Muay Thai clinch problem

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moodymikey

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I have done Muay Thai for 3 years, but recently I have moved to university where there is no Muay Thai, but there is kickboxing. The kickboxing coach teaches knees,elbows etc...basically he calls it Kickboxing but actually teachs MT. Well obviously that puts me at an advantage over the other guys cos I know a lot about the thai aspects that the others dont.

However, I have found that at my old MT gym people were more willing to go into the clinch range, whereas at this place they arent. So here, im finding it hard to clinch anyone cos the second I do they are running away from it, rather than standing and fighting for best position. Any tips on how to keep hold of them and throw the knees?
 
When people run you dont have to hold them, you hit them because to run they have to leave something WIDE open. Also if you have it, there is no running from it, so are they running (escaping in desperation) from your clinch or from your clinch ATTEMPT? If its the former, your clinch needs to tighten, if its the latter capitalize on the huge holes they leave to flee, this will aid you in dealing with the clinch-phobic types.
 
I guess its the clinch I need to tighten. When I go for the clinch I lead with my left hand, and once my left is behind their head I go for the right. But they just seem to run off the second I get the left hand behind their head. Where am i going wrong?
 
Are they pulling away and "facing" towards the ground on the opposite side that you have them clinched with as they withdraw?
 
sounds like a perfect oppurtunity to learn how to better use footwork and angles to cut off the ring and control distances :)
 
moodymikey said:
I have done Muay Thai for 3 years, but recently I have moved to university where there is no Muay Thai, but there is kickboxing. The kickboxing coach teaches knees,elbows etc...basically he calls it Kickboxing but actually teachs MT. Well obviously that puts me at an advantage over the other guys cos I know a lot about the thai aspects that the others dont.

However, I have found that at my old MT gym people were more willing to go into the clinch range, whereas at this place they arent. So here, im finding it hard to clinch anyone cos the second I do they are running away from it, rather than standing and fighting for best position. Any tips on how to keep hold of them and throw the knees?
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hit em with a hard knee as they duck down to run away. that'll stop em...
 
people im sparring against just duck down, beneath my arm and step backwards. Thats all they have to do. In a fight I would throw a knee to the face to stop them, but i dont wanna do that when im just sparring
 
moodymikey said:
people im sparring against just duck down, beneath my arm and step backwards. Thats all they have to do. In a fight I would throw a knee to the face to stop them, but i dont wanna do that when im just sparring
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sounds like you have a weak and/or incorrect clinch... don't try and hold them with your gloves or hands... think of the inside of your forearms as a vice and turn them so you should be looking at your wrists... then bring your elbows together to squeeze their neck hard... even if they try to pull away they shouldn't be able to get out... if they try and duck out you can do two things...

one is to prevent them from ducking by lifting them by their lower jaw and pushing up and away in the clinch... this will force them to backpedal and in turn, lift their head....

another one is, as they duck down....rotate your hands as they go down so now your palms are on the back of their head... now keep pressing down with your hands and follow them as they back up, not letting them back up... mime kicking them in the face to let them know that you could do that if you wanted....

if anything.. you can throw a knee but lightly... if your wearing headgear as you should be, then a little bump to the face every time they duck will let them know that its not a good idea to be looking at a knee that, in a real fight, would be coming up hard and fast to say hello...

one of my teachers said theres no better teacher than pain....

Best,

Kokoro
 
He means they are ducking out BEFORE he gets a second hand on them. If you know a guy does this, mid-high round kick tends to be something cool for them to run into. I also wouldnt go with the knee, as a "bump" on the noggin from a knee can leave a "lasting" impression.

But chances are you are lunging to clinch em, dont do that, let them "put" themselves in a clinch. I like to force guys to shell up or to make them start to move their heads with bad balance from pressure, then clinch them. Reaching for the clinch in space can be bad, and it sounds like that's what you are doing.
 
I'd say that the difficulty here is that the use of the clinch is out of context. Unless you've already got hold of them, another tool has to be used. If you've already got a hold of 'em and they get loose, would look at if you're clinching the neck instead of pushing the head down, if your elbows are close enough together, if you're "steering" them or just pulling down...
 
i've had difficutly with this in the past too. One thing is you could work your angles and footwork real well to overtake them if your desperate to get in the clinch but one thing i like is to reach for the clinch with my left hand and as they run either to your right or straight back either throw a roundhouse or a teep. If they circle out right the roundhouse thrown is perfect for me to nail them as they walk into it.
 
you shouldn't reach out and pull as much as you should close the distance with your body and grab as you come in. If you reach out and try to pull them into the clinch they'll have time / space to pull back and run away. If you're close, they are more closed in, your clinch can tighten faster because you're stronger from in close, and you dont have to move your hands as far.

Next time you're sparring, clinch them when you have them against the ropes or when infighting. Don't try it in the middle of the ring. And don't try to make the clinch happen, just let it happen when the oppertunity presents itself.
 
Volund said:
you shouldn't reach out and pull as much as you should close the distance with your body and grab as you come in. If you reach out and try to pull them into the clinch they'll have time / space to pull back and run away. If you're close, they are more closed in, your clinch can tighten faster because you're stronger from in close, and you dont have to move your hands as far.

Next time you're sparring, clinch them when you have them against the ropes or when infighting. Don't try it in the middle of the ring. And don't try to make the clinch happen, just let it happen when the oppertunity presents itself.
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very good, lots of people make the mistake of overextending their arm because they are too far back and this not only makes you clinch attempt ineffective it also leaves you open for a hard counter. The best time to clinch as he said is when they are backed up against the ropes or cage
 
A common mistake that people are often taught in the west is to clinch behind the neck, Behind the head gives more control.
your forarms should dig into there color bone and when you lock your elbows you should also push the elbows into there sternum. I hope you understand what i'm talking about, it's hard to demonstrate in words.
 
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