ANALYZING THE FINAL ROUND'S HEAD KICK KO FINISH

By Evan Lee

It has been three tough rounds now. Round 1: we covered the importance of breaking down your sparring and fight footage. Round 2: why the teep is the "god weapon". And in Round 3: the importance of the clinch and why it is almost a god weapon.

Time to break down the fourth and final round. 

To recap very quickly, Sean had a tough first three rounds. His opponent’s teep is laser sharp, and he has very strong punching combinations.

Sean knows that he’s down on the scorecards. He has to go out on his shield or else he’ll likely lose the decision.

For the epic conclusion to this fight, check it out:

Fight Breakdown: Head Kick TKO Technique (Round 4)

Head Kick KO Loss: Analysis

As you saw, unfortunately, this did not go Sean’s way. His opponent, Phetch, was able to rock Sean with punches and eventually land a brutal head kick.

Even though both knockdowns came from head kicks, it was the right straight that c...

FIGHT ANALYSIS: "IT'S HEATIN' UP!!!"

By Evan Lee

Round 1 and Round 2 were good and all, but this is where the fight starts getting juicy.

In Thailand, Muay Thai scoring is weird. The first two rounds don't really count for much (very weird, indeed), so the third round is when things begin to pick up.

The fight is moving faster in round three, more combinations are being thrown, and there’s just a great flurry of techniques to deal with, usually on and from both sides.

In the last breakdown, I focused primarily on the teep, which I called "the ultimate nullifier." Today, we will be focusing on another nullifier, though not as effective: the clinch.

First, though, let's catch up on the fight!

Fight Breakdown: Clinch Tactics, Punch Combos & MORE Teeps (Round 3)

The Smothering Power Of The Clinch

The reason why the teep is so effective as a defensive tool is because it creates distance. It doesn’t matter what strike is being thrown at you - if you can create distance...

DING, DING! ROUND 2 ANALYSIS- BEGIN!

By Evan Lee

Last week, we talked about Round 1 of Sean's fight - now we're moving to Round 2. 

Today, we’re going to focus on key techniques. Specifically, we’re talking about the teep, aka. the push kick.

This breakdown will focus on the teep because it was a technique that defined the course of fight. It's also one of the most important techniques in Muay Thai in general.

Watch as Sean gets self-critical and breaks down round 2 of this excellent Muay Thai fight:

Fight Breakdown: Shovel Uppercut & Accurate Teeps (Round 2)

The Versatility Of The Muay Thai Teep

The teep is to Muay Thai what the jab is to boxing. It is, along with the jab, the most important technique of your Muay Thai arsenal. 

To take in a masterclass on combining the two, I highly recommend watching Buakaw’s two fights with Nieky Holzken.

To sum it up for you, Buakaw was able to shut Nieky’s combination punching down completely just with his jab and teep. T...

WHY A GOOD, ACCURATE TEEP IS ALL YOU REALLY NEED...

By Randy Pilares

A true nak muay is a master of the teep.

That's right, I'm saying it: you can’t call yourself a real Muay Thai practitioner if you are not a master of the teep. 

Also known as the push kick, the teep is one of the most basic but also one of the most effective Muay Thai techniques.

Think of a Western boxer’s jab. That’s one of the best analogies for the teep, both in purpose and execution.

Too often, beginners in "the Art of Eight Limbs" tend to ignore it. They usually go for the flashier moves that just seem cooler to execute.

That is a huge mistake. To make any progress in Muay Thai, we need to at least become proficient in this basic strike. This goes for both casual practitioners and aspiring fighters alike. 

So, it is time we shine a spotlight on the power of the teep. Learn of its versatility and the many ways it can be used by nak muays of every level and experience!

Master the Teep to Become a Mast...

Heavy Bag Drill to Increase Kicking Balance For Your Teeps

From Muay Thai Guy

Movement is balance.

The body is balance. If your chest is overdeveloped, your shoulders will round forward. This is both ugly and…not so pretty on your body. If your right is dominant, you’ll forget to use your left. This can quickly spell disaster when a certain action from your opponent requires a reaction from a certain side of you.

Balance of the body and equilibrium are both necessary in fighting. A strong foundation is balance, a strong foundation is power, and power…equals knockouts. Train your balance with this Muay Thai heavy bag drill and you’ll be like a cat, always landing on your feet and always being in a good position.

Muay Thai Heavy Bag For Better Teeping Balance

Flowing between soft and hard is an excellent way to train your body. Now here’s an entire workout you can shape around your training.

Drills make skills, and the more you train on this wonderful tool we call the heavy bag...

MASTERING THE QUESTION MARK KICK

From Muay Thai Guy

Evolve.

Popularized by especially bendy fighters like Saenchai, the question mark kick is one of the most deceptive kicks in fighting

Its deception comes from its potential to be set up by the low kick and the teep – the two most common kicks you’ll ever see in fighting. It can use the exact same chamber as both.

This means that every single low kick or teep that comes could end up being turned into a knockout blow.

That’s a scary thought.

Here’s more detail on how to execute the technique, presented by Evolve MMA:

DECEIVING YOUR OPPONENT WITH THE TEEP

If you notice in the video above, there’s a slight difference in the low kick’s chamber and the question mark kick’s. The knee from the kicking leg is clearly moving in a different direction. Your opponent may not catch onto this and may be reacting to the low kick as soon as they see your foot and hips move. However, if they have a good enough eye, it can be seen.

I beli...

How To Throw A Teep / Front Kick / Push Kick (All Same Same)

By Sean Fagan

You need to learn how to throw a push kick before you step into the ring to spar or fight!

This basic Muay Thai kick technique also called ‘teep’ or front kick is important for keeping your opponent at bay, upsetting his/her tempo and even using it to hurt your opponent!

Needless to say the teep technique seems like there isn’t much to it and that it wouldn’t really hurt that much getting hit by it. Take it from a guy who has been hit with a lot of front kicks to the body… that shit hurts!

There are many reasons why you should learning how to throw a push kick. Regardless whether you use it for offense, defense or set up purposes, it’s important to know the minor details in order to get the most out of your Muay Yhai front kick technique.

Basic Muay Thai Push Kick Technique Tips:

• Push up on the balls of your post foot. This will help generate power, improve your accuracy and help push your opponent
...