Khao Kratai
Literally: rabbit knee
Also known as: rabbit knee
Khao kratai, rabbit knee, is a knee strike in the clinch to the front of the thigh above the knee, whose pain forces the opponent to release the clinch.
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Khao kratai, literally rabbit knee (kratai means rabbit, "rabbit knee"), is a knee strike used in the clinch. It is thrown from a fixed clinch as a short knee strike aimed at the front of the opponent's thigh just above the knee joint. Sources disagree on the target, though: according to the Canadian guide yellowpages.ca, khao kratai is aimed directly at the opponent's knee. According to mixedmartialarts.com, the technique belongs to a system of eight named knee strikes of the Thai clinch style muay khao, distinguished by path and target. It differs from khao noi in that it strikes the front of the thigh above the knee, while khao noi aims at the inner thigh. It differs from khao trong, a straight knee to the centre of the body, in that it is a side clinch strike to the leg, not the torso. The strike causes a stabbing, burning pain that forces the opponent to release the clinch or step back; according to yellowpages.ca, it serves precisely to break free of a hold. It can also serve defensively to block the opponent's attack. We have not been able to document who introduced the technique.