Khao Noi
Literally: small knee
Also known as: small knee
Khao noi is a short knee strike in the clinch to the inner thigh, meant to wear the opponent down, not knock them out.
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Khao noi, literally "small knee", is a short, sharp knee strike to the inner side of the opponent's thigh. It is thrown only in the clinch and without pulling the knee back far, so it stays short. According to mixedmartialarts.com, khao noi 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 kratai in its target: khao noi aims at the inner thigh, khao kratai at the front of the thigh above the knee. It differs from khao trong, a straight knee to the centre of the body, in that it is a short strike to the side of the thigh rather than a direct hit to the torso. It is not a knockout strike. Its purpose is to tire and weaken the opponent's legs during the clinch. According to the Canadian guide yellowpages.ca, it also opens space for a follow-up elbow or punch. We have not been able to document who introduced the technique.