Tag Archives: Muay Thai

Why You Should Take Up A Martial Art This Summer

Fitness

It will help you get in shape or even just lose a few extra pounds. Whether its BJJ, wrestling or Muay Thai, anything is going to make you sweat. Especially in the heat that we have been having recently. And that’s what is going to make you lose weight. In addition, you will also be adding some muscle as well. So you’re not just going to slim down but also going to pack on some muscle as well. Perfect for those poolside photos.

Make Friends

Every class you go to is going to have other people in or there wouldn’t be much point in attending. Having lots of training partner won’t just help you with your chosen discipline. It also means there are more people to talk to. While you may get the odd person in a gym that only wants to hurt people the majority of student will be trying to help you and even getting to know you. So why not see if you can make a new friend or two.

gym photo

Protect yourself

One of the main reasons people get into martial arts is to learn how to handle themselves, and you shouldn’t be any different. You might never want to have a fight in your life but it doesn’t hurt to know how to look after yourself. If you ever end up in a situation where no one else is there to help you. Just knowing a few simple moves might be all the difference between you going home or ending up in the hospital in that situation.

A Challenge

Lots of martial arts such as BJJ, Judo and Karate all have rankings and belts that you can earn. And depending on the discipline you choose you might even be able to get your first promotion before the end of summer. Imagine how that would feel when you go back to work or school. Being able to tell everyone you have taken up a martial art and you have already earned your first belt.

kickboxing

An Eye Opener

If you do decide to go down to a class then you will learn pretty quick that it doesn’t matter how big or strong you are. There will be people half your size tapping the biggest guys in the class. The technique will always overcome strength and don’t get disheartened if you get tapped even if it is by someone a lot smaller than you. Don’t have an ego.

Why Martial Art Is For Everyone

Martial arts are for everyone and it doesn’t matter if you’re a girl, short, overweight or old. Really anyone can start. The majority of gyms have girls training in them nowadays and while there is no problem guys and girls training together it can be difficult for women to train with someone who is so much bigger and stronger than them. So why not get some of your friends together and all go together and see what its like for yourself. And if there is already a girl training there she will love having someone her size to practice on.

Lots of gyms also offer kids classes but even if they don’t everyone in the gym will know to take it easy. So don’t worry about your children getting injured. And the younger they start the better they will be in the future, maybe even the next world champion. You would be surprised to see how many students are over 40 that train. So if you think your past it and you wouldn’t be any good at it think again. There will definitely be someone for you to train with, no matter who you are.

Hopefully, you have read something that’s opened your eyes or made you want to see for yourself. So remember it doesn’t matter how big or strong you are. If you’re old or a girl. Martial Art is for everyone.

Our Guide On How To Become A UFC Champion

Stand up

The obvious place to start is on your feet as that’s how every match starts. Whether it’s Boxing, Kickboxing or Muay Thai, you need to do something. Boxing has always been one of the biggest sports in the world for a reason. But we are talking about MMA now and as I’m sure you have all seen for yourselves, knees and kicks can do so much more than just knock a guy out. Just like in Bellator 158 when Micheal “Venom” Page landed a vicious knee on Evangelista ‘Cyborg’ Santos.
Cyborg Santos broken skull

He actually broke his skull during that fight.

Or when Edson Barboza’s hit Terry Etim with a spinning back kick at UFC 142 in Rio De Janeiro. One of the worst knockouts in UFC history.

Kickboxing and Muay Thai will not just make you a better fighter. Training in them will also help you defend yourself a lot better as you will be able to see moves coming earlier if you are familiar with them. Whether it’s the way the guy drops his arm as he goes for the kick. Or how he goes to his toes before he jumps for that flying knee. Either of these disciplines will benefit you greatly.

Don’t just rely on one aspect of your game

You can be the best guy in the world on your feet but if you haven’t got anything else about your game then I wouldn’t advise getting into the octagon. Just like with James Toney when he stepped into the ring at UFC 118 to fight against Randy Couture. Couture whose background is in wrestling, made it look easy. He might not be known for his ground game but he still schooled Toney. And sent out a pretty clear statement that the next Boxer who wants an MMA fight might want to think again.

August 28, 2010; Boston, MA; USA; Randy Couture (black trunks) and James Toney fight at UFC 118 in Boston, MA. Couture won via 1st round choke.

Why You Need Wrestling

Just like Toney, Royce Gracie is another fighter who relied too heavily on one discipline. Known for being one of the best BJJ guys in the world. The legend was caught out and defeated by Matt Hughes at UFC 60. Although former UFC Champion Royce was one of the best on the ground in the world. It doesn’t count for much if you can’t get the other guy down on the floor to tap them out. Hughes demonstrated this perfectly. With a background in wrestling. Hughes stopped Royce getting him down and showed him just why you need to be an all-rounded fighter to make it in this world.

Why Ground Work Is So Important

Although Royce did struggle in that fight he did have a pretty impressive career, with 15 wins and only 2 losses and he was a UFC Champion. Which demonstrates why BJJ is so essential and arguably the most important skill that you should have in your arsenal. Brazilain Jiu-Jitsu seems to be the most overlooked aspect of many fighters game. This may be as it takes so long to achieve your black belt. 10 years for a BJJ black belt as opposed to less than 5 for Judo and Karate belts. No matter what the reason some people decide not to train grappling as much as other aspects it doesn’t really matter. Nearly all fights end up on the ground. And if you don’t know what you are doing, you can’t defend yourself and you won’t last long.

UFC Champion, Royce and GSP

One of the reasons that GSP was so dominant and another UFC Champion. Here he is pictured with Royce just after they had finished training.

Hit The Gym To Be The Next UFC Champion

As I’m sure all of you know, lifting weights make you stronger and although just being strong alone won’t help you at all against a trained fighter, it will work wonders in addition to all of your other training. We have all been in that situation where you have gotten someone into a move and it’s so close but you just haven’t got the strength to finish it off. Lifting will help here. And with your takedowns. And with your punching. And in everything else that you do.

So we have given you some pretty solid advice here today, so no matter if you are a complete beginner or have been training for years. You just want to get in shape or you really do want to become the best fighter in the world, this guide has given you a solid foundation to work off. So what are you waiting for, get out there and start training to become the next UFC Champion!

And just like any fighter you will need the right equipment so why not take a look at some of the gear we like here

The Ancient Roots of Muay Thai

In this blog post, we’ll look at the roots of Muay Thai to uncover it’s links with the ancient fighting arts of Indo-China.

Our focus will be on Muay Boran, the collective name given to the unarmed martial arts of Thailand, prior to modernisation in the 1930’s.Ai??Each of the arts under the umbrella term of Muay Boran, had their own style guards, striking techniques and stances.

The distinctive regions of the Siam (Thailand) empire each had their own fighting styles and during the mid to late 19th century, fighters from each region would be sent by their Lords to Bangkok to compete in tournaments to establish who the best fighter was. Over time, such gatherings saw the different regional styles merge during the Rattanakosin Era and became generically referred to as Muay (meaning Boxing or pugilism). Despite this, regional styles still existed and were practised in various parts of the country.

Ai??

Buddhist monks carried on the teaching of Muay as a fighting technique for unarmed warfare and it also became a popular combat spectator sport for all levels of society. As well has having a broad appeal to people across the strata of society, Muay also had it’s royal connections too. The most skilful and respected of fighters were often employed by royalty of the day to train soldiers and other notable courtesans in the art of Muay.

During the mid 19th Century, a time of peace for Thailand, the popularity of Muay had greatly increased and was a regular form of exercise and recreation as well as serving it’s original functions. Despite the blending of styles that we’ve already mentioned, four distinct regional styles were still in existence various parts of the country. These four styles were;

ai???Ai??Muay Thasao (North)

ai??? Muay Khorat (East / North East)

ai???Ai??Muay Lopburi (Central)

ai??? Muay Chaiya (South)

Moving in to the 20th century saw the introduction of the boxing ring and codified rules, including the necessity for fighters to wear western style gloves and to move away from the heavily wrapped hemp rope style shown below. During this time the old regional styles mentioned above began to die out due to a combination of being banned and being unsuitable for the more modern matches.

muayboranhand It was common for Muay Boran fighters to tie knots in to the hemp rope used to wrap their hands, for added protection and to make their punches more abrasive and harmful to their opponents.

As a result of the new rules and the introduction of more protective equipment, the new style that began to emerge during the 20th century started to become known as Muay Thai, with the older style being labelled as Muay Boran (or ancient boxing).

Today, Muay Boran is rarely taught due to the techniques not being able to be used in modern competition. As a style, Muay Boran required fighters to be extremely agile, fast and flexible. The stance was different to that of Muay Thai, with it being wider and lower and more akin to the traditional Chinese and Indian Martial Arts.

The simple rule base excluded eye gouging, grappling, hitting a grounded opponent, hitting the groin and hair pulling. There were no weight categories or formal rings that we are familiar with today. With regards to the timing fights, and something that can still be seen today, a coconut shell with a hole in was placed in water and the fight lasted until the shell thoroughly sank and became immersed in water. This was followed by the beating of a drum to signal the end of the round.

The profile of Muay Boran was raised again fairly recently due to the 2003 film, Ong Bak, featuring Tony Jaa (see header image). The Muay Boran fighting styles heavily featured in this movie and was probably the first time it had been seen by the majority of its western audience.