Muay Thai Tips & Tricks

Drill work is a particular type of training that’s incredibly useful for developing techniques, defence and movement in a controlled, measured environment. It is the closest type of training to sparring as there are not pads or bags involved just protective equipment (the same used in sparring).

Training Muay Thai is as physically and mentally rewarding as it is tough on the body and mind. Being a contact sport, you’re regularly striking pads, people or bags and therefore exposing yourself to causing damage to yourself and others. This, coupled with the fact training is intensive and demands full-body engagement, makes injuries common, especially for first-time practitioners.

Even if you’ve had previous experience with another combat or full contact sport, the intensity and full body workouts that you get when training Muay Thai can come as a surprise. That’s why it’s important to approach learning Muay Thai with the right mindset and take advantage of our tips on how to succeed.

The teep, also referred to as a push kick, is a long-range, diverse Muay Thai technique that can be targetted at various body parts. It is different to a front-kick in that it uses thrusting and extension of the hips,...

We explored what purposeful practice in an earlier blog article, discussing how it differs from “normal” practice and how it can help develop your Muay Thai skills quickly and consistently. The concept itself can be easy to understand, yet when you first try to think of ways you can purposefully practice, it can be challenging.

After a while of regular training, it's likely you'll hit some sort of plateau which will frustrate you, make you question your level of passion for the sport and have you searching for ways to make it exciting again. This is common with any sport or hobby and you'll need to evaluate whether it's a genuine disinterest and not just a “wall”.

Sparring can be some of the most enjoyable and informative parts of your training, yet it can also be the most stressful and painful. For beginners it can be incredibly intimidating and even the most veteran fighter can feel pressured when sparring at a new gym.  Nonetheless, sparring is essential for developing your Muay Thai skills, reaction times, conditioning and tactical thinking.

Muay Thai is as effective for keeping fit as it is a striking discipline. In a 2 hour session, you can easily burn anywhere between 1000 – 2000 calories, if not more. That's equivalent to 2 hours running at 8-10mpg or 2 hours cycling at 20mph.

Training Muay Thai is tough on the feet, despite the fact we land kicks with our shins. The constant movement, pivoting and footwork generates friction which can result in blisters, sprains and cuts.

A fundamental route to unlocking the full potential of your rotations, power and speed in Muay Thai is by building a high-degree of flexibility throughout your body. Developing the ability to quickly move your limbs through a wide-degree of rotations without strain or injury, will significantly contribute to you're overall effectiveness in Muay Thai.

What's the difference between practice and purposeful practice? It's all in the approach as purposeful practice is focused and designed with attaining a specific goal that will improve overall performance, one step at a time. It’s kicking a heavy bag 50, 100, 1000 times until you rotate your hips the “right” amount. It’s jabbing countless times with a focus on bringing your hand back to your chin quicker than someone can counter you with your guard down

This guide assumes you're committed to learning and enjoying Muay Thai and seek advice on what gear you need to get the most out of all your training, along with what equipment you'll need to mitigate and treat injuries.

There are some stylistic approaches you can adopt in your sparring sessions which will broaden your experience and help develop your learning in this way. They'll also force you to think creatively and help you diversify your arsenal. Try them on different sparring partners and adopt the approach which fits into what you're looking to learn/achieve in that sparring session.

Whether you're new to Muay Thai or looking for a gym to develop new & existing skills, training in the right gym is key to getting the most out of your time & effort. What's right for you will depend on a variety of factors but it's worth first thinking about your goals and how quickly you want to achieve them. For exa

While Muay Thai is widely considered the most effective striking discipline in the world, its reputation often deters many people from practising the sport as they consider it too brutal or likely to involve too much pain. While there is some justification in this, much of the pain arising from contact can be avoided and the benefits Muay Thai brings even the average practitioner are worthwhile and varied.