Defence and recovery / Defence / Shadow

Catch / sweep

The rear arm scooping a body kick high, then the lead leg sweeping low.

The rear arm scoops a body kick high, then the lead leg sweeps low where the standing leg would be. The catch and sweep is the standard answer to a body kick: the rear arm scoops the leg high, the lead hand stays on the chin, and the lead leg sweeps the standing leg out. With no opponent there is nothing to catch and nothing to sweep, so the loop shows the arm path and the leg path and nothing about the moment or the fall.

The actions, phase by phase

Catch a body kick

1. Guard. The lead hand stays at the chin; only the rear arm goes to work.
2. Drop the arm. The rear arm drops and opens, elbow behind, hand turned to receive.
3. Scoop and hold. The arm scoops under where the shin would be and closes on it high, near the armpit, as the lead foot steps a little wider.
4. Hold. Hold the leg and stay tall; the free hand covers.

Watch for. There is no kick to catch here. The arm is drawn where it would need to be; the step off the line and the moment to commit are what a coach teaches with a partner and a pad.

Sweep from the catch

1. Holding. Start with the caught leg held high and the body turned slightly away from it.
2. Load. The lead leg loads back, weight on the rear foot, the held arm still tight.
3. Sweep. The lead foot sweeps low and across where the standing leg would be, with the body turning and the arm lifting.
4. Land. The sweeping foot lands back in the stance; the arm keeps the hold.

Watch for. The sweep is drawn as a low arc into empty space. Without an opponent there is nothing to sweep, no weight to shift and no fall to control, and none of that should be attempted on a partner from this loop.

Muay Thai guard

1. Base. Keep a stance from which either leg can lift.
2. Hands ready. Bring the hands into your coach-taught guard.
3. Balance. Keep the torso upright enough to manage kicks and checks.
4. Reset. Re-establish the base after every action.

Watch for. This illustration does not show clinch posture or an opponent.

Scoop high, sweep low

1. Only the rear arm goes to work; the lead hand stays on the chin.
2. Load the sweeping leg back before it goes across.
3. Nothing here is to be tried on a partner from a diagram.

Three faults a pad holder sees

1. Catching with both hands. the lead hand stays on the chin; only the rear arm goes to work.
2. Sweeping without loading. the sweeping leg loads back before it goes across.
3. Standing tall on the sweep. the body turns with the sweep and the held arm lifts.

A starting prescription

2 rounds of 60 seconds with 45 seconds between them. Six slow sequences per round on clear flooring; never on a partner from this loop. Load the study into the session builder with these numbers and change them to suit the round you are preparing for.

What this loop is, and is not

Solo rehearsal of a shape you have already been taught. No partner, no contact, no pad impact, and no coach has reviewed this loop. It shows where the joints go, not whether they should go there for you. This study draws a second figure, an opponent held at one moment of the strike the study answers. It is an illustration of position, not a partner technique to copy without a coach.

Where it sits

Stage: Defence and recovery. Before it: Lean back / counter teep. After it: Check / return kick. Sessions that use it: Check, catch, lean. See also the glossary, the warm-up and the method and its limits.