Muay Thai Combinations As Muay Thai has spread in popularity

As Muay Thai has spread in popularity throughout both the Eastern and Western world, it has become an excellent way of getting fit and staying fit for the everyday person, but as Muay Thai has become more accessible in our modern day world, more and more people are training to maximum potential and becoming full blown, professional Muay Thai fighters. As a sport in the modern day world, Muay Thai is a one of the most close-contact forms out there with real prospect of injury or ailment from fighting in a Muay Thai ring. This is mainly due to the intense fighting techniques used throughout Muay Thai and the combinations of those fighting techniques to apply even more powerful strikes against opponents.

Muay Thai, with its boxing style techniques but also kicking techniques, has been likened to kick-boxing due to the way in which Muay Thai fighters overpower and win against their opponents.   Unlike kick-boxing, Muay Thai employs another unique range of ancient techniques that not only give Muay Thai fighters an edge against their opponents but also work together to create a dynamic fusion of techniques that can be unstoppable in a fighting ring. Combination techniques and learning which techniques work together to create the most powerful combinations and how to best fuse those techniques in order to maximise their full potential, are all main elements in any Muay Thai fighter training, allowing Muay Thai fighters to utilize their entire body as a weapon efficiently and swiftly causing the maximum amount of damage to their opponents. But whilst Muay Thai combination techniques are elementary in any Muay Thai training, it is also essential that these techniques are practised safely and accurately before trialling them against either a sparring partner or opponent.

As with any style of fighting, timing is impeccable throughout Muay Thai fighting and is a main element in allowing for combination techniques to be used along with defensive counter-strikes as well. Whilst striking and defensive techniques work in harmony together in Muay Thai to create swift, powerful motions such as counter-strikes and pre-emptive strikes, there are also striking techniques such as jabs and hooks that work well together in basic combination techniques that timed correctly, can work well in any Muay Thai fight.

Throughout Muay Thai, there are a range of combination techniques available for fighters to utilize during any official or non official Muay Thai fight with many of these techniques only becoming apparent to those training in Muay Thai as their training progresses. Combination techniques are not techniques that can all be learned in one sitting, and it has to be expected that learning combination techniques involves learning the techniques that are combined on their own efficiently first. As such, the vast range of combination techniques that are available to Muay Thai fighters to use today within the fighting ring are all primarily advanced techniques that can maximise power and damage to an opponent swiftly and effectively.

Whilst there are a wide variety of combination techniques present in modern Muay Thai fighting, there are a few stand out techniques that work well in the setting of a Muay Thai fighting ring. These combination techniques work well in Muay Thai due to the effect of the technique, the amount of damage it can cause to an opponent and how little energy you can expel and thus save whilst performing a powerful combination technique.

The first combination technique that many Muay Thai fighters will apply during any professional fight, and what could be considered one of the most effective combination techniques in Muay Thai, is the classic jab plus uppercut combination. This basic combination technique can be one of the most effective combinations available throughout any Muay Thai fight and can be used most effectively as a pre-emptive counter-strike when your opponent is closing in towards you, allowing your opponent to run straight into the uppercut. Whilst this combination isn’t as effective if your opponent is moving away from you, it can be effective if you partner is in the corner of the ropes making it an efficient way to inflict damage upon your opponent. The key element to performing this combination technique effectively is to strike with the jab with force, so your opponent leans into it before delivering the intense uppercut to the face. This combination technique is one of the most effective in Muay Thai due to the traditional highly held Muay Thai hand position, enabling this combination to act quickly and effectively to inflict a high level of damage against your opponent and show your power to the judges scoring the match.

Another effective jabbing combination technique is the jab plus overhand right combination technique, a common punch combination that is used widely throughout Muay Thai fights due to its effectiveness and power upon your opponent. This efficient combination technique can be used a KO technique applying a simple jab, before landing a right handed, powerful punch to the side of your opponent. This combination technique is a favourite amongst Muay Thai thanks to its ability to hit your opponent, even if they have their guard up but with clean shots, impeccable timing and precise aim, this combination technique can lead to a KO if the opponent is already weakened or tired. Alternatively the jab plus overhand right combination can weaken your opponent before another, more powerful combination technique, ultimately defeating your opponent.

As well as jab styled combination techniques, there are also kick styled techniques as well as double jab combinations that can inflict even greater damage upon your opponent. Whilst double jab techniques are used in Muay Thai, they are not as common place as the single jab and kick combination techniques due to the high hand guard carried throughout Muay Thai fights and the high level points awarded for kick style techniques in professional Muay Thai matches.

Whilst kicking techniques are somewhat favoured throughout Muay Thai, one of the most effective kicking combination techniques is the left hook and right low kick combination. This combination is efficient and common throughout Muay Thai fights mainly because of the way this technique positions your body through the left hook technique, enabling you to deliver a powerful right low kick that will damage your opponent and cause them to react. This reaction will then allow a further counter-strike that could potentially KO your opponent, making this combination technique a follow on technique that is utilized often in traditional and professional Muay Thai fights.

Another one of the more utilized kick combination techniques throughout Muay Thai fights is the right punch and left low kick combination. This combination is effective and efficient in damaging your opponent as unlike other combination techniques, this combo attacks the rear of the leg in your opponent, which in most cases of Muay Thai fighters is the unconditioned part of the body to receive leg kicks. This effective combination is designed to apply as much power within your kick as possible in order through the movement of the right punch, to weaken your opponent in an already delicate part of their body before ending the fight as the victor.

These styles of combination techniques are typical of modern Muay Thai, but you may find that the style of combination techniques used in traditional Muay Thai in Thailand may differ somewhat from these more modern, boxing styles. Whilst these styles reflect Muay Thai and boxing, they are an efficient set of combination techniques that are accurate in accordance with Muay Thai rules that can unleash powerful attacks and counter-strikes against your opponent in the fighting ring.

As with any Muay Thai training, combination technique training is one of the most important aspects to practice and get right, it takes a long time to watch a combination technique and then perform it accurately, making practice with punching bags rather than others, vital in any early stages Muay Thai combination training.

In the fighting ring, Muay Thai combination techniques can ultimately lead to you winning against your opponent and impressing the judges, showing power, balance and skill in one swift, precise movement. This makes Muay Thai combination techniques one of the most important aspects of any Muay Thai training, offering not only powerful combinations that can defeat an opponent but also critical counter-strikes that can ultimately lead you to winning or losing the match.

Practising and performing combination techniques against equipment such as punching bags, shadow boxing and Thai Pads are recommend in the early stages of Muay Thai training, before practising these techniques with a partner, such as sparring. As your confidence progresses, along with your ability and skill, you can use these combination techniques throughout sparring sessions in order to then build your footwork and your timing accuracy in a real-setting fighting environment. This build up of combination technique training is due to the power presented in these techniques and the damage they can inflict against an opponent, making precise accuracy and skill of the technique a critical factor in Muay Thai training.