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 some fresh perspective on smokers, inc...

 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 of today’s articl...

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 sessions feeling fatigued and prepare to have days where you f...

KNOW WHEN TO LET A GOOD GLOVE GO

From Muay Thai Guy

Whether it’s due to the color, the feel or the lovely ‘snap!’ you hear when you hit, everybody has a favorite pair of gloves.

It’s like having a favorite shirt – everything about it just feels right and it makes you feel good about yourself. But, like all things that are worn too much, it’s hard to admit when it’s simply time to let them go and get a new pair.

Here are some tell-tale signs that it’s time to go shopping for a pair of shiny, new gloves:

“AM I SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO SEE THROUGH THEM?”

#1 – HOLES & TEARS:

One of the most annoying things about having gloves is that they can tear in odd places and get holes in them. For the most part, if the tear happens within a month or two of you getting the gloves, the gloves themselves are still fine to use, and the tear or hole is nothing but a cosmetic defect.

But if the padding is coming through the holes and you end up scratching other people/yourself during training beca...

Muay Thai Styles: A Tale of Two Technical Fighters

From Muay Thai Guy

There is a saying in boxing “styles make fights.” This holds true for Muay Thai as well.

The recent boxing match of the century between Mayweather vs. Pacquiao was one of the most predictably boring fights of the century, when it comes down to it their styles just didn’t make for an exciting fight, technical fighter vs. brawler is rarely exciting if the technical fighter has anything to say about it.

In the Golden Era of Muay Thai back in the 80’s and 90’s when there was an abundance of top-level fighters they use to match up styles to take out the best.

For example Samart Payakaroon considered one the of greatest technical Muay Thai fighters of all time was only able to be defeated by Dieselnoi, the greatest Muay Kao or knee fighter of all time.

In this article I will be talking about Muay “Feemue” which is the technical fighter. Two examples of great technical fighters of past and present are Samart Payakar...

What Is A Sak Yant Tattoo? And How Do I Get One in Thailand?

From Muay Thai Guy

Traveling Welshman.

Sak yant are traditional Thai tattoos. Literally meaning “tattoo yantra”, they are believed to be magical and give the bearer protection, strength, good fortune, and more, depending on the yantra received.

Sak yant is extremely popular in the Muay Thai community, namely in those that have visited Thailand. With geometric shapes and depictions of animals and gods, sak yant is as beautiful as it is painful to receive.

Who does sak yant?

Sak yant are done by monks or arjan who have studied the art for a very long time (are also usually long time ex-monks). Monks are not allowed to make profit off doing the tattoos, as part of their code, so going to a temple to get it done is always donation-based. One of the most popular temples to get sak yant done is Wat Bang Phra.

If you go to a temple, be sure to dress appropriately by covering your legs and shoulders, and never touch the monk...

 The Golden Rules For Fight Fuel

From Muay Thai Guy

“Food is fuel.” 

This phrase has been used and heard by health enthusiasts and fitness junkies alike across countless sports and disciplines. Why this saying is so popular is because of the amount of truth it holds.

While everyone reacts differently to certain foods, there are some golden rules that are true for all healthy individuals.

(Title image courtesy of Attachai Muaythai Gym.)

WHAT YOU SHOULD EAT BEFORE TRAINING

Eating well and eating enough before training will help you perform your best. If you’re able to give 100%, you will reap the benefits from your sweat and fatigue.

The opposite can occur if you don’t eat properly, resulting in you feeling as if you can’t even handle the warm-up.

If you only have a two-hour window before training, keep the meal light. Make it mostly faster-digesting carbs, such as white rice or pasta. Go easy on the proteins as they typically take longer to digest. If you can’t eat so close t...

Why Cut Weight At All?

From Muay Thai Guy

More likely than not, if you plan on going far in your respective sport, you are going to have to cut weight at some point. Yes it sucks, and yes it’s not the most fun thing in the world, but if you want to keep the odds in your favor, cutting weight is a must.

Benefits Of Weight Cutting

If you are able to cut weight safely and effectively and refuel properly after weigh ins, you will most likely hold a huge strength and power advantage on your opponent.

For instance, I walk around at about 160lbs but weigh in the day before the Muay Thai fight at 147lbs. But just because I weigh in at 145lbs doesn’t mean I fight at that weight.

After rapid rehydration and refueling my body with the liquids and foods it needs, I weigh about 157-158lbs when I step into the ring. That’s almost 15 extra pounds I can use to my advantage!

Dangers Of Weight Cutting

Unfortunately some athletes and fighters go about weight cutting the wrong way by either star...