Do you guys think that clinching can only be used as a survival technique to stop onslaughts and getting your breath back? Or can it also be used sparingly as a strategy to confuse and offset your opponent? I like clinching a couple times a round to offset the guys rhythm, to apply pressure for psychological reasons, or because I just feel like I'm in a bad position. Do you guys use the clinch for non survival reasons?
Yes. I clinched whenever a shorter fighter gets on the inside where I am at a major disadvantage. I don't hold for long, just enough to neutralize their offense and pivot out. The fighting resumes immediately.
Survival or a little move to avoid being cornered (not a hug but pressing with my shoulder as I get close enough to avoid punches and step aside). Abuse of clinch are sometimes (and should always) being sanctioned as refuse the fight.
I guess I might differentiate between a "passive" clinch and an "active" clinch. Passive clinching would be tying up the opponent's arms to keep him from hitting you. An active clinch is a control and manipulation tactic wherein you attempt to maneuver your man into a position more advantageous to you in anticipation of hitting once the clinch is broken or partially broken (which is not to say hitting on a break initiated by the referee, and certainly not holding while hitting -- which is different from hitting while being held). This is another way of saying that old-school infighting and clinching are often fluid states where it's not always obvious that one has begun and the other ended and then the other taken over again. If it's within the rules, and you're good at wrestling in the clinch and hitting to effect at that range, I think it should be part of your game. If it isn't, then stick with passive clinching when necessary.
