while the rear foot moves first going backward. In moving sideways or lat-
erally, the fighter’s left foot moves first when going to the left, and the right
foot moves first when going to the right.
Punching includes the basic five moves used in Western boxing: jab,
cross, hook (mat tong), uppercut (mat aat), and overhead. Another type of
punch is the swing, which is a long-range hook. Savate uses a similar
punch, because of a similar need to close the gap from kicking range. A dif-
ference between Muay Thai and international boxing can be seen in the
way Muay Thai boxers hold up their guard. Because the Thai boxer must
counter kicks, knees, and elbows with punches, the guard position tends to
keep the hands farther away from the body.
Elbows are delivered in many ways: horizontally, downward, upward,
spinning, and driving. The horizontal elbow whips the point of the elbow
across the target, usually the side of the head, like a hook. The downward
elbow technique first raises the point backward and then drops it down-
ward, using the body weight while moving forward with the hand held low.
A variation on the downward elbow technique is done with jumping, in
which the elbow point is dropped down from above with the hand held
high. Upward elbows are usually delivered like the uppercut punching tech-
niques. Spinning elbows are horizontal elbows with body turns. Driving el-
bows come straight in like the boxing jab.
Knee attacks are dangerous techniques in Muay Thai and are often fa-
tal. The knee strikes are delivered in three basic ways: straight, round, and
jumping. Usually either the straight knee or the round knee is used. The
straight knee is used to close distance in close-quarter fighting, while the
round knee is delivered from the clinch, usually for an attack to the ribs and
kidneys. The jumping knee may be used against an opponent trapped in a
corner. This is a flamboyant technique employed to impress the audience.
Kicking techniques include, in order of preference, the roundhouse
kick, front kick, and spinning kick. The round kick is directed at low, mid-
dle, and high targets. The low kicks are full-force and committed. They dif-
fer in execution from other martial arts like Boxe Française Savate or
Kyukushinkai Karate. There is a front kick, which is usually used as a
“stop hit” or pushing-away technique to halt the opponent’s forward
progress. The spin kick is a reverse whipping kick. This technique is seldom
used in ring fighting. Similar to the high round kick, the spinning kick is
prudently saved for the bout’s final blow. There is no side kick in the tra-
ditional Muay Thai repertoire, but Japanese kickboxers who have con-
verted from karate use this technique effectively.
Muay Thai camps may differ in the strategies they emphasize. For ex-
ample, the method emphasized in the Prapaisilp-Kitipitayangkul Camp in
St. Louis, Missouri, by Arjan(Teacher) Supat Prapaisilp and Kruh(Trainer)
Muay Thai 353