Are You Really Training With Purpose?
Coach’s Quick Chat EP. 02
Featuring Erhan and Manachai, filmed during performance testing at the Yokkao Training Centre in Bangkok.
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Are You Really Training With Purpose Video Transcript:
So, I’d like you to think about this… Are you training with purpose?
Or, are you just winging it?
And if you are training with purpose, are you training for the right purpose?
And if you’re training for the right purpose, is your training effective at achieving that purpose?
But lets not get the cart before the horse! Are you even training for the right purpose?
For me, when it comes to Muay Thai strength and conditioning, the right purpose is the one that:
1. Primarily fixes any high-risk injury factors, such as a lack of range of motion, poor stability, bad motor control, or strength imbalances on either side of the joint
2. Boosts performance based on which physical qualities a fighter lacks, or
3. Transfers the most performance peaking to the next fight date.
Many fighters are doing more of what they’re already good at, and mistaking that for purposeful training. It’s (kind of) like polishing your already shiny shoes, when the heels are filthy, and hoping nobody notices.
Everybody notices!
Let’s say you’ve got yourself an appropriate goal… But is the training you’re doing effective at achieving that goal? If you lack power for example, is what you’re doing gonna get that for you?
Or is it just “kind of”?
Don’t assume simply doing more of something is going to make you better at it. If that where true, there’d be no need for supplemental training, EVER.
You’ll run out of progress fast (as well as time) if all you do is add training volume. It’s that glass ceiling that I talked about in a previous video “The biggest mistake in Muay Thai training”.
Training with purpose is a journey that takes some planning. And just like any journey, you not only need to know your final destination (where you’re trying to get to), but also crucially, where you’re starting from.
But, unlike a typical journey, there are no road signs – so planning is crucial if you want to end up in the right place, let alone at the right time!
You may think you’ve got time to get lost and explore a little, but time is the most precious thing you have. Stop wasting it… your opponent might not be.
• So find what you need to work on…
• Plan training that will develop that…
• And hit your training sessions knowing each one is moving you closer to what you need.
Don Heatrick
Founder of Heatrick Strength and Conditioning
Don Heatrick is a family man from the UK, former mechanical design engineer, European Muay Thai silver medallist, former pro Thai boxer (ranked 4th in UK while aged 40-years), a Muay Thai coach, podcast host, and the go-to expert on Muay Thai performance training with over 25 years of coaching experience.
Don helps ambitious fighters and coaches take their game to the next level by bridging the gap between Strength & Conditioning, Performance Science, and Muay Thai.
Follow Don Heatrick on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donheatrick/
[…] if you needed some direction for your “training with purpose” that I spoke of in my previous video… there’s a helpful […]