Tawanchai has been putting in the work for his first defence of the ONE Championship Featherweight Muay Thai World title. And he's shared a glimpse of his strength and conditioning prep on Instagram. In the clip, we see him working through a series of exercises... Battling Ropes Band Resisted High Knees Band Resisted Agility [...]
Thoracic spine, or mid back rotation mobility is lacking in 90% of the fighters I’ve tested, from novices to world class pros. In the last episode, I demonstrated how I test and score this. If you scored between 1 to 3, you’re limiting your striking power and have an increased risk of lower back [...]
Regularly practicing this splits, passive, relaxed stretching routine for fighters will rapidly enhance your kicking flexibility. Splits stretching as shown for just 7 mins, at least 3 times per week, will make a huge difference to your kicking ability at all target heights. Not only will you reach higher targets, like the head, that [...]
Fighters instinctively feel that hill sprints boost their fight performance. And mixing these High Resistance Intervals amongst your “roadwork” develops your endurance in a way steady state running can’t. But, not everyone has access to a decent hill. What’s the minimum hill gradient required? And what alternatives to hill sprints are there if you [...]
Gyms around the world are either reopening or preparing to reopen very soon. It’s great news, but the reality of just what we’re going back to bears some thought. In order to reopen safely, gyms must abide by new operating restrictions and safe practice. The number of people allowed in [...]
While on lockdown, your cardio conditioning can either maintain fitness, or develop fitness... It can encourage poor movement mechanics, or promote sound movement and stability. Done well, progressive shuttle run training does both. I encourage you to improve how you move when you’re training at home. With some thought, cardio training can [...]
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” [...]
Once you are tired of just “working out” (spinning your wheels), start TRAINING instead. When you’re training, you’re progressively working toward a specific purpose... And that purpose is far more targeted than “stay in shape” or keeping busy. A woolly objective like that may burn calories and prevent you putting [...]
I’m often asked for a genuine training program for Thai boxers that don’t have access to any gym equipment – something to supplement the typical training regimen in Thailand... And in the current climate, something you can do at home when your gym has closed to help control the COVID-19 outbreak. So I set [...]
Following discussions with my face to face clients this last week, and now the Coronavirus has been confirmed as pandemic by World Health Organization, I’ve been considering my personal obligation to those I train. Although many of us are young enough and fit enough to personally not be severely affected even [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 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 [...]
Sure, you could try to improve your Muay Thai balance by simply practising your technique over and over until it gets better. But there are some shortcuts you may be missing, because you've glossed over the personal limitations you may have, but are unaware of. In this podcast, I explore this a little deeper, [...]
How do you test for maximum heart rate? This question came up in response to my review of the sports science methodologies being used at Petchyindee Muay Thai in Bangkok... Keeping it short and sweet, here's my favourite approach to testing for maximum heart rate (so you know what percentage of maximum you're really [...]
When it comes to exercise sophistication, there’s a time and a place for something more advanced, but if you use that prematurely you lose that opportunity for adaptation over the longer term. Please don't shortcut straight to this TRX exercise version, even if you can perform it straight off. There are simpler exercises you [...]
Last time I showed you an exercise for core rotational speed and power, this time I serve you the foundation... anti-rotational strength! And this is a true strength exercise, one designed to create enough overload on your neuromuscular system to really increase the amount of force your core can produce and withstand. Combine this [...]
I'm on a mission... to bring real strength and conditioning training to all fighters, even if they haven't got all the kit! ;) And this is especially true for fighters trying to keep on top of their training while away on holiday, or... even when out training in Thailand. We all know that resistance [...]
Not all of your supplemental training will transfer as directly to Muay Thai performance as others, but it also doesn’t need to. In fact, you'll run into problems if all your training does. So what's the deal, should your training be Muay Thai specific or not? In part 1 I discussed energy systems conditioning, [...]
