Muay Thai techniques
The art of eight limbs: punches, kicks, knees, elbows and the clinch, from Lumpinee and Rajadamnern to the world. 33 techniques below.
Clinch
2The plum is Muay Thai's double collar tie: one hand over the other on the back of the opponent's head, forearms on the collarbones, elbows pinched…
A boxing clinch ties up your opponent's arms at close range so neither of you can punch until the referee breaks it. Boxers use it to stop a…
Defence
6A check blocks a low or body kick by lifting the shin into its path, so the kick lands on your shin instead of your thigh or ribs. It is the…
c. 1980–1996, 2000–2009A kick catch traps the opponent's body kick or teep as it lands, leaving them hopping on one leg. From there you can sweep the standing leg, strike…
A slip moves your head just off the line of a straight punch, so it misses by centimetres while you stay in range to hit back. The movement comes…
1984–2001
The shoulder roll turns your upper body away from a straight punch so it glances off your raised lead shoulder, then turns you back with a counter.…
A parry is a short, sharp tap with the open glove that knocks an incoming straight punch off line, most often the jab. Unlike a block, it doesn't…
The high guard brings both gloves up to your forehead and your forearms together in front of your face, so punches land on gloves and arms instead…
Footwork
6The boxing stance is the ready position every punch, defence and step starts from and returns to. Orthodox boxers lead with the left foot and hand,…
2002–nowStep and slide is boxing's basic way of moving: the foot nearest the direction you want to go steps first, pushed by the other foot, and the other…
An angle step moves you off your opponent's centre line so you can hit them while their punches point at empty space. It is a short step out to the…
Cutting off the ring means using sideways footwork to take space away from a moving opponent until their back is on the ropes or in a corner.…
Switching stances means changing from orthodox to southpaw, or back, on purpose during a fight. It changes your angles, puts a different hand in…
A pivot turns your whole body around your lead foot, like a door on its hinge. The ball of the lead foot stays planted while the rear foot swings…
Kicks
4The teep is a straight push kick with the ball of the foot to the belly, hips or thigh. Thai boxers call it the foot jab: it keeps distance, stops…
The roundhouse kick swings the leg in an arc into the opponent's side, powered by turning the standing foot and the hips over. Muay Thai lands it…
The low kick is a roundhouse kick with the shin to the opponent's thigh or calf. It is hard to see, costs little energy and adds up: repeated low…
The head kick is a roundhouse kick aimed at the neck or jaw, usually with the rear leg. It needs hip flexibility and a setup, because it travels…
Knees and elbows
3
The straight knee drives the knee forward and up into the opponent's body, powered by thrusting the hips. It is the main weapon of the Muay Thai…
The flying knee jumps forward off one leg and drives a knee into the opponent's head or body as you arrive. It covers distance fast and catches…
The elbow strike uses the point of the elbow or the forearm just below it as a short, heavy blade at close range. Muay Thai fighters throw it…
Punches
10
The jab is a fast, straight punch with your lead hand. It starts closest to the target and needs the least commitment, so it is the most-used punch…
The cross is the straight punch with your rear hand: the right for an orthodox fighter, the left for a southpaw. The rear foot, hips and shoulders…
The hook is a bent-arm punch that travels on a short horizontal arc into the side of the jaw or the body. Its power comes from turning the foot,…
The uppercut is a close-range punch that rises vertically from below the opponent's line of sight into the chin or the solar plexus. It is the…
The overhand is a looping rear-hand punch that arcs over the opponent's lead hand or jab and drops onto the head from above. Dropping your body…
The body hook is a hook driven into the side of the ribcage. The classic version is the lead hook to the liver, which sits under the ribs on the…
A combination is a planned chain of punches in which each one sets up the next: the jab blinds and measures, the cross turns the hips, and that…
The spinning backfist turns the body a full circle and lands the back of the fist on the side of the head. The spin adds momentum and arrives from…
The shovel hook is a short hybrid of the hook and the uppercut: it travels forward and upward on a diagonal, with the elbow tucked and the fist…
The cross-counter is a rear-hand punch thrown the instant the opponent jabs: you slip your head inside the jab and drive a straight right over…
Tactics
2Counterpunching means letting the opponent attack first, making the attack miss or land on your guard, and hitting back into the opening it leaves…
A feint is a threatened punch that you never throw: a twitch of the lead shoulder, a half-jab, a shift of the eyes or a dip of the knees. When the…
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