Clinch position and posture: MMA guide

MMA · The clinch · 8 minute lesson Pro

The clinch is the range where nobody can punch freely and nobody can shoot freely. Whoever has the better posture decides what happens next: a knee, a takedown, a break, or a reset.

Good clinch posture looks relaxed from the outside. Your head is up, your elbows are in, and your weight is over your feet. Everything is about staying hard to move.

Key points

• Keep your head up and your spine tall. A bent back gives the opponent your head to control.
• Elbows stay inside the opponent's elbows. Inside position is control.
• Feet shoulder-width or wider, knees soft, hips under you.
• Hand-fight constantly: control wrists, biceps and the back of the neck.
• Breathe. Tension in the shoulders wastes energy in the first minute.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

• Letting your head get pulled down. Keep your chin up and drive with your legs to re-posture before you do anything else.
• Pushing with straight arms. Keep your elbows bent and in. Straight arms are easy to pull past.
• Flat-footed gripping. Stay on the balls of the feet and move your hips with theirs.

Combinations that use it

• mma-hf-pummel-uh: Hand fight, Pummel, Underhook
• wr-hf-sl: Hand fight, Single leg
• wr-hf-dl: Hand fight, Double leg
• wr-in-hf-sl: Step in, Hand fight, Single leg
• wr-sprawl-circle-hf: Sprawl, Circle out, Hand fight
• wr-hf-ct-ad: Hand fight, Collar tie, Arm drag

Related techniques

• Pummel
• Underhook
• Single leg
• Double leg
• Step in
• Sprawl
• Circle out
• Collar tie
• Arm drag

The rest is in the app

The step-by-step breakdown, the timed drill with the coach calling the shots and the quiz are part of Become Fighter Pro, where this lesson sits in the The clinch module of MMA foundations.

Get it on Google Play. Coming soon to the App Store.

More from The clinch

• Balance and head position: MMA guide
• Underhooks, overhooks and pummeling: MMA guide
• Wall and cage awareness: MMA guide

← All MMA lessons

Combat sports training is hard on the body. Warm up, stay within your limits and check with a doctor first if you have a health condition. Practise in a clear space and stop if you feel pain or dizziness. Learn partner work only under a qualified coach.