In the electrifying world of Muay Thai, where speed, power, and precision reign supreme, every practitioner quickly learns that defense is just as crucial as offense. As you step into the ring or engage in sparring sessions, being able to effectively counter your opponent’s attacks can be the game-changer that leads you to victory.
So this is what we’ll learn to do in this article. We’ll learn to counter effectively using the same methods that the best Muay Thai fighters on the globe use all the time. I also like using these, as I find them to be the most suitable and effective ones.
Here’s what you’ll be able to do after you finish reading this article. First, and most importantly, you’ll have all the knowledge you need to start countering effectively using seven different methods, which we’ll review in this article.
Second, and lastly, you’ll understand the importance of defense and continue learning more about defensive moves in Muay Thai. The bigger your technique arsenal is, the more competent you’ll be as a fighter.
Without further introduction, I don’t want to keep you waiting too long, so let’s dive straight into the meat of the article.
#1 – Catch and Sweep
The first way we’ll review can apply whenever the opponent throws a kick at you. When that happens and you spot it beforehand, you can catch the kick and go for a sweep. If you didn’t know, sweeps and throws are legal to use in Muay Thai, which opens up endless opportunities.
However, catching the opponent’s kick and sweeping him is one of the best options for countering effectively in Muay Thai.
If your opponent throws a kick, you can catch their leg and sweep their standing leg. This requires good timing and balance but can be highly effective when executed correctly. With proper practice and timing, catching kicks becomes easier.
If you don’t know how to catch kicks in Muay Thai, I wrote a complete guide to doing so, which you can read by following the link. It’s one of the most important defensive moves you can learn to boost your defensive skills and become a much more capable fighter.
This is the first effective way to counter in Muay Thai. By the way, the approach I encourage you to take with this article to maximize your learning rate is to take one technique and focus only on it. This will allow you to develop muscle memory quicker, which is what you want.
#2 – Clinch Work
The second way to counter effectively in Muay Thai is to engage in the clinch. If you don’t know what it is, it’s when you get in close-range with your opponent and control his upper body with hand grips.
I wrote a few articles on clinching in Muay Thai, which you want to ensure you read if that’s something that interests you. The first article describes how to use the clinch effectively, which you can read by following the first link, and the second is whether the clinch is a legal technique in Muay Thai and how to use it so you won’t get disqualified.
Engaging in the clinch can be an excellent way to counter your opponent’s strikes. You can control their movement, disrupt their balance, and deliver your own strikes from the clinch.
Once your opponent throws a punch or a kick at you, you can evade it and get close. You can also close the distance by throwing a strike of your own, preferably a hook, elbow, or knee strike. This will allow you to get close to your opponent and get into the clinch while maximizing damage output.
I love to get into the clinch as a counter, especially if I was able to evade the strike the opponent threw at me, either by using the slip, bob and weave, check, or parry.
I encourage you to experiment with the clinch to see why it’s so useful and effective for yourself by using it in spars and fights.
#3 – Use Elbows and Knees
Muay Thai is famous for its devastating elbow and knee strikes. When your opponent closes the distance, use these close-quarters strikes to counter effectively. This is a great way to maximize damage when your opponent aims to go for the clinch.
In many other striking-based martial arts, elbows and knees are illegal. So you want to utilize all the tools you have available, which are also elbows and knees in this case.
And you can also use elbows and knees to inflict damage onto your opponent quickly when he gets closer to you, as that’s one of the best uses for these types of close-range strikes.
Many fighters overlook elbows and knees and only throw kicks and punches. This phenomenon is especially common among novice fighters, as they don’t understand the effectiveness and importance of these close-range strikes yet. But, with time, these fighters will understand it alone, primarily when they get hit in the face or body with a MEAN knee or elbow.
Remember, wise fighters learn from the mistakes of others, and not just their own. I’m telling you a mistake many novice fighters make, which you want to note either in your head or on paper and implement into your fighting game.
#4 – Slipping and Countering
Practice slipping or evading your opponent’s strikes by moving your head and upper body. Once you slip a strike, quickly counter with your own strikes, taking advantage of their momentarily compromised position.
At first, the slip and counter will feel weird. However, once you step outside of your point of view and see how it looks from the outside, you’ll understand why it’s such an effective way of countering. I recommend filming yourself in a sparring session and trying to use the slip and counter; see how good it looks from the outside.
You see professional Muay Thai fighters slip and counter all the time, and that’s for a good reason. It’s one of the most effective ways to counter out there. As a result, it’ll be worth investing time into it, as you’ll be able to use one of the primary ways that the pros use.
The one I want you to start with is the slip-hook combination. Let’s say your opponent throws a cross to your right, so you slip to the left. Then, you have a suitable opening to hit your opponent from the left side, and the best strike you can use is either the uppercut or hook. So the slip-hook and the slip-uppercut—are the best to start with. I find tons of success using these.
#5 – Redirecting Strikes
Instead of directly countering, you can redirect your opponent’s strikes to create openings for your counters. For example, if they throw a powerful punch, use your forearm to redirect it slightly off target, then follow up with a strike of your own.
Redirecting your opponent’s strikes is a widely known and used defensive move in many martial arts. In its official name, it’s called Parry. If you’re interested in learning to parry properly, follow the link to read a complete guide I wrote on it.
You can also redirect kicks, which is a bit tougher. You can do that by checking, which is another excellent defensive move in Muay Thai and in other martial arts that include kicks. Checking is raising your knee to your chest, which you can end by redirecting the opponent’s leg back, which will disrupt his balance and allow you an opening.
So this is how you redirect punches and kicks using the parry and the check. If you want to learn more about Muay Thai’s best defensive moves you must know to call yourself a fighter, follow this link.
Once you redirect the opponent’s strike, whether it’s a kick or punch, you create an opening to get inside and cause some substantial damage. You can use elbows, knee strikes, and other strikes, such as the jab, cross, hook, uppercut, and overhand punch.
#6 – Counter with Kicks
The sixth way to counter effectively in Muay Thai is by using kicks. This is very important, so pay close attention to this section, as I’m about to reveal one of the primary ways professional Muay Thai fighters use to counter effectively.
Let’s say your opponent throws a jab at you. From your perspective, the right side is open for a strike. What you can do is slip to the right and hit a fierce right-body hook. Another option you have is to take the jab without hesitation, using your guard, of course, and throwing a body kick to his right. This will surprise him to the point where he won’t be able to even respond.
Similarly, you can counter kicks with kicks. For example, if your opponent throws a low kick, you can respond with a teep (front kick) to disrupt their balance.
You can also combine the check with throwing a kick. For instance, if your opponent throws a low kick, you block it using a check and throw any type of kick with the leg you choose. If you want to use the same leg you checked the kick with, you have to return to your fighting stance quickly and release the kick as quickly as possible.
On the other hand, you can also throw a kick with the other leg, the one you didn’t check with, and cause tons of damage while being less expected.
Experiment with both ways for optimized learning.
#7 – Counter with Punches
When your opponent throws a strike, counter with a well-timed punch. For example, if they throw a roundhouse kick, a quick straight punch to their exposed side can catch them off guard. Likewise, if your opponent throws a low kick, you can counter with a cross-low kick combination, as he’s going to be more vulnerable.
Play around with the different strikes, and most importantly, use your brain. If you’re in closer range to your opponent, use the uppercut, hook, or straight elbow. However, from longer ranges, the jab, cross, and overhand punch are going to be more suitable.
Let’s say your opponent throws a 1-2 and hits you in the face. Alright. You have two primary options here. First, you can accept that you got caught and accept defeat, which I never recommend. The second option is to counter back using any strike out there. Because we’re currently discussing punches, let’s review the best counters that include punches.
The first counter in that instance is to throw a 1-2 of your own. Furthermore, you can close the distance and enter the clinch while optimizing damage output when you close the distance. The last thing you want to do is just walk until you’re in clinching range. You want to throw a punching combination that ends with an elbow strike. Then, you’ll be in range to clinch and dominate your opponent.
You can also use a quick low kick to counter the 1-2. However, I also say that a strike to the face is almost always more valuable and will be worth more points, especially a combination like the 1-2.
Final Words
In the world of Muay Thai, being able to read your opponent’s moves and respond with well-timed counters can be the difference between victory and defeat. The seven best ways to counter effectively that we’ve explored here are powerful tools in your arsenal, and they can only get sharper with consistent training and application.
My recommendation is to find a training partner you like and want to train with and do some pad work. Using Thai pads will allow you to practice with movement, which is much more valuable than just training on the heavy bag. Your partner will be able to throw hits at you, which is critical for practicing real-time movement.
Here are other articles you’ll benefit from reading:
The 10 Best Strength Exercises for Muay Thai – Increase Power!
5 Muay Thai Heavy Bag Drills That’ll Boost Your Fighting Skills
Muay Thai Defensive Moves – The 9 Best Ones You MUST Know