Conditioning / Clinch / Shadow

Straight knees in a row

The clinch frame held, then straight knees one after another from the hips.

The clinch frame, then straight knees one after another with the hips driving each one. Knees in a row from a held clinch frame are a conditioning staple. The frame is set once and kept; each knee comes from the hips; the foot goes down under you between knees. What the ladder tests is whether the posture survives the count.

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.

Rear knee rehearsal

1. Stance. Start balanced with no partner resistance.
2. Lift. Fold the lower leg as the knee rises and let the support heel lift.
3. Drive. The knee leads and the hips drive through while the shoulders settle back.
4. Replace. Replace the foot into a stable stance.

Watch for. Clinch grips, partner posture and impact are not shown. Without a partner to pull against, the hip drive here is a shape, not a measured effort.

Hips on every one

1. Set the frame once and keep it; the hands do not float.
2. Every knee comes from the hips, not from the thigh.
3. Put the foot down under you between knees.

Three faults a pad holder sees

1. Hands floating up between knees. the frame is set once and kept.
2. Knees from the thigh. every knee comes from the hips.
3. Foot landing far forward. the foot goes down under the hips between knees.

A starting prescription

3 rounds of 60 seconds with 30 seconds between them. Twenty per round, alternating with the mirror if you like. 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: Conditioning. Before it: Teep ladder. After it: Ten low kicks. Sessions that use it: Clinch and knees. See also the glossary, the warm-up and the method and its limits.