Training requires discipline, but not the kind that fighters usually think of… This discipline I speak of is “restraint”. Knowing when to show restraint is what takes an athletically gifted fighter, and turns them into a beast! It’s the [...]
Here’s the thing… You might not admit it, but I guarantee there’s something in your life that you’re powerless over… …And it’s become unmanageable. That’s an addiction, and denial is one of the characteristics! If you’ve read my blogs [...]
Coach says, “Today is a low intensity day.” – The fighter’s body language slumps. But… by the end of the session, the fighter gets it. He’s come away with a list of things to work on, that’ll make [...]
Fighters in Thailand have a notoriously high fight-frequency, sometimes even multiple times in one day for children. But is this suitable for everyone? What should determine how often you fight? Are you fighting too often? In this video I share [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Not all types of supplemental training will transfer well to Muay Thai. The training adaptations that your body makes are highly specific. You instinctively know training as a long-distance runner won’t improve your sprint performance. But it goes so [...]
It’s not uncommon to have periods where you’re fighting very frequently, which can obviously throw your planned strength and conditioning training into a bit of a spin. Although the very best improvements in athletic performance are built using the [...]
Nothing happens by accident. If you want to be the best fighter you can be, you need to put some thought into it. Benjamin Franklin famously said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” Or was [...]
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 [...]
Every element within your being constantly swings between two opposite extreme states like a pendulum. This fluctuation is normal as your body strives to maintain balance. But, if the pendulum swings too far, balance is lost, problems arise and [...]
How can a fighter best structure weight training sessions to be the most productive in the shortest space of time? As fighters, we're a twitchy bunch with a strong work ethic, and rest periods are [...]
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." ~ Mike Tyson This is not only true in the ring, the proverbial punch in the mouth can happen at any time to scupper your plans. Among other [...]
Regular weight training for strength and power should not make you sore, and shouldn't negatively impact subsequent Muay Thai training. If you're repeatedly getting sore following your weight training, you're doing something wrong. Athletic strength and conditioning training should [...]
Avoiding training plateaus (accommodation) requires some forethought. As discussed in part 1 of this article, it's important to vary training load (intensity and/or volume) and the exercises or drills used. These modifications to training are essentially quantitative (changing the [...]
Metabolic training, popularised by Crossfit, has become a buzz word these days — particularly with fighters. Such circuit training typically moves from one exercise to the next with minimal rest. It satisfies our need to push on hard (building work [...]
It's been a hectic week — my full-time gym is in the midst of a major refurb, installing a new mezzanine floor and literally doubling the gym capacity. Exciting times! Anyway, as the gym is effectively a construction site, [...]
by Don Heatrick and Lev Borukhov @donheatrick This is a joint article with Lev Borukhov, a physical therapist from the U.S. with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from New York Institute of Technology who specialises in working with [...]
Your training must be specific to your sport. This is straight forward if you're either a sprinter (power) or a marathon runner (endurance), but we're Thai boxers and we need it all! Conflicting physical adaptations are part of our [...]
It's important to schedule enough rest and recovery in your training programme to avoid injury, illness and overtraining. Most competing fighters train for 6-days a week, resting for one day of the week. But is a rest day best [...]
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