Let Me Introduce You to My Friend, the Muay Thai Clinch

One of the biggest factors about Muay Thai that distinguishes it from other traditional forms of Martial Art is it's use of neck and head control using the grab known as the Clinch. Only those that have never experienced the Muay Thai Clinch can deny it's effectiveness. There are numerous variations to the Clinch but it's main use is to control the opponent and set you up to deliver knees and elbows.

Here are the steps you should take to get into a basic Clinch:

• The first move should always be to attempt to grip your opponent's head with one arm. DO NOT use both arms for the initial beck pull as this will leave you in the perfect position to get pounded. Proceed by pulling your opponent's head towards your body.
• The next step is to latch on with your other arm, and pull him closer. The most important factor here is to keep your arms on the inside of your opponent's (this can make or break your Muay Thai Clinch).
• The final step is to pull your opponent's head and secure it to your chest, putting you in a very good position to start throwing knees.

Here is how your final position should look like (taken from this Youtube video):

Here are a few tips for getting a better clinch:

• When in the final phase of the Clinch and you have your opponent's head secured to your chest, you can press your chin to the top of his head to further secure the position.
• Always remember that the final place your hands should be when doing a Clinch is at the top or back portion of your opponent's head, and not on his neck. This makes it harder for him to escape.
• Keep your elbows locked in tight. This will do two things, prevent your opponent from sharking his arms into the inside position, and to pinch the carotid arteries. This can make your opponent feel light headed (and any advantage is good).
• Your hands should be positioned in a "cupping" grip on the last stage of the Clinch, unless you fight without gloves, in which case you should interlace your fingers (giving you an ironclad hold!)
• It is important to always keep on moving when doing the Muay Thai Clinch while tossing your opponent's head from side to side to throw him off balance.

As a final tip, never move out of the Clinch peacefully. Always exit while unloading a combo or throwing a kick. To practice, try pushing the heavy bag away and then doing the combo.

For further reading, you can check out the Muay Thai Clinch articles over here, here, and here.