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Transcript: Why We Need A New Approach To Muay Thai Training

There’s a need for a scientific approach to my training, and it shouldn’t be seen in conflict to traditional Muay Thai training. We need this approach for four reasons. Fighters.

One: We must have clear definitions of the training effects (or results) so that we know we’re actually talking about the same things.

So often I hear fighters talking about power, for example, and they’re confusing the difference between beautiful, skilled, efficient Muay Thai TECHNIQUE and then the raw BIOLOGICAL POWER that underpins that too.

So both things can be developed and both things contribute to your maximal amount of power that you can deliver in a strike, for example. But having clear definitions over the motor pattern part of things and how efficient that technique is, and then how much force you can produce explosively quickly…

Both have different training elements that enhance specific areas. So being really clear on the definitions of these things allows you to dial your training into something that’s actually going to move forwards in whatever area you need the most development in.

And two: Then training can be replicated by others because to achieve specific train effects requires certain training, intensities, quantities, rest periods, frequencies per week and so on.

And we can test our assumptions then to make sure it’s really true.

And that leads me on to point three, because then we can make sure that effect applies to most people, not just some people. Those outliers that are kind of genetic freaks that would have responded to any kind of training at all and still would have improved that particular area of their performance.

We want to make sure it applies to MOST people.

And then four: We can choose the training that applies to our stage of athletic development. So using the right tools at the right stage of your development moves you forwards not only the quickest in the short term, but also over the long term. And that’s the most important piece.

A lot of fighters I see are using methods that are more advanced than they actually need to improve their performance, and that means that they kind of play their “ace” too early, and it will shortcut that ultimate long-term performance – because they literally used something that would have broken through a plateau, if it was a novel stimulus for them.

But, because they’ve used it earlier on (when they didn’t need to), it’s no longer a shock to the body and won’t produce the same results.

So things like in resistance training, you’ll see fighters lifting with chains, or pairing high-load and light-load power exercises in complex sets, and using all manner of gadgets, way too early, when they should have saved those until later. And it would have just moved them on, and broke them through a sticking point in their performance, that now, they’re just not going to see the benefit of.

All of this isn’t to overcomplicate things and bamboozle with jargon. It’s about clarifying those blurring edges so that you can efficiently train in a way that moves you forward personally.

By getting clear on how your training really affects your ability, you can recognize the differences between athletic development and Muay Thai skill development, and understand the crossover between the two.

Then you can see what traditional Muay Thai training brings to the party, and check those things off the list. And spot the gaps left behind, and go in to address those too.

And all this comes from having clear, quantifiable scientific definitions of what you want, knowing how you compare to what’s needed and what training will close the gap.

That’s how you consistently level up over time, and find out how far you can really go.

Episode Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introduction
• 00:14 Reason 1. Clear definitions of training effects
• 01:05 Reason 2. Replicating effective protocols
• 01:21 Reason 3. Make sure it works for everyone
• 01:39 Reason 4. Tailoring training to individual stages of athletic development
• 02:41 Clarifying the blurry edges!

Further Resources

• How Do Thais Train So Much – And Why You Don’t Have To
• New Era Of Muay Thai: Unlocking Athletic Performance
• Without Burnout or Blowout – Planning Long Term Fight Performance Training
• Strength & Conditioning for Muay Thai 101 – A Science-Based Approach to Accelerated Athletic Development
• Optimal Fight Camp Blueprint