3 Counter-Kicking Drills To Practice For Muay Thai

In Muay Thai, a spherical is damaged down into dozens of small exchanges and, until a knockdown takes place, the winner of a spherical, and inevitably the battle, comes right down to who wins probably the most of those exchanges. Although the Muay Thai scoring standards are extraordinarily intricate, as a basic rule you’ll be able to assume that the fighter who lands the ultimate scoring approach in an in any other case even commerce will win an change.

It is because of this proven fact that counter-kicking is a useful ability in Muay Thai. With the ability to climate the storm of an assault with composure, land a kick, after which disengage earlier than your opponent can reply exhibits an entire vary of expertise which might be certain to impress the judges. These expertise hardly ever come naturally to fighters and subsequently should be skilled persistently in order that they will win these exchanges.

On this article, we’re going to give 3 nice counter-kicking drills that you should utilize in coaching to develop this pivotal Muay Thai ability. With sufficient coaching, you’ll be capable to masterfully management exchanges and overcome immense stress so as to finish every commerce forward on the scorecards.

So, with out additional introduction, listed here are 3 drills that you should utilize to sharpen your counter-kicking approach.

1) Kick Tennis

Kick tennis is a straightforward drill that trains you to at all times seek for alternatives to land the final kick in an change and may be stratified in plenty of alternative ways to extend or lower the problem of the drill.

The goal of this drill is to win a single change the place you’re solely allowed to kick your opponent and the winner is the one who manages to land the final kick earlier than there’s a pause within the motion, very like in tennis the place a rally continues till somebody is unable to hit the tennis ball again throughout the web.

Listed below are some frequent methods to coach with the kick-tennis drill:

Gamers can solely physique kick and block (examine) utilizing each legs.
Gamers can solely physique kick, block (examine), and catch and teep/throw.
Gamers can solely physique kick, block (examine), catch and throw, and lean again to keep away from kicks.
Gamers can solely do the entire above but additionally sweep/defend sweeps.

As you’ll be able to see this drill may be expanded upon to extend the problem relying in your ability stage. The thought of this drill will not be solely to have the ability to land a scoring physique kick however to additionally be capable to defend in opposition to your opponent’s counters and search for alternatives to disengage from an change when you have got received the lead.

2) Instigator And Responder Sparring

Every change is damaged down into very particular phases. The primary is the opening strike and an opponent’s preliminary response to it. The second part could be the returning strike that the defender throws and the preliminary striker’s response to it. The variety of potential phases to change is infinite as it should proceed till somebody ultimately wins by disengaging after touchdown a scoring approach. (The belief right here is that this can be a comparatively even change and subsequently the ultimate strike will show who’s dominant).

On this sparring drill, the companions are given separate roles of instigator and responder. The thought is that one of many fighters should at all times provoke the primary part of an change, enjoying the aggressive position in order that their opponent has to take care of composure beneath stress so as to counter the tried strike or, almost definitely, rating on the second part. The instigator then both must efficiently defend this second part or guarantee they’ve the composure to reply with a 3rd part assault.

Not solely is that this an amazing drill for counter-kicking, but it surely additionally trains the instigator to use managed stress by using low-risk strategies in order that they aren’t weak to second-phase assaults and are capable of be in the suitable place to reply with a third-phase strike if want be.

3) Puncher vs Kicker Sparring

The puncher vs kicker sparring drill emulates the basic conflict of Muay Mat (Puncher)/Muay Bouk (aggressor) vs Muay femur (counter-fighter) types in order that the kicker grows accustomed to the relentless ahead stress that this fashion of fighter must make use of so as to overcome the scoring drawback that this fashion of combating faces.

Naturally, this drill usually falls into a really predictable rhythm. The puncher will stalk ahead with punches to which the kicker will reply. The puncher then must double down, normally carrying a kick so as to land punches of their very own. This development naturally trains a counter kicker to climate a storm of punches to outscore their opponent, utilizing ringwork and management to keep away from being caught in corners or in opposition to ropes the place a puncher is most harmful.

Alternatively, it trains a puncher to do the other and they’ll get higher at slicing off the ring and outscoring a kicker, making them a more difficult opponent for a counter-kicker to face which in flip will increase the requirements of each combating types.

In Abstract

Counter-kicking is a really efficient fashion of combating beneath the normal Muay Thai ruleset, however it’s a ability that hardly ever comes naturally. There are three key expertise concerned in turning into an amazing counter kicker; sustaining composed in thoughts and physique while beneath stress, with the ability to perceive how an change is scored while it’s unfolding, and with the ability to management the stream of an change as a way to exit it when you’re forward on factors. The drills we’ve got included right here permit you to practice all three of them directly.

Like all type of coaching, we suggest beginning every of the drills mild and sluggish, constructing the depth as your expertise and luxury with them enhance and, in case you decide to drilling these persistently, it received’t be lengthy till you’re snug in each part of an change, capable of management the stream of a battle to your will.

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