| The basic offensive techniques in Muay Thai use fists, | | | | The elbow can be used in seven ways: horizontal, |
| elbows, shins, feet, and knees to strike the opponent. | | | | diagonal-upwards, diagonal-downwards, uppercut, |
| To bind the opponent for both offensive and defensive | | | | downward, backward-spinning and flying. From the |
| purposes, small amounts of stand-up grappling are | | | | side it can be used as either a finishing move or as a |
| used: the clinch. Muay Thai is often a fighting art of | | | | way to cut the opponent's eyebrow so that blood |
| attrition, where opponents exchange blows with one | | | | might block his vision. The blood also raises the |
| another. This is certainly the case with traditional stylists | | | | opponent's awareness of being hurt which could |
| in Thailand, but is a less popular form of fighting in the | | | | affect his performance. This is the most common way |
| contemporary world fighting circuit. With the success | | | | of using the elbow. The diagonal elbows are faster |
| of Muay Thai in mixed martial arts fighting, it has | | | | than the other forms, but are less powerful. The |
| become the de facto martial art of choice for | | | | uppercut and flying elbows are the most powerful, but |
| competitive stand-up fighters. As a result, it has | | | | are slower and easier to avoid or block. The |
| evolved accordingly and incorporated much more | | | | downward elbow is usually used as a finishing move. |
| powerful hand striking techniques used in western style | | | | There is also a distinct difference between a single |
| boxing, and the Thai style of exchanging blow for blow | | | | elbow and a follow-up elbow. The single elbow is an |
| is no longer favorable. Note: when Muay Thai fighters | | | | elbow move independent from any other move, |
| compete against fighters of other styles (and if the | | | | whereas a follow-up elbow is the second strike from |
| rules permit it), they almost invariably emphasize elbow | | | | the same arm, being a hook first with an elbow |
| (sok) and knee (kao) techniques to gain a distinct | | | | follow-up. Such elbows, and most other elbows, are |
| advantage in fighting. Almost all techniques in Muay | | | | used when the distance between fighters becomes |
| Thai use the entire body movement, rotating the hip | | | | too small and there is too little space to throw a hook |
| with each kick, punch, and block. The rotation of the | | | | at the opponent's head. |
| hips in Muay Thai techniques, and intensive focus on | | | | Kicking techniques |
| "core muscles" (such as abdominal muscles and | | | | The teep (literally "foot jab," similar to a front kick) and |
| surrounding muscles) is very distinctive and is what | | | | the roundhouse kick are the two most common kicks |
| sets Muay Thai apart from other styles of martial arts. | | | | in Muay Thai. The Muay Thai roundhouse kick has |
| The Clinch | | | | been widely adopted by fighters from other martial |
| The clinch is applied by holding the opponent either | | | | arts. The roundhouse kick uses a rotational movement |
| around the neck and head or around the body, | | | | of the entire body. Thai boxers are trained to always |
| although clinching around the body is rare and is usually | | | | connect with the shin. While sensitive in an |
| avoided. The neck hold is usually called the Thai clinch. | | | | unconditioned practitioner, the shin is the strongest part |
| Clinching is used extensively in Muay Thai and | | | | of the leg. The foot contains many fine bones and is |
| sometimes goes on for a whole round, although this is | | | | much weaker. A fighter may end up hurting himself if |
| very rare. In Western Boxing, the two fighters are | | | | he tries to attack with his foot. |
| separated when they clinch, in Muay Thai however, | | | | Muay Thai also includes other varieties of kicking, such |
| they are not. It is often in the clinch where knee | | | | as the crescent kick, side kick or spinning back kick. |
| techniques are used. The clinch should be performed | | | | But these are rarely used compared to the teep and |
| with the palm of one hand on the back of the other | | | | the roundhouse kick. |
| and not as shown in the picture.[citation needed] There | | | | Knee techniques |
| are two reasons why the fingers must not be | | | | Some knee techniques ("kao") |
| intertwined. 1) In the ring fighters are wearing boxing | | | | Kao Dode (Jumping knee strike) - the Thai boxer |
| gloves and cannot intertwine their fingers. 2) The Thai | | | | jumps up on one leg and strikes with that leg's knee. |
| clinch involves pressing the forearms or elbows | | | | Kao Loi (Flying knee strike) - the Thai boxer takes |
| together to get control of the opponent's head or neck | | | | step(s), jumps forward and off one leg and strikes |
| and move him around. Intertwining the fingers makes it | | | | with that leg's knee. A quite spectacular sight when it |
| much harder to apply the amount of pressure on the | | | | connects. |
| neck needed to gain control. | | | | Kao Tone (Straight knee strike) - the Thai boxer |
| A correct clinch also involves your forearms pressing | | | | simply thrusts it straight upwards. According to one |
| against the other fighter's collar bone while your hands | | | | written source, this technique is somewhat more |
| are around the opponent's head rather than his neck. | | | | recent than Kao Dode or Kao Loi.[citation needed] |
| Defense against punches and kicks | | | | Supposedly, when the Thai boxers fought with |
| Defensively, the concept of "wall of defense" is used, | | | | rope-bound hands rather than the modern boxing |
| in which shoulders, arms and legs are used to hinder | | | | gloves, this particular technique was subject to |
| the attacker from successfully executing his | | | | potentially vicious cutting, slicing and sawing by an alert |
| techniques. Blocking is a critical element in Muay Thai | | | | opponent who would block it or deflect it with the |
| and compounds the level of conditioning a successful | | | | sharp "rope-glove" edges or sometimes by the glass |
| practitioner must possess. Low and mid body | | | | glued onto the "rope-gloves". This explanation also |
| roundhouse kicks are normally blocked with the upper | | | | holds true for some of the following knee strikes |
| portion of a raised shin. High body strikes are blocked | | | | below as well. |
| with the forearm/glove, knee/shin. Mid section | | | | Kao Noi (Small knee strike) - the Thai boxer hits the |
| roundhouse kicks can also be caught/trapped, allowing | | | | inside upper thigh (above the knee) of the opponent |
| for a sweep or counter attack to the remaining leg of | | | | when clinching. This technique is used to wear down |
| the opponent. Punches are blocked with an ordinary | | | | the opponent or to counter the opponent's knee strike |
| boxing guard. | | | | or kick. |
| Elbow techniques | | | | |