Why the Teep Matters
The teep is Muay Thai's Swiss Army knife. It's a push kick that keeps opponents at bay, disrupts their rhythm, and sets up your power shots. Watch any high-level Thai fight and you'll see teeps thrown constantly. It's not flashy. It doesn't knock people out. But it controls the fight.
Think of it like a jab for your legs. It measures distance, it creates space, and it makes your opponent hesitate before walking forward. A good teep to the body can stop a charging opponent dead. A well-timed teep to the thigh kills their base for kicks.
The problem? Most people treat it like an afterthought. They push with their foot instead of their hip. They lean back and lose balance. They throw it without setup and get it caught. This guide fixes all of that.
The Anatomy of a Muay Thai Teep
1. The Chamber
Everything starts with the knee. Bring your knee up toward your chest, keeping your foot underneath it. This is the "loaded" position. Don't skip this step by just kicking out with a straight leg. That's a push, not a teep.
Your hands stay up during the chamber. A lot of people drop their guard here. Don't. You're vulnerable the moment your leg comes off the ground.
2. The Hip Extension
Here's where the power comes from. Push your hip forward as you extend your leg. Think about driving your hip toward the target, not just extending your knee. The foot follows the hip.
This is the part most people get wrong. They extend the leg without the hip, which turns it into a weak push that's easy to catch. Drive through with the hip and you'll feel the difference immediately.
3. Contact Point
Land with the ball of your foot, not your toes. Toes pointing slightly up protects your foot and gives you a solid pushing surface. Target the solar plexus, lower ribs, or hip depending on your goal.
Body teeps stop forward momentum. Hip teeps disrupt their base. Thigh teeps kill their kicks. Each target has a purpose.
4. Recovery
Pull your leg back to the chambered position before placing it down. Don't just drop it. Snapping it back keeps you balanced and ready. If you're stumbling after your teep, you're not recovering properly.
Front Leg vs Rear Leg Teep
Both legs can teep. Different situations call for different tools.
Front Leg Teep
Faster, less telegraph. Use it defensively to stop incoming attacks or to maintain distance. Less power but more speed. Think of it as a check rather than a weapon.
Rear Leg Teep
More power, more commitment. You're shifting weight forward, so there's more force behind it. Use it offensively to push opponents back or knock the wind out of them. Slower but harder to absorb.
When to Use Each
Front leg teep: When someone's pressuring you and you need space now. When you want to disrupt their rhythm without committing. When setting up your own offense by gauging distance.
Rear leg teep: When you have time to set it up. When you want to punish someone for walking forward. When you're looking to knock them off balance, not just push them back.
Offensive vs Defensive Teeps
Defensive Teeps
You're reacting. Someone's coming forward, you teep them to create space. The timing is their movement, not yours. You want to catch them mid-step when their weight is committed forward. This makes them eat the full impact.
Front leg teeps work best here because you don't have time to load up the rear leg. Keep it simple: chamber, extend, recover. Don't try to hurt them. Just stop them.
Offensive Teeps
You're initiating. You step forward and teep to push them into the ropes, back them up, or set up a kick. The rear leg teep shines here because you have time to load it and put weight behind it.
Offensive teeps often work best after a punch. Jab-jab-teep. The punches draw their hands up, the teep goes to the body while they're focused on their head.
Common Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)
These mistakes are everywhere. You're probably making at least one. Record yourself and check.
Leaning Back
You throw the teep and your upper body leans way back. This kills your power, messes up your balance, and makes it obvious you're about to teep. Stay upright. Your hips go forward, your shoulders stay over your hips.
No Hip Extension
You're just kicking your leg out without driving the hip. This turns your teep into a weak push that's easy to catch and counter. Push through the hip. Your foot is just the delivery system for your hip power.
Dropping Your Hands
Your guard drops the moment you lift your leg. Now you're standing on one foot with no defense. Keep your hands up throughout the entire technique. Especially during the chamber.
Not Chambering
You kick straight out with a stiff leg instead of chambering the knee first. This makes the teep slow, obvious, and weak. Chamber first. Knee to chest, then extend.
Poor Balance on Recovery
You land off-balance or stumble forward after the teep. This happens when you don't snap the leg back before placing it down. Pull back to chamber, then step down controlled.
What the AI Checks
When you upload a video of your teep, the AI analyzes these specific points:
Feedback Points
- Knee chamber - Are you loading the knee before extending?
- Hip extension - Is your hip driving forward with the kick?
- Upper body position - Are you staying upright or leaning back?
- Guard position - Are your hands up throughout the technique?
- Contact point - Are you landing with the ball of your foot?
- Recovery - Are you snapping back before setting the foot down?
- Balance - Are you stable on your standing leg?
How to Film Your Teep for AI Feedback
Good video means good feedback. Here's how to set it up:
Camera Angle
Film from the side, perpendicular to your teep direction. This captures the chamber, hip extension, and lean angle clearly. A 45-degree angle also works for catching balance issues.
Distance
Position your camera 8-10 feet away. Your full body needs to be visible from setup through recovery. If your head or feet get cut off, back up.
Lighting
Face the light source. Backlighting makes it hard for the AI to see your body position. A window or lamp in front of you works well.
What to Film
Film both front and rear leg teeps. 3-5 reps of each. Include your stance, the teep, and your recovery. Slow motion helps.
Drills to Improve Your Teep
Practice makes permanent. Make sure you're practicing right.
Wall Teeps
Stand arm's length from a wall. Throw slow teeps and push against the wall. Focus on driving through your hip, not just extending your leg. You'll feel the difference between a hip-driven teep and a leg-only teep immediately. 3 sets of 10 each leg.
Balance Holds
Chamber your knee and hold it for 10 seconds. Hands up the entire time. If you're wobbling, your balance needs work. This also builds the hip flexor strength you need for a fast chamber. 5 holds each leg.
Teep-and-Recover Drill
Throw a teep, snap back to chamber, hold for 2 seconds, then set the foot down. This forces you to recover properly instead of just dropping your leg. 3 sets of 8 each leg.
Jab-Jab-Teep Combo
Two quick jabs, then rear leg teep to the body. The jabs set up the teep by drawing attention to the head. This is a bread-and- butter combo you'll use constantly. 5 rounds of shadow boxing, focus on this combo.