Friday, May 5, 2017

Defense for Muay Thai. The Good, The Bad, and the Painfully Ugly.

My training theme for November is defending leg strikes,which include teeps, knees, and kicks. I go over the purpose of defense, some variations and the pros and cons of each.

The purpose of defense is not to just weather the storm. Your defense should be structured so that you take the least amount of damage while being in a good position to land significant strikes.

Not all defenses are the same. Some work better in certain situations and will depend on your awareness, reaction, and positioning. Here's my hierarchy list for defending and taking the least amount of damage.

Interrupt
Hitting your opponent before they can hit you is on top of the list. If your opponent telegraphs their strikes, a hard teep could belittle his offense as well as his confidence.

Evade
Slipping, ducking, pulling back is 2nd on the list. Moving out of the way is probably the hardest form of defense to master but the rewards are sweet. Make them miss, make them pay! Remember, don't just evade for the sake of not getting hit, that's not going to win fights, move just enough so that you can answer back.

Redirect
Parrying, catching, shoulder roll deflect is 3rd on the list. Same philosophy as evading where you'll "Make them miss, make them pay" by putting your opponent in a vulnerable position. There is a chance you will take little damage, such as banging your forearm parrying a kick or teep.

Blocking
The foundation of defense is 4th on the list. Sometimes you won't have the time to evade, catch or intercept your opponent's offense. Although you will take some damage, having a good understanding of different blocking positioning can save your ass.

Absorbing
At times you won't be able to defend against any damn thing coming at you. Your fighting stance needs to be dynamic in certain situations. Stability is key regardless of which defense you use. It's extremely important to always keep focus on your foot positioning and balance during your training.

Whether it's evading, catching kicks or tucking your chin to your chest (Buffalo Style) you must maintain stability in your fighting stance. If not, your opponent will look superior to the judges, the crowd and in his mind he's stronger than you, even if his shots aren't powerful or effective.

Hope you find this blog post about defense useful towards your own Muay Thai training. Please comment below with your thoughts and don't forget to like, thumbs up and share with your team mates.

Best to your training,

Danny Millet


1 comment:

  1. Love the posts and vids, keep them coming Danny!

    ReplyDelete

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