From a technical perspective the elbow of a Thai fighter should be feared more than the kicks, knees, and punches. Simply put, a clean elbow strike can easily end a fight with either a knockout or a cut. A cut from an elbow tends to be much deeper than a cut from a punch and although it will heal a scar will develop. If you develop such a scar you may as well tattoo a bull’s eye on that spot because everyone will be aiming for it. As such, many muay Thai events outside of Thailand prohibit the use of elbows. People who fear the elbow are generally inexperienced and ignorant of Thai boxing because although a single clean elbow strike can end a fight, when fighting someone experienced an elbow is hard to land due to its short range. Suffice it to say timing and range are very important when throwing an elbow.
There are two potential points of impact on the elbow. You can catch your opponent with the blunt of your elbow, which can lead to a knockout, or you can slice your opponent’s face with the tip of your elbow, which will likely open a cut. One important precursor to learning elbow strikes is having flexible shoulders. Stretching is the key here, that and swimming will loosen your shoulders better than anything. And of course as in all muay Thai strikes most of your power is coming from your hips.
All serious Thai fighters spend years conditioning their elbows and developing calluses to perform elbow strikes without harming themselves. This is how important elbow strikes are to a Thai fighter.
The side elbow strike is probably responsible for more knockouts than all other types of elbow strikes combined. It is similar to the hook in that it’s thrown from the side and smashes into your victim’s, opponent’s, jaw. If you’re going for a KO then you need to hit with the hard part of your forearm just below the elbow. If on the other hand you want to open a cut then you need to slash your opponent with the tip of your elbow. The side elbow is most effective in the clinch when you’re in close proximity to your opponent. You can also set up the elbow with a flurry of punches that ends with an elbow strike to the jaw. Also anytime your opponent comes at you with his hands down you should reward him with a nice elbow to the jaw.
Quick note: you need to be closer to hit with the blunt part of your elbow than with the tip. Sounds simple, but judging distances accurately during the heat of a fight is something that can only be learned through constant drilling and experience.
A left side elbow strike begins by allocating your weight to your lead leg. Rotate your hips in a clockwise direction and turn on the ball of your lead foot. Raise your elbow to the level of your target and throw it in a circular path to your target. Keep your right hand up to protect your face and bury your head into your right shoulder to protect your jaw. Most of your power will come from your shoulder and hip rotation.
A right side elbow strike is very similar. Obviously you don’t want to wildly throw elbows so begin by looking for an opening on your opponent’s left side. You can do this by catching their punch or deflecting it, or you can wait for them to drop their hand. A second is all it takes to lunge and connect. Once you have your opening distribute most of your weight onto your front foot and turn your hips in a counterclockwise direction. While spinning on the ball of your left foot use the circular momentum of your hips and shoulder to drive the tip or blunt of your right elbow into your opponent’s jaw.
The circular elbow, or over-the-top elbow, is responsible for the majority of cuts in a fight. This attack uses the downward angle of the thrown elbow to crash the tip of your elbow into the soft tissue just above your opponent’s eyes; right around the eyebrow region. This is an often used strike because it’s fairly easy to set up and it lands consistently and cleanly. Even if your opponent tries to block this strike the downward momentum will be nearly impossible for him to stop.
I will begin by outlining the left over-the-top elbow strike. Rotate your left shoulder so that your left elbow is facing up. At the same time use your left hand to trap your opponent’s right hand if possible to help create an opening. Shift a large amount of weight onto your right side and turn your hips in a clockwise direction while rotating on the ball of your left foot. At this point your left shoulder should be protecting your chin. Use the power of your momentum to drive your elbow down, crashing the tip into the soft tissue above the eye socket.
The right over-the-top elbow is obviously the reverse of the left over-the-top strike. Rotate your right shoulder so that your elbow is facing the sky. Use your right hand to trap your opponent’s left hand if possible to create an opening. Shift your weight to your left side and turn your hips in a counterclockwise direction while turning on the ball of your right foot. Drive the tip of your elbow into your opponent’s face and watch him go down.
The next strike I’ll be discussing is the uppercut elbow. The uppercut elbow can be thrown one of two ways: either at a 90 degree angle or at a 45 degree angle. Deciding which angle to use will always depend on your position relative to your opponent. This may be the weakest of the elbow strikes because the distance your elbow travels is short and therefore you cannot build much momentum. However, this can stun your opponent long enough for you to finish him off with a flurry of punches or with a knee strike. This technique is also safe for the user because it does not easily leave you open to a counter. To sum it up, the uppercut elbow sacrifices power to give you speed and safety. As with many strikes this attack is most effective in the clinch. Another great situation to use this strike is when your opponent is rushing at you. Use their momentum to give your strike power. In these cases the uppercut elbow can end a fight if landed accurately. This attack should look like you’re combing your hand through your hair.
The left uppercut elbow begins with the attacker taking a small step forward and shifting most of his weight to his lead leg. Once your hips have come forward dip them down and then immediately spring them back up by using your front leg. When done in a single fluid motion this will generate the power and speed necessary to propel your left elbow into your opponent’s chin. While executing this strike your right arm should be up protecting your face while your left shoulder shields your chin. After the strike hits the left arm is brought back to shield your face from a possible counterattack.
I will not bother explaining the right uppercut elbow because the only difference is that instead of throwing your left elbow, you throw your right. What I will say is this: be careful in judging the distance.
Both of these strikes were described using the 90 degree method. If you’re throwing from a 45 degree angle you will be coming from a diagonal which will require hip rotation during the moment you spring back up.
There are two other elbow strikes, the downward jumping elbow and the spinning back elbow, which I will not go into because this is supposed to be a beginner’s guide. These strikes are also not used often because they will certainly leave you open to a devastating counter. If you want to see these strikes go watch a Tony Jaa movie.
That’s it folks, eight out of eight limbs. But I’m not done yet. Next week I’ll cover a topic that is severely lacking in most American gyms: the clinch. |
