One thing’s for sure, delayed onset muscle soreness is part of a fighter’s training – especially when you head out to Thailand to train! But… Is delayed onset muscle soreness the sign of a good training session? How can you avoid being too sore? Should you train if you’re really sore? How can you [...]
Panicos Yusuf came to England from Cyprus on a one-way ticket, with just £60 in his pocket and a habit of working hard... He's since achieved an incredible amount in the sport of Muay Thai, owing everything to his family, his friends, his coaches [...]
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 [...]
My final fight, aged 40 years... Choosing the right competitive fight weight class, and then making that weight is the fight before the fight! I’m often asked questions like, “Is fighting at 127lbs ideal for someone who's 5 '8”?” Now, there’s obviously a lot that goes into deciding [...]
Fat loss is a huge issue for Muay Thai enthusiasts of all levels. Not just cutting weight temporarily for one fight, but a long-term change in body composition – losing all unnecessary fat, so the body has only what’s useful for the highest performance. And of course, looking great is [...]
Naresuan the Great Shrine, Ayutthaya My first trip to Thailand was back in 2000, organised by Ajarn Tony Moore though the British Thai Boxing Council. The trip was an eye-opener in every sense possible! As a Muay Thai coach, I travelled to train in real Muay Thai gyms, [...]
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 [...]
Muay Thai strength training is a recurring question, so let’s take the opportunity to clear things up a little. We’ll look at how to build strength in the first place, and how to get stronger when strength gains dry up! We’ll look at this from both the novice strength training end of the spectrum [...]
Carbs for fighters... this podcast came about as a result of calls for a follow up after the last podcast discussing the keto diet for fighters. In it you'll learn how I manipulate carbs for individual fighters to ensure their body composition, training quality, general recovery, and competitive performance are reliable and progressing nicely! [...]
Recently I shared a post on our facebook page of Joe Rogan’s podcast with Dr Andy Galpin discussing the keto diet, and I commented, “As a combat athlete, your primary fuel source will always be carbs – nothing else releases energy fast enough!” Now there are a ton of opinions on this! And I [...]
To put these three videos in context, this Liam Harrison interview at Bad Company Gym was given just after I’d helped him with some re-hab for a chronic separated shoulder injury – that was further aggravated during his successful Yokkao World Title defence against Rayan Mekki at Yokkao 24, and had prevented Liam training [...]
This video clarifies some of my thoughts regarding the changing face of Muay Thai training in Thailand itself. It's going to be a long process, but it has begun. Things are slowly changing in Thailand. And with traditional Muay Thai training habits so strongly embedded and blindly defended, it's the foreigners that could be [...]
Don Heatrick grabs the opportunity to speak to Richard Smith, Bad Company Muay Thai founder and senior instructor, about his philosophies and methods for preparing his team of Thai boxers, from undercard to World Title fight. These four episodes where filmed at the Supershowdown Presents Yokkao 23 & 24 event at the Bolton Macron Stadium [...]
If I’ve nothing of value to say, I don’t say anything. And it’s the same when I corner or coach a fighter – I prefer to chose a few good words and leave it there. I let those key points drill-deep and take effect, rather than clouding with distractive clutter. For me that’s the essence of [...]
Regardless if you're talking nutrition or Muay Thai strength and conditioning training, it doesn't have to be perfect to get results. In this super quick Vlog from the office, I explain what is important when it comes to getting results... and having the perfect training programme or nutrition plan isn't it! [...]
Mariusz posed a few questions, wanting to know about common injuries in Muay Thai training (not fighting) and what to do to check and correct the causes; muscle building (hypertrophy) training for Muay Thai fighters; and eating allergies/intolerances. So here's another dog-walk talk, where I take the opportunity to chat through some ideas while out [...]
Following my interviews with Jordan Coe and Sophia Torkos, both full time fighters at different gyms in Thailand, I've been asked, "Are you surprised by the lack of strength and conditioning in Thailand?" ... And I must say I'm not. Generally the understanding just isn't there yet, and there's along history of training using [...]
I got the chance to talk Muay Thai nutrition with Sam Miller, founder of SBG Nutrition, and we certainly cover some ground in this Podcast interview. Sam candidly shares his experience working in person with Thai boxers at Sumalee Gym in Phuket, and online with fighters from around the word, along with regular 'health' clients. We [...]
It’s hard enough preparing for a single fight, but what if you’re involved in a tournament and are expected to fight on consecutive days? Or even multiple times in one day? Do you need to change your conditioning training to suit this? This article has been prompted by Sean, who asked this great question: [...]
I'm sure you've experienced this before – you're expecting to fight on a show at around 6pm, but the event organisation has gone awry. It's 9pm already, and you're STILL waiting for your slot in the fight schedule. You've planned and prepared your food and snacks to maintain energy levels, and that has now [...]
