head movement in muaythai

[blackriceman]

i just started muay thai a month ago and i was wondering why i have never been taught much on head movement. i have only been taught to block and parry but never to slip. is this normal for a muay thai school? or is it that im still new and they want my to work on blocking first?

is muay thai not emphasized on head movement? i know in thailand kicks are more used than punches (such as buakaw) but if i want to learn head movement should i do boxing or something?

 

[triplex429]

honestly i think you should incorporate head movement training. you're just going to have to learn when to use it in a fight. if a MT fighter is able to telegraph a slip he might just throw a punch to bait you to move your head onto the side he will be kicking. there are times in a fight tho where head movement will save you from taking uneeded blows. become as well rounded as possible and learn to use the moves you learn at the proper times while in combat. don't just slip because you can...do it becuase you must

 

[Woob]

need to get basics first man. when you slip, you will most likely need to block/parry at the same time just incase the slip doesnt suffice so you need to get that sorted. head movement is important but too much puts you in danger of getting clinched and your face being made into a mess. i sparred thai with a boxing friend and he kept bobbing and weaving so i clinched him and simulated a knee. he soon stopped.

i wouldnt say dont train it but i would say dont worry about it yet. neeed to get everything else down or you will start to forget things when shadow boxing. feel comfortable blocking and parrying first

 

[big nookoo]

My instructor introduced slips pretty early on - about the same time as basic head covers. He did emphasize sticking with MT slips vs. boxing slips because of the knee element of MT. Don't get too low... right?

Just ask. He'll show you.

 

[dickfloss]

agree completely with triplex

Slipping is great but hard to time in mt. Try working on slipping a bit in sparring just to improve your reflexes, but make sure you know when to do it.
Eg. don't do it when your opponent hasn't commited to a strike and still have their balance because they can follow up with a kick/knee.

Watch some vids of jerome lebanner and mike zambidis, they slip just enough such that the punch just grazes their ear and this lets them counter and defend w/o too much trouble. On the other hand james toney tends to use his shoulders to roll with punches which is a no no in mt.

 

[blackriceman]

how is slipping used in traditional thailand muay thai?