Previously I posted an heads-up on 2 of my friends' article published in Black Belt magazine:
Here is a brief excerpt:
Use Your Head: Clinch Fighting in Burmese Martial Arts
As anyone who has watched mixed martial arts can attest, an important – and sometimes overlooked – phase of a fight is the clinch. Frequently, in MMA contests, you will see two fighters locked tightly together, holding on to each other as they trade short strikes or look to execute a takedown from the clinch position.
The prime influences of this modern MMA clinch game have been muay Thai, a style known for it’s use of knees and elbows in close, and Greco-Roman wrestling, known for it’s clinch positioning and upper body throws. But while highly effective, both of these sports – and modern MMA for that matter – have rules which prohibit the use of headbutts and groin strikes, two very dangerous weapons which may play a vital role in the clinch during a self-defense situation. Certain things encouraged by all three sports might, in fact, leave you more vulnerable to headbutts and groin strikes in the street.
But there is one sport that does effectively address these concerns: lethwei, a Burmese form of bareknuckle kickboxing.
figure 2a – Against an opponent who attempts to clinch him behind the head with both hands
figure 2b – Dunlap places his right forearm across the front of the opponent’s neck to stop a headbutt
figure 2c – With his hand on the back of the opponent’s shoulder, he straightens his arm crossfacing the opponent to break his clinch.
figure 2d – He then rams his own head forward into the opponent’s face
Mark's article was, due to space considerations, edited down to 2 pages IIRC. Mark is posting the full unedited article along with all the pictures to his blog. It will be posted in 2 parts, with the first part up already. Please read the rest of the article here:
Enjoy!
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