The Clinch (No Holds Barred Fighting)

Hatmakers clinch book follows in line with his other books, good basic grappling techniques, but the striking is on the weak side.Good:His over under section has a lot of good info on takedowns and throws that work well. As well as some basic pummeling drills and control concepts. Nothing groundbreaking, but good fundamentals if you didnt' wrestle in high school.Bad:He covers the Thai Plumb (clinch) with what I was alway shown to be the wrong grip by my Thai coach. He throws his knees with his feet planted (which loses power), and doesn't get his hips into the knees themselves enough. He also doesn't mention the constant whipping motions needed to maintain control of the thai clinch. Basically, what every MMA fighter that hasn't studied any Thai boxing does when they get into a Thai clinch position. If you've studied any Muay Thai for longer than about 3 months, your thai clinch will be better than this book shows.Overall, the book was solid, if basic and would definitely help someone with limited clinch experience learn to establish good wrestling control and transition into takedowns and throws.

What I expected and more.I love Hatmaker's NHB series. He always proposes drills to include in training and explains why you have to do some technique this way or avoid that way, which is the kind of instruction I've always liked.It's not just to show one technique after another but also how to train them.In this book you'll find some striking exercises and more than enough useful drops and takedowns for MMA and self defense.

Good product

This book is thorough, but I found it to be more of a solid introduction to the Clinch as opposed to a book that really expanded my intermediate understanding of the position.I definitely picked up some good tips, but if you have some applicable experience (I've got 5+ years of striking and 1 year of Judo) 90% of the info will be nothing new.

Always enjoy books from the author

Mark Hatmaker continues his "No Holds Barred" series with a text on the clinch. In it, he teaches clinch variations, how to control them, how to strike and throw from them, defenses to these techniques, and how to condition oneself for the intense, close-range battle that is the clinch.Mark begins his book with a bit of a forward on the recomended use of the text. "The Clinch", he says, can be a stand-alone piece, but recomends picking up "No Holds Barred: Takedowns" to accompany the title. He then moves on to the three basic clinches shown in the book: the "head clinch" (a modified Thai plum possition), the collar-and-elbow, and the over-under. He notes the optimum ways to grip each clinch, and lists common mistakes. He then shows two excercises, the squat & dive-bomber pushup, that he recomends the reader do to prepare themselves for the rigors of clinch-fighting. Next, he introduces the reader to the concept that "it's OK to disagree"; that is, never enter a clinch passively, as seen in some wrestling events. After that is a small chapter on circular footwork, the kind seen often in a clinch. He explains the concepts behind the footwork. Missing from this chapter are illustrations, but his clear, concise explaination is easy to follow. The last chapter on fundamentals is on pummeling in the various clinches. "Pummeling" is the act of wrestling for control and possition, and this is an invaluable chapter.After that, we get to the meat of the text. Mark covers striking first, taking each clinch one at a time. The first section is the one of the head clinch, offering various knee attacks, singly and in combination, and low kicks. The collar-and-elbow chapter consists of just two "roughing" techniques, forearm and shoulder shots. The section on striking from the over-under includes many of the same lower-body shots as in the head clinch, but also includes some punches and elbow strike, as well as some more roughing techniques. Then it's on to takedowns. I found it nice that he included a takedown from the head clinch, 'cause it's not generally thought of as a possition where one can execute a throw. The collar-and-elbow section is somewhat brief, focusing on setups for leg takedowns, but Mark refers to his "Takedowns" book as a source for people hungry for more. Finally comes the extensive section on over-under takedowns. Mark classifies these throws into 8 categories, including whizzer takedowns, bodylock takedowns, trips, and duckunder takedowns. There are more than enough high-percentage takedowns in this section to be worth the price of the book. Following that section, Mark covers several ways to defend against throws when your opponent has moved into a headlock or waistlock possition.Mark devotes the final chapter in the text to the "backcast" throw, also known as the suplex. He begins with six excercises and drills to train the body for the backcast; this chapter should not be ignored. He goes on to demonstrate several backcast variations, including using it in combination or as a counter-throw. He then finishes up the text with counters to the backcast.This is an excellent text in the continuing "No Holds Barred Fighting" series. The only thing I might complain about is the lack of extensive takedowns from the collar-and-elbow, but that's a possition rarely seen in MMA events, anyway. Given how little work exists on the clinch, I'd call this a must-read for any aspiring MMA fighter.

If you found this book useful I am kind of jealous , the material covered is only some basic basic muay Thai and a bit of wrestling (with a tiny amount of judoish stuff thrown in). But overall it feels more like a list of techniques rather than an analysis and tactical guide for the position, which honestly is not very helpful. It could have at least included the use and role of each technique within the arsenal but its not even that in depth.

I am familiar with most of Mark Hatmaker's books and videos. He is a very talented complete martial artist. I have had the pleasure of reading and reviewing a lot of his material. This book covers a range of fighting that is seldom written about in other self-defense and fighting texts. He explains the common clinch techniques used by fighters and how to gain the advantage over an opponent who attacks in this range. He shows and explains various counters to the clinch such as over and under grips and positions, throws, strikes using the arms, hands, knees and feet. As I have emphasized in the past, one cannot learn any combat system from merely reading a book. There must be hard practice sessions with an instructor to guide you over the finer points of any fighting art. This book if used in conjunction with actual physical practice with an experienced grappling or ultimate fight instructor is a winning combination.In conclusion, if you are interested in how to deal with how to fight from the clinch position, this book is for you.Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Martial Art Myths)

Good book, comprehensive and demonstrates a good understanding of martial arts and how to transition between your stand up and take downs

The clinch is the most awkward position in NHB fighting, and to learn it is part of mastering close range fighting skills.The book does very well to grasp the skills required, personal advice, always throw something when leaving the clinch!

Mark Hatmaker schreibt als echter Praktiker für die Praxis - und da ist ihm die immense Bedeutung des Clinch beim NHB absolut bewußt.Ich war anfangs etwas erstaunt: ein ganzes Buch über das Clinchen? Nach der Lektüre und des Trainings mit Hatmaker's Konzepten kann ich ihm nur beipflichten... die meisten vergleichbaren Reihen präsentieren nur Submissions oder Angriffe, allerdings sind beide Themen relativ sekundär, wenn das Training des Clinch deswegen vernachlässigt wird. Denn: wer den Clinch beherrscht wird häufig den Kampf diktieren - und wer den Clinch nicht beherrscht wird sein Können in anderen bereichen häufig nicht einsetzen können.Das die gesamte Thematik "Clinch" durchaus komplex ist wird jedem Schüler eines NHB orientierten Systems bewußt sein, genauso wie jedem (Kick-) Boxer und natürlich jedem Muay Thai Kämpfer. Hatmaker geht mal wieder in die Vollen und widmet sich dem Thema in einer Ausführlichkeit, die praktisch keine Fragen und Unklarheiten übriglassen.Sicherlich: das Buch richtet sich an etwas Fortgeschrittene - komplette Neulinge oder solche, die einfach auf NHB neugierig sind, werden mit diesem Werk nichts oder nur wenig anfangen können. "The Clinch" hält genau das, was es verspricht - es ist eben ein spezialisiertes Fachbuch (!) von einem Fachmann zum "Clinchen".Ansonsten gilt für "The Clinch" das Selbe wie für Hatmaker's gesamte NHB-Serie: in Punkto Preis / Leistung definitiv unschlagbar, in Punkto Inhalt wie immer ohne Geheimnisskrämerei und Selbstbeweihräucherung, sondern transparent und nachvollziehbar. Die Reihe ist mit sehr vielen Bildern versehen (eher klein und schwarz / weis, aber gut gemacht und einwandfrei nachvollziehbar), der Text ist eher knapp, aber präzise.Meiner Ansicht nach ein weiterer sehr gelungener Teil einer ohnehin unverzichtbaren Reihe!

libro ricco di tecniche e varianti, indispensabile per chi pratica thai boxe, mma o jeet kune do. foto e spiegazioni chiare

Excelente colección de técnicas para la práctica de las MMA .