Defending the Thai clinch-from a Grappling point of view?

How would you defend/escape/counter someone who had you tied up in a Thai clinch and was attempting to knee you repeatedly

just looking to see opinions.

 

Yes. If you are tied up, simply keep your elbows in and do the tie up over the tops of their arms and around their neck. You'll be surprised how easily you can break their tie up like that. Give it a try.

 

Johil, did you mean: bring your arms up through the middle and thai clinch them? Thats one defence I've seen. It seems to me if you bring your arms around and over the tops of theirs you will be open to knees while doing it and will need to clear their arms by pushing them down, which would push you down as well, possibly into their knee. Did I misunderstand you, or do you really find that bringing your arms around the outside works for you? If its the latter, how do you avoid the problems I mentioned with doing it that way?

 

Try and crosface, if that isn't working, go for a doubleleg just after he has thrown a knee. Watch for the guillotine though.

 

I sometimes put my shin sideways across their hips to block the knees. If you're a grappler and the guy single legs you, good right?
Cross face with the left and come over with an elbow like Chuck.
If a guy has a good Thai clinch, you won't be able to come up the middle with your hands because they squeeze their elbows together specifically to defend that. If you're strong or the clinch is loose it would work tho.
Try catching the leg and sweeping the other one.
Twisting your body with the motion of his hips when he knees and throw him.

I take no responsibility of how messed up you get trying this, but it has all worked for me.........

 

Flying armbar.

 

flying double armbar!!!

 

Cover up, absorb a knee onto your forearms, then bob and weave out keeping your hands high.

Not as sexy as some of the other answers, but it is quite high percentage

Stephan Kesting
www.grapplearts.com

 

Thats usually my solution..but thats mainly because i dont know any better ones

 

An HONOR to have Stephen Kesting posting here! I have all of your tapes. Nice to see some top guys on these techniques forums....Thanks

 

block his knees with ur forearms then catch and lock one of his knees and take him down with a single or double leg

 

Very easy. Block the knee with forearms, clinch his waist with both hands while pulling him chest to chest, then throw.

 

Keep your head up

 

pummelling for inside control is a lost art it seems...learn it and you wont get thai clinched in the first place - see randy couture.

 

sanshou is right...... block the first knee then go for double underhooks. keep real close so he cant knee you again. i even learned this in my muay thai class. in mma i find its safer to knee to the body from double underhooks anyways. thai clinch is better to knee the head of coarse.. but if your a grappler double underhooks is the way to go.

 

double underhooks are difficult becuase if they know how to do a proper thai clinch their elbows will be down against your chest blocking you from closing the gap.

 

This is the correct way and I have never had this not work, just wrap your arms around his waist and pull him to you as tight as you can and no knees can touch you. Also, if you know clinch work yourself, you can grapple your way in and clinch him by sliding your arms under his hooks and locking the clinch in with your hands behind his head, vising his neck with your forearms tight against his chest. Hope this makes sense.

 

A couple more tips, keep your forehead on his shoulder so he can't pull you any further down than his shoulder. I've been told you can neutralize the knees by stiff arming the hip that he's launching the knee from. Haven't tried that though.

 

I have to respectfully disagree with anyone who says it is "very easy" to defend this position. When Marvin Eastman's head was near split in half by Vitor Belfort he didn't have a simple counter, and neither do most of Vanderlei Silva's opponents.

Now it is easy to counter if the guy doesn't have a clue about MMA, Greco wrestling or Thai boxing, but if he's skilled at this it is a terrible position to be caught in.

Stephan Kesting
www.grapplearts.com

 

Actually, my solution is only possible if you have posture, with your head up. If your bent over and about to absorb knees, it won't work. My bad --- I left out a critical element to my formula.