When someone swings a thunderous round kick at you in Muay Thai or MMA, what do you do?
You shield!
Raise your palms to your temples, this both guards your head and prevents you from being pulled into a clinch. Arms come out just to the outside of your leg, creating a roof like effect, so as to cause your opponents kick to roll off, like rain off a roof.
Your leg comes up on a 45-degree angle relative to your opponent, waist high in practice, shin facing straight out with the knee, toes point up. Your shin faces out as a barrier against the kick, pointing outward on a 45 because that’s the angle the kick is coming in from waist high because you should always practice high; if you can go high you can always go low!
Toes up. I know this has garnered much controversy, however it’s based on biology. If the toes are pointed down, then you are using a set of muscles that pull your defending leg toward your supporting leg; conversely, if you raise your toes you are using a set of muscles that pull your leg away from your supporting leg.
Last of all, Make sure you don’t bend over as you defend, or you are going to eat a knee followed by a second course of canvas for dessert!
Brought to you courtesy of Kru Juice of The Muayman Alliance!
The teep is a varied weapon able to defend and attack interchangeably. There are four main types of teep, also called a thrust or push kick, which we will go over briefly here.
Lead Teep: The lead teep is used primarily for defence and as a feeler, similar to a jab or a straight lead punch. bring your leg straight up slightly bent, remaining on the balls of your feet as to keep forward momentum; otherwise you push yourself back as you push your opponent away. Keeping your hands up to defend your face, as you kick out, push your hips into it.
Rear Teep: This is your battering ram, it’s mostly used for offence and can actually generate more power. Performed in the same manner, just using the rear leg rather then the lead equals extra power!
Long lean: the long lean is utilized when the opponent is just out of range because it gives you another 6 to 12 inches. It can be used with the lead or rear foot. As the opponent comes in range of the long lean, you initiate the kick the same as you would for the standard teep, however, you drop the hand on the same side as the one your kicking from,keep the opposite hand tucked into your chin for protection, lean back just a bit as you thrust your hip into the kick and pivot on the supporting leg; staying on the balls of your feet.
In Muay Thai Long Lean is used to keep an opponenet outside of your “Yard”, or the area just outside of kicking range. “The Yard” is the actual kicking range, and when you are in your stance it’s often referred to as being in your “House”. You will hear these terms and many more when talking about ranges and strategies.
Godspeed from Kru Juice of the Muayman Alliance!
The round kick, or Tdae as they say in Thai, is one of the more powerful moves in the martial arts. Most people liken the Tdae to a bat, being swung by a home run icon! However, it is often more like a mace, not quite as stiff as swinging a bat, a bit more flexible, being able to change direction midstream.
Never forget to pay attention to your footing, when you go to throw the kick, step out on a 45 degree angle, staying on the balls of your feet; don’t ever let your heel drag, it slows your momentum and can potentially cause injury to your knees.
If the kick is targeted above the waist: Throw the same arm back as the leg you are kicking with, opposite arm covers in front of the same shoulder as the arm you threw back, creating the first line of defense by guarding the face; staying high on the balls of your feet and straightening the supporting leg.If targeting below the waist: The arm that was being thrown back goes straight out in front of your face as you corkscrew down by bending at the knee, staying on the balls of your feet.
In Muay Thai and MMA, the round kick is an essential weapon, without which your arsenal is far from complete. If you don’t believe me watch any UFC, Pride, WEC or Bellator event and you will see it employed time and again, either devastatingly or sometimes even in a KO!!
Brought to you from Kru Juice of the Muayman Alliance! Godspeed!
I told you a few weeks ago that I was on the hunt for different trainers from all the different arts that make up MMA. You have seen for the last three weeks some post on muay Thai. Now I have found my boxing guy! Wilson Pitts. Wilson brings some quality information to the site. Here is an interview that Wilson did with Roberto Sharpe on Boxing for MMA.
Team Combat Trainer is still looking for a wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert so if you are one contact me on Twitter @combattrainer and let me know you are interested in writing about what you love! Enjoy the article and video below!
Roberto Sharpe interviews Wilson Pitts:
Robert-What modifications are you employing when teaching boxing for MMA. As I understand it MMA likes to enter from long range with leg attacks, then switch from leg kicks to punches to single leg takedowns.
Wilson- First I work with the fundamentals of stance, balance and hand positions. These basics are missing in a lot of MMA fighters. I won’t let them even spar if they drop their hands, flinch, or have not developed snap on their punches. They must master these basics in the gym for their own protection. Also, a lot of emphasis has to be put on speed of hands and feet from the beginning. A lot of grappling based MMA fighters are too slow in their stand up.
The boxing stance has to be modified for MMA, front foot kept light. We work on moving laterally, stepping over off of the jab and in response to the forward pressure of the opponent. Pass the elbow and let your hands go. See Wilson and Roberto discuss this below:
I’m teaching my students to use a jab and broken rhythm footwork to negate the straight leg shoot. We spend a fair amount of time with beginners in front of a mirror practicing feints and stepping to angles off of the jab. The jab stops the opponent’s forward momentum. It has to be delivered with snap and no telegraphing.
The jab is aimed at the chest so that as they drop down they move into it. I teach fighters to use timing and “meet the head.” Punch to where it is moving to, as opposed to punching at where it was. This is something I learned from Georgie Benton. Make contact with their chest and then you can find the range for their chin. It can be hard to find the range when they are throwing a lot of wild punches so you dip and punch straight to the chest.
When facing a fighter who constantly ducks down under your hook Eddie Fuch emphasized using the rear uppercut, normally a fighter’s most powerful punch. You do not lead with this punch, it follows your hook and “meets them” as they go down. The body is a much larger target and better for this punch, but it can be aimed at the chin as well. This is important for MMA.
Watch a MMA grappler and they walk forward and lunge to shoot for the single leg. In boxing parlance they would be termed a “two stepper” and the stutter step and the jab throw them off and set them up. They have to have that momentum to effectively shoot. When they shoot from a close gap and don’t get a step they are not nearly as effective. So they must not be allowed to waltz across the gap unmolested. When they are coming across the gap is when they can be timed with punches.
If you study Thai boxing, they counter the rear leg round kick with the straight right hand. They both are applied at about the same range with the kick having the reach at initiation but because of the rotation of their body they fall into the range of the right hand. Thai boxing is also very good at using simple footwork to make knees and kicks miss. They step over, away from the rotation of the opponent’s body, and it makes a lot of straight kicks and knees miss and it takes the power off of the rear leg round house. This lateral movement gives them angles for punching without eating the opponent’s power kick.
Wilson- OK I’m through giving away trade secrets for today!
Roberto- Now that is an answer! Thank you. Anderson Silva is a great example for use of the jab and broken rhythm. Machida also seems to know not to allow “waltzing” into his gap without pain being inflicted.
Like I always say “Stillness is death!”.
Well the antithesis of this would be movement, and move you must if you hope to survive in the ring or the cage. Essential footwork is as intrinsic to a fighter as flying should be to a bird.
Without it you may as well be a ship sinking on the high waves.
Now as far as the actual execution, follow this rule: K.I.S.S. or Keep It Simple Stupid !
When moving in the field of combat, and you have to move forward, move the front foot first, then allow the rear foot to follow. Same goes for the rest of the directions, right, right foot first; left, left foot first; rear, rear foot first; get the idea? What this pattern does is keep you from executing the #1 mistake in footwork, crossing one foot either in front of or behind the other one.
When this happens you no longer have the best balance and you leave yourself open for attack! When your opponent is circling you, you must pivot on your front foot, pushing off your rear foot; this allows for maximum efficiency of movement.
Muay Thai , MMA and combat sports in general rely on the use of foot work, and there have been many fighters and martial artists well known for there skill in it: Bruce Lee, Muhammad Ali, Bill “Super Foot” Wallace, and the list goes on.
Practice this and make it muscle memory!
Sawatdee my friends, Kru Juice of the Muayman Alliance!
Being agile in MMA and many other combat sports are very beneficial. Training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai has made me realize how important being agile really is. That is why when I train my fighters we work on agility drills to make them better.
As a kid free playing outside was the agility drill. Playing touch football out on the street and having water gun fights with all the neighborhood kids we all learned how to be agile without even realizing it. I remember playing “Kick the Can” crawling under bushes, rolling across the grass, running for cover before you were called out by the person that was “it” even cheating at times when you were so caught but never admitted it. Yes, people cheat to win and always will, no big surprise there. There were countless games that we played that being able to change direction at a moments notice helped win and let’s be honest who does not like to win, I know I do.
The problem today is that many of these children do not have these opportunities to play like this. Actually let me rephrase that many of these children choose not to participate in these activities for whatever reason. I am not going to get into the lazy child rant now I can go on for days about that. The thing we need to learn though is that these many of these children are growing up and wanting to become MMA fighters. With the growth of the sport we are seeing more and more children leaning that way.
So now back to the point here. In MMA and many of the other combat sports out there we need to train to become more agile. Many times in a fight we find ourselves in scrambles, or using our footwork just to get out of the way of a punch or set up a devastating attack.
Agility drills are also easy and fun to set up. Easy meaning they are easy to find a place to train them by no means is it easy to actually do them. Find an open field or your backyard if it’s big enough, buy yourself some soccer cones or if you can’t manage that use some rocks, just don’t fall on them and go! Let me say this though about agility, speed or quickness drills, they are meant to work your technique and make you build on those qualities not as a conditioning session. So make sure to get a good recovery time in between sets. This is not to say that the drills are not challenging. The drill in the video below was challenging and worked my heart rate a bit as well as my muscle endurance.
As you will see in this video I use multi-directional work as well as MMA specific moves to create an agility drill. You will see in the video as I begin to slow down but at all times try to keep proper posture and technique on all the movements. Being able to move fast from one movement to the next and maintain control of your body is another key to the drill. So give this one a try on your way to becoming a combat athlete. Who knows maybe a good game of “Kick the Can” will start on the block and you can school all the young bucks with your newfound agility.
Ever since I was a kid they always told me to surround myself with great people. Lucky for me in the past year I have developed some solid relationships with some pretty awesome coaches in the strength and conditioning world and in other fields as well. The learning never stops, as it should for you as a combat athlete or coach.
On Tuesday, October 19 I had the pleasure of interviewing Doug Balzarini a great strength and conditioning coach. Doug has some awesome experience training some top-notch fighters at the professional level, Brandon Vera of the UFC being one of his most well known combat athletes. If you are in the mood to learn something about how fighters train then you better give this interview a listen.
In the quest to bring you the best strength and conditioning for combat athletes I am also going to be giving you the best in martial arts training as well. Here is what I am doing for the site. I am searching for different coaches of the different martial arts that make up MMA. These coaches will contribute to the site different techniques from their respective arts to help you become a better all round fighter or combat athlete.
To start this great segment off I have Kru Juiceman from Muayman Alliance. He is going to elaborate on the proper Muay Thai stance and will be a contributor to the site. So here is his post on the proper Muay Thai stance. Remeber kids the basics win fights!
The Muay Thai stance is more then just a base for throwing techniques, it’s your house, your fortress, you’re castle, armed with all the battlements and weapons to defend it!
Muay Thai is famous for it’s “wall of defense”, the only time you should be exposed is when you’re throwing a technique, because you must open the door in order to do so.
Yes, some like Randy or Sean are known for their wrestling skills, however, it is evident from watching them and training in the same circles helps that most of their striking skills are indeed taken from the time tested attributes of Muay Thai.
When training the stance, the key factors to keep in mind:
1) Keep your feet under you at all times, if you over extend your balance is in jeopardy.
2) Keep your front foot under your front should, it facilitates proper defense and makes kicking twice as fast! Rear foot just behind your butt. Front toes facing straight out, rear facing out on a 45.
3) Rear heel up at all times. It gives all your movements forward momentum.
4) Keep all the weight on the balls of your feet. That way you are less likely to injure your knee and it gives you added power when kicking.
5) Keep your elbows on your ribs; unless broken ribs are not a problem for you!
6) NEVER drop your hands lower then your chin. Try and keep them about cheek level.
7) Imagine there are wheels built into your cheeks, and turn them with your hands, rotating them toward your face. Trust me, this is a habit you want!
Live in your stance; remember it’s your house. Always and forever be shifting your weight back and forth between your feet, moving your head side to side. Stillness is death, don’t get caught there!
Hope that helps new students and old alike to always be perfecting their stance; you’re never too advanced enough to work on it. Sawatdee my friends, Kru Juiceman! Your friends at the Muayman Alliance!
Being a father, a husband, a teacher and a coach keeps me plenty busy throughout the day. If I am not with the most important family I am working with the other. Some people call this juggling I call it life. Add to the list all of the fun things that you like to do with your spare time and it can make for a pretty packed life.
This post is for those combat athletes that love to train MMA, Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing for fun, love to hit the weight room and have the family and job to attend to. I for one am one of those people that love to train for fun. My passion is in the weight room but I love to hit the mats and Thai box every week.
I am also a firm believer of spending as much time with your kids as you possibly can. I always hear people say, “They grow up so quick!” The last thing I want to do is miss anything when it comes to my lil warrior. So how do I manage the family life on top of the full time job, starting my business and training? Well here is how I have set up my schedule to get all this in:
Monday
5:30 am: Deadlift and conditioning
8am-2:40 pm: Work
3:10 pm-8:00 pm: Family time (Best time of the Day)
8:00 pm-12am: Work on the strength and conditioning coaching biz
Tuesday
8am-2:40: Work
3:10 pm-7:20 pm Family time (Best time of the day)
8pm-9pm: Muay Thai Kickboxing class
9pm-10 pm Travel time, shower, eat
10pm-12am Work on the strength and conditioning coaching biz
Wednesday
5:30am: Power Clean and conditioning
8am-2:40pm: Work
3:10pm-5:30pm: Family time
6pm-7pm: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class
7:30pm-830pm:Thai boxing class
9:30pm-12am: Work on the strength and conditioning coaching biz
Thursday
8am-2:40pm: Work
3:10pm-5:15pm Family time
6pm-7pm: Teach strength and conditioning class
7pm-8pm: No-gi grappling , couple of rds of rolling
8pm-9pm: Thai boxing class
10pm-12am: Work on the strength and conditioning coaching biz
Friday
5:30am-Front Squats and conditioning
8am-2:40pm: Work
3:10pm-8pm: Family time
8pm-whenever I decided to sleep:
Work on the strength and conditioning coaching biz
Saturday
Sleep in until the little human alarm clock wakes us
Strongman Training
Family time
Sunday
Family Time
So here is how I am working the training schedule in right now. Thought I would write this post for those of you who are combat athletes out there and are having a hard time managing everything in your life. As you can see the days that I wake up at 5:30am I am only doing one lift and some conditioning. I pick a compound movement like the deadlift, power clean and front squat and train for about a half-hour to forty-five minutes just doing that lift. Then I add a conditioning protocol at the end. Hopefully you can pick up some tips on how to organize your training schedule if you lead a similar lifestyle but still want to have all your training fun in there.
P.S. I love to take the family out to the field when I train outside and just have fun out there. Usually when I am shooting video for the site, I take along my wife, to shoot the video and my daughter who you sometime hear in the background yelling or crying for mommy and daddy. It also keeps her active as she runs around the field. Here is a video of my daughter playing with the mini-hurdles the last time out! Good times!
Here at Combat Trainer I strive to bring you quality strength and conditioning content to help you achieve your goals. That being said I am looking to add some even more exciting content to my site. If you have been on the site you know it is dedicated to the combat athlete.
This is the plan, I am going to not only bring quality strength and conditioning tips but I am going to bringing in different training from the different martial arts that make up MMA. I am currently on the search for different coaches from many different disciplines. I am looking for jiu-jitsu trainer, a wrestling coach, a boxing coach and Muay Thai trainer.
This is what I am looking for out of the individual trainers. Each trainer will share their knowledge of the discipline they teach. These trainers will get to show off their training philosophies to the world. Through interesting posts with video and pictures they will educate us all on the different arts. This will only enhance your training in mixed martial arts.
I am dedicated to bringing you the best training in combat sports. This will start by creating a great team of knowledgeable coaches to share what they know. A great team will enhance your fighting abilities and bring those of you that follow my site to new levels in your career.
So if you are a trainer in any discipline that would be found in mixed martial arts, or you know someone that is a trainer and would be interested, please contact me either through email at combattrainer@gmail.com or on Twitter at @combattrainer.
Combat Trainer is dedicated to brining you the best training information in the fighting world!
Live in your stance; remember it’s your house. Always and forever be shifting your weight back and forth between your feet, moving your head side to side. Stillness is death, don’t get caught there!
