Plant Power!

By Angela Chang

There’s a new type of fighter that’s been quietly taking the world by storm. They’re faster, stronger, healthier, and have better mental clarity—all thanks to what they put on their plate.

This new type of fighter is having much success eating vegan. They all have their strengths and reasons for choosing a plant-based lifestyle. Vegan athletes are proof that you will not be frail, weak, protein-deficient just because you decide to leave meat, dairy, and eggs out of your diet.

They put an end to the idea that being a great athlete and eating plant-based are mutually exclusive. So here is an attempt to show exactly why these fighters have so much success in their training, recovery, and performance in the ring.

Don’t you feel weak?

How do your muscles grow?

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR PROTEIN?!

There is an unhealthy obsession in this day and age over protein intake, or, more specifically, how to get as...

How To Utilize Basic Evasive Footwork To Take Dominant Angles

From Muay Thai Guy

Footwork done properly allows you to take dominant angles, which allows you to accomplish the ultimate aim of fighting: to hit and not get hit.

Fighting is one of the most difficult tasks anyone will have to deal with, it makes no sense to fight an opponent head on. Always look for an advantage, the evasive maneuvers, the dominant angles. It’s better to be better than it is to be equal.

Back straight up and you’ll be blasted till kingdom come. Side step your opponent’s forward movement and you’ll be turning the tables on your foe. Tread carefully and slowly on matters of footwork. One step in the wrong direction or with the incorrect foot leads you to be placed right in your opponent’s sights. But one step in the right direction or with the correct foot places you on the high grounds, overlooking your opponent as he crumbles.

Basic Muay Thai Footwork:...

A Pro Fighter'sTake On Marijuana and Muay Thai

By Sean Fagan

Yea, I smoke weed. Crazy, right?

I personally don’t think so, but a majority of people who I tell think it’s absolutely insane.

Smoking a blunt or ripping the bong after a long day of Muay Thai training is one of the best ways for me to unwind, relax and reward myself. It helps me reflect on the day and think about what I want to focus on the next day. I truly believe that smoking weed has helped me in my career in more ways than one.

You might think I’m stupid, immature or irresponsible because I smoke the reefer.

Am I stupid?

Yea, sometimes. I do tend to say idiotic things when I’m high, but I also am at my most creative. Some of my best work or ideas have come to me shortly after a bong rip. Hell, I’m even writing this as I’m baked. I think it’s off to a good start so far… but then again, I’m high, so it’s hard to tell.

Immature? I don’t think so.

I...

 SPOTTING THE GOOD (AND BAD) IN MUAY THAI TRAINERS AND COACHES

From Muay Thai Guy

Who you choose to train under is the singularly most important factor that determines the rest of your martial arts career. Are you going to go all the way and compete and chase after the belt? Or you purely want to learn for the discipline and self-defense aspect? And for each goal, what kind of coach will you train under?

I’ve been doing Muay Thai over seven years now. I’m not a pro fighter and can barely consider myself an amateur, but I have put in the necessary time and energy. 

I’ve learned that a good coach is flexible to their student’s wants and needs, and is able to cater to both type of students described above. In addition, a good coach makes you feel like you’re wanted in the gym when he/she sees that you put the effort in and will welcome you into their inner circle. A good coach pushes your limits within reason to make you better, they build...

Muay Boran is a Thai martial art that is still relatively unknown in the West. The movies of Tony Jaa have helped to showcase this impressive combat system, but there can be confusion as to what this style actually involves and where to go to learn it.

It is only relatively recently that westerners visiting Thailand had much of an opportunity to receive instruction in this Thai martial art but things are changing. Due to the growing demand for Muay Boran some of the more popular Muay Thai camps (in places like Phuket) are now providing courses for their students. There are also a number of traditional training camps that are willing to teach this traditional art to foreigners.

The options for learning Muay Born in Thailand would include:

Muay Thai Conservation Centre

The Muay Thai Conservation Centre is located to the rear of the National Stadium near Siam Square.

The main instructor at the school is Master Suphan and he...

How To Eat The Food You Love While Maintaining Your Weight  

From Muay Thai Guy

If you’ve been on the internet chances are you’ve seen a post of someone eating some crazy amount of junk food or a calorie bomb like a triple cheeseburger with donuts for buns.

The caption underneath will read IIFYM or If It Fits Your Macros.

How can people who claim to be “clean eaters” justify this?

How does that guy still have a six-pack when he posts him eating “dirty” foods?

Another name for this nutritional approach is flexible dieting. What this means is that some fitness enthusiasts will breakdown their daily amounts of macronutrients (carbs, proteins, fats) which also translates into daily calorie totals.

Once someone decides on the macro-breakdown they want to eat (in accordance with their goals) the daily meal plan becomes any combination of foods that hits the macros for the...

The Muay Thai Guy's Favorite Muay Thai Combos

By Sean Fagan

Throughout my Muay Thai career there has been certain Muay Thai combinations and techniques I find myself using more than others. After looking through some of my past fights I realized that there were a handful of combos that I kept using successfully…

Some of them are basic combos and a couple of them are more advanced techniques, but either way these are the best Muay Thai combos that I tend to using during sparring and fights. Check out the video below to see the combinations and my go-to moves being used in my past fights!

My 5 Best Muay Thai Combinations

1. Jab – Overhand
2. Jab – Overhand (Miss) – Left Kick
3. Hook – Low Kick
4. Teep – Fake Teep – Step Knee
5. Switch Kick – Switch Hook

Now you’ve got some of my favorite combos down, why not add even more to your arsenal of attacks?

Basics win fights! Practice and perfect these 10 basic Muay Thai combos and start...

What To Expect From Your First Muay Thai Smoker / Interclub

By Rob Morrow

Exhibition fights, or smokers, are a fantastic way to increase your ring experience. Smokers are arguably the best way to get ready for a title fight or simply get that “real fight feeling” embedded deep in your bones.

It’s incredibly valuable to emulate every aspect of fighting versus when the stakes are higher by doing a smoker or two. It’s part of the growth curve for Muay Thai to fight. Other martial arts give colored belts to measure progression through the art and maturation as a student. In Muay Thai,  maturity is universally recognized by actually fighting people. The first level of this progression is smokers.

Expectations for a smoker and for the way they are run should be viewed as distinct from a judged fight or a fight in Thailand for some very good reasons. Having done my last smoker pretty recently and now scheduled for another one in a week, I can offer...

 LETHWEI, MUAY THAI & THE ORIGINS OF INDOCHINESE FIGHTING

From Muay Thai Guy

@kingleduc

The history of martial arts is very difficult to pin down, as there is so much myth, folklore and general romanticizing about those humble origins. It wasn’t until relatively late in the development of civilization that certain fighting styles were named.

Whereas most historical topics have numerous sources that can be examined, a lot of martial arts history is passed down by word of mouth. Since martial arts is such a niche topic, the truth becomes hard to find.

It becomes even harder when trying to find out the true history of Indochinese kickboxing, which is even older than modern martial arts such as judo, karate and taekwondo. Indochinese kickboxing is an umbrella term that encompasses several different martial arts so similar they are practically the same style. The most known of these styles are Muay Thai (the most famous), Muay Laos, Tomoi, Pradal Serey and the topic...

My Top 15 Weight Cutting Tips For Making Your Weight Cut Not Suck As Much

From Muay Thai Guy

Weight cutting sucks, plain and simple. Trust me, I haven’t picked up these weight cutting tips by just reading them off the internet. I’ve gotten these strategies through trial and error… which was not always the most pleasurable experience.

However, if you are going to succeed in Muay Thai, MMA or any combat sport, chances are you are going to have to do it at some point in your career. Here are the best weight cutting tips I’ve picked up through my fight career:

My Top 15 Weight Cutting Tips

#1 – Prepare Mentally

Before you go through the stress of cutting weight you need to get your mind right. It’s not going to be easy and it’s not going to be fun. Pretty fucking obvious right?

You have to be prepared to make sacrifices in order to make weight whether it’s for Muay Thai, MMA, boxing or wrestling. Prepare to go training...