Ngut Kaeng

Movement/Mechanics

This kick is a classic example of Muay Chaiya's avoidance whilst striking, and instead of just using the leg to get power from the kick, the whole body moves as one so that the weight of the upper body projects out through the striking shin. The Tae Tua movement requires you to use your hips as a pivot or center axis for the rotation of your body, as the leg raises, the head and torso move backwards, similair to the movement of a see-saw. On impact, the weight of your head and torso swinging back, should be transfered through your hips, and out through the rising shin. As the weight transfers through your hips, you should need to tense your stomach. As well as creating more power for the kick, the Tae Tua movement also draws your head away from the opponent, actively avoiding the strike, without having to block or parry. By staying stationary, your rising leg should be at the perfect distance to rise between the legs and strike the goin.

Execution

Ngut in Thai mean to 'raise' or 'rising' where as Kaeng (with a falling tone) means shin, and so the english translation is Rising Shin Kick. Be careful though, as it isn't just a matter of kicking with your leg, you need to get your power from the weight of your body. When first learning this technique it useful to forget about your arms, so that you can focus on getting the correct feel for the body rock.

1. Close you hands together into the classic Thai Wai position, with your arms tucked close to your body, thumbs touching the bottom of your chin gently.
2. Feet should be shoulder width apart, and parrallel, with you knees slightly bent.
3. Start rocking your head and torso backwards, kicking your thumbs touching your chin.
4. Let the kicking leg rise up at the same speed/angle as your body is rocking back.
5. Stop the movement at the desired height, letting the weight of your body project out through your hips to your shin.
6. Lower the leg and return to the starting position.

Note that the kicking leg doesn't need to be straight. In theory, if you start with you knees slightly bent, then the angle of the knees shouldn't change for the whole duration of the move. The advantage of this is that you don't need to be concerned about the range that the opponent is (like you would for a rising knee to the groin). If the are closer then the knee will hit, and if they are further away then the shin or foot will connect, but in both instances the power remains the same, because it is comeing from your whole body, not just from the leg. By keeping details like this as simple as possible, it makes it easier to execute the technique with effect when under the stress or a real self defense situation.

Practice

Repeat the movement detailed above, changing the kicking leg. You should be able to get a nice gentle rythym going. There's no need to rush. After a while you should start noticing your body and legs synchronising, and the weight projecting out through your rising shin. Remember this feeling, as this is the key to the Tae Tua movement, and many movements in Muay Chaiya.

Adding Hands

Once you have the feeling for this movement, you can add your hands. Try executing from the Tha Kru Guard, and then from the rest guard, bringing your arms up to the Tha Kru Guard when rocking the body back.