I am a big believer in being a well rounded martial artist.
And while high level competitors do not have the time to train in other disciplines other than what they compete in (i.e Judo, MMA, BJJ, Muay Thai), as someone who trains for self development, I believe learning a bit from other styles can only help you grow as a person and martial artist.
So this post is targeted not at the high level competitor in any single discipline.
Apart from maybe mixed martial artists (but they should have these techniques in their game already), but at anyone interested in self defense or just being a well rounded martial artist.
This includes those who compete at the regional or local level in Judo or BJJ or who train Tae Kwon Do or Karate for the pure joy or training and learning in and of itself.
These are 6 basic muay techniques that anyone can learn and any martial artist should at least have basic grasp of in order to be able to defend against these techniques in self defense or to perform at a basic level if needed.
If you are mainly a grappler these techniques are something you can keep in your back pocket or train to get some stand up striking skills and perhaps venture into a local MMA competition one day. Who knows?
But either way I fell these 6 techniques will help any martial artist and should be learned by all.
While these techniques are fairly easy to learn they are not easy to master and will take time to feel natural especially if you are new to striking. But they are well worth learning to help you become a well rounded martial artist.
1. Straight Punches (Jab & Cross)
If I had to have only one punch in my arsenal it would be the lead straight punch or the Jab. If I had only two in my repertoire it would be the Jab and the Cross (aka Rear Straight).
These two punches alone are very effective and fairly easy to learn and train on your own on the heavy bag and in shadow boxing.
You could learn these from a boxing coach or kickboxing gym.
But if you don’t have the time, resources or access to a kickboxing or muay thai/boxing gym then there are a tonne (literally a tonne) of free resources on YouTube that teach solid fundamentals of the Jab and Cross, so good that you really cant go wrong with these free instructional videos.
But the Jab and Cross are two punches that every martial artist should know at least at a basic level. They can be trained alone on the heavy bag.
These punches are also the core of the muay thai punch techniques.
2. Pushkick or Teep
This is an extremely effective technique for creating and maintaining distance when performed the right way.
Very applicable in self defense situations, the teep is also a fundamental muay thai technique.
The greatest muay thai fighter of all time, Samart Payakaroon was kown to dominate and win fights basically with the teep alone.
Check out my previous post on how to learn and train the teep here.
3. Thai Roundhouse Kick
The roundhouse kick is probably the most complex technique to learn in this list of 6 muay thai techniques every martial artist should learn.
There are many components to the roundhouse kick and unique aspects that make it very different and far more damaging and effective than any other kicking technique in any other martial art.
The Thais have really mastered the art of the roundhouse kick especially the body kick which are thrown so regularly and in high numbers in muay thai matches.
Thrown the right way the roundhouse body kick can break ribs and arms.
Again there are many resources online that can help you learn the basics of the Thai roundhouse kick and it can be practiced and drilled on the heavy bag.
However it would be great if you could take some lessons in person from someone who has trained in muay thai and has practiced the roundhouse kick a lot, just because it is more complex that it looks and takes years to learn to do correctly with good technique and efficiency.
Some of the main points I will make known here are:
- Focus on the standing leg and rotating on your standing foot all the way so that your heel ends up pointing toward the target when you land the kick.
- Close your hip. Turn it over at the point of impact. This is the part most people get wrong even experienced kickboxers and they end up throwing ‘flicking’ kicks and not turning the hip over at the end.
- Strike with the shin. This comes from turning the hip over at the end of the kicks.
- Keep a good defense. Most people forget about this. Keep your chin down. After the kick bring your leg back quickly to a good ready stance again and maintain your balance!
4. Elbows
The arts of Muay Thai, Lethwei and Khun Khmer make extensive use of the elbow technique and the technique is well developed over a long period of time in these arts.
There are different versions of the elbows, 6 of which I have discussed in a post here.
The basic elbow would be the horizontal elbow that I think is most useful and applicable for everyone.
Another relatively simple technique to learn but that takes a long time to perfect.
In the horizontal elbow your elbow strikes with the forearm being parallel to the ground. Rotate your shoulder and keep a good guard on your face with the opposite hand.
Practice this basic technique a lot on the bag and learn from the free online resources that are available.
5. Straight Knee from Clinch
The knee technique is also a well developed technique in muay thai and there are different types of knees that you can read about here.
The basic knee that is useful to learn is the straight knee that can be targeted at the mid-section, the groin or the head if you can effectively pull an opponents head down in the clinch.
The clinch most applicable would by the “Plum” position with both hands around your opponents head. The clinch in muay thai is a complex art that is almost a complete martial art of its own. The “Plum” is a good basic position to know to be able to get into and throw the straight knee.
Again there are many online resources you can learn this muay thai technique from for free.
Combining the knee with the Jab, Cross is an effective way to close distance to land the knee which is more a close range weapon. The straight punches will allow you to enter into the clinch and then land the knee.
6. Leg Kicks
Another one of the most basic and commonly used muay thai techniques is the leg kick.
While not as high scoring as body kicks, leg kicks also can get you the KO in a muay thai fight. Effectively landing leg kicks can make your opponent unable to stand up and get you the KO.
In the same way as the roundhouse kick, it is good to close the hip and turn it over at the point of impact to get more power in the kick. However there are also a variety of leg kicks that are used including the “soccer style” kick which is more of an upward and faster leg kick landed after a punch combo.
Either way this is a very useful muay thai technique every martial artist should learn. Though you would need to Thai Bag which is about 6ft in length to be able to practice leg kicks on your own.
Muay thai techniques – Final Thoughts
So there you have it! 6 muay thai techniques I feel that every martial artist should learn at least at he basic level.
As discussed high level competitors (unless you do MMA) probably don’t have the time within their current intense training to learn these but for someone who trains for self development and loves martial arts these are techniques that you can learn fairly well through online resources and need only a heavy bag to train on your own.
