First day of Muay Thai classes, I need help

[Nyseto]

I have an ambitious and competitive mentality, I want to compete one day at a high level. Today I showed up to my first class and learned some basics using pads with a partner but that’s not the problem. The problem is that I have plenty of time on my hands and don’t want to sit around on a couch until the next class. 1 hour of class is not enough, I hardly broke a sweat, I didn’t go through any pain. I want to put in hours to train my *** off outside of class and I don’t know how to do it or what to do training-wise. I don’t see the point in only learning technique if I don’t develop the physical part for it like the coordination, power, and speed.

I went to class to learn, but where’s the training and conditioning? How does all of this work if you want to get really good?

 

[Haruhiko]

I have an ambitious and competitive mentality, I want to compete one day at a high level. Today I showed up to my first class and learned some basics using pads with a partner but that’s not the problem. The problem is that I have plenty of time on my hands and don’t want to sit around on a couch until the next class. 1 hour of class is not enough. I want to put in hours to train my *** off outside of class and I don’t know how to do it or what to do training-wise. I don’t see the point in only learning technique if I don’t develop the physical part for it like the coordination, power, and speed.

I went to class to learn, but where’s the training and conditioning?

Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.

It's literally your first class. Have a conversation with your kru. Without more details, it's hard to provide advice.

Appreciate your rest days. Meditate and read about your art on those days if you insist on being full-time committed to Muay Thai.

 

[Buka]

Nyseto, welcome to MartialTalk.

What kind of shape are you in? How is your flexibility? Perhaps you could put your own work into those areas.

Maybe look for books or films on Muay Thai and absorb the thoughts and journeys of those that came before you. At the very least it will give you something to do.

I would be careful with something, though. Those that try to start an art in too much of a hurry often times do not succeed. Patience is a needed commodity in Martial training.

Wishing you well on the ride.

 

[Prince_Alarming]

You're right, 1 hour of class is not enough. If you do a little workout every day on your own you will improve greatly. Baby steps. Small at first. Just some leg swings, pushups and hitting a bag is plenty to get started with. Good luck on your journey.

 

[Prince_Alarming]

Also, if you're ambitious and want to compete, one of the best things you can do is recruit some buddies from your class or wherever and set up a little study group. Then you can work on stuff you get loads of free practice and people to hit.

 

[HighKick]

I have an ambitious and competitive mentality, I want to compete one day at a high level. Today I showed up to my first class and learned some basics using pads with a partner but that’s not the problem. The problem is that I have plenty of time on my hands and don’t want to sit around on a couch until the next class. 1 hour of class is not enough, I hardly broke a sweat, I didn’t go through any pain. I want to put in hours to train my *** off outside of class and I don’t know how to do it or what to do training-wise. I don’t see the point in only learning technique if I don’t develop the physical part for it like the coordination, power, and speed.

I went to class to learn, but where’s the training and conditioning? How does all of this work if you want to get really good?

Patience Grasshopper. Talk to your coach and work with him/her to develop an at-home practice routine. Hit the gym or create a great calisthenics workout.
Study diet, hydration, & recovery to make sure you are giving your body what it needs to keep up with the intensity.
You will get there but remember it is a marathon not a sprint.

 

[Badhabits]

I also think you should ask your coach for homework. It's also possible he may want you to wait a little before practicing outside of classes. So you don't ingrain bad habits before you have some understanding of the body mechanics.

 

[Nyseto]

Patience Grasshopper. Talk to your coach and work with him/her to develop an at-home practice routine. Hit the gym or create a great calisthenics workout.
Study diet, hydration, & recovery to make sure you are giving your body what it needs to keep up with the intensity.
You will get there but remember it is a marathon not a sprint.

I’ll talk to them about it today. I guess I thought that a training routine would be a given, like they would tell us what to do outside of class as “homework”. That way I can feel I’m training to my heart’s content instead of sitting around doing nothing. How do I train? Do I just take the basics and repeat them on the bag? Do I use gloves for 5 minutes and no gloves the next 5 minutes? The answers to these questions was what I was expecting to get out of the class once it ended

 

[Holmejr]

We have a running joke in our school, that says “the more hyper excited the new student is, the faster they quit”. This is because some folk are driven by emotion and those emotions can’t typically be sustained.
So, my advice is to slow down, ask questions and absorb. Are you already as proficient as the best senior students? Get to know them and ask about their journey in the art. Participate. Take notes.
Hope your goals are reached.

 

[drop bear]

Does your muay Thai school actually train fighters?

Your best starting point is strength and conditioning. As the old saying goes.

Nobody finished a fight wishing they had less cardio.

 

[frank raud]

You did an hour of Muay Thai and barely broke a sweat? Guess what, you're in a beginners class
Your coach is building up both your stamina and pain tolerance. Let's assume the guy you're paying to teach you knows what he's doing
If you think you should be training like Tony Jaa in your first class, you're in for disappointment.

 

[HighKick]

I’ll talk to them about it today. I guess I thought that a training routine would be a given, like they would tell us what to do outside of class as “homework”. That way I can feel I’m training to my heart’s content instead of sitting around doing nothing. How do I train? Do I just take the basics and repeat them on the bag? Do I use gloves for 5 minutes and no gloves the next 5 minutes? The answers to these questions was what I was expecting to get out of the class once it ended

I doubt you will get that level of 'clear-cut' routine since it is different for everyone. What works for you may be Way to much for your classmate or vice-versa.
A lot of it will come with more time and the normal maturation process. It needs to be conducive and doable with the rest of what life is throwing at you. Else, most people will burn out prematurely.

 

[JowGaWolf]

General Rule for training outside of class is to do the same training that you do inside of class. You won't get more than that from your coach/ teacher unless he or she thinks you mastered it enough to move to the next step.

 

[Ivan]

I have an ambitious and competitive mentality, I want to compete one day at a high level. Today I showed up to my first class and learned some basics using pads with a partner but that’s not the problem. The problem is that I have plenty of time on my hands and don’t want to sit around on a couch until the next class. 1 hour of class is not enough, I hardly broke a sweat, I didn’t go through any pain. I want to put in hours to train my *** off outside of class and I don’t know how to do it or what to do training-wise. I don’t see the point in only learning technique if I don’t develop the physical part for it like the coordination, power, and speed.

I went to class to learn, but where’s the training and conditioning? How does all of this work if you want to get really good?

Hi. I completely understand your issues, as I too want to compete at a high level. However, I do BJJ and I get to do classes twice a day morning and evening, so I get my fill. Before BJJ, I used to do boxing and taekwondo and there were not enough training classes to satiate me. I wanted to be a high level fighter too, but I suffered too many concussions before I even got to have my first fight. In order to train outside of the gym, no equipment is required, but a heavy bag is ideal.

Repetition. Isolate all the techniques you have been taught, repeat each technique on both sides and stances 100 times each. Record yourself and compare your footage to the footage of professional instructors online. If you're brave enough you can do what I used to do. Post yourself on here and allow people to criticise your technique. If you scroll through my profile you will see my improvement over years and months of repetitions and the criticism I received which made me correct my technique for future repetitions and practice. I am surprised no one has tagged me as they used to before when these posts are made.

Once you are comfortable moving, start applying in shadowboxing. I am not sure how combinations would look like in Muay Thai, but I am sure you can figure it out. For my boxing shadowboxing, I would:

1 strike, 1 defensive block or movement against that same strike, reposition
2 strike combo, 1 defensive block or movement against the last strike, reposition
3 strike combo, 1 defensive block or movement against the last strike, reposition
4 strike combo, 1 defensive block or movement against the last strike, reposition
Rinse and repeat for minutes and hours on end.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I have an ambitious and competitive mentality, I want to compete one day at a high level. Today I showed up to my first class and learned some basics using pads with a partner but that’s not the problem. The problem is that I have plenty of time on my hands and don’t want to sit around on a couch until the next class. 1 hour of class is not enough, I hardly broke a sweat, I didn’t go through any pain. I want to put in hours to train my *** off outside of class and I don’t know how to do it or what to do training-wise. I don’t see the point in only learning technique if I don’t develop the physical part for it like the coordination, power, and speed.

I went to class to learn, but where’s the training and conditioning? How does all of this work if you want to get really good?

Just out of curiosity. What did you learn on your first day of training?