When it comes to fight warm up exercises, back stage at shows, I often see fighters missing out on truly priming their bodies for explosiveness. Well, today I'll share a two exercise protocol that will amp you up, both physically and mentally in a total of just 8 to 15 reps! [...]
Why a lower body activation exercise for fighter's strength and conditioning? Activating the right muscles to efficiently create movement patterns in both strength and conditioning, and a fighter’s technical skill training makes a huge difference to your movement economy and ultimate strength and power levels. And many fighters struggle to “feel” the difference between [...]
A complete fighters switch step tutorial, including technical drill breakdowns to optimise power through timing and foot placement. Some fighters struggle to find the correct movement pattern for an effective switch step, and coaches can struggle to teach this to students that 'don't get it'. This fighters switch step tutorial video looks at building [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Can I use Plyo's before Muay Thai skill training? This short video explains the relationship between activation and fatigue, and how it relates to strength/power movements preceding Muay Thai technical and tactical training. Triggered by a question on my Aerobic Plyometric Routine post, I felt the topic of post activation potentiation (PAP) needed to [...]
I received a great question following my last post on the Serape Effect, it went like this... “Howdy Don, Great article! Totally interested in this type of training, I had a look at your Speed, Power and Strength routine and I was really excited to try this. However, I was a little unsure about [...]
Following the Aerobic Plyometric Routine post, I've been asked to elaborate on just what 'stiff-ankling' is. So I've taken the opportunity to put together a short demonstration video and explained below just how this makes you explosive. Stiff-ankling is a plyometric drill to develop reactive power primarily in the calves and achilles tendon (the [...]
Following last weeks post, this article shares more in-fight relaxation tips inspired by my private session with Yodsanklai Fairtex in Pattaya. Every move Yod makes comes from a relaxed, shuffling fighting stance – which is a focus in his coaching. Muay Thai is rhythmical movement, with an escalating tempo from the first to the [...]
This weekend I was privileged to meet Will Chung when attending his Tacfit MMA workshop. To say he's had a profound effect on me would be an understatement. Will is not only an renowned martial artist and coach, but really knows movement. His approach is one of a universal practicality - it doesn't matter [...]
Forget your old perception of a warm-up and now consider a new model for optimising performance preparation for both fights and training sessions. Time is wasted and physical potential goes untapped following typical ill-conceived warm-up routines. I know it's been done to death – a warm up will promote faster muscle contraction; relax agonist [...]
