I'm working on knee strikes. I learned too many kinds of knees between MT, Silat, Krav and TKD. Most of them feel like shit and are either really complicated motions or are moves I've never seen anyone use in sparring. Anyway, I need a lot of work on getting the knees I'll actually use into shape. I worked on it for a while tonight (partly because my legs are too sore to kick right now). This video is a part of the last round of shadow boxing I did at the end of the night. I'd like some critique on it. When I lean back, that's suppose to be a thrusting knee. When I have my knee up and my hand open into jaz fingers or something for some reason, that's just a check. Thank you
Coming from a Muay Thai background I'd say the two best kneees were at 0:30-0:32 when you were facing to the right because they had decent hip thrust. You need to remember to point your toes and tuck your lower leg to make more of a point with your knee.
I agree with Mr. Brendan up there. You need to throw your hips forward, rather than pulling your knee upward. That's only the case for a very hunched opponent (i.e. a person leaned over in the clinch) or knees to the head. Here's the video that kind of opened my eyes to proper knee technique. Notice how, rather than coming straight up the middle, he twists his hips into the knee and gets up on the ball of his foot. He thrusts the knee into the target like a spear, using his drive off the ground and the thrust and twist of his hips for power.
Slow down. You are trying too hard to make it look good, so you are going faster than what you should be. When you shadowbox focus on technique and how the movements feel. When you knee try to extend the hips. Its not a lean back, it is a hip thrust. Think of it like having sex. When you kick, you hump. When you knee, you hump. It is how Matee Jedeepitak taught me. When you knee, kick, and check kicks make sure to point your foot down. It makes sure that anything coming at you will glance off of your shin and reduce the likelihood that you break your foot.
You don't want to throw your hips forward at the expense of leaning your body and head far back. Keep your body over your hips, and pull into the knee as you thrust your hips forward with the knee; and don't knee straight upwards.
Why not knee straight up? I've watched a bunch of videos of thai boxers kneeing straight up. They do it constantly shadow boxing and clench fighting. Its a counter when people come in and a throw when up close. I'm pretty sure one of my teachers did it that way a lot. I hear ya on the leaning thing. I was just trying it out. I'm take it or leave it.
You don't knee straight up unless you're pulling his head and body straight down. More often than not you're going to be fighting someone who is fighting back...and you will need to learn to knee forward or only slightly upward. Lot's of folks make the same mistakes of kneeing straight upwards and/or leaning far back...same way some people knee with a lazy dangling lower leg and get the knee caught. Think about it. Is the guy in front of you or on top of you? Is the power going to be better with you balanced and driving forward or you leaning back? Here's some light sparring that illustrates a little of what I'm talking about, specifically how the smaller kid and Saenchai both are thrusting their knees forward...not upward. Arch your back, keep your head above your center, pull them into the side that you're kneeing with, and thrust your hips with the knee. Don't have a lazy lower leg either less you want it caught and swept.
You need much much more hip thrust. Your knee is coming up, it should be going out. Think long. That's why they are called long knees. Up knees won't hit anything if their head isn't in range and most of the time it won't be but you can hit the body but for that you need straight knees. ^ That vid of Saenchai sparring illustrates it perfectly, the clinch sequence at 1:30. Look how they pop their hips straight out and rotate their hips into the knee so the knee comes straight out.
SAAMAG, Aries - I learned to throw knees like that at one point. I just didn't stay with them. I can work on that again for next time I post on this thread. Thanks for the clean videos to demonstrate it.
Just to drop some science on this thread, the primary muscles that raise the knee are the hip flexors (iliopsoas) which are the relatively small muscles that run across the front of your hips (along with some help from other muscles but it's mostly the iliopsoas). On the flip side the muscles that push your hips forward (i.e. extend them) are primarily the glutes and hamstrings. Your glutes and hamstrings are much bigger than your hip flexors and can generate significantly more force so obviously a knee with good hip thrust will hit a lot harder than just raising your knee. Or as Ice Cube would "you can do it put your ass into it"
keep your toes pointed down when throwing. like others have said, your knee should be going towards the opponent...and your opponent/target is rarely straight up above you watch the knees and toes both the guy and girl throw when doing light shadow boxing...should be a good example also practice your knees on the bag as well...that helped me improve them a LOT. my knees used to suck. they are decent now
