# My Muay Thai streghts and weakneses



## -steve- (Apr 5, 2009)

Well I've been going to Muay Thai for 2 months now, it's a lot of fun and I'd like to share what I'm finding hard and what I'm finding not so hard(none of it is easy) maybe you guys could give me some advice. One of the things I enjoy most is punching, my coach said I have good hands, though I think he means I have decent hands and he's trying to give encouragement. Either way I really enjoy unloading on the heavy bag. What i'm finding difficult is being hit, or to put it more accurately blocking punches. I just dont seem to have the reaction time. Now mind you this is not sparring so it has nothing to do with pain it's just I cant seem to grasp how to block my whole body when we do drills. Another weakness of mine is I don't have much muscle endurance, but I know that will come with practice. I've been lifting wieghts 6 months prior to joining up but it seems body building and combat fitness is quite different, I could bench 30 ilbs more then my own body weight but at the end of a muay thai class after alot of clinch work I coulnd't even pump out 25 push ups! I'm gradually getting better though and my stamina is so much better then when I started. Any way sorry about the long post and if you want back the 2 minutes of your life wasted reading this, i'll understand :wink1: 

P.S. I love the selection of emoticons, it really is quite epic. :knight2:<--- this guy looks like he's straight out of the diablo    video game


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## Akira (Apr 6, 2009)

Sounds like you're doing ok so far, it takes time to build up your body though...slowly slowly.

When you say you're having trouble blocking punches what are you having trouble with exactly?  Is the instructor showing you what to do?  Do you mean the guy you're training with is getting his/her punches through before you can block them?  Or you don't know how to cover up properly to stop punches getting through?

Muscle endurance will come with time (and training).  At my gym we do no weight training, run 12 kms every day, and twice a day I do 150 situps, 30 pull ups and 50 pushups.  Just keep working on it, keep raising the bar and don't lose sight of your goal.


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## blackdiamondcobra (Apr 6, 2009)

Akira is giving you sound advice. The difference training in thailand and the pressure push method in the west is that skill is acquired through step by step, microprogression that in time builds the fighting unit.  You must have patience and be steady without injury thats whats built in the thai camps and one of the things that is most misunderstood.


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## -steve- (Apr 6, 2009)

Thanks for advice, with regards to blocking I know how to cover up and what to do with when a straight, hook or body shot is thrown. If the sequence is pre determined I can do it but when it's random a lot of the shots get through, particularly body shots and when I put my hands down to protect my body I get a smack in the face. I just need more practice i suppose but it does seem to be the thing i'm finding the most difficult to progress in(slow reaction time I guesse). I've decided to do body wieght training almost exclusively, i've read that moving ur body through space results in more testosterone and growth hormone being released. This is then followed by compound movements where the body is still (ex: bench press, millitary/overhead press), machine movements come after that because of the restricted movements and lack of stabilazing muscles which are enganged and finally isolation excercises are the least beneficial. I love doing pull ups, I can do 25 on a good day and 22 any other. I also use a tread mill to do dips(sounds strange but the model i have works really well for it). I'm only going to do wiehgts for my triceps because I have neglected them far to long, for dips and pull ups sometimes I put wiehgts in a book bag to make it harder, and i'm going to squat, squat squat.


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## denmyos (Apr 7, 2009)

-steve- said:


> I love doing pull ups, I can do 25 on a good day and 22 any other.



25 pull ups,,, i most have a gen pull up defect. i have been doing weight training for most of my adult years. and i can only do around 4-6. 
i wieght 160 pound, 82 kg.


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## Akira (Apr 8, 2009)

-steve- said:


> Thanks for advice, with regards to blocking I know how to cover up and what to do with when a straight, hook or body shot is thrown. If the sequence is pre determined I can do it but when it's random a lot of the shots get through, particularly body shots and when I put my hands down to protect my body I get a smack in the face. I just need more practice i suppose but it does seem to be the thing i'm finding the most difficult to progress in(slow reaction time I guesse).


 
Yeah it's just practice mate.  After getting punched in the head enough times you learn to keep your hands up.  I found I didn't have the confidence to slip past punches until maybe the 10th time I'd tried sparring.  Prior to that I was just covering up and hoping for the best, but it would leave me open to hooks and body shots.  When you cover up, keep looking at what your opponent is doing and you'll see where their punches are going to go.  Practice, practice, practice.  

Make sure you keep your hands up and have a strong guard all the time when you're training, and as one of the trainers here always tells me...looking, looking.


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## DeadlyShins (Apr 8, 2009)

Everyone is giving really sound advice.  Just keep working at it and you'll get there eventually.  Also, keep up with the body weight exercises...it really helps with your overall coordination as well as strength and muscle endurance.


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## -steve- (Apr 8, 2009)

Demmyo, I weigh only a mere 135 lbs and mind you these probably arent ur text book pull ups, after about 15 they get a little sloppy and i'm doing them pretty fast though i try not to let momentum do to much work.


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## blackdiamondcobra (Apr 8, 2009)

One piece of advice I can give is slowly backtrack a bit. If you are having problems defending against a jab lets say, find a partner, work your defense moves like parries, slips, etc SLOWLY then have him work a different tempos moving around, then get some gloves on and try it with him trying to tap you in the face, then go for a headgear. Progress through each so you can find your weakness....sometimes you are flinching, afraid to get hit, jumping the gun and telegraphing your parry lets say.  As you pick up the speed, you can see problems, then backtrack and correct them.  Do it again with lets say the cross, hook or whatever the problem is.  You are learning from the actual doing broken down in time.

As far as the body shots, you are fearing the pain and flinching.  I would lie down on the ground, get a medicine ball, and raise it with both your hands slightly over your mid to lower stomach and drop it down gently, exhale on sharply on contact.  You want to go gently and let it tap in. 

You can also work it with a partner as you get stronger.  Rising it up then dropping it as you get confidence and ability to absorb.

Another thing you can do is have your partner put on a pair of boxing gloves, throw a jab, have him slip it and tap you in the stomach with a straight punch. Again gently, until you get acclimated to it.

These type of drills go from a sort of static work to a more dynamic flow in actual time. If you do slowly you can develop skill and the ability to take and give shots.


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## dnovice (Apr 8, 2009)

-steve- said:


> Thanks for advice, with regards to blocking I know how to cover up and what to do with when a straight, hook or body shot is thrown. If the sequence is pre determined I can do it but when it's random a lot of the shots get through, particularly body shots and when I put my hands down to protect my body I get a smack in the face. I just need more practice i suppose but it does seem to be the thing i'm finding the most difficult to progress in(slow reaction time I guesse). I've decided to do body wieght training almost exclusively, i've read that moving ur body through space results in more testosterone and growth hormone being released. This is then followed by compound movements where the body is still (ex: bench press, millitary/overhead press), machine movements come after that because of the restricted movements and lack of stabilazing muscles which are enganged and finally isolation excercises are the least beneficial. I love doing pull ups, I can do 25 on a good day and 22 any other. I also use a tread mill to do dips(sounds strange but the model i have works really well for it). I'm only going to do wiehgts for my triceps because I have neglected them far to long, for dips and pull ups sometimes I put wiehgts in a book bag to make it harder, and i'm going to squat, squat squat.


 
Hey wassup steve, 

I see you're having the same problem i'm having. I kept getting hit by kicks which i assume are going low or mid but end up going high. My solution was to find a block that covers high and mid (legs can take care of themselves.) When I posted the same question on a different forum  I was given the same advice. I was given some WC advice as well as some blocks from Muay Thai, which will benefit you. 

Muay thai blocks.

In terms of muscle endurance weight training doesn't deal with this in my opinion. Weight training is for strength. Lots of repitition is where stamina is built. Long running and pushing yourself just a little past your edge (or playing a sport that involves lots of running), lots of push ups (i'm up to 400), throw as many punches as you can (once you find that limit keep doing the same amount of punches.)

good luck man.


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## -steve- (Apr 10, 2009)

400 push ups! Oh man I can hardly pump out 50! I'm working on it though, yeah weight training is definitely no good for stamina especially with my tenancy to go high weight low rep. Thanks for all the advice guys, another thing I'm finding is that my legs are the weakest link, I foresee lots of squats in the near future.


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## DeadlyShins (Apr 12, 2009)

For muscle endurance for fighting, what you really need to do is look up some interval training.  It really helps with keeping a steady pace in a fight and being able to explode with combos and shots.  Keep it in mind.


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