Empower Muay Thai
What is Muay Thai?
The Art of Eight Limbs
Muay Thai is known as the Art of Eight Limbs because it uses hands, elbows, knees, and shins as eight striking points. This makes it more versatile than close cousins like kickboxing and Western boxing. Muay Thai is also unique for its use of the clinch, a powerful close-range technique that blends perfectly with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu—one reason Muay Thai has become a foundation of modern MMA.
LIMBS ONE AND TWO: FISTS
Muay Thai incorporates the standard jab, cross, and hook, but Nak Muays (practitioners) also employ strikes that begin and end differently from Western boxing. These punches are often designed not just to score, but to set up kicks, elbows, knees, or clinch entries.
LIMBS THREE AND FOUR: ELBOWS
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Elbows are among Muay Thai’s most devastating weapons. Variations such as the slicing elbow, hook elbow, and spike (12-to-6) can end fights quickly, especially in the clinch. Fighters who specialize in elbows are feared for their ability to cut and disable opponents. Spinning back elbows, delivered from a distance, add surprise and power.
LIMBS FIVE AND SIX: SHINS
Kicks in Muay Thai are uniquely powerful, using the shin and hip rotation rather than the foot snap found in other martial arts. The round kick alone can cripple an opponent’s legs or end a fight outright. Low kicks target the calf and thigh, while body and head kicks deliver knockout potential.
The teep resembles a front kick, but functions more like a jab—controlling distance, disrupting rhythm, and setting up combinations. It’s one of Muay Thai’s most recognizable and practical tools.
LIMBS SEVEN AND EIGHT: KNEES
Like elbows, knees are rarely emphasized in other combat sports, yet in Muay Thai they are indispensable. Long knees, round knees, hook knees, switch knees, and even flying knees give fighters versatile tools for both attack and defense. Knees can be used in the clinch, at mid-range, or creatively in self-defense.
THE BONUS OF MUAY THAI: THE CLINCH!
The clinch sets Muay Thai apart from most striking arts. It combines control, off-balancing, knees, and elbows at very close range. While often restricted in kickboxing, we teach the clinch as it is used in authentic Muay Thai: as a complete strategy for both offense and defense.
