Tag Archives | clinch

Building the Muay Thai War Machine (diary entry)

October 17, 2023 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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16.10.2023 My couple client returned for a special two-hour session, covering hours two and three, of their second course in Muay Thai. Tonight we trained over 15 x 3 minute rounds in specific and freestyle sparring, layering and isolating certain techniques. This was followed by questions that arouse over the session. Rounds 1-3: Clinching and sweeps only. Rounds 4-6: Clinching, sweeps and curve knees only. Rounds 7-9: Clinching, sweeps, all knee strikes and elbow strikes. Rounds 10-12: Elbows versus boxing. […]

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Second Muay Thai Course in a Row (diary entry)

October 5, 2023 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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02.10.2023 As the blog post title describes, tonight my couple clients decided to continue training in Muay Thai following their previous course. We began with clinch-work. Here we worked on breaking the posture, relaxing more in holds and better positioning. I am trying to encourage more rhythm and timing when striking in the clinch. I then took them through 6 x 2 minute rounds of pad-work – focusing on teeps/jabs, muay mat combinations and freestyle. Services

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New Clinch Course (diary entry)

August 4, 2023 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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04.08.2023 My teacher client from USKO Cotswolds returned for a new course on the clinch and stand-up grappling. Today’s lesson covered stance, basic footwork, collar and elbow tie, wrist grips and releases, and a couple of takedown examples. We warmed up with some dynamic stretching and the sport specific callisthenics – Indian press-ups and squats. Next, we looked at wrist grips where we covered circular breaking to re-grip, and stripping off a hand. The latter brought us onto the importance […]

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Clinch for Submission Grappling (diary entry)

August 1, 2023 | Uncategorized [ssba]
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01.08.2023 My limited lesson course on Submission Grappling shifted its focus to the clinch. My client wanted to work in this particular field to link it with my her ground-fighting. Therefore, our warm-up largely consisted of box-footwork and collar and elbow “bulling”.  We looked at the three basic wrestling stances and how to unbalance an opponent. I then introduced under-hook and over-hook pummelling. From here we covered the Greco-Roman arm-drag takedown. This technique, taught to me by Lee Hasdell, is […]

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Nuances of the Fight (diary entry)

June 21, 2023 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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20.06.2023 Hour eight of my couple client’s Mixed Martial Arts course brought us to appraisal lesson. I sparred with each of them consecutively for 8 x 2 minute rounds looking at how they progressed with their overall fighting styles. They then sparred each other for a 3 minute round. We looked at leaning into the clinch more, greater head movement for swarming, better positioning on sprawling as well as better attacking and defending guard. Overall, we decided that more focus […]

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MMA Clinch & Progression (diary entry)

June 13, 2023 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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12.06.2023 My couple client had a two-hour lesson tonight bringing their training up to the seventh hour. Rather than focus just on their styles, we looked at the clinch and how they are getting on with grappling in general. We began with some simple positional drilling from collar/elbow and overhook/underhook before I brought in grip fighting then layered in foot sweeps and finally leg shoots. As light sparring progressed I used these untimed rounds as useful, organic teaching points. As […]

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Clinch Fundamentals (diary entry)

May 2, 2023 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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02.05.2023 This morning’s teaching consultancy lesson introduced the Thai clinch. I began with basic clinch entries. It is important to build the clinch into the established armoury. This fighting range is integral to Muay Thai and it dictates many of the technique choices. Therefore, entries need to be as easily applied as any strike. Indeed, you should move to clinch in a way that is hard to distinguish from straight punches. Having got the feeling for this type of entry, […]

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Muay Thai Dumps, Sweeps & Clinch Counters (diary entry)

March 23, 2023 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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                  22.03.2023 And so the Muay Thai clinch training, teaching and researching continues with my second client in a row who is exploring this area. After some specific clinch conditioning, we looked at a counter to a knee strike from the clinch. This involves using the hip to block and then pivoting away from the strike. This provides an over-rotation for the striker who is then dumped on the ground. Next we […]

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Stand-up to Clinch Fighting Extended Session (diary entry)

November 11, 2022 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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09.11.2022 On Wednesday night I was honoured with a visit from Holstebro Taekwondo’s chief instructor, Mikael Oddershede and senior instructor Kim Frandsen, to teach a private three-hour session on stand-up to clinch fighting. These are the two Danish instructors I helped in the development of their sparring programme via virtual teaching consultancy last year. Having first met Mikael when I taught for Jan Drachman’s  Hinnerup Karate in November 2019 (my second teaching visit to Denmark), I have been happy to assist […]

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Thai Clinch (diary entry)

September 27, 2022 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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26.09.2022 Hour seven of my new client’s Muay Thai course focused on developing the Thai clinch. I also introduced diagonal, horizontal and curve knee strikes. After our warm-up of footwork, muscle activation exercises, dynamic stretching and shadow boxing we moved onto the basic clinch. The position taught is the double collar tie or “plum” position. From here looked at dominating the inside position as well as pushing and pulling using the basic box footwork (forwards, backwards and lateral). This was […]

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12 Rounds of Grappling-Based MMA (diary entry)

September 15, 2022 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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14.09.2021 Sticking to the 12 x 3 minute round formula, my client covered specific areas of mixed martial arts training. We began with our usual warm-up of dynamic stretches and the full body flow drill. Then we moved onto the rounds. Round 1 – Striking (stand-up) versus Pure Takedowns (clinch) Round 2 – Pure Takedowns (clinch) versus Striking (stand-up) Round 3 – Takedowns versus Takedown Defence (with striking) Round 4 – Takedown defence versus Takedowns (with striking) Round 5 – […]

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Clinch in MMA (diary entry)

May 22, 2022 | Uncategorized [ssba]
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19.05.2022 My long-term client picked up on his return to MMA revision, finishing at hour seven of a 10 hour scheduled course. Tonight we moved onto the clinch in MMA. After a warm-up and a series of muscle activation exercises, we moved onto partner work. From here we drilled collar and elbow ties, pummelling over-hooks and under-hooks, before moving onto some grip-fighting. Next we went back through some dirty boxing combinations before working a five minute round of clinch-based focus […]

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Post-Clinch Set-ups (diary entry)

April 27, 2022 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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25.04.2022 Monday night’s lesson was the tenth and final hour of my couple clients’ course on MMA clinch. Tonight we finished the technical side with a look at safe exiting from the clinch to set up. We began with the collar and elbow clinch and double collar clinch (plum position). From here we broke into opportunities to deliver powerful head and body kicks. Breaking from the plum position can be a particularly good moment to deliver a head kick due […]

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Expanding on In-Fighting (diary entry)

April 19, 2022 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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18.04.2022 My couple clients’ eight and ninth hours of their 10 hour course on MMA clinch looked at various ways dirty boxing could be used as counters and set-ups. We began with revision on upper-body holds such as the collar/elbow and over-hook/under-hook drilling. From here we looked at how the collar ties can not only be accessed by using hooks but also immediately turned into posting tools to set up rear hand straights and elbows. From here the straight strike […]

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Strike to Grip, Grip to Strike (diary entry)

April 5, 2022 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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04.04.2022 Hour seven of my couple clients’ course on the clinch was conducted via Zoom on Monday. We went back over the material previous covered in more detail, working to build more effective tactics and behaviours. After the warm-up we looked at rolling/weaving, switch-hitting and shifting footwork. This approach is very akin to the Rocky Marciano style of swarming, The weaving and foot shift enables a fighter to close distance on a striker very quickly whilst maintaining a good defence. […]

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Cover to Clinch (diary entry)

March 10, 2022 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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07.03.2022 Monday’s lesson brought my couple client up to the third hour on MMA clinch. Building off the previous lesson’s swarming tactics used to clinch, this lesson we looked at the cover in MMA. We began with looking at the temporary transitional nature of covering and then looked at accessing the highline. From here we attacked with the plum clinch and the arm-triangle hold into strikes and a takedown. A demonstration I gave at Denmark several years ago on covering […]

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