Improve Your Knee Technique Instantly!
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Curved Knee·Gabriel Varga
Use today's tutorial to sharpen up your knee technique. The knees are very important to have in your arsenal and if yo…
Curved Knee
Familyカーブドニー(Kābudo Nī)
TransliterationTranslation: curved knee
Overview
History & Origin
Curved knee strikes developed within the Muay Thai tradition as clinch-fighting techniques that exploit diagonal and horizontal angles to bypass an opponent's frontal guard. [1] Rebac traces the curved knee family to Muay Boran battlefield applications where fighters in close quarters needed to strike around armour and shields, driving the knee at oblique angles into exposed flanks. [2] These techniques were refined in the Bangkok stadium era (1920s onward) as clinch fighting became a scored and emphasised aspect of competition Muay Thai. [1]
Effectiveness
The curved knee arcs into the target from an angle, combining lateral and upward movement. [1]
Lineage
From Muay Thai's khao khong. [1]
Competition Record
Used in Muay Thai. [1]
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Biomechanical Mechanism
Primary Action — Driving the knee upward or diagonally into the target using hip flexion and body weight
Joints Involved — Hip (powerful flexion drive), knee (point of impact, flexed), core (posture and power transfer)
Force Vector — Upward (straight knee to body/head), diagonal (round knee from the side), or clinch-pull driven
Clinch Integration — Most effective when combined with clinch control — pulling the opponent's head down into the rising knee multiplies impact force
Position & Entry
From Muay Thai clinch — Secure the plum (double collar tie), pull the opponent's head down, drive the knee up into the body or head
From clinch (collar-and-bicep) — Control one side, pull the opponent into the rising knee
As counter (opponent shoots) — When the opponent level changes for a takedown, drive the knee up into their face or chest
Videos
1 video
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Ratings
Risk of injury to the person this technique is applied to
7
Very High7/10
Muay Thai khao khong; diagonal knee to ribs/thigh
Skill level needed to execute this technique reliably
Intermediate
Whether this technique is allowed under major competition rule sets
Illegal
WBC/Boxing — All knee strikes prohibited {src— WBC Rules of Boxing}
— WKF — Prohibited in sport karate
WKF Competition Rules 2024PDF— WT — Prohibited
WT Competition Rules 2024PDF— ITF — Prohibited
ITF Competition RulesPDF— WAKO — Prohibited in most formats
WAKO Competition RulesPDFRestricted
— Unified MMA — Knees to standing opponent legal, knees to ...
Unified Rules of MMA, August 2025PDFK-1/GLORY — One clinch knee allowed before referee break {src— K-1/GLORY Kickboxing Rules}
Legal
Kyokushin — Legal to body {src— IKO Kyokushin Tournament Rules}
— IFMA — Legal — knees are a core Muay Thai weapon, clinch ...
IFMA Muay Thai RulesPDFTraining Notes
✓Curved knee strikes travel in a lateral or diagonal arc rather than straight up — they attack angles that a straight knee cannot reach
✓Drive the knee around the opponent's guard, targeting the ribs, liver, or thigh from the side
✓The curved knee works best from the clinch when you have inside position on one side
✓Rotate the hips in the direction of the curve to add torque to the strike
✓The curved knee bypasses a tight guard that blocks straight knees — it comes around the side of the elbows
✓Use collar ties and head control to off-balance the opponent to one side, then curve the knee into the exposed ribs
✓In Muay Thai, the curved knee is used to attack the body when the opponent tightens their centre guard against straight knees
Common Mistakes
!Not rotating the hip with the curve — without hip rotation, the knee has no lateral force
!Curving too wide and losing the direct impact — the knee should arc tightly around the guard
!Not controlling the opponent's posture before throwing — the curved knee needs the opponent to be slightly off-balance
!Hitting the opponent's elbow or forearm with the knee — this hurts both fighters
!Rising onto the toes without hip engagement, making the knee a light push rather than a damaging strike
!Using the curved knee from distance where there is no clinch control
!Not pulling the opponent into the knee — the collision of forces is essential for damage
Related Techniques
Counter Techniques
Setup Chain
1Clinch or Frame — establish control of the opponent's head or body
2Pull Opponent In — use the grip to close distance and compromise their posture
3Drive the Knee — thrust the knee upward into the target
Sources & References
Primary Source
Muay Thai: The Art of Fighting (Yod Ruerngsa, Khun Kao Charuad & James Cartmell, 2002)
1BookMuay Thai: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus, 2002)
Alias sources — [1] Muay Thai: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus & Kraitus, 1988) [2] Muay Thai: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus & Kraitus, 1988)
2BookMuay Thai Unleashed (Delp, 2006)
History sources — [1] Muay Thai: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus & Rennehan, 2002) [2] Muay Boran: The Ancient Art of Muay Thai (Rebac, 2008)
3OtherJapanese Combat Sports Katakana Convention
Standard katakana transliteration of Western martial arts terminology (外来語) — used in Japanese MMA, boxing, and BJJ communities
4CitationMuay Thai: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus, 2002)
Alias sources — [1] Muay Thai: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus & Kraitus, 1988) [2] Muay Thai: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus & Kraitus, 1988)
5CitationMuay Thai Unleashed (Delp, 2006)
History sources — [1] Muay Thai: The Art of Fighting (Kraitus & Rennehan, 2002) [2] Muay Boran: The Ancient Art of Muay Thai (Rebac, 2008)
Community
Athletics
Requires
hip flexion power, clinch control ability, close-range comfort
Favours
long thigh for greater leverage, strong hip flexors
Key muscles
hip flexors, quadriceps, core, grip (for clinch)
Sub-techniques
Diagonal Knee
SubFamilyA knee strike driven upward at a diagonal angle, targeting the ribs, floating ribs, or side of the body from within the clinch or at close range.
1 genera·1 techniquesExplore
Horizontal Knee
SubFamilyA knee strike swung horizontally in a lateral arc, targeting the ribs, thighs, or midsection from the side using rotational hip force.
1 genera·1 techniquesExplore
Notes
The curved knee (khao khong in Muay Thai) swings in a circular arc — similar to a hook but with the knee. Targets the ribs, thigh, and head from the clinch. Used when the straight knee path is blocked. (Kraitus, Muay Thai: The Art of Fighting; Delp, Muay Thai Unleashed)
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I position my hands when throwing a curved knee?
Gabriel Varga emphasizes that protecting your face is critical—never leave your hands down. The Dutch style involves keeping your hands up to protect your head while you fire off the knee, with your arm naturally crossing in front of your face as the knee comes out for easy balance and positioning.
What's the proper way to drive my knee for maximum power?
Drive your heel into your glute so there's no contact with anything below the knee, which maximizes the power you can put into your opponent. Avoid lifting and poking the knee out, as that lacks power and requires the opponent to be too close.
How do I close the distance to land a curved knee safely?
Gabriel Varga recommends either using a slight shuffle forward or stepping through while disguising the step with a punch or fake. To set up the technique safely while learning, fake the person out to distract them or throw some hands first before closing distance for the knee.
How does the Curved Knee work?
Knee strikes delivered along a diagonal or horizontal trajectory, attacking from angles that bypass the opponent's frontal guard.
Where does the Curved Knee come from?
Curved knee strikes developed within the Muay Thai tradition as clinch-fighting techniques that exploit diagonal and horizontal angles to bypass an opponent's frontal guard. Rebac traces the curved knee family to Muay Boran battlefield applications where fighters in close quarters needed to strike around armour and shields, driving the knee at oblique angles into exposed flanks.
Is the Curved Knee legal in competition?
Unified MMA: restricted — Knees to standing opponent legal, knees to head of grounded opponent banned; WBC/Boxing: banned — All knee strikes prohibited; WKF: banned — Prohibited in sport karate; Kyokushin: legal — Legal to body; WT: banned — Prohibited; ITF: banned — Prohibited; WAKO: banned — Prohibited in most formats; K: restricted — 1/GLORY — One clinch knee allowed before referee break; IFMA: legal — Legal — knees are a core Muay Thai weapon, clinch knees highly scored
How dangerous is the Curved Knee?
Danger rating 7/10. Very High — Muay Thai khao khong; diagonal knee to ribs/thigh
How do I set up the Curved Knee?
The standard setup chain: Clinch or Frame → Pull Opponent In → Drive the Knee.
How do I defend against the Curved Knee?
Standard counters include: Hip Check — push the opponent's hips away to create distance and kill the knee angle / Clinch Control — control the opponent's head and posture to prevent knee generation / Step Back — create distance to escape the knee's effective range.
What are the variants of the Curved Knee?
Common variants: Straight knee (driving the knee straight upward into the body or head); Curved knee (round knee) (swinging the knee from the side in a circular path); Flying knee (leaping forward and driving the knee at the apex of the jump); Clinch knee (pulling the opponent into the knee from Muay Thai plum po…).
How effective is the Curved Knee in competition?
Used in Muay Thai.
What are common mistakes when doing the Curved Knee?
Top errors to watch for: Not rotating the hip with the curve — without hip rotation, the knee has no lateral force / Curving too wide and losing the direct impact — the knee should arc tightly around the guard / Not controlling the opponent's posture before throwing — the curved knee needs the opponent to be slightly off-balance / Hitting the opponent's elbow or forearm with the knee — this hurts both fighters.
What are other names for the Curved Knee?
The Curved Knee is also known as Kābudo Nī, Angled Knee, Diagonal Knee.