MT/Kickboxing:Where do i put my hands?

[MMAMickey]

I've been trying to find some information on this. I remember being told, or possibly read, that this high stance was an older style of holding your hands that was used before golves were intraduced to the sport in Thailand. The reason was that it would be better to use your elbows to protect your head because if someone kicked your hands into your face, it wasn't going to be a very effective defense.

Once gloves were intraduced, it was realized that a lower guard could be more effective in protecting the ribs and head at the same time, but it was still common to raise the hands up and cover the head with the elbow if you could respond in time to head kicks and punches.

If I find the a link I'll put it in here. But most instructors that I have came accross teach a stance that is almost just like a boxing stance, with the foot placement a little different due to kicking.

As long as you bring the forearm up to block you can easily use a boxing stance without relying on your gloves to absorb impact. a decent example of what I'm getting at would be Crazy Monkey style - I don't mean to endorse their style, but the blocking aspect of it is definitely sound.

[WhiteShark]

The real high elbows out guard is used when you can throw elbows to the head. Obviously having your elbows low and tucked against your body is not a great position if you want to elbow someone in the face. The more boxing like guards come from so many people fighting without elbows and/or clinch in play.

[money]

I'll tell you what my coach tells us, "PUT YOUR FUCKING HANDS UP."

I was always told that as you get tired your hands start to drop. By building the habit of the hands high up on the head, as they drop they're still in a position to protect your face.

New people at my gym are constantly reminded to keep both hands glued to their head. As a person develops their game, then they can start adjusting the hand position to better fit their own fighting style.

[dinstitute]

The best advice I received when training and what I teach now is to not concentrate so much on keeping your hands up, but keeping your elbows into your ribs. This accomplishes three things:

1. It protects the body with the arms, keeps people from throwing blows underneath the elbows, and keeps you in a crouched position.

2. If your elbows are in then it is much more difficult for your hands to come down away from your face because it is an unnatural position to have your hands out.

3. Your punches are thrown in a more relaxed position because when you throw you actually loosen the elbows away from the body. A more relaxed punch is faster than one thrown really tight.

This is what I teach and there are a lot of different styles that work well for different people.

[Diesel_tke]

My teacher was so anal about keeping your hands up when you are new, that if you dropped your hands you had to do your entire work out for the rest of the day while holding a ball to your head pressed between your glove and your cheek.

That sucked!

[WhiteShark]

The best advice I received when training and what I teach now is to not concentrate so much on keeping your hands up, but keeping your elbows into your ribs. This accomplishes three things:

1. It protects the body with the arms, keeps people from throwing blows underneath the elbows, and keeps you in a crouched position.

2. If your elbows are in then it is much more difficult for your hands to come down away from your face because it is an unnatural position to have your hands out.

3. Your punches are thrown in a more relaxed position because when you throw you actually loosen the elbows away from the body. A more relaxed punch is faster than one thrown really tight.

This is what I teach and there are a lot of different styles that work well for different people.

Great idea unless you're throwing elbows. The different guards have different applications.

[Vieux Normand]

I like sparring elbow-flarers.

When the opposition has hands up to his face, his flared arms can help feed an uppercut, uppercut-elbow or front-kick to the underside of the jaw when he's moving...and the elbows need only be slightly flared for it to work like a charm.

[dinstitute]

You are absolutely correct about the different applications. I know Thai style fighters that fight in much more of a walking style with the hands out in front of them and everything is forward, forward, forward, punches and kicks be damned.

I fight and train with elbows as well and while it's a little slower, the protection of the body outweighs the advantage of the speed. I also throw my elbows after a punch when the elbow is turned out so I'm not leading with an elbow strike.

Like I said before, lots of different styles that work great.

[MMAMickey]

You are absolutely correct about the different applications. I know Thai style fighters that fight in much more of a walking style with the hands out in front of them and everything is forward, forward, forward, punches and kicks be damned.

I fight and train with elbows as well and while it's a little slower, the protection of the body outweighs the advantage of the speed. I also throw my elbows after a punch when the elbow is turned out so I'm not leading with an elbow strike.

Like I said before, lots of different styles that work great.

You compete with elbows? What style?

[dinstitute]

I don't compete anymore. I suppose I should have stated "spar" up above and not "fight." My apologies. But my fighters compete in Mixed Martial Arts and they are allowed to throw elbows in competition here in Colorado. Just recently they changed the rules and made elbows legal only to the body for amateurs. However Pros are still able to throw elbows to the head.