Covering like a boxer in Muay Thai, good or bad?

[TheFinerDetails]

A lot of fighting is easier said than done. There is always ways to re-counter someone who is coming in with a clinch game if you're shelling up. Some of the best fighters use this mindset to lure people in with that shell, then unload a bomb over something that their opponent throws.
What I'm trying to say is, all on paper everything is very overly complicated.
He shells -> I Clinch, I throw a knee -> He catches knee -> He throws me -> My balance is superior and I do a double backflip into my guard.
Whatever works for you or whatever you would like to implement into your game, I believe you should. Realising that everyone on a forum has their own opinion can help you understand that you'll get 100 different answers, all claiming to be the right answer. Don't sway from things too much just because "X fighter got knocking out by Y fighter when he performed Z technique".
IMHO, especially when you're not trying to be a professional or attempting to make it your lifestock, I believe you should have the rather unrestricted mindset to the fight game. What works for someone might not work for you, just as something that works for you may not work for others.

 

[TheFinerDetails]

It's also because there aren't as many great kickers/knee-ers in MMA because of the time needed to put into the grappling aspect of MMA.

I think it's more because "traditional" KB/MT knee's are less effective in MMA. I mean when you think about it, you need to write a complete new guide to knees for MMA, solely because of the grappling aspect, especially at higher levels when most guys are proficient grapplers of some form.
Anderson and Wandy weren't that great at the thai clinch, they were just fighting people who had absolutely no clue what was happening. Neither of them have effectively used big knees from a "traditional" MT clinch in years.

 

[Chungungo]

I am a little smaller thanj you, 1,78-1,80 with more limbs than torso and is my best block, of course I don

 

[aries]

It's also because there aren't as many great kickers/knee-ers in MMA because of the time needed to put into the grappling aspect of MMA.

Yes this is very true. People are amazed with the speed and power of Aldos low kicks but in K1 or MT he'd be regarded as pretty average. As for knee'ers, well there aren't any that would trouble a Thai.

 

[aries]

I think it's more because "traditional" KB/MT knee's are less effective in MMA. I mean when you think about it, you need to write a complete new guide to knees for MMA, solely because of the grappling aspect, especially at higher levels when most guys are proficient grapplers of some form.
Anderson and Wandy weren't that great at the thai clinch, they were just fighting people who had absolutely no clue what was happening. Neither of them have effectively used big knees from a "traditional" MT clinch in years.

MT knees are one area where all foreign MT fighters are seen as pretty weak. As Jukai mentioned MMA fighters train them even less. It's quite a skill to land a long knee on a moving opponent let alone one that is shooting for a takedown but if any one has the skills to do it they would be a thai nak muay. Overeem with his K1 background is one of the better MMA fighters with this technique but compared to a MT fighter let alone a thai he's still not great. If you have ever watched M16 in MMA you'll see what a decent nak muay is capable of with knees and it's not like he was even known for his knee technique in MT.
And you will hardly see the basic double collar ever in MT for the same reasons as you mentioned that Anderson couldn't use them lately in MMA. It's obviously not because of the TD in MT its because other good clinchers stop the double collar from happening.

 

[TheFinerDetails]

And you will hardly see the basic double collar ever in MT for the same reasons as you mentioned that Anderson couldn't use them lately in MMA. It's obviously not because of the TD in MT its because other good clinchers stop the double collar from happening.

Oh yeah definitely! I can tell from what I wrote I wasn't very direct with what I meant but yeah I totally agree with that . Would be hard to get a thai plum on someone who is a top level grappler

 

[MuayThaiDude]

Thank you everybody for your insight. It's very helpful. Lately, I've been working on the covering I was having trouble with. What I do now that seems to work is when I have my gloves pressed against my brows and a punch comes in I twist slightly and bring my elbow and forearm up at a 45 degree angle to blunt some of the force; kind of like swatting/parrying it with my elbow. It mitigates the force. I saw this with the Crazy Monkey Defense and kind of altered it a bit. By pivoting and parrying them slightly with the forearm and elbow it allows for a better counter as well.

 

[georgejjr]

It's also because there aren't as many great kickers/knee-ers in MMA because of the time needed to put into the grappling aspect of MMA.

That sounds likely, though it strikes me that the need to learn grappling shows that changing levels (for a slip or for a double) is effective against even world class kicks (otherwise there'd be no need to learn how to grapple, you'd just kick them whenever they tried to do a double or knee them if they got into clinch range).

Just as allowing strikes affects even the best grappling (BJJ, judo and wrestling champs are forced to learn to strike to do MMA), allowing grappling affects even the best striking (otherwise you'd expect a steady stream of top ten boxers and MT fighters making millions in MMA).

Techniques that work well in a pure setting (ie pure grappling or pure striking) often have to be modified for MMA.