Of all the Muay Thai tactics, the clinch demands the most raw strength. If you layout all Thai boxing techniques on the force-velocity curve, you’ll have clinchwork at one end (strength) and punches at the other (speed). To coincide with Sean Fagan’s recent release of his Clinch King training video series (which is well worth a serious look), I thought I’d quickly put together a few complimentary exercises to boost the athletic foundation for your clinch technique.
What Clinch Strength Is & Isn’t
Good clinch work comes from relaxed, efficient application of strength, not just brute force. If I’m clinching someone who’s using all-out effort, I know I’ve got them — they’ll be blowing in no time and unable to fend me off. So although clinch is about strength, it’s not all about strength. Don’t just muscle it, you must be strong and active in the right areas while simultaneously relaxed in others or you’re wasting valuable energy ‘driving with the brakes on’.
First of all, clinch strength doesn’t come from your arms and shoulders. If this is where you focus your efforts in the clinch you will lose. You must produce force with larger muscle groups that won’t prematurely fatigue. To this end, it’s predominantly your back that must be activated when you clinch. Control your elbows with your back, hook onto your opponent with your wrists and flex your spine (compressing you ribs) with an active core and your clinch efficiency will sky-rocket.
The strength exercises I recommend not only build the relevant strength, but also develop coordinated muscle activation patterns that improve your clinch technique. So bearing all this in mind, here’s a few exercises I’ve published to get you started… I’ll add some more new ones next week.
Alternate Side Chin Ups
Outu Flow Sequence
Further Resources
Don Heatrick
Founder of Heatrick Strength and Conditioning
Don Heatrick is a family man from the UK, former mechanical design engineer, European Muay Thai silver medallist, former pro Thai boxer (ranked 4th in UK while aged 40-years), a Muay Thai coach, podcast host, and the go-to expert on Muay Thai performance training with over 25 years of coaching experience.
Don helps ambitious fighters and coaches take their game to the next level by bridging the gap between Strength & Conditioning, Performance Science, and Muay Thai.
Follow Don Heatrick on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donheatrick/
[…] To add further to Sean Fagan’s recent release of his Clinch King training video series, here are some more complimentary exercises to boost your clinch strength. If you missed my first few exercises, and my explanation of what clinch strength is and isn’t, check out part 1 here. […]
GRECO ROMAN WRESTLING has direct comparisons and corollary`s to muay thai clinch development.
a greco wrestler could learn muay thai clinch moves in the quickest time possible.
investigate couture and henderson training lessons on clinch and see.
what ever the western wrestling coaches say and do could be good for you too.
after all its NECK WRESTLING
[…] And your clinch performance will be even better if you strengthen this pattern further. […]