What is that little voice in your head telling you? Often we go about our days so oblivious to our inner voice that if we bring our awareness to it, we may find that sometimes it’s full of crap. Crap that we have been telling ourselves on the daily and for most of our lives. All those limiting beliefs, the cynicism, the guilt, the shame, and the lies that get repeated over and over within our subconscious. It’s time to reprogram how we speak to ourselves and free our minds from the grips of our past.
Go break those preconceived limits you have placed on yourself.
Go make those difficult but right decisions without the guilt and shame.
Go tell yourself that you are amazing, deserving of love, and that nothing will hold you down.
Have you ever been asked by your coach to come up with a combo of your choice and stood there drawing a blank? Do you have a heavy bag at home but don’t know what combos to work on? Or couldn't think of any good combos when holding pads for your partner?
Here are 3 principles to consider when creating your own combos.
1. Left to Right
A good rule to follow is to flow from one side of the body to the other (ie. left strike right strike, left strike, right strike). This also applies to strikes from different weapon groups (mixing punches and knees).
Example #1: Left jab, right cross, left hook, right low kick, left knee, rear elbow
Example #2: Left jab, right cross, left uppercut, right cross
Example #3: Right cross, left hook, right low kick
2. Striking Ranges (refer fig. 1.1 above)
In muay thai there are four major ranges - Snug (1), Close (2), Medium (3), Long (4). When combining the individual strikes from these groups, do not connect 2 strikes that are 2 or more ranges apart. For example, a strike from Range 1 (snug) can be connected with a strike from Range 2 (close) but not with a strike from Range 3 or 4 (medium and long). The reason for this is simple: if you can make contact with your elbow strike, you are too close to effectively throw a long range weapon like a pushkick! Vice versa, if you are standing afar and throwing pushkicks, and then trying to skip multiple ranges to get on the inside for the elbow strike is extremely dangerous, as a skilled opponent will likely intercept you with a more suitable weapon while you are on your way in.
There are exceptions to this rule. Feints and setups can make it less risky to skip multiple ranges. Faking a push kick (Range 4-Long) to temporarily distract your opponent while simultaneously jumping in for an elbow strike (Range 1-Close) is an example of a feint tactic. However as a beginner to intermediate practioner, you should stick with the basics during sparring. Here is a great fight between Buakaw and Mike Zambidis to illustrate why one has to be careful when skipping multiple ranges in muay thai. Zambidis unsuccessfully attempts to "jump" into the close range from the long range with hooks only to be punished repeatedly by swing kicks. When in close, his punches are nullified by the superior knee strikes and clinch throws.
3. Keeping it Simple
Don’t get too crazy with the length of your combo! The longer the combination, the more your technique for each individual strike will suffer. What’s more important than volume is the placement (aka accuracy and precision) of these strikes in conjunction with timing as well as choosing the most suitable strike for that specific situation. I suggest 2 to 4 hit combos (no more than 5!), and keeping it to the very basic strikes (refer to the strikes in fig. 1.1 above).
Here is a collection of 10 basic combos by Sean Fagen.
Some of you may now be thinking, “These ideas and concepts are too technical and won’t work in a real fight.” Well my friend, you obviously don't know good muay thai. Go watch some Samart, Rodtang, or Saenchai fights.
The humble student who trains consistently over the long haul will eventually trump the talented one who lacks the work ethic. As a muay thai coach and current Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor, I’ve seen countless examples where the hardworking individual reaches a higher level of success far more often than that of their mere talented counterpart.
The secret lies in those days when you don’t feel like training, but you do it anyway.
There are days where you will feel uninspired, discouraged, and even lost with your training. But you are not alone. I have been training most of my life and I can tell you this; I HAVE DAYS WHERE I FEEL THE SAME, and it happens more often to other people than you think.
The trick is not to beat yourself up about it. Rather, forgive yourself and understand that you are not alone in your feelings. The highs and lows are all part of the journey.
Below is a list of equipment you will need for a muay thai class as a beginner and up to the intermediate level. As you progress in your training, you may require additional specialized equipment for higher level sparring and competition.
A quality pair of boxing gloves go a long way in your training so don’t cheap out on this item. I have had students try to save money on gloves only to replace them some months later. A good pair of gloves should last you several years at 3-4 training sessions a week and will cost anywhere between $75-$200. Velcro straps are suggested as you don’t want to waste time fiddling around with the lace-up gloves. Leather is best but synthetic leather can be just as good if it's from a reputable brand. I suggest having 1 pair for heavy bag and pad work (view standard size chart), and 1*16oz pair for partner drilling and sparring.
Shin pads are used for partner drills, sparring, and in amateur competition. They are there to protect your shins and feet from excessive damage. They also act to reduce damage dealt to your partners during training. From my personal experience, you can get away with a relatively cheaper pair of shin guards since they are not used as frequently as boxing gloves. The lowest you should spend for shin guards would be around the $65 mark and no more than $130 unless you are a competitive fighter who has a taste for the really high end stuff. View standard size chart.
A hand wrap is a strip of fabric that wraps around your hand and wrist to protect the knuckles and bones from damage induced from punching as well as give additional support and stability to your wrists. It is absolutely essential that you make it a habit to wear hand wraps every heavy bag and focus mitt workout as they are often overlooked by beginners. Impact at the wrong angle on a punch can see you with a broken hand and weeks or up to months of recovery time. You should be washing your wraps after every session so I suggest you have at least 2-3 pairs of hand wraps.
Training muay thai isn’t the same without a pair of Thai shorts on! The high cut of the shorts allow for a wider range of motion, enabling you to kick higher and with ease. They also do a great job of "wicking" sweat to the fabric's outer surface while drying faster than your average cotton shorts. Even if Thai shorts are not mandatory for classes, you can show the coach that you are taking your muay training training seriously by wearing them :).
A mouth guard should be worn every partner drilling or sparring session to protect the jaw, tongue, and reduce head trauma from punches. Even when you think it’s going to be a “light” training day, you never know with some partners who always seem to go a little too hard. You also cannot prevent accidents from happening. Another reason why you should wear your mouthguard in training is so that you can get used to breathing with a mouth guard on as this will help you easily adapt to that feeling for when you are sparring or competing and required to wear one.
These may not be needed until you start sparring, but if you have the funds a headgear is a great addition to your fight kit since you will eventually need one. For beginners and intermediate who want added protection, go for the headgear that has the padded cheek protection. The open-face headgear is best for more serious competitors as they allow for better vision while offering a little less face protection.
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