Techniques and styles
Elbow
Sok in Thai
What it means
A short strike thrown with the point of the elbow, usually from the clinch or off a slip. It is the strike Muay Thai is known for and the one that ends fights by cut rather than by knockout.
Most camps will teach it to visitors on pads and keep it out of sparring, because a mistimed elbow opens a training partner up and ends both of their trips.
Some amateur rulesets and some stadium cards for foreigners restrict elbows entirely, so if you are training toward a fight, ask what the ruleset allows before building a game around them.
Related
Words that go with it
Clinch
Close-range grappling with the arms and neck, used to control an opponent so you can land knees and elbows or throw them off balance. Thai gyms treat it as core, not as an extra.
Knee
A strike with the point of the knee, thrown straight up the middle or driven in from the clinch. It is the scoring weapon Thai judges have traditionally rewarded most.