Over the last two blocks of 10 lessons, we narrowed the focus to elbow strikes. We covered the main elbow methods found in Muay Thai, then used mixed martial arts training ideas to test them against movement, clinch pressure, grips, and resistance. Then we came back to karate. More specifically, we came back to naihanchi.

You can show a tidy elbow application from the kata. You can drill it compliantly. You can hit pads with it. All of that helps. But if the other person is gripping, framing, blocking, turning, and trying to hit you back, the elbow has to earn its place. That’s where cross-training becomes useful. Muay Thai gives us a living model for elbow striking under pressure. Wrestling gives us gripping, posture breaking, and body control. Put those together carefully and you can buil

On a recent Friday morning, I worked with my regular client from Cotswold Karate School during the seventh hour of his 10-hour course. His focus is practical karate, where elbow strikes play a crucial role in bunkai, the application of kata techniques. My role as his coach is to integrate MMA and Muay Thai principles into his training. This cross-training approach helps him bring kata applications to life by adding more dynamic, live sparring elements. Today’s session centere