Head position in Muay Thai stance.


Just wondering what, if any, importance is being placed on this by your instructor.

Foot work is crucial in stance and movement but isn't it true to say that head position is very important not only for guard but overall affect on center of gravity and balance? Equally important also to assisting weight transfer when throwing techniques?

Is it just me or is this part of stance work neglected by the majority?

Thanks.

I've seen lots of trainers tell fighters to keep chin or head down and I've seen loads that don't so I think trainers think its important but some seem to have trouble getting the fighters to actually do it.

One prob I see is many fighters have head forward and down instead of back and down/chin tight...

Ive found its easier to defend with head down but harder to kick because more of bodyweight is forward.

I get my guys to look down their forehead as when I say chin down some of them kind of hunch their shoulders up but their chins are still forward. Need to keep chin down but also back out the way like Mark L says above.

Thanks for the replies but I was thinking more about the position of the head in relation to your center of gravity and it's role when pivoting the body to deliver a punch or kick.

The chin down advice is a given but when watching matches I have observed fighters hold their heads quite differently and when experimenting on the bag have found it making a difference.

For example; from an orthodox stance try throwing a cross with your head directly over the right angle your feet create.
Then, throw a right with the weight of your head offset and almost directly over the back foot/leg.

Any difference or views on a differnce in power and balance?

Something is happening there but I can't quite put my finger on it.

that is way I say chin back - keeping the head cervical spine as close to neutral alignment as possible while also meeting fighting requirements. The closer one is to neutral spinal alignment the stronger and faster the body will function... that said you can't stand completely in this position while trying to fight.

Now you seem to me to be talking about lateral movement...
My opinion is you keep the center of balance as much as possible pretty much all the time and the head, in my world of teaching, training and fighting, remains 'motionless'. I have my guys practice looking in the mirror with there head lined up on a crack in the wall or something and they learn to do pretty much everything without head movement.

Then they move head when they want, not automatically cause punching... if you maintain center of balance and use core I think this works fine. It also leaves you neutral to do anything after anything...

example - Mike Tyson - bobbing with punches... gets huge power and sets up but is very limited in what he can throw next.

MuayThai, being much much more multidimentional (I would not recommend much lateral head movement - what I do with guys like that is jab and kick - they often slip right into kick - i don't even have to know if they will or not it will eventually happen) anyway... MuayThai and MMA i like the idea of after a right punch one can sprawl or right punch or kick or block or move or shoot of left punch etc etc etc

Keeping centered does this and plenty of power can be generated using core imo

I normally just keep my chin in tight, and keep my eyes on the target, I think positioning the head is just making things a bit too complicated and for bearly nothing, maybe in a kick but then again you have more important things to focus on like hips :D

I don't think I made my point very clearly. It has nothing to do with head movement. It concerns using the weight of the head almost as a counter balance when you punch or kick.

That seems to me to be important and trying to have a 'neutral' head position seems wasteful. I'm not a trainer, just trying to figure things out.

I think the tightest position (safest) is probably the most neutral tucked down and chin back... A lot of fighters put there head forward alot as well as down... I think that is not as strong and the body won't function as well...