In Muay Thai, there are very few techniques that score higher than one where you dump your opponent down onto the canvas from the clinch. A dump hits almost all of the critical scoring criteria and often one or two good dumps can swing the momentum of a fight.
Dumps also have a mental effect on your opponent. If they are getting thrown onto their head to the thunderous applause of a cheering crowd every time they engage in the clinch, you can bet that they are going to try and avoid locking up to trade knees.
There is an entire encyclopedia of Muay Thai dumps available to break your opponent’s posture or send them crashing to the floor from every clinch position imaginable. Many new fighters make the mistake of thinking that they need to master every single one. While it is great to have a whole range of tools in your toolbox, when you’re starting it is best to remember Bruce Lee’s sage advice regarding martial arts training:
“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
This saying works just as well for Muay Thai clinch dumps. It isn’t necessary to learn them all right away. It’s only the dumps that you have practiced time and time again that will be of any use to you in the ring. So, with this in mind, we’re going to give you four great dump variations that you can practice from some of the most common clinch positions.
What Is A Muay Thai “Dump”
In Muay Thai, you will often hear the terms ‘sweep’ and ‘dump’ used interchangeably. Generally speaking, this isn’t wrong. Both movements involve controlling your opponent’s body position and breaking their posture to send them to the floor. If you wanted to get technical about it though, a sweep is a movement that involves kicking out your opponent’s standing leg, generally as a counter when they kick or knee. Alternatively, a dump is completed while your opponent has both legs on the ground, most commonly from the clinch.
From The Body Lock
This essential dump begins from the body lock position when you have the trunk of your opponent’s body locked into a bearhug. Ensure that your hips are close to your opponent and your feet are planted outside of theirs. Then, simply lift your opponent’s body weight and turn them over your hip, almost as if you are trying to turn them over your shoulder.
While Defending A Body Lock
The body lock and throw is easy to pull off but luckily, there is a simple defense you can use to counter it if you ever find yourself caught in your opponent’s bearhug. Watch the above video for a demonstration of the defense.
The first step is to lower your weight, throwing your hips down and back to create space and weaken their grip. This distance will make it difficult for them to get their hips close enough to dump you and it will also break their posture, making it easier to dump them yourself.
Once your hips are back, hook one arm around your opponent’s head and place your opposing glove beneath their armpit. Once your arms are in position, simultaneously lift their arm and yank their head downwards, turning your body to dump them past your shoulder.
From A Side Clinch Position
In Muay Thai, it is fatal to turn your back towards your opponent and this simple dump, which can be used whenever someone turns away from you in the clinch proves exactly why this is the case. To perform this maneuver, you need to get side on to your opponent, trapping one of their legs between both of yours, if you can’t get to the side, just trapping one leg is sufficient. Ensure that you get in close so that your hips are right up against them. If you keep space then your opponent will be able to step their leg back out to safety, preventing the dump.
Once they are securely trapped between your legs, buckle the back of their leg forwards using your knee or hip to break their posture. Then, use your arms to twist them backward, dumping them onto their back.
While Controlling One Arm
This is a great dump to utilize whilst you have control of one of your opponent’s arms as well as their head. Once you have your opponent in the correct clinch position, you will need to lift their arm from your neck, ripping it skyward as you step the same side foot directly to the inside of their leg. Ensure you move your whole body in close so that you are chest-to-chest with your opponent and your hip is pressed directly against the inside of their leg.
Once you are in the correct range, bump their leg skyward by levering your hip in an upward motion to disrupt their balance. Whilst they are on one leg, continue lifting their arm whilst simultaneously pulling their head down past your shoulder, guiding them to the floor. Watch the above demonstration of the dump by Muay Thai World Champion Petchboonchu FA Group on how to execute the dump.
Keep practicing!
The four dumps we’ve given you in this article are a great starting point for anyone looking to dominate in the clinch, but they aren’t the only ones available to you in these positions. You might come across slight variations to these dumps or be shown entirely different options by your coaches. There is no better or worse dump that you can use from these positions. The best dump is the one you have practiced and are most comfortable using under pressure. So, whichever dump you prefer, make sure to take Burce Lee’s advice, and practice it until all of your opponents fear getting tied up in the clinch with you.
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