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Muay Thai Clinch WorkFiled Under: Instruction, Resources

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Note: This article was written by one of my students, Garland Hummel. In my MMA class up at the University of Utah, I asked my students to write a short paper, and his is excellent. He used a number of books at videos as reference (some of which I’ve interspersed in the post), along with his Muay Thai training. He goes over some basic and advanced clinch work and considerations. With his express permission, I present,

The Clutches of Siam: Gross Prummb/Clinch 101

By Garland Hummel

Forward

It seems to me a great injustice to divorce an aspect of an art from the context in which it is rightfully found, both culturally (as it is indisputable that each and every martial art has a culture all its own, even distinct and unique from its ethnic and national roots) and physically (that is to be isolated out without giving any thought to the techniques, tactics, and strategies that support it’s use) without at least a nod or tribute to the art in it’s entirety and a word of wisdom to the reader… The art of Muay Thai must be experienced to be understood. Its techniques may be taken out of their original context and used or modified to fit, and quite effectively I might add, in mixed martial arts events or cross-trained into other venues…but it should be recognized that this is not the full extent of this rich and beautiful expression of the human form. ALL martial arts and combat sports can and should be seen as modalities through which an individual can examine him or herself under great scrutiny and model and forge themselves into the best individuals they can be. Martial arts are an exercise in holistic totality, and an expression of the self.

What is the Clinch?

The clinch, also known as the prummb (plam, plum, plumb, plam lam, etc.) in Thai boxing can be succinctly called a range of standing grappling. The clinching range is essentially when you can reach your opponent’s head and they can reach yours. This is the range where “all guns fire”, that is, any and all weapons possessed by an individual fighter or combatant can be employed. From the clinching range you may kick, punch, elbow, knee, head butt, throw, choke, or utilize joint manipulations, and whomever you may be facing will be able to do the same.

In Western boxing, it is not uncommon to see tired fighters collapse on one another or even hold one another from this range. When boxers do this, the mentality is that by being close, they are able to muffle their opponent’s punches while they catch their breath or recover after having their bell rung. It is imperative that this not be considered similar to the extremely intricate and complex art of the prummb, which uses fulcrums, leverage, and unbalancing of the opponent in order to maintain dominance during a fight. In short, unlike in boxing, the Muay Thai clinch is a position of power and skill for a fighter, not a position of recovery nor of temporary frailty.

If a wrestler were to stumble into a boxing camp (a training facility for Thai kickboxers which can be compared more to a barracks than to a dojo or kwoon) in Thailand, they would probably recognize some of the clinch drills employed by the boxers as being similar or even identical to ones they employ during their pummeling drills. Thai clinch work can and does involve wrist wrestling, wrestling for the elbows, wrestling for the body, and ultimately wrestling for the neck.

When practicing, the boxers will fight for position, with both hands at the back of the head being the prize. The exchange will go back and forth as the fighters each try to gain this position and maintain it for as long as they can, like a sort of two person “king of the hill”. In a fight, they would use this position to drag or jerk the opponent’s face into their knee or frame the opponent’s face for a brutal cutting, spearing, or clubbing elbow.

In fact, from the clinching range, multiple styles of knees and elbows can be employed even without establishing a superior position from the clinch, or even initiating it. Due to the efficacy of these techniques, which are without a doubt the best and most powerful tools in the strikers’ arsenal at this range, the fighters will generally only throw light (as in 30-40%) curve knees to their partner’s thighs or ribs when training.

Manipulating the Head

The classical image of a Muay Thai clinch is when the fighter had both of his arms on the inside of his opponent’s with his hands grabbing the back of his opponent’s head. When a Thai boxer grabs an opponent’s head, they generally cup one hand around the back of the neck, followed by the other. This is a superior position in Thai boxing, which each fighter in the clinch may strive for, because it allows a fighter to pull their opponent’s head down in order to knee it. They cup the hands over each other, as interlacing the fingers is 1) impossible to do with boxing gloves and 2) dangerous and could lead to broken fingers. This cupped hand posture could also be described as a four fingered “monkey paw” grip, which can be assisted by the thumbs for directing the spatial positioning of the opponent’s head. The ideal position of the hands should initially be resting over the muscles on the back of the neck and at the base of the skull. From here all a fighter needs to do is curl the opponent’s head forward and down in order to break their posture.

The idea of moving the head forward has to do with leverage and skill, not simply trying to muscle an opponent’s head down. A smart fighter may push an opponent’s head backwards or to the side, or begin weaving their arms through the opponent’s in order to get them to relax their neck before jerking it violently down. The fighter’s forearms on the ulnar side should rest over the opponent’s clavicles at about the middle. In wrestling this is called a necktie. The fighter also wants to keep their head as close as possible to their opponent’s in order to prevent head butts and elbows. Space in the clinch is your enemy. The only time you want space is when you pull the opponent down into your knees or jerk them straight down to the floor.

A mean fighter may shave three to four days prior to a fight and let the stubble grow in order to make this even more uncomfortable, using the stubble on their chins like sandpaper on the opponent’s face and neck. As the head is pulled down, the monkey paw grip may move upwards to the occipital bone on the back of the skull and the fulcrum being used may switch from being the triangulation of the neck, forearm and collarbones to the back of the head, the tops of the collarbone and the elbows which could be ground in if the fighter so desires.

During the whole transition, even if the fighter is trying to trick the opponent into relaxing their neck, they should be pulling in and down on the back of the opponent’s head. Being able to manipulate the opponent’s head allows a fighter to control their balance and, hence, the rest of their body. A good saying that goes along with this is; “where the head goes, the body follows*.”

Fighting and Escaping the Clinch

When working the clinch, in order to engage in an almost dialectical back and forth exchange fighting for position, it is necessary to know how to break an opponent’s clinch and establish yourself in a superior position.

Usually the first method taught to fighters is to weave your hands, one at a time, inside of your opponents when they establish the full clinch (a.k.a. double neck ties). This effectively puts you in the superior position where you can pull your opponent’s head down, but don’t be fooled; your opponent can still fight from here with knees and “dirty boxing” type punches. It is important to maintain good posture while in the clinch to prevent your head from being pulled down. It is also as important to the person defending the clinch as to the person going for it to minimize space between their bodies. An upright back with the hips pushed forward is the posture you want, with your stance consisting of your feet pointing out at 45-degree angles slightly deeper than your shoulder’s width apart. I have heard this stance referred to as duck-footed.

Other ways of getting the superior position include using the forearm like a fulcrum (pry-bar) between (i.e. one part on top, one part under) the opponent’s arms in order to pry their grip apart. Pushing up on their triceps if they give you space will also break their grip. There are other methods where standing chicken-wings and even standing chokes can be established while fighting for position, or use of the elbows or knees to the arms can facilitate gaining a superior position.

Should your opponent succeed in breaking your posture and pulling your head down, there are a few methods available to you. Using both hands to grab around their waist and using your radius on the small of their back as you wrench them in half is a good way to fold them over and make them fall. This is a lot like trying to bear hug to break the back. Another way to escape this compromising position is to place one hand or fist into the opponent’s hip to create space and shove the other hand up to the back of the neck to establish a single neck tie and pull yourself up (push hip, thread through). Certainly in a mixed martial arts competition, shooting in for a double or a single leg would also be a good way to get out of the knee to face, patellar-maxillary ( :p ) junction that is the ultimate prize of the Muay Thai clinch.

Unbalancing the Opponent

While fighting for the clinch, Thai kickboxers can resemble twirling dervishes as they spin around the ring in circles and semi-circles. This is a result of the fighters trying to unbalance each other by twisting their opponents around. The boxers accomplish this while either in the full clinch, or what is called a 50-50 clinch wherein each fighter has one necktie and one hand on the other person’s elbow (i.e. their opponent’s elbow where they have their necktie sunk in). From here the fighters pull their opponent’s head down at roughly a 45 degree angle with one arm and at the same time use the same side leg to make a sweeping semi-circular rotation to twirl and unbalance their opponent. This technique will sometimes even cause an opponent to tumble over themselves, but the goal is simply to loosen the opponent up a bit and break their posture. This twirling of the body is usually followed up by curved knees to the opponent’s exposed side, back, or front, and can make prized targets such as the kidneys, base of the spine, liver, floating ribs, and even the solar plexus available to a fighter.

It is also not uncommon to see a fighter jerk the opponent’s head over to the other side of theirs in the clinch. This is done with the same intentions and to always keep the opponent from getting their head together. Sometimes they will do this while firing staccato, machine gun fire like straight short knees into their opponent’s body and thighs as they alternately pull their opponent’s head to either side of theirs.

At a more advanced level, throws (there are many throws legal in Thai boxing, however hip throws are not, but the opportunities for many types of throws are rich here) and trips can be incorporated into this exchange. (A good source for these tools are Kru Greg Nelson’s videos on the clinch.)

Knees from the Clinch

As hinted at in the other sections of this paper, there is a plethora of knee strikes in the Thai arsenal, and Thai kickboxers are masters of the knee. The first type of knee taught in Thai boxing is the long lead knee, which is delivered from the lead leg and goes up, out, and in to an opponent, as if trying to spear through their abdomen to their spine with the tip of the knee. When doing this in Thai boxing, the supporting leg pivots back and goes on the tips of the toes to allow for maximum reach and power, and the hips arch back for the same reason. The toes of the leg delivering the knee are flexed downward to pull on the tibia and expose the boney surface as a weapon. This knee can be delivered outside of the clinch, but is more formidable if the opponent is pulled into it. Using this knee in the clinch is one of the few times when a Thai boxer will intentionally make space in the clinch.

A another knee that can be fired off from long range like the long lead knee is called dte khao, or the “half knee kick” which is executed like a round kick which comes in at a more diagonal or even horizontal angle. This knee is best thrown after having caught a kick or after grabbing the neck and the opponent’s triceps, or even when exiting the clinch when throwing out an opponent using the aforementioned twirling method.

While in the clinch and fighting for position, staccato, rapid fire “rabbit knees” can be thrown to the legs or abdomen. These resemble the long knees, but don’t require a full extension of the hips through the arching of the back.

Perhaps the most prolific clinch knee is the curved knee, which is thrown by swinging the hip of the kneeing leg into an opponent at a horizontal angle. This is done in training with the inside of the thigh, but in a fight, the medial condyle of the tibia is the striking surface, if not the patella if the fighter has the necessary hip flexibility or has created the correct angle via the manipulation of their opponent’s body.

There are of course, a vast array of other knees found in Muay Thai, some of which are legal for competition and others that were developed for the brutal bare-knuckle matches of ancient Muay Boran matches that lasted until the turn of the century and the battlefield weapons art that spawned Muay Thai, krabbi krabong. Some of the fancier knees, such as the climbing knee, the flying knee, and Gorn Ling Preel (which requires the fighter to duck a round kick and then launch a jumping knee into an opponent’s exposed back) can be seen in modern competition, but are rare and difficult to execute against a skilled opponent, and hence are sometimes awarded with special financial bonuses if used in competitive fights.

Besides knees, straight legged kicks delivered with the inside of the shin, foot stomps, pecks with the heel, and “shrimping” (blocking incoming knees by controlling the opponent’s hip using the shin as a break) with the crus (lower leg) can give a fighter an edge in the clinch.

Conditioning for the Clinch

As anyone who tries wrestling for the neck for the first time can tell you, the muscles in that area become exhausted quickly and fighting for the position itself can be quite a chore if you aren’t used to that type of strain. It is not uncommon to see Thai fighters chomping down on a chain held between a t-shirt and loaded down with plate weights to develop their necks. This type of hardcore training will certainly help develop your necking, but can also chip and damage your teeth. A safer alternative can be found in a head harness type of apparatus that works on the same principle of lifting a weighted chain with a nodding motion. Sometimes you may even find gyms that include freestanding devices designed to work the neck, many of which were made with the needs of football players in mind, but work absolute wonders for the Thai boxer also. For beginners, simply nodding the head quickly and fully in each direction will help increase flexibility and strength in the neck muscles. When doing this particular “head banging” exercise, repetitions in the hundreds are needed for it to be effective.

The clinching movements facilitated by the arms can best be developed through calisthenics such as push-ups and rope climbing or pull-ups, and weight training exercises such as triceps extensions, biceps curls, and lat pulls. Also applicable to the clinch can be wrestlers’ bridges front to back, side to side, and around.

Of course, as with most martial or combative training, Sigung Bruce Lee’s adage holds true; “the best training for something is the thing itself.” Working the prummb is certainly the best way to incorporate muscular development and skill development at the same time. It has also been said that a strong neck can prevent knockouts due to contra-coup type injuries and minimize the disorientation caused by punches that effect brain areas and sensory organs located in the inner ear that deal with linear and angular acceleration of the head.

Consulted

Villalobos, Pedro. 2002. Fighting Strategies of Muay Thai. pp.114-119.

Spour, Bob. 2004. Ultimate Muay Thai. pp. 52-58, 87-106.

Moore, Tony. 2004. Muay Thai: The Essential Guide to Mastering the Art. pp. 69-73.

Nelson, Greg. 2001. Greg Nelson’s Clinch: Vol 1 & 2. Edges2, inc.

Also…all accolades to: Ajarn Surachai “Chai” Sirasute (President of the TBA), Khuen Khru Will Bernales (Owner Bernales Institute, formerly Kalista Academy of Martial Arts) Ajarn Sakasem “The Punisher” Kathawong (Former head instructor of the Muay Thai Institute of Kunponli), Kru Brian Yamasaki and Coach Brandon Kiser (Owners and instructors of Mushin Self Defense).

Other posts you may enjoy:

• Natural Combination: Elbows and Knees from the Thai Clinch
• Learning Basic Pummeling
• Adavanced Clinch Attacks: Knees

Tags: clinch fighting, clinching, muay thai clinch, plumb clinch, thai clinch