Speaking Muay Thai - An introduction
Punching (Chok)
| English | Thai | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Straight punch | หมัดตรง | Mud Trong |
| Hook | หมัดเหวี่ยงสั้น | Mud Wiang San |
| Swing | หมัดเหวี่ยงยาว | Mud Wiang Yao |
| Spinning backfist | หมัดเหวี่ยงกลับ | Mud Wiang Glub |
| Uppercut | หมัดเสย ( หมัดสอยดาว ) | Mud Seuy |
| Cobra punch | กระโดดชก | Kra-dod Chok |
| Undercut | หมัดฮุก | Mud Hook |
The punch techniques in Muay Thai were originally quite simple being crosses and a long (or lazy) circular strike made with a straight (but not locked) arm and landing with the heel of the palm. Cross-fertilization with Western boxing and western martial arts mean the full range of western boxing punches are now used (jab, straight right/cross, hook, uppercut, shovel and corkscrew punches plus overhand or bolo punches).
As a tactic, body punching is used less in Muay Thai than most other striking martial arts to avoid exposing the attacker's head to counter strikes from knees or elbows.
Elbow (Tee sok)
The elbow can be used in seven ways: horizontal, diagonal-upwards, diagonal-downwards, uppercut, downward, backward-spinning and flying. From the side it can be used as either a finishing move or as a way to cut the opponent's eyebrow so that blood might block his vision. The blood also raises the opponent's awareness of being hurt which could affect his performance. This is the most common way of using the elbow. The diagonal elbows are faster than the other forms, but are less powerful. The uppercut and flying elbows are the most powerful, but are slower and easier to avoid or block. The downward elbow is usually used as a finishing move.
| English | Thai | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Elbow Slash | ศอกตี | Sok Tee |
| Horizontal Elbow | ศอกตัด | Sok Tud |
| Uppercut Elbow | ศอกงัด | Sok Ngud |
| Forward Elbow Thrust | ศอกพุ่ง | Sok Poong |
| Reverse Horizontal Elbow | ศอกเหวี่ยงกลับ | Sok Wiang Glub |
| Spinning Elbow | ศอกกลับ | Sok Glub |
| Elbow Chop | ศอกสับ | Sok Sub |
| Double Elbow Chop | ศอกกลับคู่ | Sok Glub Koo |
| Mid-Air Elbow Strike | กระโดดศอก | Gra-dode Sok |
There is also a distinct difference between a single elbow and a follow-up elbow. The single elbow is an elbow move independent from any other move, whereas a follow-up elbow is the second strike from the same arm, being a hook first with an elbow follow-up. Such elbows, and most other elbows, are used when the distance between fighters becomes too small and there is too little space to throw a hook at the opponent's head.
Kicking (Teh)
| English | Thai | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Straight Kick | เตะตรง | Teh Trong |
| Roundhouse Kick | เตะตัด | Teh Tud |
| Diagonal Kick | เตะเฉียง | Teh Chiang |
| Half-Shin, Half-Knee Kick | เตะครึ่งแข้งครึ่งเข่า | Teh Krueng Kheng Krueng Kao |
| Spinning Heel Kick | เตะกลับหลัง | Teh Glub Lang |
| Down Roundhouse Kick | เตะกด | Teh Kod |
| Axe Heel Kick | เตะเข่า | Teh Khao |
| Jump Kick | กระโดดเตะ | Gra-dode Teh |
| Step-Up Kick | เขยิบเตะ | KhaYiep Teh |
The two most common kicks in Muay Thai are known as the teep (literally 'foot jab,'), and the Teh(kick)chiang (kicking upwards in the shape of a triangle cutting under the arm and ribs) or angle kick. The Muay Thai angle kick has been widely adopted by fighters from other martial arts. The angle kick uses a rotational movement of the entire body. The angle kick is superficially similar to a karate roundhouse kick, but omits the rotation of the lower leg from the knee used in other striking martial arts like Karate or Taekwondo. The angle kick draws its power entirely from the rotational movement of the body. Many Muay Thai fighters use a counter rotation of the arms to intensify the power of this kick.
If a round house kick is attempted by the opponent the Muay Thai fighter will normally block with his shin. Thai boxers are trained to always connect with the shin. While sensitive in an unconditioned practitioner, the shin is the strongest part of the leg for experienced Muay Thai fighters. The foot contains many fine bones and is much weaker. A fighter may end up hurting himself if he tries to strike with his foot or instep.
Muay Thai also includes other varieties of kicking, such as the axe kick, side kick or spinning back kick etc. These kicks are only used in bouts by some fighters. It is worth noting that a side kick is performed differently in Muay Thai than the traditional side kick of other martial arts. In Muay Thai, a side kick is executed by first raising the knee of the leg that is going to kick in order to convince the opponent that the executor is going to perform a teep or front kick. The hips are then shifted to the side to the more traditional side kick position for the kick itself. The 'fake-out' almost always precedes the kick in Muay Thai technique.
Knee (Tee kao)
| English | Thai | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Straight Knee Strike | เข่าตรง | Kao Trong |
| Diagonal Knee Strike | เข่าเฉียง | Kao Chiang |
| Curving Knee Strike | เข่าโค้ง | Kao Kong |
| Horizontal Knee Strike | เข่าตัด | Kao Tud |
| Knee Slap | เข่าตบ | Kao Tob |
| Knee Bomb | เข่ายาว | Kao Youwn |
| Flying Knee Strike | เข่าลอย | Kao Loi |
| Step-Up Knee Strike | เข่าเหยียบ | Kao Yiep |
- Kao Dode (Jumping knee strike) - the Thai boxer jumps up on one leg and strikes with that leg's knee.
- Kao Loi (Flying knee strike) - the Thai boxer takes step(s), jumps forward and off one leg and strikes with that leg's knee.
- Kao Tone (Straight knee strike) - the Thai boxer simply thrusts it forward (not upwards, unless he is holding an opponents head down in a clinch and intend to knee upwards into the face). According to one written source, this technique is somewhat more recent than Kao Dode or Kao Loi. Supposedly, when the Thai boxers fought with rope-bound hands rather than the modern boxing gloves, this particular technique was subject to potentially vicious cutting, slicing and sawing by an alert opponent who would block it or deflect it with the sharp 'rope-glove' edges which are sometimes dipped in water to make the rope much stronger. This explanation also holds true for some of the following knee strikes below as well.
The clinch version of this move was scientifically proven recently, by National Geographic Channel's Fight Science, to be the strongest blow using the legs in martial arts. The test subject, Melchor Menor, delivered the strike to a high-tech dummy. On a person the blow would have fragmented the ribs, caused two inches of chest compression, and caused severe internal bleeding in the organs.
- Kao Noi (Small knee strike) - the Thai boxer hits the inside upper thigh (above the knee) of the opponent when clinching. This technique is used to wear down the opponent or to counter the opponent's knee strike or kick.
Foot-thrust (teep)
Foot-Thrusts also known as Push Kicks or literally 'foot jabs' are one of the most common techniques used in Muay Thai. Teeps are different from any other Muay Thai technique in terms of objective to use. Foot-thrusts are mainly used as a defensive technique to control distance, block attacks, and get an opponent off balance. Foot-Thrusts should be thrown quickly but yet with enough force to knock an opponent off balance.
| English | Thai | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Straight Foot-Thrust | ถีบตรง | Teep Trong |
| Sideways Foot-Thrust | ถีบข้าง | Teep Kang |
| Reverse Foot-Thrust | ถีบกลับหลัง | Teep Glub Lang |
| Slapping Foot-Thrust | ถีบตบ | Teep Tob |
| Jumping Foot-Thrust | กระโดดถีบ | Gra-dode Teep |
