MUAY THAI: Elbows

The elbow bone is one of the hardest bones in the human body and fighters with proficient elbow strikes are feared opponents. Elbows can cause knockouts or deep cuts that force the fight to be stopped. A bloody cut can blind the view of the fighter and becomes the target of the opponent eager to finish the fight.

As elbows are dangerous and by nature quick, short range strikes that are harder to block reactively, it is especially important to keep the guard up at all times for efficient defense against them. When throwing an elbow strike, the face and jaw should be protected not only with the opposing hand, but also by the elevation in the shoulder of the striking arm. The striking arm should be kept relaxed and the fist loose and open until the moment of impact.