Throwing a powerful elbow strike can be the difference between victory and defeat in a Muay Thai fight. However, many fighters don’t know how to strengthen and sharpen their elbows to the point where it becomes a knockout blow, which is why I’ve decided to write this article.
So if you want to fix that issue and transform your elbow strikes (all variations) into fierce weapons you can use effectively to win more fights, this article is for you.
I’ve been fortunate enough to be on both sides; on the one hand, my elbows were really bad a few months ago. On the other hand, my elbow strikes right now are crazy powerful, which allows me to understand the difference in execution.
What we’ll do in this article is review the most valuable ways you can implement instantly to throw sharper elbows that leave your opponent guessing where he is and why he’s doing what he’s doing. Indeed, you’ll make your opponent suffer.
I think that’s enough introduction. It’s time we delve into the meat of the article; the reason you’re here for. Let’s get straight into the first way to get sharper elbows.
#1 – Use Your Hips
The first way is the simplest one to implement. It’s also the one I encourage you to work on first as if you’re currently not using it enough, you’ll be able to generate so much more power just by enacting this way alone.
The first tip is to use your hips!
The power in your elbow strikes comes from the rotation of your hips. Practice pivoting your back foot and turning your hips into the strike. This will engage the muscles in your core, shoulders, and arms, resulting in a more powerful elbow strike.
Solely relying on your shoulder and arm to generate power is a bad idea. It’ll disable you from the ability to generate more force with your strikes, whether you’re throwing a jab, roundhouse kick, teep, cross, overhand punch, or uppercut. It doesn’t matter. Using your hips is a critical component in having more impact back up your strikes.
#2 – Transfer Weight (From Rear to Lead)
The second way to generate more force is to emphasize weight transfer when you throw the actual elbow. When you’re in your fighting stance, your weight distribution is fairly balanced, perhaps with a slight rear or lead lean, depending on your style.
Shift your body weight from the rear foot to the lead foot as you deliver the elbow strike. This weight transfer adds force to the strike and helps you maintain balance and stability during the movement.
Once you’re done with the strike, whether it’s a straight, spinning, downward, or any other type of elbow, you want to return to your fighting stance. This boosts balance and gives you the ability to deliver more powerful blows while incorporating less risk.
Ways #1 and #2 are everything you need to boost the most power. From now on, we’ll dive into smaller details that only amateur and professional fighters know and use to drive not 70% force—but 100%.
Let us continue.
#3 – Torque Generation
Torque generation refers to the production of rotational force around an axis or pivot point. In the context of sports and martial arts like Muay Thai, torque generation is essential for generating power in strikes and movements.
Let’s get more practical. What does it entail you do to generate more force with your elbow strikes?
Imagine your body is like a coiled spring. As you rotate your hips, store energy in your core and then release it explosively as you extend your elbow strike. This generates more power than relying solely on arm strength.
Explosive power is key to generating more force with your elbow strikes, regardless of the type. You can store energy in your core and release it at once with any elbow strike you throw, such as the horizontal, diagonal, downward, upward, uppercut, and even spinning back elbow.
#4 – Engage Your Core
Keep your core muscles tight and engaged throughout the elbow strike. A strong core not only improves power but also protects your lower back and enhances your overall stability.
That’s why you also want to strengthen your core, which you can do by adding strength training to your weekly routine. My advice, if you don’t apply it already, is to include conditioning and strength workouts in your weekly routine. Like it or not, it’ll make you a more capable fighter.
If you want to improve your strength as a Muay Thai fighter, I wrote an article on the best exercises to improve your strength as a Muay Thai fighter. These exercises will not only improve your strength but will boost your explosiveness and directly influence your punching and kicking power.
You want to utilize your whole body to generate as much force with your elbows as possible. That’s why you want to work on your core more often, as it’ll boost both your stability and power.
#5 – Drive Through the Target
The next tip we’ll review is to drive through the target. This is why many Muay Thai fighters don’t use shadowboxing and heavy bag training correctly. When they make contact or imagine doing so, they stop the strike. As a result, they’ll lower the speed of the strike itself before they make contact.
This can be devastating to your power. As the famous physics equation goes, acceleration times mass equals force, this is exactly what’s stopping them from getting more force. They purposefully lower their acceleration, and for no good reason.
Don’t just stop your elbow strike upon impact; drive through the target. This follow-through adds power to the strike and ensures that you’re not wasting any potential force.
#6 – Close the Distance
The sixth way to increase elbow strength is to ensure proper distance before you make the throw. That has another benefit, which might be fairly hidden from an outsider’s view. This benefit is that you’ll hit more elbows instead of missing.
Properly time your elbow strikes and understand the appropriate distance to engage them effectively. Being too close or too far from your opponent can compromise the power of your strike.
You want to be closer than a jab range, but further from a clinching position. This is critical to understand if you want to (1) generate more power and (2) hit more often.
Play around with distances when you’re sparring or doing punching bag work. See in which distance you’re able of generating most of the power.
#7 – Use Combinations to Setup the Elbow
Incorporate elbow strikes into combinations with other strikes like punches, kicks, or knees. Combining different techniques can create openings and set up your elbow strikes for maximum impact.
Combining strikes and techniques, as a skill, is one of the most important attributes a Muay Thai fighter can have. The way you combine techniques dictates your damage output, which is important to understand.
I wrote an article on the best Muay Thai combinations for beginners, which you must know to call yourself a solid fighter, so make sure to follow the link to learn about combinations.
Anyways, you want to avoid only going for the elbow strike, regardless of the type, as a standalone strike. Rather, you want to incorporate and mix strikes to create a more dynamic fighting style.
For instance, a great combination you can start using is the jab-cross-elbow. It’s fantastic for setting up the elbow strike and confusing your opponent.
#8 – Visualize the Target
Visualization stimulates brain regions involved in movement rehearsal, priming the brain and body for action and, like physical practice, functions as training to improve real-life performance.
SOURCE
Mentally visualize your target, and as you strike, envision driving your elbow through the intended target. Visualization can improve your accuracy and help you channel your energy efficiently.
Really focus on where you want to hit. Let’s say you’re going for a downward elbow strike, and you want to hit your opponent’s head. Alright. Before you throw it, you visualize yourself having hit that elbow and your opponent being in great pain. Visualize the result, not the way.
This applies to all visualization exercises. For instance, before you try to break your bench press 1-rep personal record, you imagine yourself after lifting the weight. You feel how fulfilled you’ll feel, which prepares you mentally in the best way possible.
#9 – Exhale Shaprly as You Strike
Coordinate your breathing with your elbow strikes. Exhale sharply as you strike to increase power and maintain control over your breathing during the combination.
I included the video above because the coach’s message in this video is a message that needs to be heard more often. Many Muay Thai fighters don’t focus on their breathing enough, making them less likely to generate more power.
With every strike you throw, you want to exhale sharply. This applies to most sports out there. When you’re performing an action where you want to maximize power, speed, or explosiveness, you exhale sharply. For instance, when you lift weights, you want to exhale every time you’re going for a rep.
Without proper breathing, your power will decrease. Also, you’ll get tired faster, which you want to avoid as you can imagine.
So whenever you’re throwing an elbow strike, make sure to exhale as you throw it.
#10 – Focus on the Technique
Developing hip movement and power in your elbow strikes takes time and consistent practice. Regularly incorporate elbow strikes into your training sessions to refine your technique and build strength.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. I love this quote because today’s society embraces fast results. Personally, I can’t stand people who are looking for cheap shortcuts. While I love maximizing my time efficiency, I very much dislike the idea of skipping the hard part and getting straight into the result.
There’s no magic spell that’ll make your elbow strikes 200% more powerful. It’s definitely possible to achieve. However, it’ll take time, effort, tears, blood, and sweat. All of these combined will make your elbows more powerful.
Focus on the technique instead of on speed or power. When you focus on the technique and you indulge in deliberate practice, you’ll create perfect elbows, which will serve you for the rest of your life.
This is how excellent fighters hone and sharpen their strikes. They have the fastest, most powerful strikes because they’ve started slowly and perfected their technique. Only then did they increase their speed and power, which naturally increased.
Final Words
And these are the most effective and influential factors when it comes to how much force you’re generating with your elbow strikes. I encourage you to take each way and work on it separately. Avoid combining things you want to work on, as that’ll just cause confusion and slow your learning time, which will waste your time.
Remain patient and continue showing up even if you don’t see any results. This all takes work and dedication, which is what Muay Thai is about. It’s also what separates mediocre from excellent fighters.
Keep grinding and working hard!
There are so many types of elbow strikes in Muay Thai, which might get you confused as to which ones you should learn. I wrote an article on the best elbow strikes in Muay Thai (the ones you must know.) Follow the link to read it.
Here are other articles you’ll benefit from reading:
How to Counter Effectively in Muay Thai – The 7 Best Ways
5 Muay Thai Heavy Bag Drills That’ll Boost Your Fighting Skills
Spinning Back Elbow 101 – Muay Thai & MMA Guide
Muay Thai Defensive Moves – The 9 Best Ones You MUST Know
The Ultimate Guide to Muay Thai Footwork – Including Drills!
