Kicking the arms

[Jared Traveler]

Shin guards are great, but you will not have them in a real fight. Kicking the arms with your shin is an important Muay Thai technique.

The fact is going over the elbow is sometimes easier than trying to go under. Drilling with no padding to strike the arm (usually at the shoulder joint) is great to do.

Also learning how to take these blows without breaking your arm is important as the receiver in this drill.

It's great to have protective gear, and I use that gear, but sometimes it's best to drill and make contact without padding. It promotes accuracy and precision.

 

[Jared Traveler]

Deviating.

 

[Holmejr]

In MT, we had a couple high level amateur fighters. I remember how fatiguing it was simply to hold the pads for these guys. In sparring you do learn how to effectively block and give to the energy of the average MT practitioner, but the high level guys are a whole other story. I never got that advanced. Ouch!

 

[JowGaWolf]

Deviating.

I had to slow it down. Great kick bad blocking. Kicker intentionally targeted the arm and got what he wanted.

 

[Jared Traveler]

In MT, we had a couple high level amateur fighters. I remember how fatiguing it was simply to hold the pads for these guys. In sparring you do learn how to effectively block and give to the energy of the average MT practitioner, but the high level guys are a whole other story. I never got that advanced. Ouch!

If you have to absorb the kick (not ideal but it happens a lot), if it's on the arms, you want to glue your arm to your body. So that your whole arm is tight to your body. Do this instead of reaching out to block.

If it is under the arm(and again assuming you don't have time to move your feet) you rotate slightly to take the kick more on the back than the ribs.

For head kicks the "lean back" is much preferred as a quick defense.

 

[Holmejr]

If you have to absorb the kick (not ideal but it happens a lot), if it's on the arms, you want to glue your arm to your body. So that your whole arm is tight to your body. Do this instead of reaching out to block.

If it is under the arm(and again assuming you don't have time to move your feet) you rotate slightly to take the kick more on the back than the ribs.

For head kicks the "lean back" is much preferred as a quick defense.

Agreed. Yes, we were taught the same. Just saying that these pro level fighters or even top amateurs kick at a really high level. In the video, it proves that the slightest miscalculation combined with that kind of power can be devastating.

 

[Jared Traveler]

Agreed. Yes, we were taught the same. Just saying that these pro level fighters or even top amateurs kick at a really high level. In the video, it proves that the slightest miscalculation combined with that kind of power can be devastating.

Yes, some times I still even reach out to block a low kick with my hand, like a complete novice. In fact my daughter broke my thumb that way a few months ago. At least I think it was broke, it sure hurt for a long time.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Kicking the arms​

It's a terrible feeling when your roundhouse kick meet your opponent's elbow joint.