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KNEE STRIKES OF MUAY THAI
Author: Kumron Vaitayanon
Black Belt’s expert source for this article was Kumron Vaitayanon, a Thai national who began practicing his country’s brutal fighting art at the tender age of 8. When he was 13, he won a muay Thai tournament organized by his middle school, located some 45 minutes outside of Bangkok. That’s when he started training and competing seriously.
Vaitayanon, who prefers to be called “Master K,” fought some 75 battles before he retired to pursue other career interests. In 1970 he spent two years attending college in New York. Afterward, he returned to Thailand for a short time, then moved his family back to the East Coast. He now lives in Virginia, where he teaches muay Thai and produces instructional books and videos. —Robert W. Young The knee is one of the most dangerous weapons in muay Thai. In fact, the Southeast Asian art has become highly respected around the world primarily for three reasons: its knee thrusts, elbow strikes and low round kicks.
In muay Thai, the knee is a medium- range weapon that can be used while clinching or standing a short distance from your opponent. It can strike at many different angles, including vertically, horizontally and diagonally. Its power can quickly wear down an opponent’s stamina and leave him open for an easy knockout.
The knee is just as versatile when it comes to targets. It can attack your opponent’s legs, hips, abdomen, floating ribs, chest or head. A blow to any of those targets can leave him stunned; a blow to some can even leave him in a heap on the ground. That makes the knee one of the strongest weapons you can use in the ring or on the street.
THE CLINCH
The first three knee strikes discussed in this article start from the clinch. In muay Thai, that position is used whenever you get close to your opponent. You extend your arms around his neck and clasp your hands. If you’re wearing boxing gloves in the ring, you can cross your wrists instead of locking your hands.
Once you have clamped onto your opponent, squeeze your forearms against the sides of his neck and draw your elbows together so he cannot escape. Pull his head toward your chest to control his body movement.
While clinching, it’s important to keep your shoulders high to protect your jaw from an attack such as an overhead hook punch. Keep your jaw tucked into your chest for more protection, and position your body as close to his body as possible to prevent him from throwing knees and punches down below.
STRAIGHT CLINCHING KNEE
The most basic muay Thai knee strike is the straight clinching knee.
As soon as you latch onto your opponent, move your striking leg straight back. Avoid placing too much weight on it because it could slow you down when you decide to launch your attack.
Move your hips away from his body to ensure you have sufficient room to swing your knee up into the target.
As you thrust your knee forward, use the power of your hips. For additional force, rise up so you’re standing on the toes of your supporting foot, then slide your whole body forward to emphasize the hip thrust. At the same time, pull your shoulders back and bend his body back with you to open him up for your strike and add his forward momentum to the technique.
The straight clinching knee can strike any part of your opponent’s body, but the most common targets are the thighs, hips, stomach, solar plexus, ribs and head.
CURVED CLINCHING KNEE
While practicing the straight clinching knee, you may discover that it’s sometimes difficult to create enough room to raise your knee. The curved clinching knee solves that problem.
To perform it, complete the clinch and move your hips away from your opponent to make a space. But instead of moving your leg and hip straight back, move them to the side and back.
Your knee strikes upward at a 45-degree angle. As you execute the thrust, lean your body back and to the opposite side.
The technique is similar to an upward- angled round kick, but the kicking leg does not get extended. Because your striking weapon is so short, it’s important to pivot on your supporting foot and drive your hip inward to increase its momentum. As always, move your hips, shoulders and feet in unison.
The best targets for the curved clinching knee are your opponent’s floating ribs, oblique muscles and hips.
CURVED KNEE VARIATION
A variation of the curved clinching knee works perfectly when you clinch with your opponent and he realizes you want to knee him. In defense, he pulls your body close and holds you tight so you cannot move your hips to create the space you need to deliver the knee thrust.
In that situation, you can force your hip to the side, rather than back and to the side. Instead of leaning your body to the opposite side, simultaneously twist it, your hips and your supporting foot. Then slam your knee into your opponent by following a circular path that leads up and across. Be sure to strike with the bony surface on the inside of your knee. Keep your head and chest close to your opponent and your hands clasped behind his back to avoid a possible knee or elbow counterstrike.
If you find he’s holding you too tight, simply lower your sights and blast away at his thighs. A few of those should sap his leg strength and knot his muscles. Then he’ll be easier to finish.
FREE-STANDING KNEE
Although it’s not as common as the various clinching knees, muay Thai’s free-standing knee strike can be just as effective for inflicting damage. The main technical difference between it and its clinching counterparts is that since you’re not grabbing your opponent, you must protect your head with your arms and shoulders. Instead of keeping your body close to him so he has no room to attack, keep your head as far out of his reach as possible.
To execute the free-standing knee, begin by extending your forward hand toward your opponent’s face to confuse him, block his sight and possibly obstruct his breathing by covering his nose and mouth. For protection, hold your arms high and keep your hands above your head. This positions your elbows near your jaw, which makes your guard stronger than any punch or kick he may throw. The attack itself is the same as the straight clinching knee.
The free-standing knee is used most effectively when your opponent rushes forward to punch you. While he’s still moving, slam your knee into his body to double the impact.
The curved free-standing knee requires almost the same body motion, but the movement of your arms mimics the opposing motion used when you throw a muay Thai round kick: First you extend your hand, on the same side as your attacking knee, toward your opponent’s face. Then swing that arm down across your knee as the knee is launched forward. Pivot on your foot as you move your hip, and raise your guard hand high to protect your face. Keep your elbow near your jaw and your swinging arm’s shoulder high. Notice how your body leans back and to the side.
FLYING KNEE
The flying knee strike is one of muay Thai’s most specialized techniques.
Highly praised in the ring, it’s a crowd-pleaser because it’s often used when an opponent is hurt or staggering off-balance after getting hit or missing with a technique of his own.
Technically, the flying knee is similar to the straight knee strike. However, you must hop on your supporting leg as you raise your attacking knee. During practice, make sure you lean backward so you can thrust your hips in more deeply.
To block a possible counterattack, always extend your arms in front of your face. As you become more comfortable with the hopping motion, try stepping and hopping to make the technique even more powerful. Then try running toward your opponent before jumping and throwing the knee strike. Also practice it as you push him away or knock him off-balance with a push kick or straight punch.
Once you’ve mastered the five knee strikes described above, you’ll be well on your way to incorporating into your martial art some of the best techniques muay Thai has to offer. ...
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