Want to improve your striking defense? Watch this video, grab a friend, and then get to drilling!

One of the most overlooked aspects of fighting is working on and improving your striking defense, which is odd because I’m pretty sure that no one really enjoys getting struck.

If you aren’t used to sparring regularly, you may have an unrealistic sense of what it is like to have punches and kicks being thrown at you in a live situation. Many have the mentality of ‘I’ll just get out of the strikes way’, but if professional fighters can be knocked out, so can anyone else. The short video we are sharing below will break down a drill that you and a training partner can use to build your body’s muscle memory to defend against kicks properly and prevent you from being knocked out.

If you’re new to this type of drill and striking in general, it is important to keep your sight focused on the torso of your opponent rather than their individual limbs. This will prevent your opponent from setting up strikes while distracting you with others and also allow you to see them coming earlier than if you were staring at their arms/legs.

After watching the video, is this something that you have tried before? If not, might you give it a shot with a friend or training partner? Let us know in the comments below!

About Muay Thai:

Muay Thai is a combat sport of Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This physical and mental discipline which includes combat on shins is known as “the art of eight limbs” because it is characterized by the combined use of fists, elbows, knees, shins, being associated with a good physical preparation that makes a full-contact fighter very efficient. Muay Thai became widespread internationally in the twentieth century, when practitioners defeated notable practitioners of other martial arts.

Source: Wikipedia