Closing distance to be able to throw punches in muay thai.

When I used to spar in the past people at the gym didn't really kick that hard. At my new gym they seem to all kick a lot harder. This was maybe like the 2nd or 3rd time I've sparred with them, but I found myself keeping my range so that I don't walk into a kick. I like to throw punches, but often when I try to close the distance I'll move in and get kicked or I'll have to keep back and just keep checking kicks. How do people typically get past kicking range and start throwing hands?
Thanks.

 

Angles
Using your own kicks to set up a chance to close the distance
Or try using feints

 

This is a loaded question.

In business strategy, one of the things that's done during the planning phase for changing a business's strategic direction in an existing market is something called a "swot" analysis. It's where a company analyzes its strengths, weakenesses, opportunities, and threats. As a fighter, creating a strategy should be no different. You need to know all those same factors in order to create a successful plan of action.

Strengths:

What I can gather from your post is that you have a inclination towards punches. I assume by that you mean that you have a set of mechanically sound punches. What are your other strengths? Are you good at blocking/covering? Do you have KO power? Are you exceptionally fast?

Weaknesses:

Being good at punching/boxing/fighting with your hands, means you'd have the footwork to go along with it and that translates to being able to control the space and positioning as well as the timing to know when to punch. Your quoted statement above implies otherwise. So I would say that might just be your set of weaknesses.

Opportunities:

You have several opportunities in your strategic direction. You can increase your knowledge of Muay Thai to learn how to take advantage of the typical nak muay's plan of attack and learn about holes in their defense. You can increase your fighting attributes to become stronger, faster, more reactive, or more resilient to punishment. You can learn to kick better so that you're stronger in that range of fighting. Lot's of options...

Threats

In the context of fighting...fighting a muay thai fighter is complicated. You have 8 limbs to deal with, and so many different varieties and combinations of attacks that it would be impossible to know them all. The gatekeeper for a nak muay are their kicks, as you have experienced. Those come at all elevations, but typically from ground up angle if it's their version of the round kick, or they may come straight forward from roughly waist level. They might come from a high angle downwards, or from a spinning maneuver at your side.

----------------------

Based on this rough SWOT analysis, I would say that your best plan of action would be to learn more about Muay Thai's general offensive strategy and counter attacking methods. Make note of how a typical nak muay would move, and then create some tactics to circumvent those standard reactions to allow a higher probability for your attacks to land. Combine that with learning better footwork and timing, and you likely will have a good recipe for success.

But, that's just my assumed analysis. You know yourself better than any of us do. Using this format of thought process...what answers would you come up with?

 

I just started at the Muay Thai gym, transitioning from boxing, and I'm having similar problems. From my limited experience, I've found that faking a punch or a kick can sometimes draw them in, and then you can get inside with punches. But it doesn't always work, obviously, especially if you keep doing it.

 

Make them miss, then make them pay. Nothing comes free in muay thai. How many different ways can you think of to do that?

 

Learn how to sink on your stance and take the kick on your tensed thigh.
Can't explain without a video but watch Andy Souwer / Dutch k-boxers do it all the time.

 

It's tough and I have the same trouble. Timing your opponent is probably the best way, eating a kick and getting inside that way also works.

I was sparring the other week and not doing all that well, but I started noticing that my opponent was throwing a low kick and then coming in with the punches. Once I realized this I decided I would just eat the kick while starting a combination of my own. It backed him off doing that. After you've sparred for a while you'll find that you can take kicks to the thigh better. A big kick is still going to hurt, but a lot of times it's just a setup anyway and if you know what's coming next eating it is not a big deal.

Having kicks yourself is also important. If you block your opponents kicks and make them pay with one of your own they are going to stop throwing so many kicks.

Angles, footwork, and recognizing what your opponent is trying to do...these are the real answer and something I really don't have yet.

 

Don't just let people kick you in the leg, that is some God awful advice!
yes you can counter punch off a leg kick, and it is effective, but it shouldn't be a go to move everytime someone kicks you. If i know i can throw a leg kick and your not going to check it, i can blast it with not fear of crunching it shin on shin. If i know what your answer is everytime I low kick, I'll just lean back and to the side when I kick, you won't be able to reach me to punch, easy.
Listen to Saamag, learn timing, distance, angles, fakes, Muay Thai.
One think I'd add to Saamags write up, when you close the distance don't give it up again. One of my pet-hates is when guys come out touch gloves then back away to the edge of the ring/cage. Fuck that, touch gloves then stay in range with him, you don't need to sucker punch a guy but there you go, your in range straight away. Same when a ref breaks you up, he can only spread you the width of his arms, stay touching and moving towards your oppo.

 

in kickboxing, there are 3 ranges.

1.kicking range
2.punching range
3.clinch/elbows range

it is not hard to go from 1 to 2. block a kick and move in immediately. punching your oponent in his face or solar plexus is the most basic counterattack to a kick. so just follow up with more combinations

of course if you are playing with the thais, they are masters at the game. they are normally not so good with their hands compared to the farangs so they keep you either at kicking range, or they clinch/elbow.

 

LOL. trying to block a good kicker and move in is a hard move to pull off. try to block this shit.



and some of the best hands in the game are still the Thais. But scoring is different then K1 , so they dont punch often.

 

if someone roundhouses you, move away from the kick if you are late in blocking. it takes a lot of power out of the kick.

if he kicks your thigh, defend then attack. it is all about rythym and timing.

 

You can step back, lean back, step out, step in, step out and in, intercept with your own kick, intercept with your own punch, block and counter, catch and counter, use limb destruction techniques (elbow to the thigh), you can kick the bottom leg out...the possibilities are quite varied. But the question for the OP is...which is best for him? If he's a tank and can take shots, a possible strategy is to just walk into the kicks with his punches. Since we already know though that's not true given his current method of standing and checking, perhaps a better way would again be footwork. Stepping out and in and counter punch with a 3-2-5 (hook-cross-uppercut) Is an option. But as stated...you know yourself...I'm just trying to have you think that just give an answer OP.

 

if you want to punch, you obviously have to get past the kicks, the hand is shorter.

it's not hard, you either move in after/before the kick, or you move in while he kicks (roundhouse kicks don't have much power when you step in just be careful of the swinging knee)

thai nak mauys generally don't have boxer's hands. a few thais are champion boxers but they only box and don't do muay thai. thai nak muays like to kick and knee. in muay thai punches are scored low. kicks scored high. knees and elbows even higher.

what's that about k1?

 

Whhhhhhhhaaaaattt? You've got to be joking, right? This has got to be a troll post!

 

you are not to familiar with Muay Thai scene am i right? There a are plenty Thais who are and who were Pro Boxers and Muay Thai fighters at the same time.

you know this guy?


and would you assume this guy in blue has good hands?


36-1 in Boxing.
even guys like saenchai or sam a had pro boxing bouts.

 

i am talking about the average thai nak muays. the guy you named your account after is a good boxer as well and there are a number who are do both and are good at both but what percentage of fighters are they? 5%?

saenchai sucks ass at boxing. anyone can join pro boxing today, even me. go research what pro boxing means.

traditional muay thai does not place much emphasis on fists. look at your luk and mae mai, (judging from your posts, you probably don't even know what they are), and tell me how many fist technqiues you see inside them?

 

Lol im Thai just to clarify that. sure i know what luk mai and mea mai techniques are.
but what has this to do with this thread? That are just random techniques from Muay Boran. But we are talking about the ringsport of Muay thai.

You even watched the 2. video of Panomrunglek? I posted it to show you that even Thais who dont show much of there Boxing skills ( because of the scoring ) can have great Boxing. so no need to explain me how to score.


Im well informed how Muay Thai is scored , i just said that you are just plain wrong with saying there are none Thai Boxers who are sucessfull in Boxing. Jomthong is OPBF Boxing Champ for example and there where even respected world boxing champs who where nak muays.

get the facts straight .





but we are getting off topic.

 

oh you are thai. that means you must be right then. congrats. your fellow thai nak muays generally have good hands and box well.

i am off to do something else rather than argue with a depressed-looking 12 year old thai kid.

 

cmon dude. im naming you nak muays who are successfull in boxing and you are ending the discussion like that? geez.

 

Payak is back!!!