Alright. Let’s get straight to the point. After you finish reading this article, you’ll be able to throw a fierce Spinning Back Elbow. In fact, I guarantee that if you implement the steps I’ll present to you in this article and invest enough effort into your perfecting them, you’ll be able to finish fights using it, regardless if you’re doing MMA, Muay Thai, or any other striking-based martial art, such as Kickboxing.
Knowing how to throw proper strikes is critical both for self-defense and competing in the martial arts we’re discussing today. Furthermore, the more you know, the more likely you are to be successful in fights. In fact, this rule applies to almost everything in life; the more you know, the more options you’ll have. Hence, the more likely you are to get things right.
I want to dive straight into the point; so let’s begin with the first, and perhaps most important, section of this article. This section is going to break down the six steps on your journey to perfecting the spinning back elbow. Let’s get straight into step #1.
Table of Contents
How to Throw a Spinning Back Elbow (The Right Way)
Are Spinning Back Elbows Effective?
How to Throw a Spinning Back Elbow (The Right Way)
Let’s commence this article with the most important section. I want you to pay close attention, as that’ll allow you to learn the fundamentals quickly and ensure you’re on your way to Spinning Back Elbow perfection.
If there was one section I could force you to pay attention to, this would be it. Let’s delve into step #1 and understand how to perform the Spinning Back Elbow flawlessly.
Step #1 – Identify the Opportunity
The first step is to identify the opportunity. As the title suggests, you want to observe your opponent. You’ll soon realize that the primary difference between times you were successful with the Spinning Back Elbow and the times you weren’t—is your opponent.
Indeed, your opponent dictates a large portion of whether you’ll be successful with this strike.
The Spinning Back Elbow is best used when your opponent is close to you, and their positioning allows you to execute the technique without losing balance or getting countered easily.
While it may sound overly general, it’s the most specific I can get with this setup. The best way to understand which opportunities are suitable for you to go for the Spinning Back Elbow is to get in the ring and fight. You want to make observing your opponent a habit. If you do so, you’ll find yourself progressing quicker than the other fighters.
Focus on the basics. Let’s get straight into the next step.
Step #2 – Choose a Direction
Decide which direction you want to spin. You can choose to spin clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on your preference and your opponent’s position.
This, again, is best explained from experience. The only advice I’ll feel confident in giving you is to get to your fighting gym and fight more often. When you spar, your brain processes many opportunities and comes up with the most suitable option.
If you deliberately focus on the Spinning Back Elbow and make it a habit to recognize, you’ll be able to make looking for it a habit, which is what we’re looking to achieve.
So the second step is to choose a direction.
Step #3 – Set Up the Spin
Let’s now talk about momentum. What you want to achieve with this strike is maximum force. We all know that the more force you’re able of generating, the more damage (hence, pain) you’ll be able to inflict upon your opponent. This step is about being able to generate more force with your spin.
To initiate the spin, you can use a slight step forward with your lead foot (the foot closest to your opponent). This step will create momentum for the spin.
Sometimes, however, this slight step forward with your lead foot won’t be suitable. It’ll end up hurting you more than benefiting you. If that’s the case, it might be a better option to seek another striking opportunity. However, if you still think the Spinning Back Elbow is the most suitable choice here, then you can still execute it.
While I wouldn’t call this step optional, it’s something you can not do if it helps you to inflict more damage. However, you still want to make sure you understand which option is the best and follow through on it.
Step #4 – Rotate the Hips and Shoulders
What we’ll cover now is something extremely important. The reason I’m saying this is because many fighters seem to overlook this step. You want to avoid doing so, as that’ll make you less likely to (1) get the Spinning Back Elbow right, (2) knockout your opponent with it, and (3) cause substantial damage with it.
This strike should not be used often, as you can imagine. However, when you do use it, you want to inflict as much damage as possible. And I genuinely mean that.
As you step forward, start rotating your hips and shoulders in the direction of the spin. Your back foot should pivot on the ball of your foot to facilitate the rotation.
Make sure to always be on the ball of your foot. You learn to be on the ball of your foot in the first class about footwork, where you’re doing Muay Thai, MMA, or Kickboxing. It doesn’t matter. You want to stay light on your feet.
Read more about Muay Thai’s basic footwork skills you must possess as a fighter by following this link.
Lastly, you want to start rotating your hips and shoulders in the direction of the spin. And I remind you, your elbow should not be up yet, as that’ll make the fact that you’re going for the Spinning Back Elbow clear to your opponent, allowing him to dodge it.
Step #5 – Bring the Elbow Up
Now that you’ve started rotating, you want to bring your elbow up high. This is the first step you’re going to be doing that’ll really make it 100% clear to the opponent that you’ve chosen to execute the Spinning Back Elbow. So from now on, you want to amp up the pace, if you haven’t already. Your opponent knows it’s coming, so you better speed things up if you want to have any chance of hitting it on target.
As your body rotates, bring your elbow on the side you’re spinning towards (left elbow if spinning counterclockwise, right elbow if spinning clockwise) up to head level. Keep your forearm close to your face for protection.
Step #6 – Strike with the Elbow
As your body completes the spin, unleash the power in your elbow by extending it forward and towards your target. The strike should be quick and forceful, aimed at your opponent’s head or upper body.
This is an excruciating hit. If you didn’t miss a single step out of the six, you’re extremely likely to inflict tons of damage onto your opponent, which is precisely what I aimed for in this article.
As of right now, you might not yet completely understand how you’re supposed to generate extreme levels of power with the Spinning Back Elbow. However, I assure you that if you implement all six steps and perform them properly, you’ll be able to cause significant amounts of damage with this hit.
I think it’s important you learn visually as well; so here’s one of the videos that helped me understand this move better and understand when to use it.
Are Spinning Back Elbows Effective?
The Spinning Back Elbow provides many benefits. Its surprise factor is much bigger than a regular punch or kick. Therefore, your opponent will not expect you to go for it in your fight with him. It’s important you understand this point if you want to become a much better fighter almost instantly.
The Spinning Back Elbow is an exceptionally effective technique in MMA, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, self-defense, and street fights—because it allows you to inflict extreme amounts of damage onto your opponent while being less expected and not risking yourself as much as with a regular straight elbow.
Make sure to learn to perform this technique properly if you have any desire of inflicting a lot of damage with it in any instance and any fight. The six steps I provided in this article are a great basis to start with.
When you feel comfortable enough with this technique, you can advance into the more advanced details on your way to perfecting the Spinning Back Elbow!
Spinning Back Elbow Set Ups
What we’ll do now, which is going to unravel the last step on your way to throwing the perfect Spinning Back Elbow—is review three setups you want to experiment with.
These will help you hit the Spinning Back Elbow more often, which will make you a more capable fighter. So if you want to ensure your success with this strike, ensure you play around with these setups.
Let’s now dive into the first one.
Bob and Weave Into a Spinning Back Elbow
The Bob and Weave is one of the fundamental defensive techniques in many fighting styles, including Muay Thai, MMA, Kickboxing, and even Boxing. It’s especially suitable in Boxing, where you can’t use kicks, only punches.
Anyways, once you Bob and Weave, you want to immediately turn into the direction you spun in, which will surprise the opponent even further, allowing you to control the fight and dictate its pace.
If you don’t know how to Bob and Weave properly, you can follow this link to read a complete guide I wrote about it.
Jab to a Spinning Back Elbow
The next setup I’ll review is the jab to a Spinning Back Elbow. This is the simplest setup there is since everyone knows to use the jab. Furthermore, there’s something special about this setup, let me tell you exactly what it is.
Your opponents will not see the Spinning Back Elbow coming after the jab. There are so many other combinations you can use after the jab. As a result, your opponents will simply not see it coming.
All in all, this is a setup you want to try out, as it might be your next favorite combination.
Teep Into a Spinning Back Elbow
The last setup I’ll review is the teep into the Spinning Back Elbow. I see the teep as the jab of the kicks. It’s a long-range weapon designed to start combinations, just like the jab, while giving you a defensive edge. Many fighters will call the teep a defensive move.
To set up the Spinning Back Elbow, you first want to throw a teep, which is a front kick. The best place to hit it will be the body. If you teep powerfully, you’ll be able to disrupt the opponent’s balance and pace, further preparing the Spinning Back Elbow.
In some instances, on the other hand, it might not be the most ideal setup. You must have that in the back of your mind, as you might not want to use the Spinning Back Elbow after every teep you throw. So make sure to have that in mind.
Lastly, if your opponent throws a teep at you, you can react by catching the kick and going for a Spinning Back Elbow. Truly, your options are vast.
If you think you can work on your teeps more, which is probably you, the reader, I wrote a complete guide to throwing more powerful and damaging teeps, including where to aim them at. Make sure to follow this link to learn how you can do so.
Final Words
This article was definitely on my waiting list. It’s always fun to research and write about something you’re currently doing. I always show up better to my next Muay Thai class, as I research this outside my training time, which makes the other fighters confused and jealous.
Anyways, let’s talk about you.
You now have everything you’ll ever need to get the Spinning Back Elbow right. My mission with this article was to allow you to perform this rather complex move appropriately. I think you’ll be able to achieve just that if you put in some additional effort when you get to your fighting gym the next time.
If you want to improve your punching ability, I wrote an article on how to punch faster, harder, and with greater swiftness. Follow the link to learn more about it.
Here are other articles you’d benefit from reading:
Muay Thai – All Basic Punches You Must Know to Hit Fiercely
Muay Thai 101 – The Straight Elbow (How To)
Elbows in Boxing – Are They Legal? Can You Block?
Is Muay Thai and Kickboxing the Same?