Defence and recovery / Defence / Shadow

Lean back / counter teep

The trunk back to let a kick pass, then the teep as the weight returns.

The trunk goes back to let a kick pass, then the lead teep answers as the weight comes forward. The lean back lets a high kick or a teep pass without moving the feet, and the counter teep answers it as the weight comes forward again. The lean is all timing, which the study cannot show; what it can show is that the hands never drop and the hips stay under the athlete.

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.

Lean back

1. Guard. Feet stay planted; the hands stay at the head.
2. Weight back. The weight goes onto the rear leg and the trunk starts back from the hips.
3. Lean. The trunk leans back far enough for a high kick or a teep to pass, eyes still on the target.
4. Return. Come back over the feet and be ready to answer.

Watch for. This is an evasion, and evasions are all timing. The study shows how far the trunk goes and that the hands never drop. It cannot show what you lean away from or when.

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.

Back, then straight through

1. Feet planted, hands at the head, eyes on the target through the lean.
2. The teep leaves as the weight comes back over the feet.
3. Replace the foot and rebuild the guard.

Three faults a pad holder sees

1. Bending at the waist. the trunk leans back from the hips with the hips moving back too.
2. Hands drop on the lean. both gloves stay at the head through the lean.
3. Teep before the weight returns. the teep leaves as the weight comes back over the feet.

A starting prescription

3 rounds of 60 seconds with 30 seconds between them. Eight lean-and-teep pairs per round. 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: Rear-leg check / replace. After it: Catch / sweep. Sessions that use it: Teep and distance. See also the glossary, the warm-up and the method and its limits.