Combinations / Kicks / Shadow

Jab / teep

A jab to measure, then the lead teep to push the distance back out.

A jab to measure, then the lead teep to push the distance back out. The jab measures the range and the teep pushes it back out. They share a rhythm: the hand goes out and comes all the way home, then the knee lifts. If the teep leaves while the jab is still out, the guard is open and the balance is gone.

The actions, phase by phase

Lead straight / jab

1. Guard. Identify your lead hand before starting.
2. Extend. Send that fist forward while the other hand stays home.
3. Reach. Reach without throwing your body beyond your base.
4. Recover. Bring the fist directly back to its starting guard.

Watch for. Do not let the returning hand drop toward the waist.

Lead teep / push kick

1. Stance. Balance over the supporting leg with hands ready.
2. Chamber. Lift the lead knee before extending the lower leg.
3. Extend. Push the hips forward through the extension; the ball of the foot leads.
4. Re-chamber. Draw the knee back, then replace the foot.

Watch for. Avoid dropping the kicking foot straight down from extension. How far the hips should travel depends on range and balance, which a coach has to set for you.

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.

Hand home before the foot leaves

1. The jab comes all the way home before the knee lifts.
2. Weight onto the rear leg for the teep.
3. Replace the foot where it was and rebuild the guard.

Three faults a pad holder sees

1. Teep leaves before the jab returns. the lead hand is back at the chin before the knee lifts.
2. Weight still forward for the teep. the weight settles onto the rear leg before the lead foot leaves.
3. Foot replaced forward. the teep foot goes back into the stance, not in front of it.

A starting prescription

3 rounds of 60 seconds with 30 seconds between them. Ten jab-teep pairs per round, a beat between the two. 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: Combinations. Before it: One-two / rear kick. After it: Cross, hook, rear kick. Sessions that use it: Teep and distance. See also the glossary, the warm-up and the method and its limits.