Become Fighter
Checking kicks: Muay Thai guide
Lift the shin to meet the kick. The shin is the shield.
Blocking a round kick with your arms is a bad deal. A Thai fighter lifts the shin to meet it instead. The kick lands on a hard bone, and the person who threw it is often the one who feels it.
A check is a lift, not a swing. You raise the knee early, point it toward the incoming kick and keep the shin turned out. Practise it in the air until it is a reflex.
Key points
- Lift the knee up and slightly across to face the kick.
- Turn the shin to meet it. Toes up and out.
- Check on the same side the kick is coming from.
- Keep your hands up and your body upright.
- Set the foot back down, ready to counter.
- Do not lean away. Staying upright keeps you balanced.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Lifting the foot but not the knee. Think knee first. If the knee does not rise, the foot just hangs there.
- Leaning away from the kick. Stand tall. Leaning away puts you off balance and makes the next kick easier to land.
- Dropping the hands to balance. Hands stay up. A kick check should leave the guard exactly where it was.
- Checking late. Lift as the kick starts, not when it arrives. In the air, practise on the caller.
Combinations that use it
- kb-check-cross: Check, Cross
- kb-check-low: Check, Low kick
- mt-check-teep: Check, Teep
- mt-check-body: Check, Body kick
- mt-check-1-2: Check, Jab, Cross
Related techniques
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 Checks and knees module of Muay Thai foundations.
Coming soon to the App Store and Google Play.
More from Checks and knees
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.