Muay Thai Times - Issue #4

Welcome back to the Muay Thai Times! 🥊

Last week, we broke down the art of counter striking. This week, we’re exploring one of the most crucial yet overlooked aspects of Muay Thai, the Clinch. Mastering the clinch not only gives you more control over a fight but also allows you to wear down your opponents, land devastating knees/elbows, and dominate from close range.

Let’s break it down.. ⬇️

Why the Clinch is So Important

The Clinch is often overlooked in western Muay Thai training, it’s not uncommon to see fighters in the ring who look like they have never clinched before at all. This is not the case in Thailand as they see the clinch is a core part of fighting and working on your clinch is just as important as working on anything else in Muay Thai.

✅ Advantages of a strong clinch ✅

• Controls the pace and positioning of the fight

• Allows for devastating knee and elbow strikes

• Drains your opponents energy and conserves your own

• Help neutralise aggressive punchers and kickers

🔥 Pro tip - If you struggle against aggressive boxers, use your clinch to tie them up and take away their best weapon.

Key Clinch Positions and Their Uses 🔑 

🔑 Double Collar Tie (Thai Plum)

• both hands locked together round the back of your opponents head/neck.

• Forearms pinched together and pressed into your opponents collar bones.

• This is a great position for controlling your opponents posture and controlling their head.

• Great position to land knees to the head/body and elbows to the head.

❌ Counter this by bringing your arms over and above your opponents and pushing their face backwards until their hold breaks.

🔑 Over and Under

• One hand over your opponents arm, one hand under (believe it or not).

• Ideal position for sweeping your opponent, especially as they knee. Use your arm underneath to push up one way, and your arm over to pull the other. This will twist your opponent, if done at the right time correctly, this will result in them falling to the ground.

• Lock your hands together as shown in the gif above to “hug” your opponent. From here, you can squeeze and disrupt their breathing. This helps tire your opponent out.

❌ Counter this by feeding your arm which is over your opponents either under or over to regain inside control with both arms.

🔑 Body Lock Clinch (double under hooks)

• Both hands wrapped around your opponents torso.

• Palm on palm grip (as shown above) is my preferred grip as it’s the hardest to break with gloves on.

• Ideal for trips and sweeps. Use the inside of your knee on the outside of theirs and throw them over it (careful not to hip throw).

• Similar to the over under clinch position, in this one you can squeeze your opponent. However, this time as both arms are under your opponents it is much more effective in disrupting their breathing and tiring them out (don’t squeeze to low on the back however, as that is illegal).

❌ Counter this by dropping your hips, almost as if you’re in a half squat. This will stabilise your position making it harder to be thrown. Simultaneously push against your opponents face with both hands and their grip will inevitably release.

🔥 Drill to improve your clinch 🔥

The only way to improve your Clinch is by doing it. Dedicate some rounds in sparring to clinch only. Focus on your hand and feet positions whilst landing knees and sweeps at the same time.

It is important to relax in the clinch, especially when learning. This will allow you and your partner to get a better feel of how these techniques should feel. This is much easier when you both relax and are not rigid, allowing each other work.

Attacking in the Clinch 🦵

• Knees - Within the Clinch, knees are your main weapon. There are numerous types of knees such as straight knees up, round knees to the ribs, jumping knees, and switch knees.

  It is important to switch up your knees in the clinch and not be predictable. Being predictable and throwing the same knee over and over is how you get swept.

• Elbows - Just like the knees, elbows are your other main weapon in the clinch due to their short range. Once again there are numerous different types of elbows you can throw in the clinch including diagonal elbows, stab elbows, round elbows, and upwards elbows.

  Round elbows and diagonal elbows are mostly used for cutting your opponent whereas a stab elbow is more powerful and can knockout your opponent.

🔥Drills to Improve🔥

When working on the bag begin each round with 50 knees. Make sure to switch up each knee and utilise all the the different types of knees. This will improve your technique overtime making it more second nature to throw them in the clinch.

Pad work with elbow and knee combos. Incorporate clinch into your pad work sessions and work on attacks from within the clinch. Once again drilling combinations like this will allow you to throw them much easier in a fight.

Defending in the Clinch 🛡️

An elite clinch fighter isn’t only elite at attacking with the clinch, but also elite at disengaging and defending in the clinch.

❌ Avoid these mistakes ❌

• Trying to muscle out. Don’t rely on your strength, this will tire you out very quickly. Instead, use your technique and conserve energy.

• Staying passive. If you stay passive for to long whether its because you’re waiting to counter or because you are tired, you are losing.

• Forgetting footwork. Your legs control your balance, not your arms. Don’t bring your feet together or cross your legs.

Escaping the Clinch ⚡️

• “Swim” inside. Use your forearms to pummel inside their arms and regain inside control.

• Push their head. When in an unfavourable position use your arms to peel your opponents head back until the hold releases.

• Turn and angle out. Don’t just try and move backwards, pivot to break their grip.

• When disengaging from the clinch, push your opponent out of range and step back to create space.

• Make sure to keep your hands up as often fighters look for the high kick when exiting the clinch.

Final Thoughts 🕰️

The clinch is all about control, positioning, technique, and endurance. If your train clinch regularly, you will have a massive advantage over opponents who neglect it.

💭 What do you struggle the most with regarding the clinch? Reply via Instagram and let me know!

📢 Next issue - The Power of the Teep – How to Control the Fight with a Single Kick.

Thank you for being apart of the Muay Thai Times community! I can’t believe how fast we are growing, your support makes this possible. This is just the beginning. 🥊

Until next time, keep training hard and stay sharp,

See you in the next round,

Muay Thai Times