Elbow Strikes for Self-Defense: Devastating Infighting Tools

I was sitting front row at the Muay Thai fights in Bangkok when the two fighters clashed in a clinch and the one threw a fast elbow to the other’s jaw. He hit fighter’s head snapped to the side and he dropped straight down to the canvas of the ring. He wasn’t just dazed, he was out cold. He was completely unconscious, and he did not come to right away as many who get their bell rung. This fighter lay there while several men from the sidelines came over with an old stretcher. They rolled him onto the patch of material strung between two long poles, and with a man on each end, they carried him away. I never did learn how bad he was hurt, or what happened. The next fight started and I continue to enjoy my night at the Bangkok fights. It did reinforce my belief that a well thrown elbow can be devastating in a fight.

Elbows for Self-Defense

There are a few pointers that make elbows even more effective, and that reduce the chances of hurting yourself. Elbow strikes, just like punches, should not be thrown with just arm strength. Obviously, you have to be closer to your opponent to throw and elbow, and that is why elbow strikes are considered infighting tools. But even though you are inside, you want to use your body and have your weight behind the strike. This can be done by stepping in with the strike, shifting your weight into the strike, or by pivoting the foot and twisting at the hips, similar to throwing an effective hook. Elbows can be throw backwards at an opponent behind you, and the same principles apply. You can step back into the blow, or you can use a twisting motion to develop and maximize your power. Regardless of the method, you must use your body and weight if you want to throw knock out elbow strikes.

Okay, even though I said it was obvious that you must be closer to your opponent, some people still try to throw elbow strikes from too great a distance. You must be closer to your opponent to make this effective. One technique that is often used is to grab your opponent’s head with your non-striking hand and pull his head into your incoming elbow. These elbow strikes for self-defense are extremely devastating.

Another important consideration, especially for training, is the surface area you strike with. Yes, if you hit with the point of your elbow, it can really hurt your opponent. And with a spearing elbow strike, the point is often used. However, with the vertical elbow, like the one to the Thai fighter’s jaw that dropped him, I prefer to strike with the flat portion just below the elbow before the forearm, and with a rearward elbow the flat portion just above the elbow before the tricep muscles. Striking with these areas, rather than the point of the elbow is less likely to injur your elbow. Repetitive strikes to the point of your elbow can catch up with you and none of us need arthritis in the joints as we age. So train with elbow strikes, and train hard. Make sure you practice them full out on your heavy bag. But practice so that you can continue to train for years to come.

Some have disagreed with me on this last point, and don’t care if injured when training. A few have even gone as far as calling me names because I want to train until I’m in my hundreds, and want my students to train injury free into their elderly years too. It isn’t that I never hit with the point of my elbow, but when a martial arts master with many more years than me told me to take care of my elbows and not to strike all the time with the point, it made sense and I listened.

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Thanks to MuayThai Fighting for the picture.