Why Boxers Clinch and How Muay Thai Fighters Clinch To Win

The strategies of the clinch and the reasons for using it are different for each combat sport. Since Mixed Martial Arts combines so many combat sports, we are going to examine the differences between the clinch as it is used in boxing and the clinch used in Muay Thai fighting.

In the sport of boxing, the clinch is used for one basic reason.
The main reason boxers clinch is to break the other fighter's momentum. When a boxer is on the offensive, his opponent may cover up in an effort to avoid getting hit. If the advancing boxer continues to strike his opponent, he will certainly inflict a fair amount of damage and the defending fighter may not be able to counter strike. The striker is now in control and the fight could take a nasty turn unless the fighter being beaten can change the momentum in his favor.


A common tactic that boxers employ is the clinch position. By stepping forward and throwing his arms around his opponent, the attack will stop momentarily. While in the boxing clinch, the defender leans into his opponent and lays his weight into him. It is very difficult for either fighter to throw an effective boxing punch while in the clinch and fight fans typically do not appreciate the tactic because it's not very exciting to watch.
The referee won't let fighters clinch for long, but there's really not much he can do other than break the fighters apart. Excessive clinching may earn points deductions after a few warnings, but this is a rare event.

Thai Boxing and Why You Need to Use Muay Thai Shin Guards

It is essential that you wear Muay Thai shin guards if you are starting Thai boxing. Of all the martial arts Thai boxing is particularly aggressive. Modern MMA uses a large number of Thai boxing techniques because they are so powerful.
Brief History of Thai Boxing
The name means "The Science of Eight Limbs" because it uses many points of contact including punches, elbows, knees and kicks. This is why it is so dangerous and why Thai boxing equipment such as head guards and muay Thai shin guards need to be worn at all times while training.

It is hard to put an exact date from where the martial art dates back to as it has evolved slowly over the last 2000 years. Like most martial arts, it was introduced as a form of unarmed combat for when the soldiers lost their weapons in battle. Thailand's first boxing ring was made in 1921. Although they did were boxing gloves for fights, after a death in the ring it was decided that fighters should also were covers for the feet and ankles as well and the first kind of Muay Thai shin pads were introduced.

Muay Thai Basics (Thai Boxing)

Muay Thai Basic 6 DVD Set

Most professional MMA fighters use Muay Thai as their primary method of striking their opponent. One of the reasons for this is how devastating the strikes are (i.e. punches and kicks). This article can help you with proper technique, if you are just starting out in your Muay Thai career, or looking for a new way to exercise.
Stance
This must be a wider stance than you would see with a traditional boxer. Traditional boxers tend to stand more to the side instead of square to their opponents. Thai boxers will stand squarer to their opponents, with their shoulders in the same line (one not ahead of the other). Thai boxers stand this way because in Muay Thai kicks are allowed. Since they are allowed, for defensive purposes, you need to block (check) your opponents leg kicks.

Combat Sports - Thailand's Muay Thai Kick Boxing

Muay Thai is a very dangerous form of Kick Boxing that originated out of the country of Thailand. There is some resemblence to this form of Combat Sport and other Indochinese or Southeast Asian forms of Boxing. Cambodia has a similar style which they call the Pradal Serey. Malaysia practices a similar form called Tomoi. The people from Myanmar also known as Burma use a style called Lethwei. And the people from Laos which is also in Southeast Asia practice a style called Muay Lao.

Muay Thai Boxing is the main Combat Sport and is the considered the National Sport in Thailand. A style called Muay Boran was the old traditional form of Muay Thai where they fought with less rules and wasn't a sanctioned sport like it is today. Rumor had it that before a fight their hands were wrapped in hemp rope and then dipped in resin and small glass chips to make these fights extremely brutal. This sport is frequently known as the "art of 8 limbs". The reasons this term was coined is because punches, elbows, knees and kicks were used which resemble the 8 points of contact. This is in contradiction to the 2 points that were used in Western Boxing.