I’ve been asked why I thought Jonathan Haggerty, at only 22 years old and 16 professional fights to his name, managed to defeat Thai legend Sam-A (with 336 wins and only 46 losses) to claim the ONE Championship flyweight Muay Thai world title. So here are my thoughts... I’ll begin by putting fight [...]
Coaches are often asked for help, and frequently give it. But despite this, sometimes the results are less than desirable (for both parties). In my experience, the result depends where the fighter sits on a “self-determination continuum”. There’s a balance of commitment between the coach and the fighter, and if this tips the [...]
Harry, an experienced, old-school Nak Muay messaged me today – it went like this... “A lot of the greats of the current day have lost big. Nuegelek not only knocked out Kulabdam with a kick to the head… but a couple of weeks later, he knocks out Muangthai with an elbow over a [...]
Last October, I was privileged to speak with FSC Muay Thai’s Jake Purdy and head coach Sonny Perez, ahead of Jake’s battle with Bad Company’s Joe Craven for the UK #1 spot on the Yokkao 32 show in Bolton… What with computer hardware failure and a hectic personal schedule recently, it's taken me [...]
I’m often asked "What other exercises should I use for the Optimal Fight Camp Blueprint?" So let’s get straight into it... VIDEO TRANSCRIPT WITH FURTHER LINKS As I’ve laid it out, the Optimal Fight Camp Blueprint highlights the principles of training – the underlying truths of effective training. Fail [...]
I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my competitive fighting career. And they’ve shaped me both as the person and the coach I am today. Although I’ve ultimately used these mistakes to my advantage, if I can save you learning the hard way, then that’s a huge win. So here are my top 3 mistakes, [...]
My background is mechanical design engineering. I spent 18 years designing, prototyping, testing and developing video camera mounting products – from tripods through to robotic television camera pedestals. Serving companies like the BBC in the UK and ABC in the US. And when you’re an engineer, you very much work [...]
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT Complete fighters aren’t only masters of all fighting modes and fighting ranges – they’re also masters of 3 intrinsic qualities that truly complete them as a fighter. They’re masters of the Mental, Physical and Emotional, or the classic Mind, Body and Spirit. And in this episode, I’m going to [...]
by Don Heatrick @donheatrick Muay Thai fighting styles can be broken down into something far more useful. Something you can use to train your own personal style, and develop one that can beat whoever is in front of you. Let me show you how... VIDEO TRANSCRIPT In this episode, I'm [...]
by Don Heatrick @donheatrick When it comes to developing a successful Muay Thai mindset, it all starts with these simple (but not easy) points... VIDEO TRANSCRIPT I’m often asked about my psychological approach to Muay Thai training. So today I’m going to start by sharing how to mentally set yourself [...]
by Don Heatrick @donheatrick To develop a devastating Muay Thai elbow, that ends fights, you've got to watch this video! GET THE 4-WEEK TRAINING PLAN VIDEO TRANSCRIPT In this episode, I’m going to breakdown one of the most feared weapons in Muay Thai. The elbow. I'm going to show [...]
by Don Heatrick @donheatrick To be the best Muay Thai coach, it takes something a little special. And I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. (I'm the last one. ;) In this video, I share what (in my opinion) makes the best Muay Thai coach... and it's not an extensive [...]
by Don Heatrick @donheatrick For many, Muay Thai warm up drills are a wasted opportunity to become better fighter. If raising your pulse and limbering up are all you are doing in your warm up, then there's plenty being left on the table. I'm not big on waste. And wasting time is my [...]
No time for exercise? Fighters are juggling training and dropping balls. There’ll always be life outside of training –– and for a fighter, it’s a delicate balance. And despite the guru’s calls for you to “make time”, sometimes it’s just impossible to make it all fit. So when you’re in this situation, then [...]
by Don Heatrick @donheatrick Fighter training intensity is something to respect and use appropriately. It's easy to be misled by the majority of training montages and highlight videos shared around of pro fighters. It's important to realise that these snapshots are not what all of their training looks like. If it was, they'd be [...]
Following on from the last Heavy Hitters Podcast (looking at post fight reviewing and goal setting), this video explains my logic for selecting what your next S&C goals should be... and it's simpler than you think!! VIDEO TRANSCRIPT & LINKS! After my last podcast on post fight reviews and goal [...]
by Don Heatrick @donheatrick It maybe a bit of cliché in the fight game that either you win a fight or you learn… but that doesn’t mean it’s not true! However, you can seriously increase your rate of learning (even if you won the fight) if you follow up by reflecting on the answers [...]
by Don Heatrick @donheatrick Who wouldn't want to teep like Buakaw?! There are many ways to throw a teep in Muay Thai, with different tactical objectives. But my favourite version is the aggressive teep, designed to stamp your opponent off balance! And it happens to be one of Buakaw’s favourites too, so we’ll use [...]
Recently I was privileged to have the opportunity to speak with the legendary sport scientist, educator, and strength and conditioning coach Dr Yessis. In this podcast I summarise my reflections on Muay Thai S&C as a result of that chat! VIDEO TRANSCRIPT Welcome to the Heatrick Heavy Hitters podcast. [...]
Saenchai is a Muay Thai living legend, and his trademark moves are based on a particular athletic foundation that he’s naturally exploited to awesome effect. Saenchai is an elastic animal! He’s super efficient at storing and returning elastic energy in his muscles and tendons, what sports scientists call stretch-shortening cycle – and not [...]
