How do you escape the Muay Thai clinche

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Rayrobinson#1

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Watching the Franklin - Silva fight you can see how dominating the Muay Thai clinche is. Franklin must have known what a bad spot he was in but did not seem to be trying to get out. Having never done any kickboxing only traditional boxing I'm curious the technique to use in that sitaution. It does seem like you could at least throw hooks to the body while you are in someone's Thai clinch but maybe that leaves you too vulnerable to knees. Couldn't you also just grab a knee and sweep for the takedown?

What makes the thai clinche so hard to defend and so effective?

Edit okay as suggested I used the search topic and found a good thread on it

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?t=585123&highlight=muay+thai+clinch
 
This thread has been done a few times, search for it there's a ton of great info in them.

Hooks to the body leaves you open for knees, and knee>hook anyday of the week.
 
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edit: Not sure why this won't embed. Search youtube for lots of demos.

Shogun and Ninja also have a good vid on this.
 
^

eric paulson is not an expert in muay thai. u dont see muay thai guys trying to judo throw and things like that in a thai clinch

and u dont just lay out an arm to block the knees... your arms have to be active in swimming in
 
u come close so no knees are thrown...if you don't panic is not too hard to escape.
 
personally arm drag throw is my favorite. push the hips out b4 like you usually do and then side step unleash throw
 
There are tons of good vids with different ways to escape/reverse the Thai Clinch, but like anything else you just need to practice. Por Pramuk Gym has a cool drill that I am going to try to talk some of the guys at our gym into doing. Basically for about 45 you clinch with each other working throws and light knees. Winner stays in, new guy clinches with him, and so on. Simple drill, and I'm sure its done all over, but it seems like a great idea none the less.

Anyways, to answer your comment/question about throwing hooks to the body......In a proper Thai cling the hands are not only controling the top of the head but the forearms are sinched and basically "stacked" on top of the opponent's collarbones, allowing you to basically completely control all directions of motion. If you attempt a body shot, the guy clinching you can easily push you away and down using only leverage and fire knees. Most often you cannot even make contact with his body because of you shoulder/head position. Its hard to explain without showing but the second someone does it to you you understand.
 
one arm protecting yourself from knees, the other one you beat the shit out of his ribs
 
I can chime in here with some help... if you watch the vid above with shogun and rua its good... but a little too basic... your not gonna push anyone away with only one hand... you need two hands to force him away from you when they have a strong clinch on your neck and head..... this is especially true when the opponent is taller than you...

a good technique that no one has mentioned is using elbows... rolling over the arm and even coming from under the arms into his face, between his arms...

when he has a clinch on you... you first either push your hips into his and stay tall so he can't pull you down... keep your shoulders high and neck tight, or you can raise your leg and turn it over so your shin is across his thighs, blocking his knees...be careful with this one though as your liable to get swept..

next... you grab on one or both sides of his elbows, on the outside of his forearm near the joint... now pull down and toward you hard as your elbow rolls over the top of his shoulder and arm onto his jaw or temple. This should be a fast and aggressive move with evil thoughts... pull hard and whip your elbow over the top... you can alternate between throwing the left and right elbows in succession... now.. the only way he can really block this is if he raises his elbows to protect his face.. when this happens you slip your arms inside and establish your own clinch or you can push off and get out....and if it lands...most often thant not its a KO baby...

another way to use your elbow is on the inside, going upward... again... try to keep your head back and hips forward... but in this one its a little more risky as your gonna have to come down a little bit to get under his arms... but if you do it right you can protect your face at the same time...

when he has the clinch... you drop your left or right shoulder, and bending at the knees a little bit... not too much... just a small drop (* note- do not bend from the waist! just bend the knees a little bit and keep your head and chest straight and up!)...which shoulder you drop depends on which elbow your gonna throw.... now slide your glove between his arms so your forearm is now vertical... now heres where it gets risky... you have to dip down a little to develope power in this... but if you keep your arm vertical you can protect your face with the point of the elbow into the knees coming up... but if you do this right, it happens pretty fast...

now... as your sliding your glove between his arms... push off from your legs straight up and power through his arms, whipping your elbow straight up into his lower jaw...... your basicaly throwing an upward elbow... but if done right will slide between his arms. This is really good to do when your all sweaty as it will just slide right though pretty easily... your other arm can either be down low blocking knees should they come up, or coming across the face to turn him away...

Best,

Kokoro
 
Rayrobinson#1 said:
It does seem like you could at least throw hooks to the body while you are in someone's Thai clinch but maybe that leaves you too vulnerable to knees. Couldn't you also just grab a knee and sweep for the takedown?

What makes the thai clinche so hard to defend and so effective?

Edit okay as suggested I used the search topic and found a good thread on it

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?t=585123&highlight=muay+thai+clinch
Click to expand...

When you are in the clinch you can't get any power into body shots because you are bent over so you can't really get your hips into it and your shoulders can't really twist either. So you end up with just a weak arm punch which isn't really going to bother him. Especially when he can throw really powerful knees at your head and body.

You can try and grab a knee but its very risky when he is firing them at your head and you are now moving the intended target even closer. Also they are coming in with such force you are really much more concerned about blocking them especially because you can't just move away to take the sting out of them say like when catching a kick. And its not like you can just eat one and grab the knee.
 
Just to reinforce some of what was already said:

1. Stand tall, keep your head up (or in their shoulder) and push your hips close to your opponent (it makes it harder for them to knee you).
2. Control their arms and swim through their clinch.
3. Look out for elbows (That's why you control their arms).
4. If they have a tight clinch, their elbows touching, and you can't swim. Reach across with your left hand, place on their left shoulder and push your forearm/elbow into their face to make space. Can also be done with the right side. Control their arms with your opposite, non-working, hand.

Don't follow Rich Franklin or Rampage's example on how to escape a clinch.

Oh yeah, the most important thing to do is join a good Muay Thai school and get trained by a good Muay Thai instructor. No amount of explaining/reading is going to help you out, unless you start swimming with an opponent and trying it out. The Thai Clinch is an art form with hundreds of ways to counter it; tripping, kneeing, throwing, etc. Good luck.
 
I remeber a couple of escapes, like sticking one arm between his and cranking to break his hold, or pushing down on his forearms, or forcing yours inside his hold.
 
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