The use of Muay Thai upper knee
The use of the upper knee
It is believed that the Muay Thai upper knee developed after the use of gloves. Before that, it was just a strip of cloth wrapped around the fist. The cloth strip is soaked in powder, and the athlete has used it many times, the sweat-soaked cloth strip is hard and sharp, and the human skin is rubbed by the fist wrapped around the cloth strip, and it will immediately “see red under the fist”, who dares to get close to the opponent and hug the neck to hit the upper knee?
The upper knee is developed from the jumping knee, but it doesn’t have to jump.
Party A confronts Party B in a defensive stance, and Party B first moves left and right with footwork, so that Party A mistakenly thinks that Party B wants to use other moves other than punches (Diagram 11). Party B suddenly reaches out and grabs Party A’s shoulders and pulls them down to a certain extent (Figure 12) to hit the upper knee. This knee method is more powerful than a blow from the side.
If your opponent is defensive against your upper knee, you can use your elbow to smash the bridge of your nose and then hit your upper knee (Diagram 13). You can also play the elbow swing and foot to continue the attack (Figure 14).
The upper knee is used not only offensively, but also defensively.
1. A throws a right hook to Party B, Party B blocks the punch with his left arm, and his right hand reaches out to grab the opponent’s shoulder and pulls it down (Diagram 15). When Party A is pulled in front of him, Party B immediately raises his knee and hits Party A’s heart socket or abdomen (Figure 16).
Unleash your hook with your upper knee, and if you time it right, you can get your opponent out with just one lap. Therefore, the distance should be measured before use, and if you hit it, you can’t hit it randomly. Otherwise, the opponent’s counterattack will make you lose.
If you want to expand the results, Party B can attack Party A’s face with an elbow after the upper knee takes effect. In this case, the effect is greater if the tip of the elbow is used (Fig. 17).
2. Untie the straight punch of the upper knee. This method is more difficult to use, and if you are not proficient in practice, you may be carried off the ring.
A throws a straight punch, but misses the target and loses his balance. Party B can dodge Party A’s straight punch and must be well-trained. Cover your upper body and face with both hands, block your opponent’s straight punches with your arms, and strike your upper knee when you lose control and hit your ribs or upper body (Figures 18 and 19).
3. Generally speaking, what punching moves the opponent makes can be observed from the action. When Party A moves his foot and wants to punch hard, Party B sees it and reaches out to grab the middle of Party A’s arm and shoulder to withstand the impact of Party A (Figure 20).
If Party B’s arm is longer than Party A’s, you can directly use your hand to push Party A’s shoulder. At the moment when Party A’s movements pause, Party B uses his upper knee to strike Party A’s exposed heart socket and other parts (Figure 21).
When Party B’s arms and legs are longer than Party A’s, Party B can use one hand to resist Party A’s right fist, and the other hand to cover his upper body and face, and hit Party A’s heart socket with his upper knee (Figure 22).
4. In a Muay Thai fight, if Party B’s neck is held by Party A, Party B will bring his body close to Party A so that Party A cannot perform the upper knee. At the same time, slide your hands along your body to your abdomen, push your palms inward, and actively shake your body to cause you to lose control and create an opportunity to fight back (Figure 23).
When Party B finds an opportunity to use the upper knee, immediately release both hands and hit the upper knee. After that, the attack is done with a foot (Fig. 24).
5. Use your upper knee to counter the high kick. Some fighters first lure with punches and then use footwork. Some of them first use foot techniques to lure, and then use fist techniques. For someone who wants to use a high kick, his thigh muscles must contract in order to make a movement. Also, the leg used should be extended long, and the upper body should be tilted to the other side.
When Party B observes Party A’s movement, it can first lure the opponent to kick and dodge to avoid Party A’s kick. If Party A’s hands fall when kicking, don’t worry too much (Figure 25).
When Party A targets the opponent’s neck with a high kick, Party B can block it with his knees and elbows. It is safer to move by touching the tip of the elbow without leaving any space (Fig. 26) and sealing the ear with a fist to form a strong shield. It is difficult for Party A to maintain balance with one leg support, and it is difficult to kick again.
Party B first drops the raised leg and immediately grabs Party A’s knee (Figures 27 and 28) and pulls it hard, without giving Party A a chance to maintain balance and punch him, and at the same time uses the upper knee to slam Party A’s thigh (Figure 29).
6. The upper knee is used to deal with the upper knee, which is a move to fight poison with poison. In general, when using the upper knee, you must first get close to the opponent and stretch out your hands to hold the opponent’s neck. Therefore, luring an opponent to take the bait is a common tactic. When Party B is fooled into approaching Party A, Party A immediately reaches out to hold Party B’s neck. Party B did not hold Party A’s neck, but when Party A was holding it, his body had to lean back, exposing his upper body. Party A seizes the opportunity and strikes the upper knee at Party B’s exposed area (30, 31).
After Party A’s upper knee hits Party B, he should also quickly kick Party B’s popliteal fossa with his leg to extend the results (Figure 32).
7. It is common to see some fighters ignore the movement of their hands when using kicks. They mistakenly believe that lowering their hands increases the power of the kick. As everyone knows, this is a wrong way to expose one’s body.
When A kicks sideways in the back direction and his hand falls, B can step forward and throw a hook into A’s ear (Figure 33).
Sometimes it is necessary to have a kick first to determine the height of the kick or to test other moves. When Party A kicks out, Party B dodges to the side and then punches Party A in the ear with a hook punch (34, 35).
At this point, Party A loses its balance and the falling arm exposes more parts, creating an opportunity for Party B to fight back (Figure 36). Party B can get closer to Party A and attack Party A’s exposed area with his upper knee.
In addition, you can use one hand against your opponent’s thigh and the other hand to grab your opponent’s shoulder and pull down while hitting your upper knee (Figure 37).
8. Fight back with your upper knee, you must have the ability to see through your opponent’s intentions. Party A has guessed that Party B is going to kick his feet when he moves his steps, and when Party B’s feet are kicked in the air, Party A sees the target of the return fire and blocks the opponent’s feet with his knees and elbows. When Party B raises his foot and kicks again, he immediately puts the ball of his foot against Party B’s thigh, and Party B will inevitably lose control of his body (Figs. 38, 39, 40).
Party A seized the opportunity to grab Party B’s shoulders and hit Party B’s upper body with force (Figure 41). Party A can also grab Party B’s other shoulder again and hit Party B with the other knee (Figure 42).
However, at this time, you should never use your knee by wrapping your neck around your neck, as this will cause danger to yourself (Figure 43).
Precautions and counterattacks against the upper knee
1. Party B is ready to hit Party A’s upper knee and hold Party A’s neck with his hand first. Party A can push Party B’s upper knee away with his fist or hand (Fig. 44).
2. A pushes B’s knee sideways, causing Party B to lose balance and expose the gap, and Party A takes the opportunity to raise his foot and kick Party B’s support leg (Figure 45).
3. When Party B hits the upper knee, Party A also leans forward slightly, hooks and pushes Party B’s knee away with his hand (Fig. 46). Party B was pushed out of control, and Party A took advantage of the opportunity to hit Party B in the ear or jaw with a straight fist (Figure 47).
4. If you can’t push Party B’s knee to the outside when defending, you can take the lead and raise your foot to kick Party B’s ribs (48, 49).
