Guard position of hands in Muay Thai

The guard position of the hands must never be compromised. The Muay Thai punches are designed so that the moment the hands pound into the target, they will immediately bounce back in a protective, defensive mode. That is the excellent simplicity of this fighting art. It is very precise. From the guard position, you have the option of either being offensive or defensive. In the frontal straight punch, your hand extends fully and goes right back to guard position. In the elbow position even the punch is such that the hand will automatically recoil in guard position. The upper cut (see photo) also has similar technique of punch-bounce that makes the hand recoil back in guard position.