Improving Your Muay Thai Technique: What Not To Do When Clinching

As you may already know, Muay Thai is one of the most intense combat sports in the world. Here, almost every strike is legal. In Muay Thai, you have to learn different techniques in order for you to become efficient in the ring and win more matches.

Even if you are not a professional Muay Thai fighter, you need to remember that there are certain things that you shouldn’t do when you get caught in a clinch. These things are basically the common mistakes that Muay Thai fighters do and in most cases, they pay dearly for the mistakes they make.

By following these tips, you will be able to keep yourself out of danger and increase your chances in converting your seemingly disadvantageous position in to an advantageous position.

The first thing that you should never do when you get caught in a clinch is to try moving away. Doing so will extend the distance between the two of you, which will provide your opponent with enough distance to deliver powerful knee strikes with full range of motion. When you get caught in a clinch, you want to minimize the space between you and your opponent as much as possible in order to make it difficult to deliver knee strikes.

The second thing that most people do is grab their opponent’s hand to break the grip. This is a big mistake as it will open up your midsection and your weak ribs to knee strikes. Knee strikes in this part can be very serious and painful that it can knock you out of the fight prematurely.

The third mistake is to turn your back to your opponent. If your opponent has a solid grip of the back of your head, never attempt to turn away. This will twist your neck, which can potentially injure you and it can also leave you in a perfect position to receive powerful knee strikes from your opponent.

The fourth mistake is swinging your head under your opponent’s elbow. If you make this mistake, then your opponent will get the jackpot by delivering a knee strike upwards, which will eventually hit you solidly on the face. In most cases, this is considered to be a knockout blow.

Another mistake is striking your opponent’s midsection with punches during a clinch. This may work against beginners but if you are fighting an advanced Muay Thai fighter, you need to remember that they trained long enough and got their midsections conditioned that they will be able to take blows here without flinching. All this will do is annoy your opponent and will also make them more eager to finish the fight early by knocking you out.

Lastly, many Muay Thai fighters especially beginners panic when they get caught in a clinch. Relax, take your time, and concentrate. Panicking will tense you up and use up valuable energy. By relaxing and concentrating, you will be able to work better to escape the predicament you are in.

Remember these tips and you can be sure that you will be able to handle the pressure of getting caught in a clinch and convert to a more advantageous position.
