Tai Otoshi Defence to the Clinch

Being caught in the clinch can be one of the worst places to be during a fight. If someone knows what to do when clinching there opponent it can sometimes be worse than if that opponent was on the floor with kicks coming towards them.

Learning a few basic clinch defences which are effective should definitely be a must for all martial artists, but against experienced clinchers such as Mauy Thai fighters these basic defences may not work.

One defence which has been tried and tested is the Tai Otoshi defence to the clinch. The advantage this escape has is that it is not very commonly seen and your opponent may not expect it. Also you use momentum and speed to break the clinch hold, which can be very powerful when combined and if performed correctly and the Tai Otoshi defence will leave you in the dominant position with your opponent on the floor in front of you.

(Note – The following is intended for those who are familiar and comfortable performing Tai OToshi. If you are unfamiliar with the throw, please learn it first before attempting this clinch defence. There are many useful Internet sites with information about it)

- Your opponent has cupped his hands around your head in the effort of trying to pull you downwards for his/her knee strikes,
- With your left hand you grip his/her right forearm and with your right hand you place it below his/her left forearm close to the elbow,
- You swing your left foot counter clockwise around your own body, placing it close to your opponents left foot, and then extend your right leg to the side in order to drop into the Tai Otoshi position, (Tip – try to keep your hips facing your opponent as much as possible until you actually drop your body weight)
- As you drop your weight for Tai Otoshi you twist your hips and body ferociously whilst pulling with your left hand and pushing up with your right.

The momentum of the twist, combined with the push and pull of your hands and the drop of your weight should be efficient enough to throw your opponent. As with a normal Tai Otoshi, the lower you drop your weight and extend your right leg, the better chance you have of throwing your opponent and the more powerful the throw is. Your opponent, trying and pull your head down may aid in doing this.

If the throw is not pulled off, hopefully at least you should have broken your opponents clinch hold, in which you should quickly resume your guard in order to carry on fighting.

It must be understood that there is never a guarantee that any technique will work, but with practise, at least there is always a better chance than without practise.

Marks

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