| Muay Thai centers around eight points of contact... in | | | | · Double Elbow Chop Mid-Air Elbow Strike (Sok Glub |
| fact, Muay Thai is referred to the as the "Art of Eight | | | | Koo) |
| Limbs" or the "Science of Eight Limbs." These eight | | | | As a general rule, diagonal elbows tend to be the |
| points of contact are: | | | | fastest elbow strikes, but are less powerful. When |
| · Punching (Chok) | | | | used correctly, they can be incredibly effective at |
| · Elbow (Tee sok) | | | | cutting an opponent's face. Uppercut elbows and |
| · Kicking (Tae) | | | | elbow chops tend to be the most powerful and inflict |
| · Knee (Tae kao) | | | | the most damage; however they are also easier to |
| This is a significant difference from western style | | | | guard against and avoid. |
| boxing that focuses on two points of contact (each | | | | Kicking (Tae) |
| fist) and other traditional martial arts that utilize four | | | | When it comes to kicking the two most common |
| (fists and feet). Most fighters will focus on the Muay | | | | Muay Thai techniques are the teep kick (foot jab) and |
| Thai techniques that involve the elbows and knees | | | | teh chiang (angle kick). |
| when competing against an opponent of another style | | | | The teep kick is akin to the jab. Offensively, it is used |
| in order to gain an advantage. Additionally, there is an | | | | to gain distance, distract, and to set up for other |
| emphasis on strong core movements starting with the | | | | attacks. Defensively, it can be used to prevent attacks |
| hips that generate tremendous power. | | | | and to maintain distance. |
| Punching (Chok) | | | | The teh chiang is a powerful kick that starts with the |
| Traditional Muay Thai techniques focused on two | | | | rotation of the hips to maximize the momentum and |
| primary strikes- crosses and long strikes (which were | | | | speed of the kick for maximum impact. |
| long circular strikes made with the palm of the hand). | | | | Additionally, there are several other Muay Thai |
| The melting pot of mixed martial arts has made a | | | | techniques for kicking, which include: |
| significant impact on Muay Thai punching techniques | | | | · Straight Kick (Tae Trong) |
| which now employ the full arsenal of traditional | | | | · Roundhouse Kick (Tae Tud) |
| western boxing strikes, which includes: | | | | · Diagonal Kick (Tae Chiang) |
| · Jabs (Mud Trong) | | | | · Spinning Heel Kick (Tae Glub Lang) |
| · Crosses | | | | · Axe Heel Kick (Tae Khao) |
| · Hooks (Mud Wiang San) | | | | · Jump Kick (Gra-dode Tae) |
| · Uppercuts (Mud Seuy) | | | | Knee (Tae kao) |
| · Hammer Fists | | | | The knee is perhaps the most integral part of Muay |
| · Overhands | | | | Thai techniques. The knees and the elbows are the |
| In order to avoid exposing the head for counter | | | | most lethal assets a Muay Thai fighter can employ. |
| attacks, practitioners often avoid strikes to the body. | | | | Proper knees are thrown so that contact is made on |
| Another big difference in striking style is the stance | | | | the front portion of the leg either just below, directly on, |
| that is used. Unlike the traditional boxing style that | | | | or just above the knee cap. The foot should remain |
| keeps the hands close to the head covering the face, | | | | pointed during a knee in case a kick needs to be |
| an alternative Muay Thai technique is to keep the arms | | | | thrown. There are several different knee strikes, which |
| raised an in front of the fighter. This is often utilized to | | | | include: |
| create and maintain distance when one fighter has a | | | | · Straight Knee Strike (Kao Trong) |
| height advantage or prefers longer range strikes. | | | | · Diagonal Knee Strike (Kao Chiang) |
| Elbow (Tee sok) | | | | · Curving Knee Strike (Kao Kong) |
| The elbow is an integral part of Muay Thai and can be | | | | · Horizontal Knee Strike (Kao Tud) |
| used in several ways by a fighter. Here are some of | | | | · Knee Slap (Kao Tob) |
| the primary elbow strikes (these will be discussed in | | | | · Knee Bomb (Kao Youwn) |
| greater detail in future posts): | | | | · Jumping Knee (Kao Loi) |
| · Elbow Slash (Sok Tee) | | | | · Step-Up Knee Strike (Kao Yiep) |
| · Horizontal Elbow (Sok Tud) | | | | These eight points of contact form the foundation of a |
| · Uppercut Elbow (Sok Ngud) | | | | Muay Thai fighter and help make them a dynamic and |
| · Forward elbow thrust (Sok Poong) | | | | dangerous opponent in any hand to hand combat |
| · Reverse Horizontal Elbow (Sok WIang Glub) | | | | situation. The mastery of these techniques is only the |
| · Spinning Elbow (Sok Glub) | | | | first step in becoming a great fighter. |
| · Elbow Chop (Sok Sub) | | | | |