Mechanics / Hands / Shadow

Upward elbow / chin line

The hand drops to the chest and the point of the elbow drives up.

The lead hand drops to the chest and the point of the elbow drives up past the chin line. The upward elbow comes from underneath a guard and it is driven by the legs, not the arm. The hand drops to the chest, the elbow folds under it, and the point drives up past the chin line as the hips lift. Learn the fold before anything else; a wide upward elbow is an uppercut with the wrong surface.

The actions, phase by phase

Muay Thai guard

1. Base. Keep a stance from which either leg can lift.
2. Hands ready. Bring the hands into your coach-taught guard.
3. Balance. Keep the torso upright enough to manage kicks and checks.
4. Reset. Re-establish the base after every action.

Watch for. This illustration does not show clinch posture or an opponent.

Upward elbow

1. Guard. The lead hand stays close to the head; the rear hand does not move.
2. Drop the hand. The lead hand drops to the chest and the elbow folds under it.
3. Drive up. The point of the elbow drives up past the chin line as the hips lift; the hand finishes beside the ear.
4. Recover. Fold the arm back to the guard before the next one.

Watch for. The upward elbow is short and it comes from the legs. The study shows the fold and the lift. It cannot show range, and it must never be practised on a person from this diagram.

Up from the legs

1. Drop the hand, not the elbow; the fold comes first.
2. Drive from the legs; the hips lift under the elbow.
3. The hand finishes beside the ear, then folds back to the guard.

Three faults a pad holder sees

1. Elbow opens on the way up. the arm stays folded so the point of the elbow arrives.
2. No lift from the legs. the hips rise into the strike; the arm does not do it alone.
3. Hand swings behind the head. the hand finishes beside the ear, not behind it.

A starting prescription

3 rounds of 45 seconds with 30 seconds between them. Ten per round, slow, folded back to the guard every time. Load the study into the session builder with these numbers and change them to suit the round you are preparing for.

What this loop is, and is not

Solo rehearsal of a shape you have already been taught. No partner, no contact, no pad impact, and no coach has reviewed this loop. It shows where the joints go, not whether they should go there for you.

Where it sits

Stage: Mechanics. Before it: Curved knee / around the guard. After it: Spinning elbow / full turn. Sessions that use it: The elbow book. See also the glossary, the warm-up and the method and its limits.