In Muay Thai, Muay Mat is an aggressive and powerful breed of Nak Muay who specialize in delivering powerful punches to inflict damage on their opponents. As punches are a conditionally scoring technique under the traditional, stadium ruleset, Muay Mats are also known to be relentless fighters, who use elite strength and conditioning to ensure their punches have an effect on the scorecards. Fighters such as Rodtang Jitmuangnon, Jo Nattawut, and Anuwat Kaewsamrit embody this hard-hitting brand of Muay Thai.
While they may be relentless, aggressive, and powerful, Muay Mats, like every traditional Muay Thai fighting style, has weaknesses that can be exploited in the ring. So, if you are set to face a powerful puncher in the ring soon, or simply struggle under the pressure of explosive hand combinations, don’t stress. Here are our top 5 tips for defeating a Muay Mat in Muay Thai.
1) Range Management
This first tip is also the most important as many of the following tips can not be utilized without first establishing the correct fighting range for facing a puncher.
Muay Mats are most effective in the mid-range; that is, the space between kicking and clinching where they can land their punches with full shoulder and hip rotation. If you are fighting a puncher, then you definitely do not want to be caught standing here.
The Muay Mats’ greatest enemy is the Muay Femur; a fighter who maintains position at a long range and counters them as they step forward to punch. So, if you want to defeat them, this is ideally where you want to be.
You want to stand just outside of the punching range, where your opponent will need to take a step forward to land a punch on you. Here you will have the most time to react to their punches before they land and can counter-kick and teep whenever they step into range or if all else fails, you will be able to retreat to a safe distance before they can strike.
2) Perfect Your Teeps
A great way to maintain long-range and keep an aggressive puncher at bay is to utilize the teep. This long-range weapon, when used correctly, keeps a puncher out of the mid-range and, if timed well off-balances them as they attack.
While simply using evasive footwork is a perfectly valid way to avoid getting caught in a Muay Mats’ effective striking range, a well-rehearsed teep gives them something to worry about and avoid, slowing their advances and sometimes, making them hesitant to attack. This will give you time to breathe as they pressure forward.
Teeps also act as a doorway to other weapons. Once a Muay Mat has learned to respect your teep they will often slow down and react to it with attempts to defend. Once this happens, you’ll be able to feint the teep, creating better openings to score with your long-range kicks and counter knees.
3) Counter Kick
A good Muay Mat will stalk forward with a tight guard, making it hard to strike them in the first phase of an exchange. Given their style, they will have to get past long-range kicks before they can unload their punches, it is safe to assume they are going to be prepared to catch your kicks and counter if you throw them prematurely,
Therefore, the best time to kick a Muay Mat is when they are already throwing a punch because doing so requires them to open their guard, and also, their hands will be too busy attacking to catch your kicks.
The easiest method for counter-kicking a puncher simply requires you to stand slightly out of their effective striking range. Then, as they step forward to punch, quickly step back so the punch can’t reach you and fire off a quick body kick. Just be prepared, an aggressive (or frustrated) Muay Mat will sometimes wear the body kick and continue charging forward for a second chance at landing a punch so, you need to be ready to defend after you land your kick.
4) Develop Ring Awareness
A good Muay Mat will have many skills in their arsenal to stop their opponent from maintaining effective counter-kicking range and foremost amongst them is using their footwork and ringcraft to shepherd their opponent onto the ropes where they can’t escape from their punches.
If you are fighting a Muay Mat, then you always need to be aware of where you are situated within the ring. As we’ve noted, range management is essential for defeating a puncher and if you get yourself trapped on the ropes or in the corner of the ring then you won’t be able to maintain a safe fighting range. So, if you’re fighting a puncher you always need to be aware of where you are standing in the ring.
5) Perfect The Art Of Spoiling
Given that a Muay Mat is well trained in closing distance and using ringcraft to crowd opponents onto the ropes, you must be prepared for the possibility that you might get caught in mid-range without the opportunity to retreat.
In these situations, you need to call on the art of spoiling, which is the somewhat counterintuitive process of moving forward, through punches, to tie up your opponent in the clinch so you are too close for them to punch effectively and then tie them up in the clinch.
While this can seem daunting, you need to remember that punches are most effective at midrange. When you get too close, you smother the punches, sapping them of some of their power. All you need to do is close your guard up tight to minimize the risk of getting caught with punches or elbows as you move into the strikes and then, once you are as close as possible, loop your arms around your opponent’s or wrap them up in a strong clinch grip.
Once you are in position you have the option to try and outwork your opponent in the clinch but, if you have been having a lot of success at long range, it is best to close down the clinch with your weight distributed evenly over your feet and your hips and chest pressed close to theirs where neither of you can land effective strikes. This will force the referee to break you so you can reset at the safer, longer range once again.
Conclusion
Muay Thai strategies, like those for defeating a Muay Mat, are best learned through hands-on practice. So, remember to put these tips to the test and experience the art of Muay Thai yourself.
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