Now that the student has mastered some attacking techniques, he learns how to defend himself against the techniques and how to counter. After a defence an attempt must always be made to counter, as the opponent may otherwise continue with his attack. There are four ways to defend:

- Rapid attack,
- Sidestepping/Avoiding,
- Reflection of the opponent's technique,
- Block.

A selection of the defence and counter techniques can be found in the book "Muay Thai – Traditionen, Grundlagen, Techniken des Thaiboxens" (Delp 2004). A full list of the defence and counter moves against possible attacks, regardless of the opponent's stance, can be found in the book "Muay Thai – Advanced Thai Kickboxing Techniques" (Delp 2004).