
4 simple tricks to help you master rear foot fighting in Muay Thai
Fighting defensively is an aspect of Muay Thai synonymous with counterattacking. This means it is most effective when you are facing an aggressive fighter and can use their forward pressure and attack attempts to your advantage.
While, in essence, back foot fighting can simply be defined as scoring with kicks while moving away from your opponent, it’s much more complicated than that. Fighting off the back foot is an art form that involves more than the sweeping strikes of a counterattack as your opponent steps forward to strike.
In this article, we will describe 4 of the key tricks that you need to use if you want to be successful when fighting defensively. These techniques are deceptively simple; the key to their success is practicing them until you can achieve perfection with distance and timing. Each of them is a vital part of the counterfighting table, so if you want to perfect the art of fighting defensively, these next few paragraphs will be invaluable to your development.
First things first: find your range
While all of these techniques have been proven successful in Muay Thai for decades, none of them will be effective if you don’t know how to properly manage your reach. Reach management is the first and most important step in fighting defensively because, if you are not at the right distance from your opponent, either you will not have enough time to react to your opponent’s movements or he will not. be in range for your attacks.
To successfully fight off the back foot, you need to stay slightly out of the effective range of your opponent’s punches. This means they will have to take a step forward before they can land one of their straight punches on you.
Key techniques for fighting off the back foot
1) Angle changes
The most dangerous thing you can do when fighting off your back foot is to get stuck on a track where you only move backwards in a straight line. While taking a step or two backwards for the purpose of kicking your opponent while attacking is perfectly fine, the more forward momentum your opponent has, the more confident they will be and the more difficult it will be to maintain composure.
As a general rule, keep moving sideways so that your opponent has to adjust his position to keep you in his sights until you are ready to counter his attacks. If you feel pressured, use the jab and main hook to help you cut corners as they advance and position yourself directly in the line of fire only when you are ready to counter an attack.
2) Rotation
Angle changes work well when you’re not under considerable pressure, but if your opponent is charging forward and you don’t have the time or space to step back or keep them at bay with teeps, then you’ll need to rotate. out of the line of fire.
To rotate you need to take a step forward and plant your foot out of your opponent’s stance. Then, placing your glove on the outside of your opponent’s glove, push it across his body while turning your back leg ninety degrees, so that you are looking across both of your opponent’s shoulders. If they are charging forward, they will now be directly in the pocket and open up for a kick.
To rotate to the side of your back leg, first step forward into the opposite position, making sure your foot is planted outside theirs before turning ninety degrees. Here you will land in your non-dominant position, but you will have plenty of time to score with a kick and restore your preferred position before they can turn to face you.
3) Release steps
Drop-stepping is a term used to describe the act of stepping back into an alternate position while the opponent presses forward. As your opponent steps forward to deliver a straight punch, slide your front foot back in a straight line until your stance is reversed. As you do this, make sure your torso and head remain positioned evenly on both hips so that you clearly move away from incoming punches. Once you’re in your opponent’s stance, you can throw a kick to catch them as they punch or take a drop step a second time to return to your preferred stance.
4) Ruin
While back foot fighting relies on the ability to evade your opponent as they attempt to catch you at close range, it’s crucial to have a technique you can use in moments when you find yourself trapped against the ropes without a safety. possibility of escape.
Spoiling is the act of tying up your opponent in the clinch such that he cannot land any effective blows. Doing this when you are in a bad position forces the referee to call a break in the action where you can move yourself back to a safe zone to resume the counterattack.
When you get into the clinch, keep a firm guard so you don’t get caught by punches as you come in, and then, when you’re as close as possible, tie up your opponent’s arms, pressing your chest and hips so they don’t get close. I have no knee room. Do this by making sure you keep your weight evenly balanced on your hips so you don’t get knocked over.
While this may be a kickboxing fight, Superlek uses this spoiler technique to great effect in this 2020 bout against Fahdi Khaled.
You’ll notice that every time Superlek finds himself too close to evade Khaled’s powerful punches, he steps forward and hooks his arms over the Tunisian’s gloves, ruining his ability to unload with his weapons of choice and forcing the referee to break them so he can resume. kick safely.
Conclusion
Mastering the art of back foot fighting requires precision, distance management and the strategic use of techniques such as angle changes, rotation, drop-steps and spoilers. By honing these skills and practicing them diligently, you can effectively counter aggressive opponents while maintaining control and composure in the ring.
You might also like:
5 Ways to Close the Distance in Muay Thai
Evolve Mixed Martial Arts® is Asia’s leading martial arts championship brand. It has authentic world champions in Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, mixed martial arts, boxing, wrestling and No-Gi Grappling. Named the #1 martial arts organization in Asia by CNN, Yahoo! Sports, FOX Sports, ESPN StarSports, Tokyo Times and many other leading authorities, Evolve MMA aims to provide the best martial arts instruction available anywhere on the planet.