A friend of mine lent me a dvd of some
Thai boxing fights filmed over in Thailand.

As I sat watching the fights at the weekend,
the technique that stuck out to me as
a ‘fight finisher’ was the ELBOW…

The elbow is so dangerous that in a lot of
Thai boxing tournaments it is banned…

So, how can you use this deadly weapon to
defend you and your loved ones on the street?

The elbow is one of my favorite weapons.

Most street fights go VERY quickly into
grappling range or if you are attacked
by surprise it will already be close up
action…

This is where the elbow strikes come into
their own.

They can be used in an accurate and flowing
fashion, using linear and circular motion.
They can come in from all angles and hit
practically anywhere on the body - some
totally unexpected - and they can combine
into bone-breaking throws or locks.

The elbows are literally the body’s
battering rams. They are naturally hard
and toughened areas and by honing them
on the heavy bag they will become LETHAL
weapons!

If anybody is in doubt as to how effective
the blows can be…you only have to observe
some of the recent nasty injuries inflicted
in professional soccer by loose, flailing
elbows.

These incidents showed soccer players
inflicting damage with the elbows. They
were NOT trained martial artists who knew
how to strike with proper power, focus
accuracy and speed - that should tell just
how dangerous and effective the strike can
be.

There are many types of attack using an elbow,

However, time is limited for me so

I’m going to for share about three for now.

Lets now proceed…

Elbow Strike 1: Slashing Elbow

This type of elbow strike is generally used when we want to attack the upper part of facial area such as forehead, eye and nose. It can be done by swing the elbow diagonally downward, normally in 45 degree angle (like a “slash” sign) to attack the target. Unlike we normally can not use the elbow slash to attack alone as we need to get close to opponent enough to attack. The elbow slash will be used effectively when we want to response to opponent’s knee-kick.

To practice the elbow slash, you have to bend the elbow closely against the arm, as if they are together. Then, twist the shoulder, send your body into the opposite direction, aiming to strike the elbow against the upper targets. In case the opponent counters with a punch, you should parry that punch away with your fist, and swing the elbow against the desired target. Do not use this techniques often or else the opponent will prepare for it.

Elbow Strike 2: Horizontal Blow

It is quite similar to the elbow slash technique. The different is only wee have to swing the elbow horizontally, parallel to the ground. However, you need to make sure that you must stand firmly when attack, because attacking with full power, you may need to twist to shoulder and hip along with the elbow swing and this will make you losing balance easily.

This is done by raising the arm at 90 degree angle to armpit, and the hand at 30 degree to the elbow. The elbow must be parallel to the floor at all time, even during the swinging movement. The targets of this strike lie in the jaws, chin, or even the ribs, if you lower your body to launch the strike.

To train horizontal blow, the boxers should practice on the punch bag to get used to the manourve. Step one foot forward, putting pressure on the tip of the foot to get a good hoid. Follow by the back leg, touching the floor manually with the tip of the foot, ready to twist the heel to add to the momentum of the elbow, as well as the hip and the shoulder in complete synchronization to swing with the most force against the target.

Elbow Strike 3: Uppercut Blow

The uppercut elbow can be done by swing the elbow diagonally upwards to attack target especially chin. This technique requires speed when using it, which means you have to do it as quickly as you can. However, in the competition, some boxers avoid to use it, but use horizontal elbow or elbow slash instead.

The expertise in this techniques, the boxers should train frequently with the punch bag. Uppercut Elbow is done by step your foot forward so that the tip of the foot is below the punch bag, and and launch an uppercut. Your fist should go pass the target, allowing your elbow to make the impact instead. Do not forget to bend both your front and back knees so that you could straighten the body when you swing your elbow upward against the opponent.

Until next time…

*Train hard, Fight easy*