Techniques For Muay Thai Fighters

When an opponent gets in too close, or is within range, a Muay Thai fighters first instinct should be to clinch and close the gap. This is often followed up with a variety of knees and kicks against the opponents body. A good fighter will focus on clinching in order to take the opponents ability to move on their feet away, all the while landing blows on their head, ribs, arm, or legs. While often seen as a brutal weapon, knees can be deadly effective. This is especially true when they are used in combination with elbows and strikes with the fist.

It might look a lot more impressive to see huge roundhouse kicks slicing through the air and into an opponent, but true Muay Thai fighters know that elbows and knees do much more effective damage in a shorter amount of time. Skill and power within a fighters strikes will enable them to quickly and easily execute techniques and remove the threat any opponent poses. Like all martial arts, when they become popularized, certain techniques tend to get the most attention. Muay Thai is no different. In particular the low and roundhouse kicks have reached many peoples attention.

The low kick is a very common attack, and is a basic component of any Muay Thai fighters toolbox. A low kick is performed by moving the leg in a circular motion towards the thigh of the opponent, or his shin removing the opponents balance and ability to defend. If the opponent is careless and leave the low kick free to contact him, the fight will usually end soon after. Such is the usefulness of this kick. After landing a couple of low kicks, the opponents lower leg will be bruised and unable to function well.

A roundhouse kick can be quite brutal, but many people find it difficult to execute properly. With this kick, the front leg is kept straight and the power comes from the thrust of the body weight forward and into the striking leg. The body pivots on the front foot and turns through the hip. With this kick, the shin is often referred to as the sword of the fighter. Many Muay Thai fighters spend hours hardening their shins in order to maximize the damage they are able to deal.

Many other martial arts have certain types of kicks called "snap kicks". These strikes, while faster to execute, have a great deal less power than the roundhouse kick. This is because the hardened shin is many times harder than the soft underbelly of the foot. Many fighters favor their kicks over fist strikes, but they always keep a balance and use them when appropriate.

Another aspect of these techniques is most strikes involve movements of the whole body. Whatever action the Muay Thai fighter initiates, professional fighters will turn hips, move through the space provided to them, and throw their whole body through the opponent when punching. This is true for defending as well. Although slower in some regards, these techniques will deal more damage, this is why it is favored in many MMA competitions.

Muay Thai fighters train hard, day and night to achieve this sort of power. The drills can be intense and exhausting. Coupled with this fight conditioning is the ceaseless attempts to harden the shins, elbows, and knees. Fighters who have trained from a very young age often have the ability to withstand great damage to their bodies, while dealing out twice as much, and the power of their shin strikes have been known to crack trees and bend steel poles.

If you are committed to learning a martial art, not just for sport, but for self defense Muay Thai is definitely an option. Fighters are strong, fit athletes with enough power to command respect in any fight or competition.

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