In this lesson you will learn how to do a straight Muay Thai knee strike. This is the first knee strike Muay Thai students learn. In Thai, this technique is called Khao Trong (เข่าตรง). Khao means knee and Trong stands for straight. Before you learn the straight Muay Thai knee strike, you should work on your fighting stance, learn how to walk forward and backward, and also practice the basic punches. In the beginning, you will practice the straight Muay Thai knee strike in front of a mirror, then on a heavy bag, and then with a sparring partner. Find more Muay Thai instructions at the main Muay Thai page. Don’t forget to check out the Muay Thai videos at the bottom of this instruction.
Execution
First of all, you should make sure your Muay Thai fighting stance is perfect. Keep your hands at temple height, don’t raise your chin, and relax your hips and shoulders.
Then make a small step with your front leg. Don’t jump.
Extend your lead arm, because you are supposed to pull your opponent’s neck/head down into your knee strike. The straight Muay Thai knee strike is a medium-distance technique. If you were closer, you would probably go for knee slaps, and if you wanted to apply a knee technique from further away, you would probably throw a knee bomb, which is a variation of the straight knee strike.
Lift your back leg. Straight Muay Thai knee strikes are always executed with the back leg. Front-leg knee strikes would not be strong enough. If you want to strike with the other leg, skip legs before the knee strike (see videos below).
Bend your knee and start pulling your opponent down.
Shortly before the impact, extend your hips. Push your hips forward. Fully extend your standing leg and raise the heel of the standing leg. Lean back at the same time so that your head doesn’t come too close to your opponent and you don’t lose balance. But keep your chin down. Very important: make sure your back hand remains on your temple the whole time. Straight knee strikes with both hands down are worthless.
Then go back the same way. Never let the striking leg fall in front of the lead leg. You strike with the back leg, and the back leg has to go back to its starting position — behind the lead leg.
Advice
In the beginning, you should practice your straight Muay Thai knee strike in front of a mirror and check your fighting stance after every kick. If possible, ask an experienced Muay Thai instructor or fighter to correct you.
Make sure you keep one hand on your temple and your chin down throughout the entire movement.
In this video, former Lumpinee Champion Kru Phon and his fighter Soklek will show you how to do a straight knee strike.
Videos
Muay Thai Knee Strike
Muay Thai Fighting Stance Instruction from Thailand
Muay Thai Videos
Suggestions
Muay Thai Fighting Stance
Muay Thai Main Page
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