How To Throw Elbows With Cheick Kongo

Elbows are a devastating strike to be able to throw. They can knockout, hurt and very easily cut open your opponents, all while being very close range. However the fact that elbows are close range strikes is a double edged sword. Being close range does mean that you have a weapon in close that can surprise your opponent. The bad part is that so does your opponent. 

This is why you need to know how to throw elbows, all different kinds of them, with the proper fundamentals. This way you will not only maximize the effectiveness of your elbows in terms of damage but you will also make sure that you are as safe as possible when you throw them. 

That’s why for this video we have brought in one of the best and longest active fighters in the sports of MMA and Kickboxing so that you know how to properly throw elbows. 

In this video, Cheick Kongo goes over how to properly throw elbow strikes. 

Who Is Cheick Kongo?

Cheick Kongo is a legendary French Mixed Martial Artist and Kickboxer who has been competing professionally since 2001. He used to compete in the UFC and now, at 45 is ranked #2 in Bellator’s Heavyweight ranking. 

How To Properly Throw Elbow Strikes

The video starts off with Cheick talking about how you shouldn’t focus on throwing the perfect elbow. He says that you should do your best to be fundamentally sound because that will make it so that your elbows are more effective, even if they aren’t perfect. 

Cheick then goes on to talk about two different purposes for your elbows. The first is the elbow that you use to cut your opponent and the second is the elbow that you use to really smash into and hurt your opponent. 

The first elbow that Cheick shows is a lead upward elbow thrown after he parries his opponent's jab. Remember that you want to land with the tip of your elbow and not your forearm. Remember that with this kind of elbow you want to not just meet your opponent, you want to go through them. 

After the upward elbow you can follow up with a horizontal elbow from your rear arm. This is where targeting matters. If you want to cut your opponent, you should aim this elbow to their forehead, specifically just above or on their eyebrow. If you want to really hurt or knock them out then you can aim this elbow at their chin, which is more likely to put them down. 

Off of that second elbow you can try to move into the Muay Thai clinch, also known as the double collar tie or the plum position. From this position you can follow up with knees or even throw more elbows. 

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