By Evan Lee
Most of the people in the world are right-handed. If you're a southpaw Muay Thai fighter, things can get kind of lonely.
Most people you fight will be fighting out of the orthodox stance. Same goes for your sparring partners. Odds are, too, that your coaches are orthodox fighters, as well as the most popular fighters at any given time.
So what’s a southpaw to do when there are so few teachers out there from which to learn?
Fighting southpaws and specifically fighting in the open stance (orthodox vs southpaw) is significantly different to fighting in the closed stance (orthodox vs orthodox or southpaw vs southpaw). The openings that are available are completely different, so you need the proper techniques, tactics, and strategies to cope with that difference.
Here are 3 southpaw KO combos to aid you in the gym and in a fight:
BECOMING A...
By Randy Pilares
Muay Thai newbies probably think that boxing is one of the major components of the sport. (After all, Muay Thai translates to “Thai boxing,” right?)
Well... not exactly.
The truth of the matter though is that boxing is one of the more underutilized aspects of Muay Thai.
That’s especially true in Thailand, where the use of hands isn't given as much weight in terms of points on a Muay Thai judge's scorecard. The reason behind it is the way fights are scored in Thailand, where kicks and knees are granted premium rewards.
Outside of Thailand, it is a totally different story. In North America, Europe, and the rest of the world, there is more emphasis on boxing. Even though a Muay Thai match by name, observers will notice that more boxing combinations are used - not at all the norm in Thailand.
But regardless of where you are fighting, it is important to be good with your hands....
By Daniel Nguyen
Hitting pads and putting in mitt work is one of the foundations of learning Muay Thai.
There is going to be a lot of both, and it won’t always be easy. It’s simple to see red and lose sight of the big picture when it comes to someone holding up a target (that’s literally red oftentimes).
Everyone can learn how to smash pads and finish up a combo sequence, but it’s smart delivery and good striking habits that separate novice from vet.
Here are the three common pitfalls beginners may be developing as they smash pads:
Fault: Poor Footwork & Crossed Feet
Most novices are all too eager to immediately throw a strike at any opening when an opportunity presents themselves.
Pad work drills can be like a quick game of rapid target acquisition for trigger-happy fighters (think pop-up targets at a shooting range). Unfortunately, this concept becomes the main concentration...
By Evan Lee
Wait? Isn’t this quantity over quality? Well, that depends on how you look at it.
Quantity is an often overlooked component of training. The focus on quality is often at the forefront of everyone’s vision. It makes sense, because by attempting to spread yourself across you will be spreading yourself thin, thus proving the inferiority of quantity.
In what world, then, would it be sane to suggest that quantity rule over quality?
In one where mistakes can be made.
Training can often get stale when all you do is sharpen your own tools. When one is preparing for a fight, any mistake in training can be costly and throw off the entire training camp, the margins of error are thin. No room for no lollygagging up in this.
What about when you’re not training for a fight? That’s when the fun begins.
When you’re training for fun and to develop skills, that’s when you can throw everything...
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!
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...
By Sean Fagan
If you’re anything like me, you’ll wander over to the heavy bag at the gym, hit it for a period of about 30 seconds, throw a couple kicks and knees… then wander for a bit more, talk to some people, and then go back to it.
If you’ve done that exact thing, then your problem is clear: you haven’t got a clear structure in mind for the heavy bag. That’s why today I’ve got a brilliant routine that’ll sharpen up all of your skills.
This routine is great for beginners and experienced fighters as it’s longer than typical Muay Thai bag workouts. Rather than hitting the bag for three rounds of three minutes, we’ll be doing six rounds of three minutes. The longest Muay Thai fights are five rounds, and this workout will give you that little push to go even further than that.
Let’s begin.
(Scroll to the bottom for follow along heavy bag workouts for Muay Thai)
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