Brought to you by the coaches of ALL POWERS Gym (Panicos Yusuf, Stevie Guest, Elliot Turner, Josh Burley, and Jason Lau)
What is Clinching?
Clinching is a specific close-range strategy where a Muay Thai fighter is allowed to off-balance their opponent by pushing, pulling, holding, kneeing or sweeping. Under Pro-Am and Professional rulesets, elbow strikes are allowed within the clinch exchanges. Most striking sports do not incorporate this aspect into their sport practice (due to rulesets) though many Mixed Martial Arts gyms and UFC fighters have started to incorporate the aspects of clinching within their teachings. Clinching is often practiced barehanded or specific rounds/sessions with gloves worn to imitate fight environments.
Clinching demands both technical skill and physical endurance, as fighters must maintain their posture and disrupt their opponent's balance while delivering knee and elbow strikes.
Within this guide, we will discuss two approaches in developing strength in clinching: the pragmatic (skills practice and drills) and the dogmatic (traditional resistance training/S&C).
Skills Practice Approach [Pragmatic]
Being pragmatic involves using problem-solving skills to creatively find multiple solutions to achieve an outcome. In the context of combat sports, this can take the form of strictly clinching rounds or specific clinching drills and games during skills practice. While a pragmatic approach may not implement as strict of a system similar to a traditional strength training program—such as progressive overloading to create general strength adaptations—it will help build strength in specific positions and scenarios that can be replicated to transfer into clinching-only and live sparring rounds.
Though some strength and conditioning purists may argue that this method is ineffective for developing strength, the evidence speaks for itself. Many Thai fighters, who may not supplement their training with weightlifting or engage in ineffective weight training, still demonstrate dominance in the clinch. This success stems from their consistent practice; not only do they refine their techniques, they will also build a degree of strength through daily clinching.
Drills are essential in combat sports training for several reasons. First, they allow athletes to practice and sharpen specific techniques before application in real-life scenarios, building their effectiveness during competition. Second, drills target the development of particular muscle groups and joint positions, building strength and muscular endurance. Ultimately, drills serve both purposes—facilitating skill acquisition and contributing to a certain degree of physical development—making them an integral part of a fighter's training.
Inside Position Drill
Within this drill, both partners will compete for the inside arm position, which is critical for gaining arm or neck control and defending against elbow strikes. This constrained drill forces both partners to focus on maintaining inside-arm or neck control while neutralizing the other partner's attempts. This develops technical skills and builds muscular endurance in the forearms, biceps, and shoulders, making it effective for athletes of all experience levels due to its low complexity.
Clinch Push-Pull & Partner Resistance Drills
Both drill variations are used with the intention of becoming stronger in a clinch scenario, building confidence in moving into or dragging an opponent off their base. Both are beginner-friendly, one-dimensional drills where both participants are constrained to only pushing or pulling (this drill can be progressed with the addition of stepping off later on).
In the first drill shown, both partners are free to explore different tactics or body positions to break the opponent's posture. In contrast, the second drill shown requires the working partner to maintain a tall posture while pressing forward against resistance from their partner (as a progression, the partner who is pressing forward can start incorporating knees). This can also be used to build conditioning (manipulating push-to-pull and work-to-rest ratios) in clinch-specific scenarios.
Drill 1: Push-Pull Free Exploration
Drill 2: Resistance Drill with Tall Posture
Drill 3: Advanced Push-Pull with Knees
Partner Skip Knees Drill
While one partner within the drill practices skip knees, the other wears a belly pad and is required to stand their ground, maintaining their posture by engaging their core, lower body, spinal erectors, and traps. Partners wearing the belly pad are required to engage the traps and neck musculature, imitating a clinching scenario where one is fighting against neck control from the other partner.
This drill improves the fighter's strength and endurance to maintain a strong posture within a controlled, unstable environment while the other attempts to maintain a dominant clinch position practicing skip knees.
Lock & Escape Drill
This situational drill was inspired by grappling-based sports, such as Wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. One training partner takes a dominant position/lock in a clinch, and the other partner fights to escape and return to a neutral 50/50 position or gain a dominant position themselves.
The Lock and Escape drill can be performed with a start-and-stop approach or continuously. This drill requires more cognitive effort compared to the previously mentioned drills, as it allows each partner to use problem-solving skills and opens the possibilities to different approaches to a single solution.
“While clinching is technically demanding, relying solely on technique is sometimes not enough, especially in a fight. Strength and explosiveness can be used to create openings in a clinch.”
— Panicos Yusuf
Lock & Escape Drill - Variation 1
Lock & Escape Drill - Variation 2
Drills are designed to bridge techniques learned into live rounds or fight scenarios. By practicing different scenarios, athletes develop the strength and confidence needed to execute techniques effectively under pressure.
Resistance Training Approach [Dogmatic]
This approach follows a systematic structure. Strength and Conditioning (S&C) adheres to principles of progressive overload, exercise specificity, exercise progression, and timelines in which training outcomes should be achieved.
Clinching predominantly relies on grinding strength qualities—pushing, pulling, and holding against external resistance. Traditional resistance training aids in the development of a fighter's physical capabilities by strengthening the muscle groups involved in clinching. These include, but are not limited to:
Back musculature (including traps)
Neck musculature
Core muscles
Lower limbs for posture and base
Upper limbs for fighting inside control and dominant positions
When developing strength within clinching scenarios, exercise specificity may not always benefit the fighter. Clinching demands strength in positions that cannot be easily replicated through resistance training. Attempting to mimic clinching positions with weights may limit physical progression due to the challenges of loading variability within the clinching skillset.
Therefore, I advocate for a general approach that focuses on improving a fighter's overall grinding strength in key muscle groups rather than emphasizing specific clinch positions. This broader strength approach also enhances striking ability, offering benefits that support multiple aspects of a fighter's development.
Maintaining a Strong Frame
Maintaining a strong frame in clinching means positioning your body to off-balance, lock up your opponents, and neutralize their attempts to gain inside control or a dominant position. A strong frame is the foundation of both offensive and defensive measures in clinching.
Time Under Tension (TUT)
Time Under Tension refers to the timeframe in which muscles are under strain during an exercise. This can involve:
Slow/fast muscular contractions (concentric)
Slow/fast muscular lengthening (eccentric)
Sustaining muscular contraction with no change to joint movement (isometric)
Tempo Repetitions
Tempo describes how fast or slow a repetition of an exercise should be performed. By training with controlled tempo, athletes can improve their ability to apply constant resistance against an opponent.
Isometric Holds
Isometric exercises involve holding or resisting external weight with no changes in joint/muscle movement. This strengthens an athlete's ability to maintain a strong frame or lock on an opponent during a clinch.
Overcoming Isometrics – exerting maximal force against an immovable object
Zercher Variations – engaging the core, resisting rotation, and maintaining a strong upper limb position
Partial Range of Motion (ROM)
Partial range movements focus on maintaining muscular tension within a limited range, helping athletes build strength in their strongest or weakest ROM.
Wrist Flexion
In Muay Thai, clinching is performed without interlocking fingers or gripping tightly, as gloves limit grip security compared to barehanded clinching. To securely lock an opponent in a clinch while wearing gloves, fighters use a “gooseneck” grip, which involves tensing the palms to fit the natural curve of the glove and maintaining wrist flexion. Additionally, a “gable” grip can be used, in which both arms interlock along with the gooseneck grip to ensure a dominant clinch position.
Muscles Involved in Wrist Flexion
Flexor Carpi Radialis – contributes to wrist flexion and abduction
Flexor Carpi Ulnaris – assists in wrist flexion and adduction
Biceps Brachii – plays a stabilizing role in supporting the elbow joint
Training for Wrist Flexion Strength
Isometric Holds – Maintaining wrist flexion under load
Tempo Repetitions – Emphasizing controlled movements and maintaining key positions
High-Volume Sets – Performing targeted exercises with a high repetition range
Core/Trunk Stability
Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) is the pressure within the abdominal cavity, created by the coordinated contraction of the diaphragm, abdominal muscles, and pelvic floor. IAP is essential for maintaining core stability, transferring force in striking, and supporting efficient movement.
While core training in combat sports is often associated with striking performance, it is equally important for maintaining proper posture in clinching.
For more information regarding core stiffness in combat sports and McGill's study.
Anti-Rotation
Strong anti-rotation core muscles play a crucial role in stabilizing the torso, maintaining posture, and resisting external forces that can push, pull, or twist you off balance.
Rotational Ability / Transverse Plane
Rotational strength, particularly in the transverse plane, helps fighters push, pull, and twist their opponents to throw them off balance. Both slow-velocity (muscular bias) and high-velocity (tendon bias) exercise variations are recommended.
Overcoming Isometrics
Overcoming isometric exercises require athletes to exert maximal force against an immovable object. Short-duration contractions (3-5 seconds), performed in low volume (3-5 sets) with long rest intervals (at least 3 minutes), allow for quality repetitions while managing overall workload.
Application of Training Methods
Scaling Drills for Difficulty and Experience Levels
The following is based on the “SPORT Framework” from Farrow and Robertson (2016). Periodizing drills for skill development is more complex than periodizing for physical development. Simply learning a technique is not enough—coaches and athletes must bridge the gap to real-life scenarios that require problem-solving skills.
Progression Framework
Drill #1: Practicing a single technique or sequence in a specific scenario.
Drill #2: Semi-constrained drilling where the athlete applies the technique(s) in multiple scenarios requiring problem-solving.
Drill #3: Semi-constrained drilling with additional stressors such as knees or sweeps.
Drill #4: Clinch-only rounds where the fighter integrates the technique in a controlled sparring setting.
Live Rounds: Open environment (full sparring or Shark Tank rounds) where one fighter must force the clinch under high-stress conditions.
Training Recommendations
For Low-Intensity, Long-Duration Endurance
Goose Neck Pull-Up Hangs: 30-second hangs (15-second rest) for multiple sets.
Inside Position Drill: 2-3 minute rounds (~30-60 seconds rest) at low to moderate intensity.
For Anaerobic Capacity
Overcoming Isometric MB Squeeze: 3-5 second squeezes at moderate intensity (3-5 second rest) for multiple bouts.
Partner Skip Knees Drill: 10-15 seconds of high-intensity skip knees (~10-15 seconds rest) for multiple rounds.
Shark Tank Clinch Rounds: 2-minute rounds of high-intensity clinching (~1-2 minutes rest) for multiple bouts.
For Multiple Bouts of High-Intensity
Half-Kneeling MB Rotational Slam: 15 seconds of slams at high effort (~2.5-5 minutes rest).
Lock & Escape Drill: 1-minute 30-second high-intensity rounds (~2-3 minutes rest).
Final Thoughts
More is not always better. There comes a point where doing more will lead to diminishing returns. It is important for fighters and coaches alike to understand that variables such as intensity and volume must be adjusted periodically to provide a new stimulus for improvement.
A complete training regimen must include:
Proper skills coaching above all else
Energy system development
Robustness and strength gains
And many other factors that contribute to full athletic development
No single approach is inherently better than the other—both are required. A pragmatic approach (just clinching and drilling) is effective, but in today's evolving fight landscape, where fighters seek S&C coaching to improve power, strength, and endurance, doing just enough is no longer enough.
On the flip side, relying solely on a dogmatic approach (resistance training without clinch practice) is the worst thing you can do. Both approaches must go hand-in-hand to develop a well-rounded fighter, continually evolving to keep up with the dynamic nature of Muay Thai.