The word “muay” derives from the Sanskrit mavya. Muay Thai is referred to as the “Art of Eight Limbs” or the “Science Of Eight Limbs” because it makes use of punches, kicks, elbows and knee strikes, thus using eight “points of contact”, as opposed to “two points” (fists) in boxing and “four points” (hands... more »
Today’s kickboxing was heavily influenced by the centuries-old art of Thai boxing. Thai boxers often use their shins and knees to deliver harsh kicks. Kickboxing became popular in the United States in the 1970s. During that time, karate tournament fighters looked for a new, less restrictive way to battle each other in the ring.... more »
The best way to take a punch in boxing is to condition the body to handle punishment. Find out how to roll with the punches in boxing with help from a former heavyweight boxer in this free video on boxing and boxing training. Expert: Justin... more »
The Cross punch is a powerful straight attack thrown with the rear hand. From the guard position, the rear hand is thrown from the chin, crossing the body and traveling towards the target in a straight line. The rear shoulder is thrust forward and finishes just touching the outside of the chin. At the... more »
The curving knee kick or also known in Thai as “Kao Kowng” is used for attacking targets like thigh, floating ribs, hips, and the side of the abdomen. In this move, the used knee is raised higher above the target level. It will be brought down and round like a curving motion before impacting... more »
Daido Juku is the organization for the martial art Kudo, founded in 1981 by Takashi Azuma. Azuma, originally a Kyokushin karate 1977 full contact karate champion, resigned from the Kyokushin organization to form Daido Juku in Sendai city, located in northern Honshū, Japan. Daido Juku literally translated means “School of the Great Way”. It... more »
The hook punch is a semi-circular attack thrown with the lead hand to the side of the opponent’s head. From the guard position, the elbow is drawn back with a horizontal fist (knuckles pointing forward) and the elbow bent. The rear hand is tucked firmly against the jaw to protect the chin. The torso and hips... more »
The horizontal knee kick (kao tad in Thai) is used for targets like ribcage and trunk. The move requires the boxer to grasp and pull one side of his opponent’s neck with one fist and raise the knee to the level of the aiming target and thrust it sideways to hit the target. The... more »
A superman punch, cobra punch, jumping punch or diving punch is a technique used in Muay Thai, full contact karate and mixed martial arts fighting. The technique involves bringing the rear leg forward to feign a kick, then snapping the leg back while throwing a cross, resulting in greater power behind the... more »
Iron Palm or Iron Hand is a body of training techniques in various Chinese martial arts. These conditioning techniques are typically meant to condition the hands to allow a practitioner to deliver very powerful blows without injury to his or her hands. Iron Palm is a broad term covering many different conditioning methods. Some... more »
A jab is one of the four main punches used in western boxing. Several variations of the jab exist, but every jab shares these characteristics: while in a boxing stance, the lead fist is thrown straight ahead and the arm is fully extended. It is an overhand punch; at the moment of impact, the... more »
Knee bomb, (“Kow Yown” in Thai, “knee throw”) is a Muay Thai technique. It is used for attacking the abdomen and the solar plexus area. The boxer will raise his knee and thrust it forward to hit against the target in a sliding motion. The difference from other knee kicks is that you don’t... more »
The knee slap (kow tob in Thai) is used for targets like trunk and the ribcage. The focus of the move is that you grasp and pull down the neck of your opponent with your both arms while raising the knee upward to the level of the aimed target before using the inner of... more »