Use This Creative Technique To Defend Against The Jumping Knee With Jean Charles Skarbowsky
When you are in the clinch it can be difficult to defend against knees to the body. Both of your hands are tied up, and your legs aren’t going to do much in terms of defending your body. It is important to have the proper strategies to protect your body because taking some damaging body shots can severely alter your game.
Taking shots to the ribs can affect the power of your punches. When you throw a punch, you twist your body to create momentum. When you twist, you do so from your core which actively engages your ribs. It hurts enough to get hit there with gloves on, let alone from a jumping knee.
Therefore, since this is such a common strike in MMA and Muay Thai, it is important to have something in your arsenal to properly defend against them. Even better, not only defend against them but also finish with a sweep or in a dominant position.
In this video, Jean Charles Skarbowsky demonstrates a highly effective technique to defend against an opponent's jumping knee from the clinch. Check out the video below!
The Technique
When in palm, or the clinch, taking a knee hurts; but taking a jumping knee hurts even more. In this position, both you and your opponent have collar ties as well as grips on the arm. You are able to use the collar ties to move each other as well as eliminate the distance which can help protect you from punches and also position you to land knees or go for a takedown.
Take A Look At Skarbowsky’s Complete Collection Of Instructionals Here! Click Learn More!
With these grips, throwing punches in this position is not really feasible. Additionally, using your arms to defend against strikes is also not really an option. This means you are going to have to have some effective techniques in your back pocket to ensure you keep your body safe. A great option from this position is to go for a sweep.
From here, Jean Charles assumes his opponent starts throwing jumping knees. While these do cause an immense amount of damage, the downside to them on the offensive side is that you do not have good balance when throwing them. With your feet off of the ground, you have no base.
For your defense, you are going to take advantage of your opponents lack of balance. This move requires good timing, so it may benefit you to not go for this sweep on the first jumping knee your partner throws. You may wait for the second or third knee to really get down the timing and make sure that when you go for the sweep you pull it off flawlessly.
As your opponent throws the first jumping knee, read his telegraphs. Notice what he does the moment before he jumps and start to anticipate his movements. When you are ready, as your opponent jumps, use your right leg to kick his legs out from under him while he is in the air. Simultaneously, use your collar tie and arm grip to push the upper half of your opponents body to the side you are kicking from.
This motion causes the top and bottom parts of his body to go in opposite directions, effectively sweeping him off of his feet and landing him on the ground with ease. If you try to go for this too soon, you may catch your opponent before he leaves the ground and blow your opportunity. If you go for this too late, you may catch him as his momentum is moving down which will also not play in your favor. This is precisely the reason why timing is so important for this technique to work properly.
Depending on the sport or the ruleset you are fighting in will determine your next move. If you are in a Muay Thai fight, you earn points while protecting yourself. If you are in an MMA fight then you just earned the top position in a grappling match. Know exactly where you are going as soon as your opponent hits the mat and get ready to finish with a good ground and pound or quickly transition to the submission of your choice.
If you have ever taken jumping knees to the body before, you and your ribs will appreciate this technique. Taking one too many body shots can completely deteriorate your ability to fight efficiently. You are bound to receive them if you picked this sport, but minimizing damage and having a plan goes a long way.
About Jean Charles Skawbowsky
Jean Charles Skarbowsky is a french kickboxer and former 3 time European Muay Thai Champion. Having trained and fought in both France and Thailand, Jean Charles’ success was almost immediate as he quickly rose to the top. After taking 2 years off due to an injury in his right hand in 1997, he defied the doctors odds making a full and successful comeback to the sport.
More recently he has transitioned into the role of a teacher, including an appearance on the twelfth season of The Ultimate Fighter as a Muay Thai coach for Georges St. Pierre’s team. He is now one of the most sought after striking coaches, and has devoted much of his time producing instructional videos to share his technique with anyone willing to learn.
About Jean Charles’ Instructional
Jean Charles has devoted this instructional to intermediate Muay Thai masterclass. Included you will find techniques such as managing distance, fundamentals of the defensive guard, knowing when to grab or block kicks, every imaginable variation of strikes and feints, and so much more.
Jean Charles Skarbowsky has made a name for himself with the combination of his successful record, masterclass technique, and unique personality. He has a way of keeping your attention by carrying himself in a way where you know he means business. Keep progressing your Muay Thai techniques and add all of these game changing strategies to your arsenal, check out his instructional here!