yes it is a kick, it is also refereed to as a knee kick as well. kicking is done with the legs. by nathaniel definition the muay thai round house would not be a kick either since its contact point it the shin and not the foot
I personally find the larger mechanics similar, but distinctly different. For example when I throw the round house kick my base foot ends with it facing 180 degree away from the opponent for more power. For round house knee my base foot ends up 90 degrees away or less. The problem is that for knees the opponent is way too close for me to risk turning my body fully and fully turning would give me too much reach and the position wouldn't give me proper leverage for a powerful strike. If I'm in a clinch my round house knee will barely cause any change to my base foot. So I'd say knee mechanics are different that kicking only because you have to minimize a lot of things and it becomes something very different.
Definition of kick: strike or propel forcibly with the foot.
You decide if it sounds like a knee strike
Is a knee strike the same as a kick??
