How to Kick Down a Door? (Step-By-Step Tutorial)

There are certain situations that require you kicking down a door. For instance, if you have a family member locked inside a burning house, you have no choice but to look for how to break into a door lock, or forcibly knock down the house door. 

However, before you kick down the door, there are few things you should check out to get this done safely. First, always evaluate the door, its materials, and the weakest point of the door. Aside from keeping your foot flat when kicking, use a forward force with your leg slightly bent toward the door.

Let’s show you the steps on how to kick a door down properly. 

Step by Step Guide on How to Kick a Door Down

Step 1: Check Frame and Door Material

Check the material of the door to determine if it’s possible to break it down. It will be easier to break down a door with a wooden frame and material than a metal one. So, once you ensure that it’s wood, you can proceed to kick it down.

Most interior doors have hollow wood or fiberboard materials, and so doesn’t pose a big challenge. These doors do not offer much in terms of security. But outside doors have a solid core made with shaved wood and laminate, so it’s hard to kick down.

However, doors covered with metal have softwood material inside covered in iron sheets. They are strong and would need a harder force to break down. Some doors have hardwood in them and require a certain amount of energy to kick down.

Most hollow metal doors are much heavier than every other door, and so are the hardest to kick down. This weight of these doors is due to the reinforcing channels at their ends and the insulating material that it features. Coupled with the lock mounting areas, these doors almost impossible to kick down.

Step 2: Examine the Door Hinge to Know the Direction of Swing

You should know that kicking the door away from you is the best way to take it down. Hence, it will best you check the direction of the hinges. You can see them on the side of the door that swings forward, you don’t need to kick.

Entries of home buildings and apartments swing inwards while most business complexes have their doors turning outwards. For this kind of outer doors, remove the hinges first

But have in mind that commercial door has hinges with theft-proof pins. These pins don’t allow you to remove them.

Step 3: Take A Proper Positioning for The Kick

To assume a firm stance, stand a foot away while facing the door. Ensure you have enough room that allows your feet to give a reasonable force. If your leg is too length, try adjusting back a few more feet away from the door, you can try to form a kick to know if the space is okay.

For your stance, ensure that your foot is flat on the floor with your knee bent slightly. This stance will give you enough force to make a powerful kick. Make sure your standing leg is firm to the ground so you don’t lose balance when you kick.

Furthermore, the less accurate you kick, the more likely you are to fall when carry out the action. But if your leg has a firm grip to the ground, then you have a higher chance of making a nice kick.

Another thing is that you should concentrate more is your body mass on the standing leg. If you could keep your body upright, then a forward force would carry all your body energy towards the door. That way you don’t fall forward after the kick.

Step 4: Aim for the Weakest part and Do the Kick

Firstly, check out for the lock area of the door. This part is usually the door’s weakest area. Therefore, you should center your kick towards this spot, either above, below the lock.

With that said, in case of emergencies and you don’t know how to open a locked door without a key, this one of the most important processes. There are other weak points on the door such as the bolt and frame.

Don’t make a kick directly on the lock instead focus on the area above or beneath it. Forcibly kicking the locks may cause injuries or severe pain to your foot. That’s why it’s best to target the knob if you don’t know the exact location of the lock.

Keep your feet flat as it meets the door to deliver enough hits. Maintain this stance as you hit it multiple times. That way, you can avoid severe injuries and pain to the leg. It also makes it easy to knock down the house door. 

When kicking the weak part of the door, do so with your leg bent slightly, that way you don’t have a fracture.

Step 5: Be Attentive When Kicking

Take note of the sounds you get when you kick the door. If you get a thud noise when you deliver the first kick, it means the door has a reinforced substance. But if it makes a sound like that of breaking wood, it has no reinforced material.

If it has a robust construction and gives a thud noise, you will find it difficult to break into the house. But if it offers a breaking sound, then you need to keep kicking until it open or falls.

Final Word

You should know how to open a locked door without key in case of emergencies. If there is a fire outbreak, a different and quicker method will be better rather than fiddling the lock. However, there is more to knocking down a house door than kicking it many times without tactics.

Kicking the door down is one easy process on how to open a door without a screwdriver in time of emergency. We have explained these steps in the guide above with safe instruction. These include

• Examining the materials of the door and jamb
• Looking out for the swing direction of the hinge
• Maintaining a right kicking stance
• Go for the weakest part of the door
• Be attentive to know if the door can break or not
• Kick multiple times but be careful to avoid injuries

You can ask questions or contribute to the comment section.