Muay Thai practitioners: What is the best way to deflect a push kick and an elbow to the face?

Answer 1

I am a big fan of redirection. You dont want to meet force against force unless you are sure you are superior to your opponent.

Push Kick - Depending on the location of the strike, use either a leg parry or a body twist. If the kick comes in below the waist, use a bended leg to parry the oncoming kick. If the kick comes in above the waist, twist your torso with the kick to redirect the force away from your body.

Elbow - These are difficult to deflect, so the best thing to do is absorb the blow with your forearm. Hold your arms against your face, do not leave room between them. The best position for absorbing the blow is to have your handbehind your ear and your elbow pointing straight ahead...almost like forming a straight line with your arms.

Of course the best way to avoid these attacks is to intercept them before they are viable strikes but that takes alot of training and fast reaction time...either of which you may not have. For nullifying the kick, you would need to strike the other leg, disrupting balance and making the kick a virtually useless strike. As for the elbow, a straight-arm with hand on the elbow before it swings past the chest of the person throwing it will prevent it from hitting you as well.

Answer 2

An elbow cannot harm you if it can not reach you!
An elbow strike has "limited" range roughly 1/3 that of a punch.
Being struck by "one" spinning elbow can send you to the hospital.
Use distance whenever possible,you can only be struck by an elbow when you are in close!
Defense against a push kick: side step and counter.
Depending on the dynamics of the situation a good counter may be a spinning back kick,spinning heel kick.round house kick,or a sweep,(your opponent will be on one leg,your advantage)
Most the time I have been up against larger opponents,I try not to absorb blows because I get damaged and this can be a deciding factor in who walks away and who leaves in an ambulance.

Source: 30 + years Martial Arts training 50+ tournaments
3 Trips to the hospital

Answer 3

gaurd with your knee for a push kick. it is hard but keep stretching by eleveating your knee to its highest position.than when the kcik conects with your knee push it out with a large force at the same time trying to keep balance it takes lots of work and pracice to do it properly. TO deflect and elbow to teh face keep your stance tighter that way if its comming up down or left or right your ready. to stop both at the same time is hard, very difficult, an takes unlimited duress. The tighter your stance the easier it is to control what your opponents doing it takes practice cause you'll want to withdraw but its best not to with drawl back tighten up and go in further tah way you can deflect them easier.

Answer 4

deflect it with you feet

Answer 5

dunno..