best guard for stocky guy?

***JohnnyCache*** · Posted On: 5/25/2006 3:14am

Originally Posted by meng_mao

One of the guys I train with is short and very stocky. He's very new to striking. I tried to recommend a 'kickboxing' guard to him, where you put your gloves palm-in on your forehead and hold your forearms together. He complains that this really taxes his shoulders, maybe because of his build?

Is there an alternative guard that is effective for short stocky builds? That doesn't involve raising your arms as high? I know that's contradictory to keep your hands up, but still would like to know.

well, if he's got really big shoulders, he might have to open his arms a LITTLE more

But his shoulders are probably tense just because he's new, and new people clench up. Tell him to relax.

**Tom Kagan** · Posted On: 5/25/2006 7:07am

Originally Posted by Xtschneider

Bs. I'm a stocky guy, and i've been working on that guard for months, it still hurts like hell every time I try it. I pretty much have given up on it. I just substitute other guards.

They hurt? That's sounds qualitatively different, in my mind, than "it taxes".

How long can you hold your hands up in that guard before it becomes too much?

**UltimateGaijin** · Posted On: 5/25/2006 9:16am

and don't stand too front on

**Tshin** · Posted On: 5/25/2006 9:47am

maybe 20 seconds at the most, then i gotta stop.

**Stick** · Posted On: 5/25/2006 10:57am

Hands on forehead is patently stupid.

Elbows in to protect the ribs, hands at chin or nose level, palms facing one another or your face.

**Arbiter** · Posted On: 5/25/2006 12:10pm

have him relax his back & shoulders, turtle into the correct posture and bring his head down & slightly forward into his guard. sounds like he may be too upright and bringing his arms and shoulders up to guard his head, which causes even more tension, and quickly burns out the shoulders of already tense noobs. beyond that, tell him to get in shape and stop being such a wuss.

**Cuchulain82** · Posted On: 5/25/2006 3:27pm

The whole point of a thaiboxing guard is that it is a pretty natural motion. Does he have any other shoulder issues you're not letting on (ie: surgery)? If not, then he probably just needs to suck it up, at least a little.

FYI-I'm pretty bulky (6'1", 230 lbs) and I keep my fists at about cheek level, facing in. It works well- I can cover fine and get a jab off very quickly.

**elbowtko** · Posted On: 5/25/2006 3:29pm

Originally Posted by The Hero

Hands on forehead is patently stupid.

Elbows in to protect the ribs, hands at chin or nose level, palms facing one another or your face.

Kickboxing or thai boxing has thier guards like this most of the time. They use the peekaboo guard where they look through thier hands. Although a better description of the thai guard would be hands on eyebrows looking through the guard. Also elbows are more out to take kicks (but not out enough to not protect the ribs. )

Although I have to say this is not the best guard for MMA, but when I need to adapt for my MMA class I just lower my hands down to the cheekbones. But I retain other elements of the thai guard of being wider open.

**meng_mao** · Posted On: 5/25/2006 11:54pm

Originally Posted by The Hero

Hands on forehead is patently stupid.

Elbows in to protect the ribs, hands at chin or nose level, palms facing one another or your face.

perhaps you misunderstand. By hands on forehead, I mean the style like here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=D9DBTa2DN...=andy%20souwer

I think the problem is that his lats are so tensed up that he burns them out holding his arms high. And yeah, he's probably not leaning forward enough.