In boxing, fighters are separated when they clinch; in The Thai striking art of Muay Thai, it is allowed. They launch strikes from there and also wrestle to set up foot sweeps or trips.

If you ever wrestle with a Muay Thai fighter, do not get in a clinch with them. They are masters at foot sweeps and bodylock trips…

Upper body throws and takedowns look cool for the audience (and it’s DEFINITELY not fun for the guy landing on the mat) but that’s not why. There is real strategy going into this game plan! Instead of getting in on someone’s legs with a single or double, working hard to finish the takedown, and ending up trapped in closed guard (or worse, a dangerous choke or joint lock). You can also modify every throw so that you are always ending up in dominant position.

Once he grabs you how he wants, the system does the rest, and you always stay one step ahead of the competition. This is a technical, tactical approach to taking people down to the mat that doesn’t require you to be a big, strong lifelong wrestler. You just have to get into the system and let the moves do the talking for you.

This Body Lock Ribs Squeeze Takedown by by this Muay Thai coaches Robert, Rose and Chokchai show a great low risk Muay Thai takedown. He clinch and goes into a body lock. From there he squeezes his ribs and pushes with his head, making the opponent tilt back and from there he just steps over him straight to mount.

Master body lock strategies and improve your overall BJJ game with ADCC Champ Joao Assis.

• Assis ia World No-Gi Champion and an ADCC Gold and Silver medalist and has been a black belt since 2009.
• Learn how to use the clinch, the body lock, and various scrambles to finish takedowns and sweeps, helping you to score and win more standing exchanges.