Many people who have never partaken in Muay Thai classes or training think that Thai Boxing doesn’t include any grappling. To a non-disciple, this makes total sense, as everybody knows it’s a striking-based martial art. However, that is much further from the truth than most people think.
Muay Thai includes various grappling techniques, such as clinching, throws, and sweeps. It’s one of the only martial arts that combine striking and grappling so elegantly and suitably. Therefore, you’ll learn to grapple and strike if you decide to partake in Muay Thai.
What we’ll do in this article is dissect and break down the different instances where Muay Thai meets with grappling. We’ll also understand why you can’t wear head guards in Muay Thai competitions and what this has to do with the fact that it includes grappling.
We have a lot to cover, and I’m excited to go through this article with you. Without further introduction, let’s dive into the article!
Grappling in Muay Thai
This part of the article will review the three main instances of grappling in Muay Thai. You’ll be able to understand how to use these properly and combine them with your fighting style.
If you haven’t already, combining these techniques in your Muay Thai fighting style will skyrocket your skills and capability as a fighter. You’ll be able to diversify your techniques and start winning more fights as a result of that.
I hope you’re ready to dive into grappling-based techniques in Muay Thai. These are fairly advanced, so, they’ll definitely boost your fighting skills and make you an all-around better fighter.
Let’s dive into the first one!
Clinching
The first type of grappling we’ll review is clinching. If you’re already training in Muay Thai, you know just how effective and useful it can be, especially if you’re an aggressive fighter who loves to use knees and elbows.
The clinch is initiated by reaching out and grabbing the back of the opponent’s neck, head, or arms, and then pulling them close to prevent them from creating space and striking effectively. Once in the clinch, fighters will jockey for position and attempt to gain control over each other’s body movements.
Using the clinch effectively requires practice and a basic understanding of why it’s useful. Explaining how you can use it effectively will require more than a single section in this article. This is why I wrote an article just on the topic of using the clinch effectively, which you can read by following the link!
Let me briefly explain why it’s effective. Clinching allows you to get close to your opponent so you can initiate close-range strikes. However, there’s also another benefit to using it.
You’ll be able to throw and sweep your opponent, which is another form of grappling in The Art of Eight Limbs. This leads us perfectly to the following type of grappling in Muay Thai.
Throws
The next type of grappling in Muay Thai is throws. These are one of the most effective ways of gaining points in competitions and asserting your dominance in the fight.
Throws are, as the name suggests, when you throw your opponent to the ground. These are executed primarily from the clinch, as you’ll be able to manipulate your opponent and knock him off-balance and lead him to the ground.
Imagine getting thrown to the ground in a Muay Thai fight, or for the sake of clarity, in a real fight. How will you feel? It’s likely that you’ll feel inferior in the fight, which is why throws are so effective.
For the most part, they’re used in grappling-based martial arts, such as BJJ, Judo, and Wrestling. Muay Thai gives you the opportunity and the privilege of learning this type of grappling in a striking-based martial art, which makes for an awesome combination.
- Dump
- Side Body Throw
- Forward Body Throw
- Fireman’s Carry
- Backward Body Throw
Sweeps
The third type of grappling in Muay Thai is sweeps. This is very similar to throws, but not quite the same. Sweeps are when you create pressure on the opponent’s legs to knock them off-balance. On the other hand, throws are when you knock the opponent off-balance and lead them to the ground, either from their upper or lower body.
Sweeps are also typically seen in Judo, BJJ, and Wrestling, which are pure grappling martial arts. This is why I absolutely love Muay Thai. It combines grappling and striking to create the ultimate fighting style.
And this, once again, leads us to the last type of grappling (not really a type of its own, but a critical concept to understand.)
Striking Combined With Grappling
The last concept we’ll discuss is something important to understand. From my vast experience with many fighting styles, Muay Thai combines striking and grappling in the best way. Therefore, its effectiveness outcompetes other martial arts that try to do the same.
In Muay Thai competitions, there’s no headgear. Try to think why that’s the case.
There’s no headgear in Muay Thai competitions and tournaments because it doesn’t allow grappling to exist as naturally. When you’re in the clinch, you want to grip the opponent’s head, neck, and the entire area around that to gain as much control as possible. The more control you have in the clinch, the more options you have to continue.
That’s why Muay Thai is one of the best martial arts, which includes both grappling and striking.
Final Words
So grappling does exist in The Art of Eight Limbs. Many non-Muay Thai trainees think that it’s solely a striking-based martial art. While you and I can understand where they’re coming from, it’s not close to the truth.
Plenty of instances confirm the fact that grappling exists in Muay Thai, as you saw in this article. It’s critical you focus on both the aspects of striking and grappling, as that’ll ensure you optimize your learning and progression rate.
If you want to learn more about Muay Thai’s best sweeps and throws, follow this link! You must know these to consider yourself good at grappling and Muay Thai.
Here are other articles you’ll benefit from:
7 Powerful Muay Thai Styles – Which One Are You?
10 Ways to Increase Elbow Power in Muay Thai (Sharpen Elbows)
Elbow Techniques in Muay Thai – The 5 Best Ones You Must Know