What is Your Favorite Technique?

[Coach James Poidog]

General question (and if its been asked already, forgive me): whats your favorite technique and why? Any good memories with using it? Whats your level of experience? 

[Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu]

What is yours James?! I would love to know the things you favor as a coach and ex-fighter.

I can't really have a favorite technique because I don't really train consistently, but damn, there is nothing more beautiful than the general assault of knees. They are like body punches, but sharking upward so they are very hard to perceive. Especially Yodkhunpon's style of inward knee:

 

[Xestaro]

Dont know if I can really say I have a favourite technique so far. I'm just a beginner and haven't even trained very consistently because other stuff had to be done. Trying to get back into it now.

I might say kicks. I'm not very good at them yet, one thing that limits me with regards to kicks is my lack of flexibility, but it just feels good to me and I've also been told I have a heavy kick (well, I'm a heavy guy though ). I'm still working on more flexibility, quicker, more secure execution and also making them less prone to being caught by my opponent.

 

If we're talking go-to techniques in sparring, so far thats teeps, lowkicks and I have taken a liking to Sagat-style uppercuts even though I'm no pro at punching at all.

Also I keep seeing openings for elbows so that could be called a favourite, too. It helps that elbows are among the techniques I already know from training Kali for several years. Unfortunately most training here in Germany is more geared towards K1 than actual Muay Thai.

[SPACEDOODLE]

The teeps mixed in with muay thai kicks are really my bread and butter. I love linking together teeps to the xiphoid with kicks to the ribs and quads. 

 

I feel like I am dancing a little bit when my hips are going back and forth to deliver the kicks and transition into the rear or front teep. That and I love watching people stepping back.

 

Something else I also enjoy a lot are timed teeps to the hip or xiphoid to counter incoming kicks. I haven't sparred in a long time due to a concussion; however, when working the bag or shadow boxing, I love laying it on thick with the teeps. I hope that when August rolls around, I can get back to linking teeps with kicks on my partners. 

 

Some secondary faves are elbows and knees. Elbows because they just feel smooth and I love how they can link to a lot of combos at short-to-medium range. Knees because they are hard for me to master haha.

[Coach James Poidog]

2 hours ago, SPACEDOODLE said:

The teeps mixed in with muay thai kicks are really my bread and butter. I love linking together teeps to the xiphoid with kicks to the ribs and quads. 

 

Yeah these in conjunction are great. I teach these two in combo a lot. I personally like to far leg teep to an inside low kick with my lead leg. The lead teep sets it up nicely without the usual counter. 

[Coach James Poidog]

On 5/28/2019 at 11:34 PM, Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu said:

What is yours James?! I would love to know the things you favor as a coach and ex-fighter.

 

I have a few but Id say my favorite as a go to for both exploratory probing and straight damage is the leg kick. Its a lot more versatile than people think. Timed wrong and you can be made to really pay for it, but if done right it opens up so much, especially to the body and head. And it hurts in a different way than other strikes. Youll know quickly if they have a weakness in their legs and/or balance. With that said there are different techniques for the low kick too. My current favorite is in using it to create engagement without exposing yourself. (I mightve said this already somewhere else) Bazooka Joe Vallentini teaches a really slick way to use the momentum of the kick thrown (not hard, just testing) to pull the whole body slightly back. You can use it to cause the opponent to come forward slightly into range for hooks and even teeps. It creates just that amount of space that the opponent has to step to engage. That step is your opportunity.  

[AndyMaBobs]

I love knee strikes, and I like to think of myself as a knee guy - but when reality hits me in the face, I'd say I'm not great at getting into kneeing range, but I have a decent southpaw right teep that I rely on. That combined with being comfortable throwing punches in combination and on the counter are what I'd say I really like doing!

[Kero Tide]

When I first started Muay Thai I thought knees were the coolest weapons and I wanted to make it my favorite limbs to hurt people with. I still love them a lot but they haven't become my favorite.

As I progressed I came to love teep way more. And elbows! Those two are currently my favorite weapons. I use teep first as a way of saying: "do keep your distance and stay way over there I love my personal thank you" - but then of course they eventually end up in my personal space which is actually what I really wanted in a the first place, and I get excited like: "Ohh cool. Let me now introduce you to my elbows." It's all fun.

[Jeremy Stewart]

Right cross.

[SPACEDOODLE]

4 hours ago, Jeremy Stewart said:

Right cross.

Parry jab with a counter right cross. Sometimes it surprises people. 

 

Feels great when I get it just right.

[Oliver]

Body kick. Or simple punch.

Body kick is like, a IV or V chord in song you like. The subdominant in music harmony. The I chord feels like any punch you want, jab, or cross. Because the move of the I going to any of the other 6 chords available is harmonically strong, so any shot after a punch is cool, but especially to the ii, IV, V or vi. Those 4 chords, or strikes, are the most musically pleasing to the ear. Body kicks feel like the subdominant, the IV, because the strongest shift of a IV is usually back to the I, (a punch) or to the V, which feels like a teep. Strongest shift of the V is resolving back to the I. That for me comes out like a lead jab then lead teep, changey changey type thing. So after a body kick, another punch tends to feel nice for me, or a teep, and then back to a punch. A I IV I or I IV V I progression. And now I'm back to the I chord, can go anywhere again.

The ii and vi are the knee and elbow, but I haven't figured out which is which yet. It's definitely these two chords though, because they're unique for being the minor chords available. Darker. So the most vicious ways to fight. Maybe clinch is like, the iii chord or something. The only minor chord left. 

[Coach James Poidog]

2 hours ago, Oliver said:

Body kick. Or simple punch.

Body kick is like, a IV or V chord in song you like. The subdominant in music harmony. The I chord feels like any punch you want, jab, or cross. Because the move of the I going to any of the other 6 chords available is harmonically strong, so any shot after a punch is cool, but especially to the ii, IV, V or vi. Those 4 chords, or strikes, are the most musically pleasing to the ear. Body kicks feel like the subdominant, the IV, because the strongest shift of a IV is usually back to the I, (a punch) or to the V, which feels like a teep. Strongest shift of the V is resolving back to the I. That for me comes out like a lead jab then lead teep, changey changey type thing. So after a body kick, another punch tends to feel nice for me, or a teep, and then back to a punch. A I IV I or I IV V I progression. And now I'm back to the I chord, can go anywhere again.

The ii and vi are the knee and elbow, but I haven't figured out which is which yet. It's definitely these two chords though, because they're unique for being the minor chords available. Darker. So the most vicious ways to fight. Maybe clinch is like, the iii chord or something. The only minor chord left. 

I really like how you translate combat with music. Thats a unique way of looking at it and I think, especially how tied music is to muay Thai, a good way to view it. 

[Oliver]

 

 

[threeoaks]

Teep all day. 

[guyver4]

I have a special place in my heart for a long hook into low/quad kick.

Always puts a smile on my face, even if I'm on the recieving end

[Kuke]

Me personally, I love using kicks to the body. Especially if I can land it right to the liver. One of my favorite techniques to see was Rammon Dekkers elbows that came straight to the middle, right between his opponents guard. Especially the clip where he blocks a punch while simultaneously coming forward with an elbow up the middle using the same arm.

[Victoria Pitt]

Spins- Be it elbow or back fist, esp. from swatted away teep.  Up elbow from catching and dropping a teep.  Body shots.  I think body shots are so underrated but they can make life so miserable.

[Tyler Byers]

2 hours ago, Victoria Pitt said:

Up elbow from catching and dropping a teep.

Do you pull the heel towards you when you do this? I always thought that was such a cool small detail lol. I like pretty much anything that sets people off balance like that though. 

For me my favorite technique is probably a switch stance liver kick on orthodox fighters while on the move (stepping outside their lead foot). I think it is the trapping aspect of it that I enjoy the most. It just completely switches their open side as they start to move with you and leaves them basically defenseless as you see them have an "oh shit" moment before they get blasted in the liver lol. Good times, good times indeed 

Edited July 6, 2019 by Tyler Byers

[Victoria Pitt]

2 minutes ago, Tyler Byers said:

Do you pull the heel towards you when you do this? I always thought that was such a cool small detail lol. I like pretty much anything that sets people off balance like that though. 

For me my favorite technique is probably a switch stance liver kick on orthodox fighters while on the move (stepping outside their lead foot). I think it is the trapping aspect of it that I enjoy the most. It just completely switches their open side leaving them defenseless and you can totally see them have an "oh shit" moment before they get blasted in the liver lol. Good times, good times indeed 

Yes, I pull the heel then send the elbow into face.  Only something I can practice when sparring a Kru.  Most the fun stuff I know I am only allowed to do when sparring a Kru... I get in trouble when I do it with other students.   I learned a lot of stuff that I just don't see used very often in fights. The more I study and learn, I do understand why some of these things aren't used as much anymore even though they are effective.  But my god, they're so much fun to do!!!

I am trying to picture what you are describing.  I am a southpaw.  Are you Orthadox and you switch to south and do this?  That's the only way its making sense to me.    

I also like it when they swing my teep because I just come around with the backfist.  That's a fun one too.

 

 

[Tyler Byers]

31 minutes ago, Victoria Pitt said:

I am trying to picture what you are describing.  I am a southpaw.  Are you Orthadox and you switch to south and do this?  That's the only way its making sense to me.

Yeah I am orthodox then switch to southpaw as I step through. It works pretty well because it initially looks as if you are simply taking a deep step to the right to circle out (sometimes I'll slap the lead hand down and pass it to my left just prior to the step through as well) then you blast them with the kick. Its basically just some misdirection, it doesn't need to be that hard. It totally lawnchairs people though and is funny as hell to watch.  

[Coach James Poidog]

On 6/25/2019 at 1:44 PM, guyver4 said:

I have a special place in my heart for a long hook into low/quad kick.

Always puts a smile on my face, even if I'm on the recieving end

One of my favorite low kick set ups as well. If done with perfect timing, its hard to stop. I also like a long lead arm uppercut to low kick as well. Either you tip their chin up so they dont see the low kick or they try and block by shelling and going heavy on their lead leg. I actually teach a system of punch set ups to low kicks each with the idea that the punches move the weight of the person firmly onto the leg you want to kick. The punches can even be more like hard slaps just for that effect. 

[Tyler Byers]

7 minutes ago, Coach James Poidog said:

I actually teach a system of punch set ups to low kicks each with the idea that the punches move the weight of the person firmly onto the leg you want to kick. The punches can even be more like hard slaps just for that effect.

I really like this philosophy. It's amazing how much more damage you can do by getting someone's weight loaded or getting them off balance. Good stuff!

[Coach James Poidog]

1 hour ago, Tyler Byers said:

I really like this philosophy. It's amazing how much more damage you can do by getting someone's weight loaded or getting them off balance. Good stuff!

Thanks, brother. Its a good system in that it works really well in fights for my guys. I number code a short punch to kick combo and have them drill it repeatedly til they can do it without thinking either from hearing me call it out or from visual cues from their opponent. Example is the lead hook to low kick to the front leg is a 3k. We even do variations on the low kick to front leg, like a probe vs heavy to test their balance and responses (do they check or just eat and try and fire). It gives a better understanding on their opponent to work from. Theres ones for far leg attack as well. 

[Tyler Byers]

1 minute ago, Coach James Poidog said:

like a probe vs heavy to test their balance and responses (do they check or just eat and try and fire)

This is something I feel more people should be teaching in general. I haven't been training that long, but haven't seen hardly any coaches talking about fight theory or strategy (what queues to look for when an opponent is about to use a specific technique, or how to manage fighters with different styles) with their fighters the way I think they should. It's largely left to the fighter to kind of figure out alone later down the road. 

[Coach James Poidog]

8 minutes ago, Tyler Byers said:

This is something I feel more people should be teaching in general. I haven't been training that long, but haven't seen hardly any coaches talking about fight theory or strategy (what queues to look for when an opponent is about to use a specific technique, or how to manage fighters with different styles) with their fighters the way I think they should. It's largely left to the fighter to kind of figure out alone later down the road. 

I cant speak to other coaches (except the ones I know well) but for me its an essential part of the art. Disrupting balance is huge not just for the scoring in competition but for generally taking control of the fight. Being able to see it is a skill that can be taught. I have a fighter whos become scary with it. Lets just say, sparring with him has become a pain in the ass. He doesnt even need to hit hard, he just times your weight shifts and tags you as you do. The time spent trying to recover the balance is time away from countering and attacking. It just gives him so much momentum to keep steamrolling who ever hes playing with. He used it his last fight against an opponent who had a size advantage. The coaches I know, who belong to a group we are all affiliated with do a lot of this work too.