4. DEFENSE – A) Blocking/covering (both traditional boxing covers, and a modified Thai covering which allows the defensive cover to be used very effectively as an offensive maneuver). B) Parrying/“hand-tapping” C) Slipping/“head movement” D) Ducking E) Bobbing and Weaving F) Static “Thai”/Shin-check G) Moving/Dynamic “Thai”/Shin-check H) Knee destruction (“Thai” Leg-Shielding, but instead of using the shin to block and parry, the knee is used to destroy the incoming attack/kick, and to totally shut down your opponent.
5. CLINCH– Traditional “Thai/Plum clinch”, and a modified “Dirty Thai clinch” to deal with wrestlers and other grapplers, and to not only defend and take away their preferred methods of generating offense and getting takedowns, but to use their methods against them and capitalize on their attacks which will open up lines of attack and striking for the modified (prepared) Muay Thai fighter.
Proper clinching techniques, when and where to clinch, using the clinch to throw and lock, and takedown, and striking from within the clinch will be taught. Further, students will learn to strike when entering and exiting the clinch, a crucial and often overlooked skill in both Thai boxing and MMA. Students will also learn kick catching, which is not an accident as many people assume, but an actual skill, with technique and proper applications.
This will be taught as part of the basic curriculum clinching skill-set. As with the traditional Thai clinch, kick catching is a traditional Thai technique based on good, explosive footwork and timing, which can be used to set up nasty and devastating strikes and takedowns (and takedowns into strikes/ground and pound; this will be taught in advanced classes)
These are the basic techniques for Combat Muay Thai. In the basic instruction, students will build the foundation for becoming high level strikers/fighters. They are also going to be taught how to control the distance and spacing in any fight, depending on their individual range, ability, likes, and dislikes. Muay Thai is a nearly complete fighting system which encompasses striking, clinching/grappling, and throwing/takedown skills, and with proper modification, ground fighting/striking skills can just as easily be added in.
Therefore if students already have a proficiency/background in another art, they don’t have to lose, forget, or ignore that skill set to ingrain this Muay Thai skill-set (the way we teach it) into their fighting style. What they learn in this system will allow all of their skills and abilities to compliment and improve upon each other. So, even if students like to grapple or have some sort of grappling background, or whatever background they may already have coming in to their training they can use their newly acquired Thai boxing skills to enhance and supplement their original skill set.
Our combative philosophy is to only learn, and then teach skills that are functional for any and all combative encounters, and to impart an aggressive mentality that will allow those skills to be utilized as effectively and efficiently as possible. Our students will gain skills, attitude, and confidence to be able to survive, thrive, and succeed in any combative encounter (street or ring) in which they may find themselves.
At the advanced level, students will learn to seamlessly blend in and flow through all the techniques of all fighting ranges (kicking, punching, grappling, and ground-fighting) in their arsenal; they will move from one technique to the next without any “hitches” or “hick-ups”. The advanced training program involves further reinforcing the basic level curriculum lessons.
Further the advanced level techniques are taught, and worked in with the previously acquired techniques, to enhance fighters various combat attributes (speed, power, accuracy/precision, balance, timing, etc.), and give them a more diversified and unorthodox array of attacking techniques.
Fighters will be taught advanced fight strategy, how to launch unorthodox attacks and counter-attacks, and how to deal with and re-direct unorthodox attacks and counter-attacks. Students in this program will never remain on the defensive. An aggressive attacking mentality is taught, and students will learn that remaining defensive will get you beaten and potentially hurt in any combative encounter, but attacking without strategy or intelligence (just brawling) will also get you beaten and potentially hurt.
Students will learn to be aggressive, but simultaneously controlled, and focused with pinpoint accuracy on what they need to do in any combative encounter to turn the tide of battle in their favor, and end the fight as quickly (and potentially as brutally) as possible (I call this “Controlled Focused Fury”). Further, students involved in an actual fight training program (Muay Thai, Boxing, and MMA), will learn how to absorb and re-direct attacks within the confines of the ring/cage.
Fighters will be taught how to use the ropes/cage as an obstacle that can be used to trap opponents, and set up devastating fight ending techniques and combinations, and how to avoid and get off of the cage/ropes so that they are not in turn set up for such techniques. Advanced, and blended clinch work and strategy will also be taught, as well as nuances of clinch fighting that basic/beginner level students simply won’t be able to understand until they reach a more advanced level.
At the advanced level fighters should have most of the techniques not necessarily mastered, but be very comfortable using their techniques without having to think very much; the techniques should be ingrained and instinctual. Therefore, instead of focusing on techniques and proper technique application, advanced level students can now focus on actual fight strategy, and setting up techniques and their opponents. Good, high level, striking instructors will tell you that a fight involving high level strikers, is just as technique oriented, and just as much of a “chess match” as any BJJ/Jiu-Jitsu fight.
Stand-up fighting is just as beautiful and artistic as ground fighting has come to be recognized. Throughout their training under students will learn this fact, and emphasis will be made that good striking is nothing at all like the brawling, simplistic, all-out mere kicking and punching (without much strategy) evidenced in most matches seen on television today.
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Grant Bacon is Head Instructor and Co-Founder of The Truth in Combat Method and Delaware Combat University. He is a Certified Level II PFS Jeet Kune Do Concepts and Filipino Kali Instructor.
Grant has many years of grappling, weapons & amature MMA fighting experience.
