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What do you think of clinch work?
What does everyone think about clinch work.
Personally I like it.
Personally I like it.
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I like it because that's how you learn to defend and fight in the clinch! Other than that I find their are some strategies that are useful for street defence.
Damian Mavis
Honour TKD -
As far as clinch work is concerned in Thai boxing...it is one of the most important aspects of the sport, also separateing it from all other martial arts.
The clinch can be very deadly if you are fighting a person who is skilled in that aspect. I don't think taking knees to the stomach and ribs is fun, do you?
The clinch is also where you can "get a break" if the fight is intense, but once again you have to be skilled in that aspect.
Overall......it's very good and just as important as everything in thai boxing.Comment
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Clinchwork is my specialty!!! My ring "nickname" was Khun Kao Charuad, which translates to "King of Rocket Knees". I was a successful fighter because I dominated the clinch!
It is my opinion that the clinch can make or break your fight. I cannot tell you how many GOOD fighters I've seen get beaten and KTFO'ed because they did not understand (or had not trained in) clinchwork.
Personally, I think that in *many* (but definately not ALL) cases, having superior Clinchwork is more apt to win you a fight than having better Kicks or Punches.
Face it, if you are determined to tie up and clinch with your opponent, they are going to be very hard-pressed to stop you!
Khun KaoComment
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Khun Kao,
Does KTFO'ed mean "knocked the f*ck out?" I've never heard that before if it was. That's good!
Sir, do you have any suggestions for successful clinching? I've never really been able to successfully control my sparring opponent's head during a clinch; yet when a clinch is put on me, I'm at my opponent's mercy. I do have kind of wide shoulders, and I've thought of bringing my forearms closer together to secure the head, but outside of that my success has been nil. Any advice from a ring veteran such as yourself would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Sir.
Tom WillbanksComment
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Tom...
Its hard to say without seeing what it is that you are doing. One of the most common faults that I see in peoples clinchwork is that it is just TOO PASSIVE! Its almost as if fighters are content to just "let the clinch happen".
IMHO, the best way to improve your clinchwork is practice. Sounds easy, but what you need to to separate different clinch & knee techniques into different drills.
Some of the drills that I have my guys practice:
1. KNEEING THE WALL DRILL: You don't actually knee the wall, but you stand at arms length from the wall and place your hands on the wall directly in front of you. Bend your arms and lean in until your forehead is resting on the back of your hands. Get up on your tip toes and throw a knee at the wall so that it travels in an upwards trajectory (not straight INTO the wall, but UPWARDS so that you don't bang your knee!!!!). As the knee shoots fowards and upwards, you push away until your arms are straight. As you place your foot back down to position, your bend your arms and lean in again until your forehead is back against your hands. When your foot touches back to the ground, your opposite foot skips to the back. You can either leave in in the air, or touch it behind you. You then launch your next strike with the foot that is to the rear. You continue to alternate knee strikes and push away from the wall so that you develop that see-saw motion in your torso. This way, you learn to get your hips and shoulders into the knee strike properly.
2. WIND KNEES DRILL: You and a partner grab each others shoulders, and take turns throwing skipping side knees at one another. The key is to make the knee pass ALL THE WAY THROUGH between you and your partner, not HITTING your partner. This drill teaches you to use proper footwork and hip rotation for maximum power behind those Side Knee Strikes.
3. NECK WRESTLING: Grab a partner and clinch. The goal is to trap your partners head and hold it. I ask that my students/fighters clinch and hold their partners head for a 3-count, then release and get back to work with one another. For more advanced training, I have my fighters close their eyes immediately after the clinch has been initiated, and just "feel" their way around.
4. ESCAPES: Partners take turns trapping each others head and performing a particular clinch hold or escape. Elbow Escape, Knee Escape, Crowbar Escapes, Mid-Body Hold, Elbow Blocks, Knee Blocks, etc.
5. THROWS: Partners take turns practicing Clinch Flips and Throws with one another. These skills are also often included in Neck Wrestling Drills (above)
6. FREE STYLE CLINCH WITH TAPPING KNEES: Essentially, partner up and go freestyle on each other with the clinch, but Knees are LIGHT CONTACT!!! We call them Tap Knees or call them "Jahb Dat", which is a Thai phrase for striking quickly with no power.
7. PAD DRILLS: There are a variety of Knee Drills with the pads. Face it, whats the point of having an incredible clinch if your knees suck? LOL Use the Thai pads to develop power and endurance for continuous knee strikes (the War Dance, LOL)
Khun KaoComment
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Khun Kao,
Thanks so much. Yeah, my problem is exactly what you said about being too passive. I tried to just "let" the clinch happen. I never focused nearly as much on the clinchwork as you outlined in your last post. Perhaps it's time I did--it sounds like it works for you!
-TomComment
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I have a very aggressive approach to the clinch. I enter a clinch with the attitude that NO MATTER WHAT, my opponent will *NOT* get the better of me. I go for head control and then start letting the knees fly!!!
Khun KaoComment
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yea our MT gym has just recieved a "tenuh" and he has been focusing alot of clinching and blocks... cool stuff...Comment
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hey Khun Kao,
In your list of clinch escapes you mentioned knee escapes, how exactly does that work?
thanks in advance.Comment
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The clinch is a natural response to stimuli in a fight. You often see street fighter grab each other and clinch. That's why you have to make the clinch happen not reach for it,it shouldn't be your goal.
What i always do is i enter the distance with a few feints,punches straightblast and then I automatically squares off without thinking and fight in the clinch.This is the use of "instinct" over mental memory.It's a lot faster.
Also if you have problems grabbing your partner,try this.Fake a low kick,then immediatelly while he's focusing on the faking do a double slap block (pak sao for the JKD'er) into double lop sao/pulling hands and stay like this for the clinch.You have to grab at the elbow and you have a lot more control.
Nice TrainingComment
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Knee Block: Simply raising a knee and placing it into your opponents hip or midsection. Your shin should be between your opponents legs. This forms a kind of barrier that your opponent will have a hard time working around to deliver knee strikes of his own. Combine this with the movement "Walking With Knees"
Knee Escape: When you're on the business end of the clinch, you reach deep with one arm around the back of your opponents neck and turn sideways into him. Raise the your knee so that brace your shin across his hip. Knee on one end, instep on the other. Thrust forward with your shin into his hip as you pull back with your shoulders to stretch your opponent out. This will either break his grip so that you can reverse the clinch (or attack in another manner) or at least put your opponent in a situation where he is unable to attack, and the referree will break you.
Khun KaoComment
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PICTURE OF KNEE ESCAPE:
Khun KaoComment
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Khun Kao,
Aren't clinching and other CQ skills the real difference between MT and other "Kickboxing" styles?Comment
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There are a lot of differences besides clinchwork, but I think that CQ techniques are the BIGGEST difference.
Most other kickboxing styles allow kicks to the leg now, which used to be the other REALLY HUGE difference.
Other notable differences:
1. RITUALS: One thing that really makes the sport of Muay Thai unique amongst kickboxing styles is that they brought most of the traditional rituals from the martial art of Muay Thai with them to the ring for the sport of Muay Thai.
2. LENGTH OF ROUNDS/BREAKS/MATCH: Muay Thai matches are 5 rounds. Thats it! Each round is 3 minutes, with a 2 minute break in between the rounds.
3. "LACK" OF RULES: Muay Thai actually has very few rules when compared to other kickboxing styles. You're allowed to kick and punch practically anywhere (except the front of the knee, the spine, and the back of the skull) You can hit with any part of your body (except headbutts). Even some types of throws are allowed. Other than that, no biting, no spitting, no cursing, no attacking an opponent who is down... That really about sums it up.
Khun KaoComment
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