Mechanics / Clinch / Shadow

Curved knee / around the guard

The clinch knee that swings out and comes around the guard.

From the clinch posture, the rear knee swings out and comes around with the hip turning over it. The curved knee is the clinch knee for when there is no room for a straight one: chest to chest, the knee swings out to the side and comes around into the ribs with the hip turning over it. It is not as hard as a straight knee and it is not meant to be; it is thrown in numbers.

The actions, phase by phase

Clinch posture

1. Guard. The hands leave the guard together, not one at a time.
2. Reach. Both hands go to where the back of a neck would be, cupped, with the wrists bent.
3. Set the posture. Elbows pull in tight in front of the chest, the hips come in, the chin stays down and the back stays upright.
4. Hold. Hold the shape and breathe; the feet stay ready to move.

Watch for. There is no partner in this loop, so there is no neck, no posture to break and no pull to resist. It shows what your own frame should look like and nothing about the hand fight that decides a real clinch.

Curved knee

1. Stance. Hands cupped as if on a neck, elbows in, hips close.
2. Swing out. The rear knee swings out to the side rather than lifting straight.
3. Come around. The knee comes around the guard with the hip turning over it and the foot folded tight.
4. Replace. Bring the foot down under you and settle the hips again.

Watch for. Curved knees live in the clinch, chest to chest, where there is no room for a straight one. There is no partner here, so the study shows the arc and the hip turn and nothing about the grip that makes it land.

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.

Around, not up

1. Hands cupped, elbows in, hips close before the knee moves.
2. The knee goes out to the side first, then around.
3. Fold the foot tight under the knee; the shin is not the weapon here.

Three faults a pad holder sees

1. Straight knee with a lean. the knee swings out to the side first, then comes around.
2. Foot open. the foot folds tight under the knee so the knee, not the shin, arrives.
3. Hips stay square. the hip turns over the knee as it comes around.

A starting prescription

3 rounds of 45 seconds with 30 seconds between them. Ten per round from a held clinch posture, alternating sides with the mirror. 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: Mechanics. Before it: Switch kick / lead leg. After it: Upward elbow / chin line. Sessions that use it: Clinch and knees. See also the glossary, the warm-up and the method and its limits.