From Muay Thai Guy
Weâve all got blades on our arms, some are sharper than others, but they slice and dice all the same. These blades Iâm referring to are elbows.
Elbows, like knees, are made to be utilized within close range. Though you may be within the range theyâre designed for, that does not always mean youâll be able to use them properly. Positioning is key.Â
What type of position will we be looking at today?
Weâll look, as one always should, at the position of maximal leverage; in this particular instance, the clinch. This is an important point to consider if youâre facing an opponent more physically able than you are.Â
It would be silly to fight on an equal playing field, therefore you must be able to maneuver to positions advantageous to you and disadvantageous to him.Â
The clinch will be such a position for you. Here are the tricks:
Elbows are great on their own, b...
From Muay Thai Guy
What characteristics separate an average fighter from a great one?
This is an age old question that can be answered in a number of ways. In this episode of The Muay Thai Guys Podcast, Sean and Paul discuss the top 6 traits they believe are the most important for becoming an elite fighter.
Hereâs a quick breakdown of what they chat about during the episode:
1. Work Ethic â Are you putting in the hours at the gym when your opponent is resting at home? Or are you sleeping in on the days youâre supposed to do some road work? Without a focused, intense worth ethic, itâs going to be difficult to compete at the highest levels.
2. Consistency â Itâs extremely hard to stay hungry when youâre dealing with personal issues related to work, family, and other relationships. Itâs even harder when you get injured or have a major setback that keeps you from training. Being able to continue p...
From Muay Thai Guy
The following post on how to defeat a more experienced opponent is written by Jon from MuayThaiAnalyst.com. If you enjoy this breakdown and analysis of Kevin Ross vs. Malaipet, youâll definitely enjoy the rest of Jonâs work on his website. But for now, check out part 1 of this 3-part series on âWhy Malaipet Couldnât Stop Crazyâ.
Kevin Ross is a pioneer in American Muay Thai and one of the most accomplished US fighters today. He was voted Muay Thai North American Fighter of the year in 2010 and has held titles from the WBC, USMF and Lion Fight.  Kevin has also fought a number former Thai champions including Saenchai, Sagetdao, Coke Chunhawat and Malaipet.
Ross and Malaipet met on Dec 5, 2010 at the Commerce Casino In Los Angeles. Malaipet Sasiprapa is a former Rajadamnern and WBC champion.  This was a tall order for Ross as Malaipet usually fought two weight classes above him and had almost 200 more fights than him.  Despite thi...
From Muay Thai Guy
So the situation here might seem a bit absurd. You might be asking yourself:Â âWhy on earth would I fight someone that I know is better than me? Why would I fight someone knowing that I will lose? Whatâs the point???â
Yes, at first impression, it is crazy to step into the ring with someone who has much more experience than you, or with someone whose style trumps yours in every way. Ego and fight record aside, doing this has great benefits, and is something commonly done in Thailand when prospects are on their way to becoming the next big thing in the sport.
Why do you it? The answer is quite simple:Â to grow as a fighter.
If you think about it, nothing youâve done up to this point in your journey to be a successful fighter has been easy. Juggling work, school, training, and a social life is not easy. Going through fight camp when you have personal issues is not easy. Cutting weight is not eas...
From Muay Thai Guy
The more weapons you have in your arsenal, the more capable you are as a fighter. However, it can be difficult to hold that many techniques in your brain and body. Itâs difficult for all of the techniques to synergize.
We all know the sayings âjack of all trades, master of noneâ and âI fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once but the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.â How true are these statements?
If you want to learn as many techniques as possible, you must find the commonalities and patterns of all techniques. Once youâve found and mastered those things, you will have incredible results. For instance, almost all kicks require you to pivot on your standing leg. Once youâve mastered the pivot, you will be able to transfer that to those 10,000 kicks and thus learn them quicker.
Now check out the below Evolve MMA video and see what patterns you can find:
From Muay Thai Guy
If you compete in a combat sport like Muay Thai, chances are youâll run into your fair share of fighters who try to mess with your mind leading up to fight night.
Your future opponent might tease you, talk trash, and even get personal with his attacks. Or, maybe heâll be the friendliest person youâve ever met and youâll have to learn how to fight someone who is nice and respectful. Whichever the case, youâll need to be mentally prepared to deal with a range of personalities and characters if you plan on being successful in this sport.
In this episode of The Muay Thai Guys Podcast, Sean and Paul (www.muaythaiathlete.com) discuss the types of mind games and various types of fighters theyâve had to deal with leading up to a fight. Hereâs a brief rundown of their chat:
From Muay Thai Guy
Wait. Thereâs an art to being crazy?
Fuck yea there is!
If you are a Muay Thai fighter, you have to admit. You are kinda insane.
You have a little section in your brain that most normal people donât have. Most normal people wouldnât want to push themselves to the physical and mental extremes that you do. Normal people wouldnât make it through one of your training camps. Normal people definitely would not be able to fight a 5 round war in front of hundreds of blood thirsty fans.
In order to truly be successful, you need a healthy dose of âcrazyâ as a part of your every day diet. Think about it, most successful painters and musicians were/are crazy, so why not you?
You are an artist too. You dedicate your life to a physical martial art that pushes you past your normal limitations and fears. Just like any painter, you start with a blank canvas when you enter the ring and itâs your job to make a masterpie...
From Muay Thai Guy
Movement is balance.
The body is balance. If your chest is overdeveloped, your shoulders will round forward. This is both ugly andâŚnot so pretty on your body. If your right is dominant, youâll forget to use your left. This can quickly spell disaster when a certain action from your opponent requires a reaction from a certain side of you.
Balance of the body and equilibrium are both necessary in fighting. A strong foundation is balance, a strong foundation is power, and powerâŚequals knockouts. Train your balance with this Muay Thai heavy bag drill and youâll be like a cat, always landing on your feet and always being in a good position.
Flowing between soft and hard is an excellent way to train your body. Now hereâs an entire workout you can shape around your training.
Drills make skills, and the more you train on this wonderful tool we call the heavy bag...
From Muay Thai Guy
Want to train and fight in top condition? It all begins with your diet.
Letâs get this out of the way: I am not a nutritionist.
I am, however, a former fighter who, like most of you, is always searching for tools and diets that will improve my daily living.
We all know that nutrition is the foundation to our performances and well-being. Below is a list of three superfoods that have helped me tremendously. Keep in mind that we are all different and what may work for me may not work for you.
Superfood:Â BEET JUICE
Beet root contains essential minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, sodium, zinc, and copper, just to name a few.
According to a 2012 study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, consuming nitrate-rich beetroot improved running performance in healthy adults. In addition to that, in 2014, the Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise discovered that beetroot jui...
From Muay Thai Guy
IÂ HATEDÂ the clinch.
Whenever clinch training would go down I would try to find an excuse to miss out on grappling with the other fighters. I wasnât proud when I would opt out of clinch class, but my fear of being embarrassed, getting kneed at will, and being tossed around like a rag doll would always win over.
IÂ SUCKEDÂ at the clinch.
Mainly because I would always avoid training it!
Although I was well aware of the fact that I would always back out of clinch training, I would try to make myself feel better by telling myself that Iâm a good enough fighter to do well without engaging on the inside. Who needs the clinch when you can just knock people out with your hands right?
Wrong.
Unfortunately, I had to learn this through experience, which in hindsight was probably the only way I was going to actually learn the importance of training and accepting the Thai clinch as part of ...
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