Crocodile Whips his Tail (diary entry)

09.05-2023 The tenth and final hour of my client's current Muay Thai course finished with more work on advanced kicks. We covered the back kick off my client's non-dominant leg, including important points regarding combinations and setups, and then I introduced him to the spinning heel kick (crocodile whips his tail). The lesson began with a usual warm-up followed by 4 x 2 minute rounds of technique sparring. Round 1 - One-for-one sparring Round 2 - Two-for-two sparring Round 3 - 1, 1-2, 1-2-3 sparring exchanges Round 4 - Free sparring My client's non-dominant leg is his left. A nak muay can throw this back kick off both an orthodox and a southpaw stance. However, we assumed his opponent would be in an orthodox stance which is statistically more likely. This means that the risk taken with this technique is increased as the fighter has to cross into his opponent's power side rather than the far safer blind side. In order to do this it is wise to cover the movement with other techniques such as hooks, crosses and round kicks. I introduced the spinning heel kick, making a distinction from the spinning hook kick and spinning crescent (inside-to-outside) kick. My reason for teaching either of these two moves is that I do not see a lot of their utility in Muay Thai. They are fast techniques and easier to execute but, with a few exceptions, tend lack the power of the straight-legged version. The spinning heel kick is, in some ways, simpler than the back kick. It is a technique that can be thrown almost off the spot. However, the dynamic action is more difficult and the targets a little more challenging. Although, like the back kick, a well-placed spinning heel can cause damage in the liver it is usually a move reserved for the head, landing on the jaw or the side of the neck. It's a 360 degree movement that requires very good timing. Although clearly they would naturally be more favoured by muay femur and muay tae fighters, I used mat muay setups. Here the fighter engages the head with punches before throwing several low kicks, forcing the opponent to immediately over-compensate for allowing their low targets going unprotected. From here the spinning kick is thrown. We even used the same leg that had thrown the last low kick, creating a greater element of surprise by rotating in the opposite direction. Although arguments are made that these techniques have always been a part of Muay Thai and are taught as part of the Muay Boran system, I am not sure whether this is the case. Existing footage, photographs and even genuine old illustrations of the pre-1930s art do not show either of them. They are both high risk techniques but can be excellent fight enders. Muay Thai's scoring system does reward high risk techniques as sports like Taekwondo do. Rather they score for effect. Therefore these moves, although crowd-pleasing to an international audience, should be executed sparingly. https://clubbchimera.com/services/