The Slip, also known as Tub in Muay Thai, is a profound defense technique commonly used for mitigating punches, primarily jabs and straight rights. Skilled practitioners pivot their bodies to the side, enabling the attack to pass by nullifying the impact. The Slip is a favourite due to its simple, yet effective defensive potential.
As with most Muay Thai techniques, start with a solid stance. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart with the lead foot pointing forward. Your fists must guard your face, elbows tucked in around your ribs.
When you see your opponent's attack coming, pivot your body and shoulders towards the back foot. Bend the knees slightly while doing so. Allow the punch to sail past you, narrowly missing your head.
To defend against a slip, key is to maintain control of your strikes. Don't over extend or under commit your attacks. Feinting strikes can also be useful to confuse an opponent who uses slips actively.
A good counter move to a slip is to feint an initial attack and then, as the opponent slips, come in with a second real strike. Keeping deceptive footwork and varied attack tempo may also diminish their slip effectiveness.
In competition, the Slip is primarily used when anticipating an opponent's solid punch, such as a jab or a straight. The technique allows Muay Thai fighters to evade the punch effectively without consuming a lot of energy, retaining a prime position to launch a counter-attack. The Slip is preferable when wishing to retaliate swiftly and powerfully.
Train your reflexes vigorously to perform a swift, well-timed Slip. Training should involve practicing staying in the correct range while executing Slip. To gauge your improvement, practice this technique during sparring sessions.
The Slip(Tub) is a subtle, yet crucial defensive technique in Muay Thai, providing practitioners the advantage of evasion and the breather to launch a formidable counterattack. Be it your offensive or defensive strategy, mastering this technique will prove massively beneficial to your overall fighting capability.