Best way to train elbow strikes

[Francis]

Hi guys,

Is the best way to train elbow strikes through shadow boxing, or by hitting the heavybag? Of course sparring and competition are better ways for honing any skills,but I mean by training on ourselves.

I'd appreciate anyone's opinion on that. Thank you very much.

Edited March 6, 2022 by Francis

[Tom Riddle]

Shadowboxing forces you to focus on your own body movements and proprioception (awareness of your body in relation to its environment) without looking for the satisfying feel or sound of striking. This is a good thing because people often stray into bad technique in order to hit harder or hear what they think sounds impressive. This absence allows you to focus solely on your own proper striking technique, which is rarely the case during bag work, mitt/pad work or sparring.

There is no rebound energy, which forces you to strike and return with all of your own energy. This allows you to throw faster combinations (albeit a little off if you're not great at visualizing- solution is to pick a striking point in the distance). It also requires, in my estimation, nearly double the energy. To my last example, while I can generally breeze through an intense 40 minute heavy bag session, even 15 minutes of shadowboxing at similarly intense pace (3 Thai rounds or 5 western boxing rounds) would absolutely exhaust me.

[dtrick924]

Check out this video from Sylvie about using a wall to improve your elbow strikes. 

If you are a subscriber to Sylvie's patreon there is also a tag in the Muay Thai Library for elbows. MTL: Elbows https://www.patreon.com/sylviemuay/posts?filters[tag]=MTL%3A Elbows

[Tom Riddle]

3 hours ago, dtrick924 said:

Check out this video from Sylvie about using a wall to improve your elbow strikes. 

If you are a subscriber to Sylvie's patreon there is also a tag in the Muay Thai Library for elbows. MTL: Elbows https://www.patreon.com/sylviemuay/posts?filters[tag]=MTL%3A Elbows

That Thread was awesome!!

 

[Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu]

I'll answer through what I've learned from Yodkhunpon, who I think is probably the expert above experts on this. He says you train elbows mostly in shadow, because that way you're wearing grooves in your fluidity and feeling, which is 99% of how elbows become dangerous. It's about finding the full range of motion and feeling the correct timing on them. However, in order to really understand timing you have to be employing them against someone who doesn't want you to hit them with elbows, which isn't a bag or padwork, it's a person. You have to be super mindful when practicing elbows with a person, meaning you either pull them and just feel the timing without throwing them, or you wear lots of padding and protection and still throw pretty light.

[Francis]

10 hours ago, Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu said:

I'll answer through what I've learned from Yodkhunpon, who I think is probably the expert above experts on this. He says you train elbows mostly in shadow, because that way you're wearing grooves in your fluidity and feeling, which is 99% of how elbows become dangerous. It's about finding the full range of motion and feeling the correct timing on them. However, in order to really understand timing you have to be employing them against someone who doesn't want you to hit them with elbows, which isn't a bag or padwork, it's a person. You have to be super mindful when practicing elbows with a person, meaning you either pull them and just feel the timing without throwing them, or you wear lots of padding and protection and still throw pretty light.

Thank you Sylvie! That's super enlightening. I appreciate it very much!

[timmothysmith01]

Different Types of Elbow Strikes

1- Horizontal elbow

• From the regular stance, make a small step forward with the lead leg
• Lift your back elbow to shoulder level, and the forearm should be parallel to the ground
• Strike with the elbow pivoting on the ball of the back foot. Turn your thumb down.
• Guard your head with the left-hand

2- Upward elbow

• Swing your elbow upwards, aiming at your opponent’s head
• The palm of the striking hand should be kept close to the ear, in a similar motion to combing your hair backward.
• Pivot on the same foot as the striking arm.

3- Spear Elbow

The lead spear elbow:

• From standard guard step forward with the lead leg
• Point the lead elbow forward and place the palm on the side of your head
• Thrust forward with the shoulder at the same time with the step

The backhand spear elbow:

• From standard guard step forward with the lead leg
• Point your rear elbow forward and place the palm on the side of your head
• Pivot on the back foot and thrust the elbow forwards by extending the shoulder forward.

4- Diagonal Elbow

• From the standard guard, pick up your right elbow.
• Drive it down diagonally over or between the opponent’s hands
• Pivot on the back foot and rotate your body to transfer the body’s power into the elbow.

5- Spinning elbow

• Step diagonally with your left leg
• Rotate to your right leading with the elbow until you see the opponent over your right shoulder
• Hit him with the elbow adding extra torque by rotating the hips.
• Always reset back to your original stance.
• Keep your left hand high at all times.