I’m always pushing for more training in areas I need to improve on. All gyms go through cycles, and it just so happens that I’ve been at a shortage of really challenging clinch time at my main gym. Petchrungruang is my home gym, and I absolutely love it, but I just need more time clinching at a higher level. I’ve been aware of this for a while, but my recent loss in the clinch to the World Champion Loma pressed home that, even though I’m dominant with my lock on 99% of my opponents, it’s just too elementary an approach. I need a bigger vocabulary of movements, greater transition between skills and options in order to make adjustments. I’ve started reversing my clinch entry, coming from a southpaw approach, inverting it, so my clinch has more symmetry; and I’ve made a long term project of developing what I call the “long clinch” as exemplified by Tanadet. I’m writing an involved post on the long clinch position, but I want to experiment with it for a while before I publish that post.
In any case, I’ve taken to extra clinching at the Sor. Klinmee gym three times a week, after my afternoon session at Petchrungruang. They have a number of boys about my size, and who certainly are challenging for me. The video below is a mix of 15 minutes from today, with a new partner named Am (pronounced between “ah-m” and “um”). I’m working on many things, so I’m not really trying to “win” in that I’ll purposefully remake the same mistakes to try to solve them, and Am is really generous with positions I’m taking, encouraging me so I can practice dominant finishes. He even instructs me a bit, practicing his English as well. Part of what I like to do is share works in progress, and that is what this is. This particular session is unlike most of my Sor. Klinmee sessions, where me and my partners just get to it and there’s play but not a lot of stopping and starting, like you see here. But Am throws in some excellent instruction and tips, and the little gromits tossing each other all about are amazing. I especially like the little bruiser in the solid blue shorts with the tough face. Enjoy.
Sor. Klinmee happens to be a gym with positive relations with Petchrungruang, and I asked permission from Pi Nu to get extra clinch training there.
You can read all my clinch related posts here in the Muay Thai Clinch archive.
