Before the fight, the referee made a note of the rules and clearly mentioned that strikes to the face would not be allowed in the fight.

Did the Karate Kid win with an illegal kick?

So no, Daniel’s kick was not an illegal move, even if Cobra Kai sort of seems to treat it as if it was (as the show is clearly buying into the fan debate over the years, but as I wrote recently, the show also retconned some of Johnny’s tournament history past, as well, so it’s not always the best authority on the …

Is the crane kick hard?

To put into perspective just how lethal Machida’s flying crane kick was, look no further than former Brazilian karate coach, Geraldo de Paula, who said that the kick Machida used is very hard to land. “That was a perfect move. For those who know karate well, it is the most difficult attack to land.