Muay Thai is often referred to as the art of eight limbs since you can use your elbows, fingers, legs, knees, and elbows, offering eight weapons you can strike your opponents with. Muay Thai is the most effective martial art based on striking worldwide due to its success in playing with other strikers from various styles.
Elbows are among the most potent weapons used in Muay Thai. They can slice opponents in half, making it necessary for the referee to intervene to stop the fight. Muay Thai elbows may also be hit with enough force to make opponents sleepy when you strike their jaw or temples.
Elbows usually open up when you attack soft parts of the head, such as the brow bone or eye sockets. If a cut does not cause the referee to cease the match, the blood could leak into your opponent’s eyes and limit their vision.
Elbows are a great weapon to use from clinch positions or close strike range. Numerous elbow techniques are utilized to strike in Muay Thai; all are potent weapons.
Sharpening Your Muay Thai Elbows
You’ll need to know the biomechanics behind the elbow strike to ensure that your elbow strikes are more powerful and also to know how to impart maximum strength and velocity to elbows. Some of the most critical factors that determine how efficient, powerful, fast, and robust your elbows are comprised of:
1. Drive Your Hips Explosively
muay Thai elbows sagetdao
You’ve already learned to propel your hips with explosive force when you’ve learned how to throw kicks and punches, and the same rules are applicable to elbow strike throws. Increase the power of your elbow when you dig in using your feet and thumping your hips.
The energy produced by your body’s hips is carried to your torso to your elbow, which significantly increases the force your strike hits with. The more powerfully you move through your hips and torso, the stronger the elbow strikes you make.
2. Stabilize Your Core
Kru nonmuay Thai elbow pad work
The muscles in your core (the muscles of your abdominal region and the lower part of your back) transfer the energy you create through your hips and shoulders. But an inactive core will only transmit as much power as it can manage while wasting the rest.
The strength of your core muscles helps stabilize the muscles surrounding the area, which allows you to transfer the momentum of your hips to your shoulders effectively. Imagine yourself throwing your shoulder toward your opponent as you fire elbow strikes to increase energy.
3. Keep Your Shoulder Joint Relaxed And Mobile
Dejdamrong elbow heavy bag
Your shoulder must be kept joint flexible and relaxed to transfer the power that your hips produce to your goal. Your body has already produced the energy to strike, and your shoulders need to direct the energy toward the desired target. Keep your shoulders sharp and relaxed as whips.
A tight shoulder restricts your motion range, resulting in an ineffective elbow strike. Maintaining a loose shoulder and whacking your folded arm when it is time increases your power, thereby increasing the force that strikes hit with.
Common Mistakes
After you’ve learned how to throw elbows with ease and efficiency, let’s look at some of the most common mistakes Muay Thailand fighters commit while throwing elbows, which reduces the strength of their strike.
1. Relying On Your Arms To Generate Power For Your Elbow
Student doing elbow exercises on a bag of heavyweight
relying on the arms of your body to produce energy for your elbows is similar to placing your trust in your arms to create the power to punch. It results in less power as the maximum amount of power your arm can generate is significantly lower than your hips and legs can produce.
The effort to generate energy with your arms will also cause them to tighten up, which prevents any force generated by your hips from transferring into the strike. Be sure to keep your wrist, shoulder, and hand in a relaxed position when you throw elbow strikes. Make sure to fold your arms properly to maximize your elbows’ power.
2. Striking With The Wrong Part Of The Elbows
Always aim to achieve your goal with your ulna. This is the pointed bone that pops out when you bend your arms. It’s a sturdy and unforgiving weapon that destroys anything you aim at by using it.
In contrast to your fists, which are covered when participating in Muay Thai contests or sports that allow Muay Thai strikes like mixed martial arts, the ulna’s not wrapped up or padded, making it a powerful weapon. For maximum damage caused by the ulna, when you strike an opponent, aim to strike your elbows with just the tip of your ulna.
Hitting your target with the end of the ulna helps you avoid landing on portions of your elbow joint which contain nerves. It would help if you landed on the elbow side, which is home to nerves, and you’ll experience that numb bone sensation in your fingers and hands. It could impact your ability to continue fighting by constantly retraining your elbows, landing only with the edge of the ulna.
