Muay Thai is called the science of 8 limbs, known for it’s brutal elegance and deceptive simplicity, practical and powerful attacks. Even though it is practical there are many subtle nuances to the techniques. Elbows, knees, push kicks, round kicks…they all may look the same to the untrained eye but there are many variations of each. For example, the round kick is not just one simple maneuver. There are many types of round kicks – the moving kick, the neck kick, the semi-knee kick, the cut kick, etc. A simple quick change in the direction of the shin bone, height of the kick, angle of the leg, or the distance from which the striker wants to throw the kick creates a weapon used for a special purpose.
This picture is an example of what I am talking about, being executed perfectly – the striker is turning the shin over and trying to slip the kick over the guard to strike the neck. Some of our Level 2 students recently spent 12 weeks learning and practicing this kick on Friday nights after regular class. Flexibility is very important with this strike, and so this class also focused on stretching and flexibility. At the end of the 12 weeks, one student was selected as having the best combination of technique and flexibility, as well as dedication to attending the extra class. This student will be showing everyone his or her neck kick right here on the blog with a video post – watch for that coming soon.