Let’s start the New Year off right.
An acquaintance of mine told me an interesting story. A while back was the Combat at the Capitale event in New York City and 3 out of the 4 fighters from his gym won. Two fighters won in second round knockouts and the other in unanimous decision. The fighter from his gym who lost was defeated by an opponent who had superior clinch work.
Great clinch training is severely lacking in most American gyms. However, lucky for you boys, I’m here to show you the way. The clinch has two fighting ranges. The first is where you and your opponent are tied up but there is still enough room to throw elbows, knees, hooks, and uppercuts. The second range, called the smother range, is where either one or both fighters are locked in a tight hold. This makes it almost impossible to throw attacks to the upper body, leaving only short-range knee strikes viable. It is critical to become proficient with both ranges. Perhaps the most difficult part of clinch training is learning to react to your opponent’s moves. You have to learn to react without thinking, going by feel more than sight. This may sound like some kung fu mysticism stuff but with enough practice, generally years, your muscles will learn (yes, muscles have memory) how to react without the thought needing to reach your consciousness.
Learning the clinch in muay Thai is like learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu in MMA. You may not like it, but eventually the fight will go there and if you don’t know what to do in that situation you’ll get choked out. The difference being in muay Thai you won’t get choked out or submitted so much as you’ll get knocked out. You can practice clinch work with an instructor or on a heavy bag, but the best way to learn is to spar. Just make sure you pull your knee strikes so you don’t break your sparring partner’s ribs.
The standard tie-up position begins by you slipping your right arm to the inside of your opponent’s left arm. Follow up by firmly gripping the inside of your opponent’s left bicep by hooking your right wrist around it. Your left arm should be on the outside of your opponent’s right arm, so hook your left arm around your opponent’s neck. Your right foot should be on the outside of your opponent’s left foot. Both fighters have an opportunity to attack from this position. Generally, wrestling for a dominant position will ensue while both fighters search for openings to attack or knock their opponent off balance with a throw.
While in the tie-up position you’ll want to stay on the balls of your feet to better maintain your balance. You always want at least one foot on the outside of your opponent’s lead foot; otherwise it will be easier for him to throw you off balance. Keep your body straight and maintain good posture. Also, keep your chin down and your shoulders up to protect your face from elbows. This will also make it more difficult for your opponent to get a good grip on your neck.
The most basic clinch move is the pull-and-step out. This move will leave you in a position where you can throw knees, elbows, or throw your opponent to the ground. If your opponent tries to counter you, you can easily fall back into the standard tie-up position. Begin by stepping to the outside of your opponent’s left leg with your right foot. At the same time lift up your opponent’s left shoulder and arm using your right arm and pull down on his head with your left hand. From this position you can throw a knee or an elbow using your left hand to pull his head into your knee or elbow. From that position you can also drive your left knee to the inside on your opponent’s inner left thigh effectively throwing him off balance. Then just turn your upper body counterclockwise and follow through with your knee to take your opponent down.
The push-and-step out is a move that works great with the pull-and-step because it leaves your opponent even more off balance so you can land multiple attacks. It also works well by itself from the tie-up. You’ll often see pro-fighters constantly pulling and pushing until one of them gets an opening. First you need to get your opponent’s hand off the back of your neck. Press your left shoulder up toward your chin and turn your head slightly away from your opponent. Rotate your hips in a clockwise direction and trap your opponent’s left arm using your right hand. This will prevent your opponent from wrapping his left hand around your neck, and will also give you control of his arm so you can steer his movement. You then collapse your opponent’s grip using the turn of your body and your left shoulder as leverage. Immediately after breaking the hold step to the outside of your opponent’s fight foot with your left foot. Pivot in a clockwise direction on your left foot and push down your opponent’s head with both hands to cause his weight to call forward. From this position can deliver a punishing knee strike to the solar plexus, you can throw a right uppercut elbow to the temple, or you can throw your opponent to the ground.
The last thing I’m going to talk about is the double hands behind the head position. This is probably the position most people are used to seeing, especially if they’re Anderson Silva fans. From this position you can throw multiple elbow strikes because both of your arms will be on the inside of your opponent’s guard, or you can throw multiple knees to his midsection or face. Starting from the tie-up position remove your right hand from your opponent’s bicep and slip it underneath his left arm. Then slip it up through the narrow gap between his head and left arm. To secure the dominant position grip both hands high on the back of your opponent’s head and squeeze your elbows together. Keeping your elbows tight, step back with your right foot and drop your hips. Press your weight down on top of your opponent and start raining knees and elbows.
There are many more clinch techniques such as breaking and the double under-hook clinch. These are more complex techniques and will require the aid of a good instructor to learn and master.
Next week I’ll be getting into some basic defense and counter moves. |
