Mechanics / Balance / Shadow

Rear knee / reset

The knee as a strike driven by the hips, not a lift of the thigh.

A simple knee lift and return without clinch resistance. A knee is a strike driven by the hips, not a lift of the thigh. Without a partner the loop cannot show the pull that makes it land, but it can show the three things that separate a knee from a knee lift: the hips coming through, the support heel rising, and the hands pulling down instead of holding a guard.

The actions, phase by phase

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.

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.

Standing-leg control

1. Stay within a comfortable range.
2. Keep the standing foot stable.
3. Lower the foot before the next cue.

Three faults a pad holder sees

1. Thigh push with the leg open. the leg folds tight so the point of the knee, not the thigh, arrives.
2. Hips stay back. the hips travel through the strike at least a hand's width past the guard.
3. Support heel flat. the support heel lifts so the hip can come through.

A starting prescription

3 rounds of 45 seconds with 30 seconds between them. Ten knees per round, foot replaced under you between them. 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: Rear round kick / recover. After it: Horizontal elbow / guard. Sessions that use it: Balance notes. See also the glossary, the warm-up and the method and its limits.