All about Muay Thai Moves

muay thai

All about Muay Thai Moves vs other fight techniques.

Muay Thai is a combat sport originating from Thailand. It majorly involves striking with other forms of clinching techniques. It involves the use of knees, fists, elbows and shins which when combined make full body combat fighting very efficient. It also involves physical and mental discipline with much respect to the society. This technique became a national phenomenon during the 20th century where the fighters employing it defeated notable martial arts. The professional boxing association of Thailand governs the professional league of the sport.

The Knee Techniques (Kao):

The Muay Thai fighter is known to fully utilize the knee in an efficient way. The knee techniques are hard blows, which can easily weaken the opponent enormously. The major part of this technique is to target the upper body parts or the opponent’s thighs. Shocks to the head are permitted and can lead to instant knock out. The knee technique comes with or without clinching However, most knee attacks will happen at the clinch and if the opponent is caught in the clinch, it is hard to escape. In this situation, he is under full attack by use of the legs and upper body. Some of the notable Muay Thai knee moves include;

• Kao tone (straight knee) is done by thrusting the knee in a straight upward manner.

• Kao dode also known as the jumping knee is executed when the boxer thrusts the knee upwards towards the target.

• The kao noi ( small knee) is used when one wants to counter the opponents kick

• Kao kratai rabbit knee – This is applicable when the boxers are clinched together. It is meant to drain the opponent’s strength.

• Kao la farewell knee. It is commonly used after a clinch

• Kao lod lower knee- used when the straight knee misses the target.

• Kao loi also known as flying knee it is a very powerful knee thrust

The leg kicks techniques (Theep / Dae):

In this case, the leg moves and hits in this are different from most of other related sports. They are also known as piercing through kicks. The kick therefore utilizes all the body’s energy unlike other sports. After a successful training using the Thai pads and the heavy bags, kicks can now be driven at full force. The leg moves and strikes in Muay Thai are fundamentally different from those of most other sports. The leg techniques of Muay Thai are so called “piercing through” kicks. This means that the kicks are executed and the opponent will be pierced by the kick. The whole strength and force of the body is used. Many other martial arts use only the force of the leg. The most effective kick in Muay Thai is one against the opponent’s legs. It is known as the low kick, which is quite impossible to defend. Head blows are permitted but it is very difficult to execute. Although while the executive fighter is executing this he is very vulnerable and this is rarely executed in a real fight.

The fist techniques (Mad):

This is one of the most technique in Muay Thai but it is less used. Caution should be exercised not to be hit on the chin by the opponent. The fight also allows for back fists from a rotational angle, which can lead to a devastating blow or a knock out.

Elbow strikes:

This fighting technique employs the use of the elbows. The elbow has become an important aspect in any martial art hence becoming a weapon. They can be performed in striking and clinch positions. When perfectly executed in the head it can lead to a knock out. This is one of the reasons why boxers spend much of their time perfecting their coverage and defense against elbow strikes. It does not matter whether one is physically inferior proper worked out elbow techniques can bring down a stronger and tougher opponent. Thus, elbow strikes are one of the deadliest weapons of Muay Thai. Some of the elbow strikes include, sok ti, sok tad, sok hud, sok chieng, sok sab, sok tong, sok ku, sok klab.

Pros and cons of Muay Thai vs others techniques.

Muay Thai vs. BJJ

The Brazilian Jiu jitsu is a fighting technique, which involves wrestling and grappling. However, this is different from Muay Thai in that BJJ attacks are executed from the ground. Muay Thai on the other end is technically a standing move, which uses the hand and feet together with elbows and knees.

Pros

• The foot position and leg stance.

Muay Thai fighters have a wider base to operate and hence have a more powerful kick. Their weight is mostly on the back foot and hence uses the front leg to defend themselves.

• Hip position

Boxers try to minimize the surface area by using a more angled stance. The Muay Thai fighters on the other hand have more stance meaning they are more prone to punches. The BJJ fight is generally faster whereby fists are exchanged at a shorter period thereby the tempo is quite high. However, in Muay the tempo is slow thereby not easy to tire.

• Defensive Strategies

In Muay Thai it is easy to execute defense moves while in BJJ the fighters are in rush and getting somebody to grasp may be challenging.

Cons.

• Hand position

In Muay Thai, the boxers are encouraged to have their hands kept high with the outside hand facing the opponent. This helps them defend themselves against quick elbow strikes and kicks against opponents.

• Distance

The Muay Thai fighters always try to keep fighters distance close thereby being able to make strikes. On the other hand, BJJ keeps the opponent at a far distance hence not being able to make quick attacks.

The Muay Thai vs kickboxing

Pros

• Muay Thai employs many techniques ranging from the fist, elbows and chin technologies.

• The tempo of the fight is rather slow ensuring the fighter does not tire easily.

• It ensures the fighter is at a distance thereby executing a powerful kick.

Cons

• The fighter may be limited to use of many defense techniques, which can lead to attack.

• The fighter may tire very quickly in the event of executing first calculated kicks.

Muay Thai vs Wing Chun

The Wing Chun has its origin from China and involves majorly self-defense tactics using deflections. It is speedy with many variations and includes tiger claws, snake, scorpion and other techniques.

Pros.

• The Muay Thai is more ruthless with more powerful punches and kicks.

• One can utilize the many fighting weapons including the fists, legs and the elbows creating a huge blow to the opponent.

• It ensures a further contact thereby facilitating enough space to attack.

Cons.

• It has low tempo meaning the opponent can outwit him with faster punches and kicks.

• May be challenging to execute the different defense mechanism options.