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 [...]
How do you score on this thoracic spine rotation test? 9 out of 10 fighters can’t adequately twist their torso! They don’t have enough t-spine rotation, especially on the dominant side of their body. This means they’re limiting the amount of power they can produce in strikes (especially the close-range weapons like elbows and knees), and have an [...]
Even many pro fighters don’t understand the real secret of how to punch using the hips to maximum effect – because it can seem counter intuitive. But grasp this and your punch power will sky rocket. Once you understand how the correct hip mechanics can transfer maximum force to your punch, you’ll win by [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Fighters push ups aren't typically considered to enhance the clinch! Most fighters view push ups only as a punch-specific exercise, but programmed in your training correctly, it can make a serious difference to your Muay Thai clinch escape too. And being a bodyweight exercise, specific [...]
I'm not going to opt for the more obvious reaction or hand eye coordination drills, catching, avoiding, throwing or punching tennis balls. Instead, I’m going to share two strength and conditioning exercises for fighters using a tennis ball... Both of which directly contribute to two key factors that heavily influence [...]
"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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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” [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
What Clinch Strength Is & Isn’t Of all the Muay Thai tactics, the clinch demands the most raw strength. If you layout all Thai boxing techniques on the force-velocity curve, you’ll have clinchwork at one end (strength) and punches at the other (speed). BUT - Good clinch work comes from relaxed, efficient [...]
The Heiden and Stick exercise is an important progression in a Thai boxers speed and plyometric training. It targets sideways, lateral movement, involving adductors and glute medius muscles at the hip to control the knee, and multiple muscle groups in the feet, ankle and calves. And it not only trains unilateral (single leg) [...]
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 [...]
Saenchai is a Muay Thai living legend, and his trademark moves are based on a particular athletic foundation that he’s naturally exploited to awesome effect. Saenchai is an elastic animal! He’s super efficient at storing and returning elastic energy in his muscles and tendons, what sports scientists call stretch-shortening cycle – and not [...]
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, [...]
