MAKING CLINCHWORK FUN

(This one's for Frank.  He and Eugina know why. Or do they?)

When I first began competing in MuayThai events in 1993, my striking was god-awful.  I was heavy on my feet, my footwork was all but non-existant, I threw sloppy/looping punches, and I had trouble rotating my support foot and rolling my hip over when I kicked.  Despite this, I was winning my matches because I could clinch!

Admittedly, my clinch game in the early 90's was far from technical.  I was simply adept at the double-neck tie and straight knees.  Defensively, I had a strong posture.  Basically, I was able to dish it out WITHOUT taking it in return... 

My competitive days are behind me now.  Currently, I focus on coaching and promoting.  The aspect of the sport I focus most heavily on is clinchwork.  I'll never understand why so many MuayThai students/practitioners appear so reluctant to clinch.  It is one of the most challenging  and exciting aspects of the sport!  If I were to take a guess as to why the clinch is often so neglected, I would say that most martial artists and fighters tend to gravitate towards the particular skillsets where they feel most comfortable. 

For me, it boils down to dividing the population between those who like striking vs. those who like grappling.  This is plainly evident in Mixed Martial Arts competition.  MMA demands that fighters develop skills as both strikers and grapplers, yet as we watch most MMA matches, it is readily apparent which competitors favor which facet of the fight.  Those who gravitate towards striking will try to steer the fight towards a boxing/kickboxing match, while those who favor grappling will try to take their opponent to the ground.

MuayThai is an interesting situation.  While it is, by nature, a striking sport, a strong grappling game is essential for success.  I feel that most people who gravitate towards MuayThai choose to do so because they are drawn to the striking element, but eschew the clinch for the same reason they do not study Judo or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  Combine that with the fact that you face the prospect of knee and elbow strikes coming at you, and its understandable that the MuayThai clinch can be so intimidating.

As a coach, I have found that teaching a few simple tools go a long way towards taking away the intimidation factor of the MuayThai clinch....

First and foremost is proper posture.  When fighting from range, a MuayThai fighter typically stands with his weight towards the rear, his chin tucked, and his shoulders hunched forwards, creating a formidable barrier between his head and his opponents weapons.  However, once the fighters close the gap to clinch, one should be trained to "posture up".  A fighter should rise up onto the balls of his feet, straighten his back, and lift his chin.  At the same time, the practitioner should press his hips forwards into his opponents hips, leaving no room for his opponent to strike. 

For me, drilling my students and fighters on this simple concept is the essential to successful clinchwork.  Once a fighter is conditioned to automatically posture up when a clinch is initiated, they find that the clinch is no longer a frightening experience.  They understand that having and maintaining the proper posture nullifies most of their opponents weapons.

Now that the student has achieved this level of comfort, we begin to sprinkle in the actual techniques of the clinch.  We start with the simple things first....  pummeling for the double-neck tie or body control, shoulder rolls to break your opponents structure, and the various arm positions and holds.

Finally, the real fun begins.....  strikes and throws!  The methods of striking and throwing from the clinch are endless.  As they say, the MuayThai Clinch is a fighting art in and of itself.  One can spend a lifetime mastering just the clinch, but by focusing your training on the principle of proper posture, a student will no longer fear the clinch, learn to relax and genuinely have fun with it!

BEGINNER FUNDAMENTALS vs. PROFESSIONAL STRATEGY?

I have a MuayThai student who has been training with me for just over a month now.  He is a Taekwondo practitioner with years of experience.  Teaching MuayThai to someone with a previous martial arts background can be a mixed bag.  In many cases, previous martial arts training can be a hinderance to learning MuayThai, but in his case, its shortened his learning curve.

That being said, we were recently discussing the match between Yodsanklai Fairtex vs. Cosmo Alexandre at this years Kings Cup Tournament in Thailand.  The conversation was in regards to proper MuayThai scoring.  Many who have seen this fight were shocked when Yodsanklai was declared the winner.  They cried "Foul!" and accused the judges of being biased towards the fighters from Thailand.  While I cannot claim to be an expert on Thai officiating, I have spent the last 4 years studying their scoring system.  When I first watched the fight, I came to the same conclusion as the judges.  Yodsankali won the match, fair and square.  There was no "hometown bias"...  it was MuayThai officiating at its finest!  But I digress....

The conversation prompted me to recommend that my students/fighters to look up the fight on YouTube and watch it.  Unfortunately, the link I had provided was removed, which led to my student looking up other Yodsanklai video clips.  After watching a number of clips, he contacted me with some questions....




MY STUDENTS EMAIL:

I went looking for that fight video you mentioned (since the one you posted to the group got pulled), and I found a couple clips of Yodsanklai Fairtex doing some pad drills. I noticed some interesting things about his technique that I wanted to ask you about. These clips are good because they do a slow-mo section where you can really see what he's doing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1Gpi7G6jQE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgpgWWzeER4&feature=related

1) Towards the end of the first clip, he demonstrates a rear leg round kick. I noticed that he doesn't really step to the outside with his lead foot (more like he takes a step forward), and also his lead/support foot seems to leave the ground for a bit.

2) In the second clip, he does a hook/cross combo. His right hand seems to drop A LOT (almost to his waist) when he throws the cross.

3) In that same combo, he finishes with a rear leg round kick. He doesn't seem to step with his lead foot at all, and simply throws his kick from the position he's in.

4) His round kicks seem like they're traveling upwards at a 45 degree angle rather than across.

So I'm wondering -- is this an example that even pros have their bad habits? Or is it just his own personal style that works for him -- he's so good, he can do whatever he wants?

 

 

 

 

MY RESPONSE:

 

Good Questions!

I can answer without even looking at the videos. It was your final question that pretty much hit the nail on the head... It's a combination of the fact that even top-level pros have developed bad habits and that he's developed his own personal style of what works for him.... and what he's able to get away with in the ring.

Here's the thing... as we start training, we learn the strict fundamental techniques. We learn to do everything with our guard up, with the proper footwork, etc. But Yodsanklai Fairtex has been at this his whole life. He's already mastered all the fundamentals the way they're properly taught and has now ventured into the realm of developing his own style.

One of the reasons Yodsanklai is a top-level pro is because he is not just because he's been at this for so long, but he has the physical gifts that all top-level professional athletes (regardless of sport) possess. These physical attributes actually make it so that he doesn't NEED to follow "the rules". One of Yod's skillsets is his very precise head motion. He is able to stand toe-to-toe with someone trying to outbox him, and move his head just enough that the guy always misses, while Yod counters back with successful strikes. They call him "The Computer Wizard" due to this speed and precision.

Now, in regards to question #4, there are multiple angles for the round kick. I prefer teaching beginners how to kick through the target on a horizontal plane. However, as your training progresses I will introduce new kicking angles and discuss the possible scenarios for each kicking angle.