Taking muaythai to a new level today. Any advice?

Hi guys, I have been muaythai for a couple of months now and today I start the intermediate class.

I think the intensity is much greater than what I have been doing allready.

I'm guessing we will start doing conditioning today.

I don't know whether I will be doing sparring or not. Personally I don't feel ready for my shins clashing with my opponents shins.

Maybe you guys could give me a few pointers for tonight.

Thanks a lot.

Peace.

Edward Metcalfe

[dave_rusin]

Relax. A tense body is an injury waiting to happen.

Abandon any sense of competition. Don't try to beat your opponent... try to learn. Leave ego at the door.

Have fun with it.

Look at the training through the eyes of a child.

Remember to exhale when struck. Remember to exhale when striking.

:D

Wow, I was not ready for tonight.

I didn't have to do any sparring but we were moving the entire hour and doing combination after combination and then blocking, then three pressup variations, squats, burpees, sit-ups and leg raises.

We started off with self massage and then got into some footwork.

What I found hardest was coordinating the jabs and crosses with rising of the toes.

I know this is really basic stuff but like I said in my introductory post, before this muaythai I hadn't done any ma or endurance training for about eight years.

I'm determined to stick at this and get fitter and be a better fighter in the ring and when and if I have to defend myself on the street.

Thanks again for the advice, but I don't think after this i'll be sparring for a while yet.

I gotta go get some rest.

Peace.

Edward Metcalfe

I went to the intermediate Sat class yesterday morning and it was nearly all conditioning for two hours and I got this terrible headache which went away after drinking some water.

I'm really starting to like the pain involved; it gives me a sense of achievment.

Anyways, i'll keep you guys posted.

Peace, Ed

[Ilya Kleyman]

Hey mate,

My name's Ilya, and I've been doing muay Thai for a good 2 years now. Personally, I love/hate it. I love it because it's great conditioning, and I hate it because its......great conditioning :o

Here's some tips from a mauy Thai perspective:
Focus on the target. If the goal of the exercise is to condition your shins, then do exactly that. Hit it as hard as you can wiithout hurting yourself. Don't focus on technique nearly as much as SHIN CONDITIONING. If the aim of the exercise is technique, focus on TECHNIQUE.

I know it seems like common sense, but it's simple things like this that will make your muay Thai training that much easier and efficient.

Above all, you just started "intermediate class". I'm sure that you're feeling both excited at having moved up, and I'm also sure that you feel a burden to please. Lose both.

You're there to learn, it doesn't matter how you look while you're doing it, nor does it matter how much you please your superiors. As long as when you walk out of the place you train, you walk out with a firmer grasp of the technique and some bruised shins, you're doing great :wink:

Cheers man!

Well, when I said conditioning I meant general physical conditioning, like bodyweight exercises and skipping.

We havn't done any shin conditioning yet and as far as I can tell the ones who are doing sparring wear shin guards.

So i'm guessing that you probably have to go and actively let the coach know that you wanna compete in the next tournament, and he will then train you accordingly.

I also just found out that the coach/instructor has no job except this one and he lives in quite a big house along with this fully kitted out vauxhall car.

He trains people in his house during the day and then teaches at external premises at night which I go to.

Anyway, I will keep you all posted on how I get on in the future.

I've decided I wanna compete within a year and hopefully one day teach it.

I'm starting a two year diploma in sport and exercise science in September and so should be able to maybe get a lone from the bank and open my own gym.

Wish me luck :lol:

Thanks again.

Edward Metcalfe

[Ilya Kleyman]

Best of luck to you. If you feel that this is your path in life, then by all means take it.

Definetly get some extra training in there, ask for private lessons if need be. There are plenty of amateur tournaments that you can enter even in your current state, and I would personally reccomend them to gain some insight into your position in the muay Thai foodchain.

Do some research and explore before you commit yourself to this.

But by all means, good luck :!:

Thanks man, i've got to think it through fully like you say, as it could be one of those junctions of life where your destiny is changed either for the better or the worse.

Thanks again for the advice!!