Tall lanky southpaw counter and disruptive technique advice

[donnaTKD]

don't worry about it people think that cos i train and fight muay thai then i gotta be a guy

going super soft on us doesn't do anything for us tbh - we want the full experience and those that i train with know that i fight so i get a decent contest. i too have found that guys either go for my head or my abs and the kicks were very tame as well

shadow boxing in front of a mirror allows you to get your positioning right and you can also see if you've got your hands and body in the right places

i got a freestanding RDX body (man) and put that in front of the mirror just to make my home practice a bit more realistic

you also need to be training at home for a lot longer than 5 minutes at a time --- my home training sessions are about an hour long and i do them twice a day --- you gotta know what your body is doing cos if get that nailed then the speed, power and awareness will be natural you won't need to think about anything other than what's coming at you

 

[Muay Thai Hackney]

don't worry about it people think that cos i train and fight muay thai then i gotta be a guy

going super soft on us doesn't do anything for us tbh - we want the full experience and those that i train with know that i fight so i get a decent contest. i too have found that guys either go for my head or my abs and the kicks were very tame as well

shadow boxing in front of a mirror allows you to get your positioning right and you can also see if you've got your hands and body in the right places

i got a freestanding RDX body (man) and put that in front of the mirror just to make my home practice a bit more realistic

you also need to be training at home for a lot longer than 5 minutes at a time --- my home training sessions are about an hour long and i do them twice a day --- you gotta know what your body is doing cos if get that nailed then the speed, power and awareness will be natural you won't need to think about anything other than what's coming at you

I know it's somewhat wrong to treat women differently in the sessions...I just can't help it hence why I avoid sparring with women, even if they happen to be beautiful.

I like your advice about shadow boxing in front of the mirror. We just got one at home, and I haven't taken advantage of it, but yeah, I can see how it may help with getting your shape and posture right. I'll give it a go just before bed.

I only go Muay Thai twice a week (which is enough given my circumstances and the intensive training we do there, but I am constantly discovering the importance of 'home work'. Your right, 5 mins per day of training is nothing and I made sure I did almost 30 mins the other day.

So my question to you, female warrior, is what exactly should i train at home that will help me in my actual Muay Thai classes and sparring?? I really need to get that muscle memory going. Tell me what you do within your hour of home training.

 

[donnaTKD]

^^^female warrior LoL^^^ like that

ok here goes and i hope that i don't miss anything out

warm up --- skipping for 2 minutes (my house has high ceilings )
then pushups for 2 minutes
then sit ups for 2 minutes
then kettlebell sit ups for 2 minutes -- 1 twisting your body as you come up so the "bell" goes to the side of you and 1 minute of kettlebell sit ups with no twist
2 minutes of leg raises

if i'm training at home then i also do 2 minutes of inclined sit ups

2minutes to stretch off properly and have a slurp

main event ---

next comes the bag work --- 4 minutes of alternating knees and elbows and combinations thereof making sure that your posture is correct and (use a mirror) that your technique is good too

4 minutes of jabs and cross punches
2 minutes of uppercuts
4 minutes of alternating hook punches
5 minutes of right kicks -- my bag has markers on it for low, middle and high kicks --- alternating between low, mid and high
5 minutes of left kicks -- same bag -- alternating between low, mid and high kicks.

back down on the floor

2 minutes of shoulder raises --- you lie flat on your tummy, put your hands on the side of your head and raise your chest and shoulders off the floor as far as possible
2 minutes of step ups with at least 5kg held in the guard position
2 minutes of step ups with at least 5kg held in your hands and arms fully extended downwards

2 minutes to stretch off properly

back on the bag

2 minutes of hooks and uppercuts

drills --- pick a straight line and go along it and back again for each of these --- 2 minutes each along the line --- 1 minute each facing forwards and going forwards then still facing the same way do the same exercise 1minute facing forwards but moving backwards what you're looking for is power, speed and precision

solitary jabs
jab and cross
jab, cross, hook
jab, cross, jab, cross
jab, cross, jab, cross, knee

remaining time to stretch off and have slurp

some days i also do an extra half hour of weights -- nothing too heavy just enough to keep nicely toned

hope this helps

 

[donnaTKD]

sometimes i create a circuit and just go through that with little or no bag work at all --- just general conditioning,

so you've got skipping, kettlebell exercises, med ball stuff, dumbell (10kg) and barbell (25kg), short sprints, dips and step ups

1 hour circuit

 

[Muay Thai Hackney]

^^^female warrior LoL^^^ like that

ok here goes and i hope that i don't miss anything out

warm up --- skipping for 2 minutes (my house has high ceilings )
then pushups for 2 minutes
then sit ups for 2 minutes
then kettlebell sit ups for 2 minutes -- 1 twisting your body as you come up so the "bell" goes to the side of you and 1 minute of kettlebell sit ups with no twist
2 minutes of leg raises

if i'm training at home then i also do 2 minutes of inclined sit ups

2minutes to stretch off properly and have a slurp

main event ---

next comes the bag work --- 4 minutes of alternating knees and elbows and combinations thereof making sure that your posture is correct and (use a mirror) that your technique is good too

4 minutes of jabs and cross punches
2 minutes of uppercuts
4 minutes of alternating hook punches
5 minutes of right kicks -- my bag has markers on it for low, middle and high kicks --- alternating between low, mid and high
5 minutes of left kicks -- same bag -- alternating between low, mid and high kicks.

back down on the floor

2 minutes of shoulder raises --- you lie flat on your tummy, put your hands on the side of your head and raise your chest and shoulders off the floor as far as possible
2 minutes of step ups with at least 5kg held in the guard position
2 minutes of step ups with at least 5kg held in your hands and arms fully extended downwards

2 minutes to stretch off properly

back on the bag

2 minutes of hooks and uppercuts

drills --- pick a straight line and go along it and back again for each of these --- 2 minutes each along the line --- 1 minute each facing forwards and going forwards then still facing the same way do the same exercise 1minute facing forwards but moving backwards what you're looking for is power, speed and precision

solitary jabs
jab and cross
jab, cross, hook
jab, cross, jab, cross
jab, cross, jab, cross, knee

remaining time to stretch off and have slurp

some days i also do an extra half hour of weights -- nothing too heavy just enough to keep nicely toned

hope this helps

That's a tall order. Way too much work for me and a bit complicated. Think i'll stick to 3-4 rounds of fast shadow boxing.

I already do pull ups almost everyday and like the kettle bell swing movements as they encourage hip extension and explosion and feel they have help with my power a bit.

I do like the forwards/backwards drill you mentioned though so I may give it a quick go tonight. Almost play time tomorrow

 

[donnaTKD]

the forwards / backwards drill is one that i've only been taught since i moved to my new gym

i find it helps cos going forwards is more or less all about getting stuck in and going backwards even though you're still getting stuck in it helps to put your feet in the right places every time so you don't have to worry about what your feet are doing cos they'll already be where you want them to be

the amount of time that i spend training is there cos i've been fighting more and more over the last few years so i started extending my workouts.

when you do your shadow boxing whether it be forwards / backwards or just a shadow make sure that you give every shot plenty of power don't be tempted to back off cos there's no one there.

if you can get yourself a 5ft bag --- rdx do 5ft bag (you'll need longer bolts for fixing the bracket to the wall though) and kit sets for about £60 --- what you will find is that if you do your shadow boxing against the bag will improve cos you got a target to aim at so you'll find it easier when praticing

 

[donnaTKD]

most fights are either 3 rounds or 5 rounds so the way i train gives me enough to go 7 rounds therefore giving me more power, strength and fitness over the shorter distances

by only training 3 or 4 rounds you're cheating yourself cos as soon as you go into your gym where everyone is training for 7 rounds or more you're gunna ger found wanting and you won't be able to stay with them without getting mullered

 

[Muay Thai Hackney]

most fights are either 3 rounds or 5 rounds so the way i train gives me enough to go 7 rounds therefore giving me more power, strength and fitness over the shorter distances

by only training 3 or 4 rounds you're cheating yourself cos as soon as you go into your gym where everyone is training for 7 rounds or more you're gunna ger found wanting and you won't be able to stay with them without getting mullered

I certainly don't wanna get mullered, Donna ):

I get your point and it makes sense. But I am worried about overtraining. Don't you ever have days off babes?

I tried the backwards/forwards thing about 20 mins ago. Seems alright, and I can see the science behind it. I'm just open to everything which is important with combat sports.

Can't believe I'm saying this but Muay Thai has made me TOO muscular :/ I used to strength train from my late teens until last year, and even though i built a strong body, it's never felt stronger, more mobile, more powerful and and aesthetically pleasing than when I started to Muay Thai..and that's with just bodyweight and a kettle bell.

What does your warm up consist of, babes?

 

[drop bear]

I certainly don't wanna get mullered, Donna ):

I get your point and it makes sense. But I am worried about overtraining. Don't you ever have days off babes?

I tried the backwards/forwards thing about 20 mins ago. Seems alright, and I can see the science behind it. I'm just open to everything which is important with combat sports.

Can't believe I'm saying this but Muay Thai has made me TOO muscular :/ I used to strength train from my late teens until last year, and even though i built a strong body, it's never felt stronger, more mobile, more powerful and and aesthetically pleasing than when I started to Muay Thai..and that's with just bodyweight and a kettle bell.

What does your warm up consist of, babes?

You can taper on and off but over training is pretty much a myth. You can over train but your a stage hobbiest does not approach that.

 

[Muay Thai Hackney]

I guess I can get away with the pull ups and shadow boxing 6 times a week.

Bear bear, have you noticed the benefits of pull ups in relation to Muay Thai? I've been doing gymnastic style pull ups by Pavel where my legs are nearly horizontal as opposed to crossed below my bum. I feel like it's given me good strength in the clinch. What about you???

 

[donnaTKD]

i saw someone doing pull ups then hanging by their arms and doing leg raises -- seemed a lot of hard work to me i then read a piece by some scientist that said this exercise is a full body workout and gives you insane abs as a result

my warm up --- see the piece i wrote where i listed everything it's a near total cardio blast

what's a day off ????? i train 7 days but i built up to that -- when i first started MT i used to do it twice a week and then as i got stronger and fitter i increased the amount of time i spent on training and upped the number of days i trained to every other day and then got to a point where i just trained every day for fun and cos i love my muscles my arms are twice the size they were when i first started and a lot stronger too

i keep passing my annual mot at the doctors with flying colours so why change what works ?????

 

[donnaTKD]

one other thing --- you said you got a kettlebell i got a med ball same weight as well as a kettlebell

the med ball exercises are identical to the kettlebell ones it's just your arm and hand positions are different and puts different amounts of force on different muscle groups therefore increasing your muscle and muscle tone more than what you've got now

another suggestion --- i went to an aerobics class with a friend just for a laugh and i have never ever worked harder in all my life -- it's a full on cardio blast for an hour and don't think that cos it's aerobics that it'll be full of girls cos quite a few guys go too it's a lot of fun, you'll make new friends and you'll go home absolutely exhausted and ready to drop

 

[Muay Thai Hackney]

I can imagine an aerobics class being quite strenuous. I may give it a go at some point, but honestly, the two times a week Muay Thai sessions are already kicking my ****.

Yeah, I got a kettle bell. It's 16kgs (which is a bit too light for me these days) and all I do are kettle bell swings. I can see how the kettle bell sit ups would mimic the medicine ball ones. Pull ups combined with the swings have still allowed me to develop a respectable set of abs...I got punched a lot in the mid section today and it didn't really slow me down, and I honestly believe it's to do with the compound exercises I do.

I'm a bit of a loner (I like it that way) so even if I did go to a class, I suspect I wouldn't make any friends anyway.

To be honest i'm not in a good mood anyway donna , I just had the worst sparring session I have had for a long time. Awful, just awful. I was paired up against a guy my height, but who outweighed me by at almost 3 stone. He was just too big. We didn't go all out or anything and I never got beat up or anything, but it was awkward and I kept hurting myself on his knee with my left kick. And it was mostly just him I was paired up with. He was a nice guy, but it was just too awkward.

I did get to spar with one other geezer before we finished. A polish guy, very polite. I've sparred with him before, he's not very athletic or powerful but he has good technique, but yeah, could barely do what I wanted.

The most annoying thing was my kru telling me to stop 'running away'. I always speed circle when an opponent rushes forward, making then hit thin air, but every single instructor at my gym frowns upon that and places me in the ring, where I can't do that. What the **** is so bad about circling out and using speedy footwork to them? They hate it and I don't see why when it clearly benefits me. It's got nothing to do with me being afraid and everything to do with frustrating my opponent and looking for openings. Can't believe they keep having a go about that with me. Annoying. Ok, next time i'll just stand there and cover up while I get the seven bells beaten out of me. **** sakes.

 

[donnaTKD]

nothing is wrrong with getting the hell out of the way especially if can counter with a kick or knee into their abs

i'd say at this point and i don't say it lightly either - you need to go check out another gym and get yourself a new coach - my own coach told me that going toe to toe was really bad news and that i might last 1 or 2 rounds but anything more would be suicidal.

OFFENCE - you strike first

DEFENCE - you cover up and get out of the way

COUNTER - you strike back before they can strike you

there is nothing wrong with your technique as i read it - someone coming at you you step to the side and then cut them in half with a mid knee or mid kick or you can put them on the floor by kicking the back of the knee on their backleg.

not surprised that you're unhappy and just a bit hacked off --- i would be - i go into a ring and go offensive but i know when to get out. by circling you're just making yourself harder to hit and you'rer more able to do the stuff that you want to do --- might be that your coach doesn't see any agression coming from you ---- idk..........

my own coach is going for a european muay thai lightweight title next month so he knows a thing or two

((((monster hugz))))

 

[Muay Thai Hackney]

nothing is wrrong with getting the hell out of the way especially if can counter with a kick or knee into their abs

i'd say at this point and i don't say it lightly either - you need to go check out another gym and get yourself a new coach - my own coach told me that going toe to toe was really bad news and that i might last 1 or 2 rounds but anything more would be suicidal.

OFFENCE - you strike first

DEFENCE - you cover up and get out of the way

COUNTER - you strike back before they can strike you

there is nothing wrong with your technique as i read it - someone coming at you you step to the side and then cut them in half with a mid knee or mid kick or you can put them on the floor by kicking the back of the knee on their backleg.

not surprised that you're unhappy and just a bit hacked off --- i would be - i go into a ring and go offensive but i know when to get out. by circling you're just making yourself harder to hit and you'rer more able to do the stuff that you want to do --- might be that your coach doesn't see any agression coming from you ---- idk..........

my own coach is going for a european muay thai lightweight title next month so he knows a thing or two

((((monster hugz))))

Thanks Donna. I really needed to hear that. Maybe it's because I don't often take advantage of people chasing me...I only take advantage when I know for sure that I can get a hit out of them, but the fact is, I just made this person miserable missing all of their shots.

Fact is, like you said, anyone can be aggressive. This is where I don't really like seeing the Thais themselves fight, they don't move, they are just static and are simply content to block and hit, block and hit, block and hit. Not only is it boring but you're still taking damage, man. Getting punched and kicked on the forearms/leg is going to add up, even if it's light. I only block when I need to.

What's your coaches name?? I don't think I should change gyms. I already changed from one gym to another about 6 months ago, and, for the most part, i'm happy with the gym even though their warm ups are insane. I just think that my style appears too timid for them, even though i'm not timid. I just don't want to throw stuff that I know is either gonna get countered or blocked. I dunno, maybe I suck at fighting guys my own height or bigger.

But thank you so much for your reassurance. I need it ):

You've been very helpful.

 

[donnaTKD]

my coach is called Scott Dixon and he runs Optimum Muay Thai out of Musclehouse Gym in warrington cheshire

you gotta do what's best for you and going toe to toe is neither use nor ornament to anyone - but and it is a big but you gotta get stuck in.

here's defense move coming at you throwing punches - block with a jab, left cross, left elbow, step to the left and plant your knee in their abs.

low kick defense --- block with shin and at the same time front kick to their abs.

i thought that you would've been taught more about defense than you have --- i getting more disappointed that you've not been taught properly.

are you at a fight school ????? cos if you are then you're in the wrong environment - they only want to see people that have already got skills tbh and that won't do you any good especially when there's some really good MT instructors in your part of the world

 

[donnaTKD]

instead of worrying if you're shots are gunna get blocked or whatever - throw your shot you know it'll get blocked right but you floow it up

for instance --- you throw a jab and it gets blocked right but they won't see the left hook that's coming behind it --- this just to give you an idea of what you can do.

one other point get yourself a bag to practice with --- it's all well and good being able to take a punch kick what ever if you don't know how or where to move to so you can a counter in -- a swinging bag will most definitely help with that.

oh and you're most welcome

 

[Muay Thai Hackney]

my coach is called Scott Dixon and he runs Optimum Muay Thai out of Musclehouse Gym in warrington cheshire you gotta do what's best for you and going toe to toe is neither use nor ornament to anyone - but and it is a big but you gotta get stuck in. here's defense move coming at you throwing punches - block with a jab, left cross, left elbow, step to the left and plant your knee in their abs. low kick defense --- block with shin and at the same time front kick to their abs. i thought that you would've been taught more about defense than you have --- i getting more disappointed that you've not been taught properly. are you at a fight school ????? cos if you are then you're in the wrong environment - they only want to see people that have already got skills tbh and that won't do you any good especially when there's some really good MT instructors in your part of the world

Whoa, hold it right there....i've got skills, 9/10 i hold my own against the intermediate group...i've been doing Muay Thai almost a year now...my defence isnt poor...its just influenced by boxing and lyoto machida footwork which comes across anti Muay Thai...i go to the best Muay Thi gym in the country and of course i have been taught defence ...i know how to parry, to check, to clinch, to pivot and the techniques to execute the techniques ......im just looking for further advice as at the end of the day, im left handed and have to constantly modify techniques shown to me to suit my stance...i got good skill, i just need to get comfortable putting it together . what do you mean by fight school ??? our gym is well known for its hard sparring and interclub fights

 

[drop bear]

I guess I can get away with the pull ups and shadow boxing 6 times a week.

Bear bear, have you noticed the benefits of pull ups in relation to Muay Thai? I've been doing gymnastic style pull ups by Pavel where my legs are nearly horizontal as opposed to crossed below my bum. I feel like it's given me good strength in the clinch. What about you???

I MMA so I wrestle and it may be different.

 

[drop bear]

Whoa, hold it right there....i've got skills, 9/10 i hold my own against the intermediate group...i've been doing Muay Thai almost a year now...my defence isnt poor...its just influenced by boxing and lyoto machida footwork which comes across anti Muay Thai...i go to the best Muay Thi gym in the country and of course i have been taught defence ...i know how to parry, to check, to clinch, to pivot and the techniques to execute the techniques ......im just looking for further advice as at the end of the day, im left handed and have to constantly modify techniques shown to me to suit my stance...i got good skill, i just need to get comfortable putting it together . what do you mean by fight school ??? our gym is well known for its hard sparring and interclub fights

A fight school as an example.
Fighters

A mate of mine nick trask trains there.

My school is WMA. In airlie beach.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-YUM-2dniJk