Monkey Climbing Clinch to Downward Elbow by Saenchai
Are you ready to climb an opponent like a tree? Swiftly rising up taller fighters, and turning their height advantage into a liability?
It is not very hard to, if you use your imagination, envision full contact fighters as monkeys. Quick, agile, and adaptable animals who can capitalize on any opportunity that suits them before you blink. Vicious beasts with the ability to strike from any angle, evade even the quickest enemies, and control their bodies to the point that it looks inhuman, because it is. In a fashion of fighting I would gladly deem as, monkey style, the highest-level fighters unflinchingly strike with a speed that seems unstoppable, accompanied with unbelievable power. One thing that separates the man from the beast is control. As martial artist, we have incredible control of how our bodies move, and with the right understanding and training, we can move with the instinctiveness of the monkey, while maintaining the control of our bodies and landing strikes with absolute precision.
There are very few martial artists in the world compared to those who do not train in any discipline, and within that small group, there are an even more finite number of people who have such a fantastic control of their bodies, seemingly as natural as an animal. Within that group is Saenchai, and he is here to teach you how to do an advanced elbow strike, down from on top of an opponent. Channeling your inner monkey, fighters will learn how to use the Thai Clinch, combined with body leverage, to climb an opponent just as a monkey does a tree.
Saenchai is more than a Muay Thai champion. According to UFC commentator and Podcast Host Joe Rogan, Saenchai is probably one of the “greatest combat sports athletes ever.” With more than 300 hundred fights in Muay Thai kickboxing, and over 3 decades of fighting experience, Saenchai has won numerous championship titles, and countless awards. Even though many people assume that he is just a gifted fighter with abilities nobody else was lucky enough to receive, Saenchai is adamant that anybody can perform at their highest levels of fighting with the proper teacher, and work ethic.
This is the reason he has taken the time to put together his latest instructional for you! Combinations and Clinchwork will show you how take singular striking techniques from the science of 8 limbs and combine them into devastating combinations that can provide fight ending impact on an opponent. The instructional also shows fighters how to take a position that most martial artist find intimidating and change that intimidation into confidence giving new life to the clinch for strikers, and breaking down techniques that look like magic when applied at full force. By utilizing hands, elbows, knees, and feet, Muay Thai’s striking combinations and clinchwork are like no other art, and Saenchai’s techniques are like no other fighters.
As stated above, in this clip, Saenchai shows fighters how to strike an opponent from the top of the head by using a downward elbow. Now, if you are thinking, “This won’t work for me because I am always shorter than my opponents,” you are using that excuse on the wrong person. Saenchai constantly has fought against not only taller opponents but often heavier as well. This downward elbow from the clinch is used specifically for fighters who are taller, although it can of course be used on those who are relatively the same height with less effort.
As the video begins, Saenchai stands across from his taller training partner, and expresses how this specific technique works well for opponents with a height advantage. As the two fighters enter the clinch, each have the arms in a neutral position. This simply means that each fighter has one arm extended reaching around the back of the opponent’s head to control the limits of the other fighters movement, while the other arm monitors the opponents gripping arm from an outside position.
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Right after entering in the clinch, Saenchai take his outside arm and brings it inside his opponents control arm, placing his elbow over his opponents elbow so that he has both of his arms are positioned inside his opponents, giving him control of the clinch, and therefor control of the overall movement of both fighters. In the next step of the drill, fighters begin to trade knees, as is the common in Muay Thai upon clinching with another fighter. Once he is ready to proceed to the elbow strike, Saenchai begins by placing his knee straight across on his opponent’s hip, with his shin along the inner thigh of his opponent preventing them from striking with knees. Saenchai then uses the leg on his opponent as leverage, as he uses his standing foot to push off the ground and uses his control arm that grips the back of his opponents head to pull himself above their head.
Once above the opponent’s head, Saenchai uses the free arm to strike with a downward elbow, a devastatingly powerful version of an already tremendously strong technique. He finishes the technique by pushing off his partner to create distance and reset in a solid stance. Saenchai then performs the technique again in a flowing motion to show how it all fits together. On the final repetition, Saenchai picks up speed, but still emphasizes the technique enough to see specific movements of the directions given throughout the clip. Even Saenchai, a world renowned Muay Thai champion, takes the time to slow down techniques in practice not only to show the viewer, but to practice intricate details of each technique while keeping his partner safe.
Combinations and Clinch Work by Saenchai is available TODAY!!