Different stance ???

foofie

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Alright so today I though I would try a different gym , which is supposed to be one of the best here ( reason I didnt go before is that theyve got training sessions in times that Ive got school ,but today it was holiday ).

And the thing that is just really different is the stance ... Im used to having my hands about chin high , lets say that eyes are only like an inch above my knuckles - but where I was , the hands were held above the eyes , knuckles at the the middle of the forehead level , like if you would want to tuck yourself to defend from someone launching lots of strikes on you ( palms facing your forehead , not away ). Trainer said boxers hold the hands at chin level , thaiboxers forehead level . To be honest Ive seen some guys do it this way , but most hold their hands at chin level , ussualy under the chin I mean ...

So whats with this thing ? Im trying to train some mma , so is this kind of stance "bad" for it ? Does it really matter much ?

Any help will be appreciated .
 
I'll be corrected if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember being told having higher hands for MT is simply for better defence against elbows. It sounds like you're describing a 'preying mantis' style thai stance, with hands high and elbows straight, again to provide the best possible protection and defensive strategy.

Not sure bout the palms facing towards your head part tho ? :icon_conf

Oh also if you're training MMA I don't see why you'd need an especially high guard? Can't really comment as I don't train for it though. I think there's a lot more ot worry about in MMA than gettin elbowed cos your hands aren't up high enough lol.
 
Well its pretty much like you said , the trainer is very defensive . We were drilling blocking XX strikes all the time , mainly training situations of letting the guy get the first strike .

Well it seems very irrational to me to have the hands this high in mma :x , I know in the mma trainings I used to go to I had my hands high , just like an inch under my eyes , like I said , which was concidered extra high there , I dunno what they would say to this .

So it isnt really much use in mma then is it ?

Well its not really this traditional thai stance , with hands high , elbows straight , far away from your face and palms away from your face , its more like the hands are very close to your forehead( almost touching I would say ) and the palms are facing the forehead , like I said , its almost as if you were tucking your self to guard someone onslaughting you , but a bit more loose .

So can it be any use in mma ? Or would it be just a bad habit ?
 
I remember sparring a guy who used this guard brilliantly, (he outclassed me in terms of skil + experience and was a lot betteer than me) BUT I rarely spar with someone I can't hit at all or land a few shots on etc, and if something doesn't work I always have other ideas / feints etc to land some, and well, he was pretty impregnable lol. I remember coming forward and eating double jabs, and just not being able to get past high hands and fast blocks. Coupling this guard and having a good jab and teep / front leg inside leg kick combination as he had is v hard to deal with.

The one I have seen has the hands very close to the forehead to, in fact it's jus how you describe but with the palms facing away - the body is tall and straight, but the head is very well protected by what looks like crouching into the shoulders lol, with the elbows covering the front and the hands protecting the face..

I personally think a boxers hand position (eg slightly lower) would be better for MMA, as you need your hands well positioned for sprawling and takedown defence as well as striking, as well as going for takedowns/clinchs/throws yourself. It is very strange to get used to having your hands up real high, it's a lot of effort having htem up there lol. To be honest, you can train yourself to do whatever, but I think a large part of it is how confident you feel in the stance? If it feels strange to you then that it's probly not worth trying to force yourself to adapt to this unnatural (to you) style unless you're going to get a significant and obvious gain out of it. (eg the difference between boxing stance and having your hands by your sides for example lol, that would clearly be worth learning the boxing stance. But boxing to strict MT, probably not ?)

Ask your normal coach when you get back to 'your' gym and see what he says.
 
Were you in a MMA gym or a MT gym? If you were in an MT gym, it makes sense that you were doing this.

I saw a guy in his first MMA fight come out with his hands high on his head in a defensive posture. Palms in, knuckles on top of forehead. He did okay until his opponent decided to throw a jab between his arms and get him square on the nose. It was over about a minute later.

I generally agree with what millasur says in regards to hand position.
 
true true , thx guys :)

Its not really like youve got hands on your sides , like I said its almost the same as when your tucking yourself ,its very defensive. Ill see what the trainer at "my" gym says :) .
 
true true , thx guys :)

Its not really like youve got hands on your sides , like I said its almost the same as when your tucking yourself ,its very defensive. Ill see what the trainer at "my" gym says :) .

Jus sayin please let us know what your coach says. I have always used the 'boxing' hand placement you described but now I h ave a bag at home I'm trying to retrain myself with the higher guard, throwing jabs with your hand 2 inches higher is a little strange to asy the least lol. It's hard to concentrate on flicking them straight out rather than relaxin the arm an bringing it lower first llol.
 
usually, i have one arm/hand high, and one slightly lower, but stances are usually down to personal preferance, and style. as long as ur protecting ur chin/head
 
That stance is great especially if you are tall and you prefer knees. Imo different stances for different body types and preferences. I mean, not all Thai fighters do that chaiya stance
 
I go to a MT school and I had been training for a while. My stance is generally a mixture of the "traditional MT stance" and some MMA(boxing) since I train for MMA. Yesterday I trained with the head coach for him to check if I can be a fighter(for MT) and to point on the things that I need to improve. I haven't trained with him for while and he said my stance is not that good. He taught me some "traditional stance" and I wanst comfortable at all. I talked to him if I can keep my original stance but he insisted that if I want to fight, I should adopt to the traditional stance. kinda sucks but I have no choice.

He advised me to watch Naruepol since we have the same built and it might help me.
 
Some instructors teach from experience, which may differ from fighter to fighter based on philosophy combined with experience. If you feel your instructor simply doesnt know what hes talking about, find another instructor.

I can remember watching two championship boxers, although from different weight classes having a discussion/small argument on how to hold your hands not too long ago. Both of them clearly knew what they were talking about, but their opinions differed based on philosophy.
 
YouTube - Crazy Monkey Boxing - Defending The Jab
Sounds like CM. Works well, in context. Tito, Rampage, and a lot of other guys use similar structures.

Well thats pretty much how the trainer teaches it , thing is theres no " once your out of range , you can drop your hands " , you hold it like that even when your the agressor and will have the 1st strike .


Millasur , yes its true ... your are kinda dropping the hand a little bit , to chin level , but its quite easy to get used to .

Journeyman - yes well the style he is teaching is very ... close range , I would say . Its all the time , you block some strikes and go for a knee , or block and go for lots of hooks and uppercuts .


Well Im 100% sure this guy is real good , he trained the only few succesfull czech fighters which went to k-1 / k1 max, I just dont know if its a problem the way hes teaching for mma , but then again if I have my guard too high , it wont really be that much of a bad habit will it? It cant be that hard to get used to lowering your guard ...

Besides that hes like , he understands the sport and explains some things , so that we understand the purpose of this and that , and not just do it .
 
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