Evade and Counter with Andy Thrasher
Andy Thrasher shows us two of his favourite evade and counter drills.
Veteran Thai boxer Andy Thrasher is well-respected on the UK Muay Thai scene. The first foreigner to win the coveted Toyota 8 Man Tournament in Thailand in 2011, and with over 85 fights under his belt, Andy is a prominent fixture of UK Muay Thai. He is the owner and head instructor of The Dog Pit Muay Thai in Bury, as well as coaching at various other gyms across England. Andy lived and trained in Thailand for three years, fighting out of Jittigym in Bangkok. He came out of retirement in 2017 to defeat a tough, young opponent.
Ever the fighter and coach, Andy loves the art of 8 limbs and strives to continue promoting it from both sides of the ropes. He brings an immense wealth of experience to the coaching scene, training his students and fighters to be as fearless as he is. When in the ring, he is a powerful force of nature, outside, he is laid back yet professional.
These great evade and counter drills are perfect for standup in MMA.
First the padman throws the teep. The boxer answers this by stepping back with the rear leg and pulling the hips back, while parrying the teep. The boxer then steps forward with the rear kick across the padman’s back. Shots against the back score highly in Muay Thai.
The second technique starts with the padman throwing a high kick to the boxer’s head. The boxer leans back to evade the kick, while standing his ground. After the kick passes through, the boxer throws their own kick to the padman, potentially following up with some punches.
The classic techniques of Muay Thai are easily applicable to the standup side of MMA. These simple, yet effective drills allow you evade and counter, remaining on the offensive and bringing the fight to your opponent.
