3 Form Tips that Changed my Muay Thai

In the 17 years that I’ve been training Muay Thai, there have been 3 fight tips that changed my form:
0:00 Intro
0:54 (1.) Narrow Stance (Balance)
3:42 (2.) Upper Body Tall (Better Kicks & Defense)
5:42 (3.) Look Through Binoculars (Punches & Defense)
Note that these are merely suggestion based upon my personal evolution, and that your form and style will vary dependent upon your body type, fight strategies, and other factors.
Play around and find the style that best works for you!
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Special thanks to the great coaching minds that have helped me grow over the years, including, but not limited to:
Coach Bob Peach & Brad Daddis
Liam Harrison
Bryan Popejoy
Ognjen Topic
Kirian Fitzgibbons
Jo Nattawut
And many, many more 🙏
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[@aznpr1d3n]

Tried the "binocular guard" at sparring the other day - it worked well against opponents at your height or taller than you. It threw them off to see the guard more high and threw less straight punches to the forehead. However, I noticed more people aiming for the liver/ribs. Sparred a shorter person and they kept going for the liver with punches and knees - maybe bc they can see the liver as an option more clearly. Lesson learned: If you can help it, don't keep one guard (standard, long, binocular etc.) throughout rounds - always read the distance/opponent/situation and adjust.

[@amartya9034]

Would the binocular guard work well in boxing or with a tall guy?

[@aznpr1d3n]

@@amartya9034 Not sure about boxing (not my area), but def utilize in Muay Thai sparring with a taller guy

[@leem0401]

I think it works well when you combine other aspects of muay thai such as kicking, checking, teeping, etc. to make it difficult for opponents to get in the range for punching your body. I exclusively use high guard and a lot of long guards and it's really difficult for opponent to attack my body because of constant threat from middle kicks, teeps, and knees. If I see them going for body, my middle kicks turn into head kicks easily.

[@izzatthaqif7213]

Literally had this realisation after sparring today. Binoculars are good for taller people. Standard/Long guard is good for the shorter ones.

[@hard2hurt]

Dang homie you're giving away some gems there with the tips on your guard

[@fighttips]

Pinky's out 🤙

[@EJayydontplay]

Your tutorial videos are so underrated please dont stop uploading

[@Cryttanz]

Three very solid and underutilized tips, took me many years to learn these things from watching endless amounts of fights and youtube videos and you summarized them all in 1 video so that's awesome.

[@darksoul6642]

Been following you channel for 4 years now...never been disappointed

[@lmkestep]

Noticed that I was getting countered after my kicks in sparring a lot. Mostly felt unbalanced due to 1. Being heavy with a wide stance and 2. Leaning back with my roundhouses which left me unbalanced to defend or do anything. This literally Is what I needed. Thanks a lot Shane! You’re doing a lot for the Muay Thai community

[@AK-kc7co]

Great stuff! Watching this 30 mins before a hard sparring session, all noted. Thanks!

[@jleo_.1803]

Been watching you since junior high school. Your videos were very helpful ever since. Props to you man

[@slayer5571]

I grew up with your channel,mate! Thank you for the tips and what you do for us,because of you I managed to go to the distance during my 10 years of shotokan karate traning and still keeping my spark for the martial arts.Thank you Shane !

[@MISTERPERFECT3806]

What's up, Shane? Long time fan here. This is a great video. These very small tips make a world of difference. I especially like the narrow stance tip to maintain balance. It's subtle, but I've also noticed that Giorgio Petrosyan uses that stance as well. Keep them coming, Shane 👊🏿🥊.

[@hermanthenakmuaygerman]

One of the best Muay Thai Tip videos ever! Thank you.

[@bcjaliu]

Extremely well described, demonstrated, and helpful. Thanks!

[@andclick5302]

Hey pal, I’ve been training for a few years and been watching you for a while. Brother, your form is looking crisp! Keep up the good work 👊

[@Murcielag0scuro]

Looking forward to this video, Shane.

[@kennethduff248]

It's amazing how knowledgeable you are and your love for combat sports/martial arts. You are very knowledgeable about several different types of fighting,(boxing, kickboxing/muaythai, mma etc.... and your form looks good and clean and technical. Those kicks looked very sharp and in control. Thanks for the tips God bless bro

[@nicholashillikergod1stmini214]

Great video shane, super informative!

[@fl260]

Man I'm happy cause I had ONE legit Muay Thai coach who really taught me all these details.. a Jean-Charles Skarbowsky personal friend living in Montreal. The man was obsessed with details and as a student, your only job is to trust your coach 100%, which I did, and now I can see that I'm doing all the things you're showing very well already and that couldn't make me happier. I reckon the stance is not the best in a mixed martial arts situation, but when it's Muay Thai for Muay Thai, you better listen to what the Thai's have mastered for centuries or you WILL pay for your lack of humility.

[@noisytattoos5595]

Bro congrats on your channel growth!!!! I’ve came a long way since I first started watching ur videos

[@Cashpaperi]

Great video Shane!

[@aaronmarshall9721]

Great tips Coach Shane, A lot of great tips that I'll def use in my next Muay Thai fight. Been watching your vids for years. Still always learning and growing this amazing channel. Keep up the amazing work. OSS Love from Australia

[@fighttips]

All the best in your next match, Aaron!

[@aaronmarshall9721]

@@fighttips Thank you so much Shane 🥊

[@carlosmonterroso9852]

Made my morning coffee interesting.

[@alexteo1156]

Really relate to all the tips here, had to slowly discover these through training in the past year, but this really sums it up well! Standing tall, somehow, does help significantly with power. Gabriel Varga did mention a similar point in his analysis of Buakaw's kicks.

[@NerdCraftJD]

Love this video. Very informative, the demonstration shots while you describe make the pacing of the video really efficient and smooth. And also the tips were great. Thanks for the content

[@fighttips]

Thanks for the feedback, Jack 👍

[@bryanmcclendon9285]

Thanks for the tips bro love it

[@isaiahbaez9185]

That switch kick was so clean, are you making or have videos to help with standing tall or getting the flexibility and ability to be tall wiggle kicking and having the balance? Big fan for years keep up the great lessons

[@Cryley]

Solid info great video

[@leepayne6075]

Thanks Shane …Great tips !

[@joestripling4483]

Sir thank you for posting this ..all 3 of these i have been preaching for years training muay thai .. Thai style not American style all day.

[@hydeshearing1897]

shane love the videos 🙏🤙

[@Maartun]

Awesome tips!

[@pavXX]

Great tips!

[@GavotteGuitar]

Great vid 🥊

[@sonbaco6427]

Excelent Shane 👍🏻

[@kpops168]

Brilliant thanks! I’ve been wearing full boxing gloves through training and find I have to hold guard higher and wider to see past all the bulk. I’ll maybe see when it’s appropriate to switch to cross training or mma style gloves. Love this video especially the points on wide stance very interesting thanks!

[@sunflowerbadger]

Awesome video. ❤

[@kb7867]

Yo Shane help us out with some revisited street defense. Do you still stand by your tips from 2013, or have you learned any different techniques?

[@carlosbonilla4537]

And bring back the dreads 😂

[@Tippet76]

I've been watching fighttips since 2008. I don't even think it was on youtube it was on a website that was dedicated to street fights. He had some pretty interesting tips like if you get someone against a fence you can grab the fence and throw knees, they can't get you off even if they lift you up. I specifically remember him saying to keep the guard up at eyebrow level too so I guess that he changed and now has gone back to that.

[@timm5970]

@@Tippet76 keeping your guard high is hard on your shoulders

[@Tippet76]

@@timm5970 It also takes alot of the power off of your punches. The key is to tuck your chin really well so that you don't have to raise your hands as high. I prefer cheek level.

[@beatek3912]

@@timm5970 the high hands is for catching and elbows (both offense and defense). Everyone has preference and style, but in the street, not many people are gonna stop for a quick wai kru and throw on some funny music, lol. Should be good with cheek level hands. I would personally helmet guard and parry mostly when bare knuckle scrappin but hold a very tradition stance when sparring

[@BMO_Creative]

Man this is a great video! And Bob's silent stare really ads a lot! LOL

[@elonzuckerberg5026]

Thanks a lot, good tips!

[@user-xy6gt1zn2z]

You are very good at making your movements flow naturally. You have to practice for many years What people often overlook is the clear basics

[@alessandrosera2507]

Thank you Shane. Really, thank you so much🙏🏻🇮🇹

[@angelobordin2623]

🇮🇹💪

[@Ash__Adler]

Ah, very nice tip about the switch step spacing! I'll have to keep that one in mind. Coincidentally enough, I was talking with a friend of mine (a 5th dan black belt in karate) recently about torso position on high kicks, and she said the same thing: stay tall by default, choose to lean back if you have a reason to. I'm generally good about it with my rear kick (I enjoy whipping up a head kick after a close lead hook or lead elbow spear 🙂), but it's something I've been working on improving for my lead leg kicks as well. Binocular guard also carries over well to small/no-glove fighting, since you'll want to be blocking with forearms and elbows instead of hands for that 🙂

[@richardbarton6146]

helped me alot... thanks much.

[@johanneskrv]

I was about to comment that a high kick with your upper body leaning back vs upper body straight up are two different kicks. But then you added that you can always lean back. Kudos for that.

[@TheIncredibleFlyingSausage]

Great video

[@qiqweck]

Nice! Thank you!

[@alielgharbawy3054]

that first tip was actually awesomeee thankss shane❤️

[@EJayydontplay]

Shane*

[@alielgharbawy3054]

@@EJayydontplay yeah it was a typo

[@danielrac2855]

Thank you I’m grateful for you

[@kiliancarmeson7173]

THANKS FROM FRANCE GREAT VIDEO🤩🤩

[@pslour98]

As a beginner and someone struggling to defend punches, that binocular tip seems like a good one to try, especially because im not that tall. Loved the reasoning behind it. In the end this is all about fighting strategy, and I definitely prefer to be risk getting hit more in the ribs than in the face.

[@juanpaguerrero613]

Shane you are the best a this 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@zac-lemacaque]

Still the best martial arts channel on KZbin

[@mr.guitarman8232]

amazing!

[@ragzfn]

thx a lot it was really help full

[@zxumwmki3604]

Big "aha" moments for me. This is awesome, will try next training

[@FlyingGreenTea]

Hey Shane, please bring back newer version of Street fight defense with new techniques 🙏🏻 Also, would love to see you and Nick Drossos collab together!!!

[@madmaster3d]

ty dude

[@chrismayclin6397]

You have beautiful form, sir.

[@fighttips]

Cheers, Chris 🙏☺️

[@ultimatesurvivor4683]

My teacher always says if technique is lacking, "more core". Core strength is vital for making it easier to put your body where your brain wants it to be.

[@theprodigalson4003]

Well said. Where your brain wants it to be. Genius way to say

[@sandroramos1982]

Should I just do a lot more crunches to improve my core?

[@NomSauce]

@@sandroramos1982 It depends what your core is missing, although what he's saying is true. Raw strength in the core doesn't equate to more control, especially if you already have some core strength. Couple of good things you can do for coordination in your core are single leg balance exercises, there's a ton of them so just look up a couple. If holding exercises are too easy then do pendulum swinging ones to force both your ankles and core to work together. Some of the better ones though involve using a pilates ball but not everoyne has one. If you go to Gyms they will definitely have one, but in training hall/dojos it's gonna be individually based. Some do some don't, usually places that have gear for recovery and want to train up fighters to become pro will have one (they're also just cheap if you wanna buy one). Anyways, what you wanna do is sit on it with both feet planted into the ground, brace your core and gently bounce up and down whilst holding that straight posture with your core. Ideally the ball is big enough that your knees don't bend past 90 degrees but if it isn't, it's still okay. You wanna exert between 40-70% power through your core (core in this case is both abdomen and back muscles) and don't go into an anterior tilt. What I mean is that adjust the power accordingly as your posture caves in or flexes too far, your goal here is to remain in control of your core and posture while exerting lower forces, but you'll notice at times you will need to flex harder etc. This exercise is more mental than physical, you're training the cognitive control of your core and making your body more aware in space. To make it a lot more difficult, lift one leg off the ground, you're now also teaching side stabilisation but make sure to alternate legs equally. The other extremely good one for pilates balls is doing hip raises/thrusts, but having your legs on the ball. The closer to your hamstrings you rest your legs on the ball, the easier it gets, vice versa if you want to make it really difficult you place your heels on the ball. The further you spread your arms out the side, the easier. Cross your arms on chest for max difficulty. Same thing here, keep core tight and don't tilt your pelvis too far forward nor backwards. You can also add another one by placing the soles of your feet on the ball, this however will target more hamstring stabilisation, but it will still engage the core in a cognitive manner. Another good one I'd like to call "seal balance". Again use a pilates ball and try to stand on it on all fours (knees and hands) like a circus seal. It may sound impossible at first but it's doable and very effective for both balance and spatial awareness training, although it's not strictly core focused at all this time around, more of a full body thing. Should be noted that different levels of pumped air in the ball will change the difficulty, it's not necessarily linear but will change the way you have to balance. Should also be noted that you wanna do all of these in barefeet if possible, as it trains your nerv-system better.

[@kokonacbro5398]

Maybe not quantity of tips, but really Quality tips

[@Lucifer_M0rningstar]

Try implementing may chaiya blocking techniques as well. It will help with your defense

[@islapp_yewhd464]

Yo where is this guy located he’s on point with the tips and techniques ! Will love to have a seminar training by him!

[@fighttips]

Honored 🙏 I'm based out of Philadelphia.

[@mizutxko]

Samart's and Dutch style Muay Thai fighters have more bladed stances, because they usually punch more, like Muay Mat's

[@guyincognito6530]

Great info, do you still do the round kick the traditional way going completely around? I've seen some fighters trying to get away from doing that. And watch is the Dutch style of Muay Thai?

[@Fellps11]

Hey Shane thanks for the tips! I'd like to ask if you could make a video about transitioning from boxing to muay thai. I ve been going through that process and its been a little awkward

[@yeahnahsweetas]

You could surely help the process by watching a ton of MT fights and training vids and no other styles

[@jonathanplummer129]

Gabriel Varga has a good video on that

[@chrisbera7952]

Good video. I fought thirty years ago. We did a lot of Muy Thai training from Chai Sirusite and Saekson Janjira. But since we were JKD based I still fought with a longer stance and moved a lot. Now that I am old and my body is creaky I've been working mostly A Dutch style Muy Thai on my bag since it uses lots of low kicks and boxing and of course I'm not moving around like a water bug. So I really appreciate your tips, especially with keeping the body tall when kicking. That was always an issue with me anyway. Do you have any specific drills or exercise other than just working it until the flexibility and core stability comes?

[@fighttips]

I've got a few videos! Check out this one, plus my "Isolation training for higher, stronger, faster kicks": kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6mXd31smrZ0raM

[@LuCa-ke4ms]

the best

[@amartya9034]

Shane would the binocular guard do good for a tall guy in boxing? I understand we have to keep our elbows tucked in around ribs for body shots so there's no much high we can raise the arms for that matter unlike in Muay Thai where we can check body kicks

[@Empower3009]

thanks to the binocular tips I was able to spot all kinds of new birds in the nearby forest, LETS GO!

[@sandroramos1982]

What do recommend for gaining flexibility and mobility in the torso area to remain up right and not leaning back?

[@warlord302slayer3]

Keep practicing kicks even if that means slowing down and using a support. It’ll strengthen your core/sides, also do daily stretches, one I can recommend is Tom Merrick beginner flexibility routine. It takes a long time to make progress but with the right nutrition, sleep and training it will shorten it by a little. Hope this helps

[@brandonwillis2346]

🎉🎉🎉

[@Denhon22]

Love these tips Shane,I'm bout to bust

[@joestripling4483]

Also an honor reffing your guys fights at wka nationals

[@fighttips]

Honor was all ours, sir! Thank you for doing a great job 🙌🙏

[@statcmf4199]

So crazy I always use the term “Glued to your eyebrows”

[@ZangQt]

Hey Shane, what exercises would you recommend to get that core flexibility/strength/mobility you mentionned? Whether stretches or conditionning :) Thanks a lot, great vid!

[@JustiiBoii]

This^

[@fighttips]

Try these exercises 2-3 days a week: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6mXd31smrZ0raM

[@yashasupercow99]

@@fighttips thks for those tips shane, also it's embarassing when you can't keep body straight up when throwing kick, me as an example lul

[@willdriverc]

@fightTIPS The leaning for a higher kick is something I do. I struggle with getting height and staying upright. Always thought it was poor hip mobility & flexibility. Curious to know what exercises you added to your workout routine to improve oblique mobility, strength and flexibility to get higher kicks whilst upright.

[@davidcastillo4487]

It could be that you need more leg strength.

[@jangrajewski1017]

My coach tells me that a proper guard is to put my knuckles at eyebrow level, palms facing inwards, this helps to protect from straight and hook punches better. He told me not to hold my hands like I'm grabbing horns, which looks similar to how you describes it as looking through binoculars. I'm confused now , which form is better? 🤔

[@Jaku_]

Could you please explain binoculars stance with gloves on?

[@sandroramos1982]

I’m a shorter guy over all, any tips for my defense being of a short stature ?

[@billybobsta]

Get close, don’t try to keep distance against a taller opponent they will have less power close where you will have alot ,if you stay far they will use their range advantage

[@cole6383]

Hi Shane, have you ever had a really bad wrist injury and how would you recommend recovering from a really bad wrist injury from hitting a heavy bag.

[@yeahnahsweetas]

Don't hit it until the wrist is healed probably.. Then when you do start hitting it again, do it with proper form and a straight wrist. This is pretty much just common sense.

[@SC9R9CR9W]

Binoculars go so hard bro what!?

[@jeremiahhillmartialartsstudio]

Nice tip! I don’t do Muay Tai more of Krav Maga and karate sparring. What I found helpful is to keep your stance short when kicking.

[@George.Salayka]

Any tips on increasing that kick flexibility mentioned in point 2?

[@fighttips]

Hey George, I've got a few videos on that. Check this one out first: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6mXd31smrZ0raM

[@George.Salayka]

@@fighttips Just tore my hamstring training so i was looking for some material while im not mobile. Thanks so much keep up the awesome vids.

[@yorayk]

Shane, you should do pro MMA!!

[@nogmz5799]

Hey , can you do the full mma training schedule for free..im broke rn..

[@chazza2656]

The armpit of my knee (you know what I mean) has been really hurting after practicing kicks, anyone know why and how I can fix it?

[@raghavchandel2599]

What about grapling??

[@TheDamage50]

It’s pretty much over for you dude

[@ianmpena]

You should study Muay boran

[@1gadena]

Still struggling with the staying tall and keeping that weight on the back leg it's so different to boxing having to try to forget everything I learned about boxing apart from throwing the punch from hip up lol

[@heavenlysheephugshuggingfo1505]

Bob's looking pretty healthy that dummy you got there

[@dainsismey4900]

I've recently moved into MMA, and the gym HATE my traditional Thai stance 😫😫😫

[@kermit1211]

Probably because it’s more vulnerable to takedowns

[@CaamGamingTV]

I'm not flexible enough for some of these kicks man

[@animal9370]

My question is.. If someone has Chicken Legs, can they still be a good kicker and be able to take leg kicks? Thank You.

[@raphiphop9617]

Dont u block properly when toes are pointing down?

[@bannabanana6950]

Its a shame shane was discouraged from pursuing muay thai full time dude started off when he was still young plus he trained in Thailand

[@GertCuykens]

Learned that my body is much weaker then I hoped. Thought I would catch a kick but my rib broke instead :( Pretty much lost all my confidence

[@snakethepeg7828]

It's part of training. Keep it up

[@lancenathanmiemban8121]

For the under dogs

[@da6kid95]

Hello, the balance is actually not a thai word tho I think it’s the accent😂. (I’m from thailand)

[@wra7h]

Why does my groin feel like it's ripping any time I try kick above waist

[@strayexk7157]

i think that might just be a flexibility issue, dynamic stretching specifically with your hips would help over time. im no professional, not even amateur, but stretching more often has helped with my balance as well as my flexibility when it comes to kicks

[@vincejamero2383]

fuck, i gotta fix my form again