Martial arts and Muay Thai are all that 25 year old Dan McGowan has ever known. And just when he began to question his own dedication and purpose, Muay Thai gave back – in the form of fantastic opportunities with the other legends at Evolve MMA in Singapore. Dan is [...]
How to surpass those that have been training longer than you in Muay Thai I’m often asked questions like… “Is 20 years old too late to start Muay Thai and become successful with it?” So in this episode, I wanted to add a little flavour to answers I’ve given to [...]
"If I have FIA (cam hip impingements on both hips), will I be able to ever kick high without surgery?" Prompted by an Instagram message, hip impingements and Muay Thai kicks are a common issue! So I've taken the opportunity to explain what you can do to help yourself if [...]
Not every fighter is as frank and honest as Paul Banasiak in their appraisal of themselves, with themselves, let alone sharing this with others. But, both with more than his fair share of introspective perspective, and also understanding the value of learning from other's mistakes as well as his own... He's happy [...]
In this episode of the Science of Building Champions podcast... Liam Harrison, 8x World champion, current UK number 1 (and has been for 18 years), renowned Muay Thai coach in his own right, both on the world-wide seminar circuit in-person and online, and more recently, host of the “Kickin’ It” [...]
For many fighters, bodyweight training only serves as muscular endurance training – multiple rounds of upward of 10 reps per exercise. This approach develops endurance, or “conditioning”. It doesn’t touch the neuromuscular system that’s developed in resistance training sessions targeting strength, power, and speed. And in missing this, fails to [...]
Some big questions this week! In this episode of the Q&A I'm asked... What is better for the longterm progression and why? MAS or Main Conditioning from Heavy Hitters? Warm-up protocols to stimulate greater neural drive? Training at home and having trouble with loading [...]
With the increasing volume of questions to fit into the 30 minute segment, apologies if I didn't manage to squeeze in your question in this episode! In this episode of the Q&A I'm asked... How often should you schedule training sessions that really push [...]
I said, "Ask me anything." Well I asked for it! While getting to grips with the Instagram Live format, in this first episode of the Q&A I'm asked... 1. Why don't you buy a toupee? 2. Does masturbation or sex before a fight negatively affect performance? 3. [...]
As promised, here’s the first area of soft tissue work that you can do at home using a tennis ball, or similar. I’ve started at the ground, with the foot, because not only is a tennis ball the perfect implement for this part of the body… But also the foot is [...]
Here's a follow up answering to a couple of questions that came up from the first video on push up technique for fighters… "I feel so much weaker when I stop flaring out my elbows when I do my push ups, will this change?" "Is there any benefit to doing push [...]
Today, are you heading out predominantly for a Training session, a Practice session, or a Spoiling session? Let me explain what I mean by these... Training - moves you forward, it’s progressive, uses developmental loads and drills Practicing - reinforces existing skill, creates good habits, maintains athletic qualities Spoiling - [...]
Like many others, I used to believe that hard training left your immune system temporarily at a deficit, leaving an “open window” where you're more likely to pick up an infection. Lots of previous research assumed this, and that’s where I’d got it from.... But it’s a myth. This video explains why this myth [...]
When you’re stuck at home without something to hang and pull from, you need a way to train that musculature on the upper back to retain strength and stability… Too much pushing will mess up your posture and increase your risk of injury. So I’ve put on my “thinking cap” [...]
Despite what you may think, there’s a lot of technique involved in running economically. Just because you can run, doesn’t mean that you’re running efficiently… I know for a fact that a lot of you guys are making this same mistake I have… because your running cadence, or steps per minute [...]
As a guest on the Muay Thai Guys Podcast, one question Paul Banasiak asked me was… “A lot of people have a lot of hip flexor issues – those were a lot of questions that we were getting before the podcast – how do you solve hip flexor problems… Talking [...]
I’m often asked why Thais are so powerful without using resistance training. And here’s one I received recently... “I keep thinking that real power comes from perfect technique which is comes out of a result of hours and hours of repeating the same movement year after year that's why you [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
