Teep Setups and Knee Bombs (diary entry)

29.09.20 Tuesday night’s second lesson was client consultation as we used the lead teep and jab to set us off on a journey through rear leg round kicks, switch spear knees, rear knees, knee bombs and switch kicks. We began with the jab/lead teep seesaw movement. The step jab is probably one of the most common jabs thrown in Muay Thai. It is also a good way to start footwork training in Western Boxing. We then add the pendulum step in to teach moving in and out of range as I did with my previous client. The pendulum step was then used to add forward momentum to the lead teep. Here the knee bomb might be added on as a useful tactic. Moving to the rear leg teep, we used the jab and then the jab/cross as a set-up. My client suggested whether the rear leg might be put down in front, creating a reverse of the previous stance. The answer is that it all depends on the context and what necessary precautions are going to be taken not to expose this leg to an immediate low kick counter from an opponent. I used this opportunity to bring in a switch-knee, allowing the step forward to become a cat stance of sorts. We also used the knee-bomb tactic. Other points covered included the “Saenchai shuffle”, which is a good tool for developing switch-kicking and switch-hitting in general as well as the execution of the Thai round kick.