Heatrick Heavy Hitters – Muay Thai Performance

The world of Muay Thai is changing. Athletic performance matters more than ever.

Gone are the days when Thai fighters had a monopoly on the sport. Today, Western fighters are using sports science and professional training methods to close the gap on their Thai counterparts.

If you're a Muay Thai fighter or a coach who wants to stay ahead of the curve, then you need to check out this episode. In it, we explore the latest trends in Muay Thai training and how you can use them to improve your own, or your fighter's performance.

We cover everything from sports science to skill training to the changing landscape of Muay Thai professionalism. By the end of this episode, you'll have a better understanding of what a Muay Thai professional really is and what it takes to be a world-class athlete.

So what are you waiting for? Check out this latest episode now!

Don't underestimate the importance of discipline in strength and conditioning.

It's all too easy to become distracted by what's shiny and new, only to shortcut progress by playing your ace too early...

Or, to charge headlong into overuse injury and the frustration of time out of training.

You can look at that next block of training, but don't touch! ;)

As fighters become more experienced, we must understand how to coach them so they don’t become stale.

Experts in any field are ruthlessly good at the basics.

What marks the best apart from the rest, is their ability to revisit and resharpen their foundational practice.

It’s vital that those at the top of their game recognise both that skill is perishable and can migrate over time, and that merely training for your next fight is limiting your progress too.

What is authentic Muay Thai training now, and has it evolved for the better? Muay Thai has a deep history. And when it comes to the ring sport we’ve all come to love, the period between 1980 and 1995 known as “The Golden Era”, spawned arguably the most talented fighters ever.

Names like Dieselnoi, Samart, Jongsanan, and Sakmongkol demand almost superhero status. They were highly skilled and incredibly tough!

Nostalgists will claim today’s fighters couldn’t stand with The Golden Era greats. And may even consider this as evidence that the training methods back then were superior too.

But, what does this mean for your training?

Your work life and fight life are in conflict. I know you feel the clock is ticking, that you’re running out of time when it comes to finding out how far you can go in Muay Thai.

It was true for me, and it’s true for everyone – regardless if they compete or not. 

We all have a “bucket list”, and although Muay Thai is on there, you feel that your work life inevitably gets in the way of your fight life. And you may hate to admit it, but even family and friends crowd out your fight training too! 

The biggest challenge in becoming the best you can be at Muay Thai, is how consistently you can train. And this is compounded when you pick up an injury or simply don’t seem to recover well.

“If only I didn’t have to make a living and I could train full time!”

But, even pro Muay Thai fighters have to work to make ends meet – a full-time income from just training and fighting isn’t there (yet). 

And even then, the truth is a big chunk of your week is tied up with making a living, regardless if you're a Muay Thai enthusiast, amateur competitor, pro fighter, or anything in between.

This balance is crucial, because at the highest level, fighting careers are short, DUAL careers. Any athlete must prepare for post-athletic life.

Like most westerns, you’ve primarily focused your effort on career first and your fight training second. You’ve built stability, and that’s good!

Not only have you got something else you’re good at to fall back on, but you can better afford the costs associated with training – such as gym fees, equipment, and travel too.

But, finding time to train consistently is the issue! You’re relatively financially rich, but time poor… You begin to struggle with the work life balance.

And your fight life planning differs depending if you have a sedentary job, an active job, or a physical job.

Check out the full episode to learn more.

Losing a fight by doing too much? Paul Banasiak shares that losing his Glory debut fight taught him to not over-effort...

That it's important to balance risk and reward, and that doing more or going harder in a fight doesn't necessarily equate to bigger, better results.

Be aware of the "glitches" you suffer by overthinking instructions and losing your flow!

When scheduling your weekly training plan for fighters, although many fighters and coaches are doing the right things, they organise their training weeks too haphazardly to get the full training effect or inadvertently cancel out performance gains entirely.

At best this wastes effort, at worst, it burns out fighters and injures them.

But, you can apply simple steps to design weekly schedules that ensure training is efficient and effective – maximising results while consuming less time and energy, reducing overuse injuries, and increasing the amount of time for Muay Thai skill practice – or family and friends if you’d prefer!

I’ll share these steps with you now, and show you how to use them.

These days, fighter training has become more sophisticated. Coaches, fighters, and hobbyists alike all realise that to remain healthy, injury free and perform their best it takes more than steady runs, bag work, pad work, and sparring. 

But, what types of sessions are needed? How often should you train? What order should sessions go? 

Organising your training week, whatever your level of commitment to Muay Thai, can be daunting. However, it doesn’t have to be... Let’s run through the steps I use with clients to create your most effective weekly training plan.  

Some pre fight rituals boost confidence and performance, while others hamper it! 

Having established an understanding of why rituals and superstitions speak directly to your emotional mind in high-stakes situations to boost confidence and performance in part 1... 

In this episode, we lever this understanding to pick the best rituals and personalise them, while avoiding those that could inadvertently sabotage you!

The evidence is in. Pre fight rituals boost confidence and performance, fact! 

Pre fight superstitions and rituals are an inherent part of all combat sports, and are baked into the culture of Muay Thai.  From Pra Jiad arm bands, Mongkhon headgear, lucky amulets, and sak yant tattoos, to wai kru and ram muay dances, modern day Muay Thai still carries many of the ancient Siam superstitions and rituals from its battlefield origins thousands of years ago.

But what are these fighters onto? And how can seemingly irrational pre fight rituals boost confidence and competitive performance?

Solo fight skill technical practice can fast-track your fight ability if it's done well. 

In this episode, avoid these fight skill pitfalls or risk sabotaging your technical practice and undoing all your hard work. 

When it comes to fight skill technical practice, repetition is key. And group sessions present challenges for individuals looking for technical practice opportunities to fast-track changes in their fight skill habits.

In this episode, I discuss my approach for fast-tracking technical practice in group sessions, both as a coach, and a fighter taking part in a class too.

There’s a difference between feeling tired during fights and being tired…

Competing as a fighter is stressful, and the cocktail of neurochemicals and hormones this dumps into your body drastically affects how you feel. Especially early in a fight career, nervousness, anxiety, or even all-out fear, will leave you feeling exhausted without even exerting yourself!

But, I’ve found there can be a disparity between the sensations you feel, and the performance you can produce if you can override them. From the top down, emotion affects posture. And from the bottom up, posture affects emotion. If your training has built good postural habits, then despite how tired you feel, you may well not look it!

Even elite pros require methods for coping with pre fight nerves. And it begins with accepting how you really feel, before adopting strategies to manage that pre fight anxiety when it crops up... And it will!

Every fighter has nerves before a fight. If they didn't, they can't perform their best. However, it's important to manage your nerves so, you don't become overwhelmed.

In this episode, the pre fight process is mapped out, and personal tools are deployed to make sure you perform your best.

Are you strategically pacing yourself to win fights? Armed with an understanding of how to use a heart rate monitor to determine your own unique training pace, you can not only boost your fight fitness…

But crucially, learn how to strategically pace your efforts during a fight to produce the best tactical effect. Just add your own style and technical ability!

Using fighter’s deload week effectively takes discipline!

Recovery is often a dirty word for fighters… However, it’s the difference between year-on-year progress, or a monthly boom and bust.

In this discussion with Rolf Eijsink during his coaching call, we explore both my approach to maximising deload weeks, and Rolf’s valuable insight too.

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 may have not been available to you before, but you'll also kick faster and with less effort at all kicking ranges. Including those you could reach before too

This passive relaxed splits stretching routine helps fighters fast-track your kicking ability, and easily maintain flexibility once you've got it too.

Check out this week's video for my splits stretching tips...

Fighter mental strength training isn't only about what happens on the pads or in sparring. Mental strength is built over the long-term from the habits you repeat each day.

In reality, everything you do is an opportunity to either cement the identity of someone who either:

1. Avoids challenging situations or circumstances or gives up before finding their true limit, or,

2. Meets challenges head-on and only stops when physically unable to continue

The truth is, the mind quits way before the body will. And training a mind with the mental strength to find out where the limits really are, takes practice.  

Take every opportunity you can to train this habit and develop a true fighter's identity. It'll serve you outside the ring just as well as inside it.

Do you know the difference between optimal and peak performance for fighters? Too many fighters don’t, and it’s costing them! 

I see many pro and hobbyist fighters alike, rightly working incredibly hard in their training, but mistakenly believing that every session must push them harder than the last.

“Go hard or go home” has its place. However, this attitude is regularly misplaced and over simplified.

Understanding when this kind of maximal effort is needed, and when it’s not, is what separates those that become the best they can be and those that boom and bust!

In this episode, I’ll explain what the difference is between optimal and peak performance training, and how to use both approaches to best effect as a fighter.

The objective is to build long-term performance, so that in a year you’ll be a different fighter. And in a few years you’ll be untouchable!

This is very different to the flat, cyclic progress the vast majority of fighters make with their athletic performance between one fight and the next.⁣ 

Investing time and effort into developing and using a solid training program pays back in a way that may not be hugely noticeable in the short-term (a month or two)…⁣ ⁣

But holding your focus, keeping with it for longer periods, compounds your progress incredibly – while others slip back (and are doomed to repeat).⁣

I’m looking to work with fighters that understand this, and are hungry to make a real difference to their training.

Fighters instinctively feel hill sprints boost their fight performance. But, are there alternatives to hill sprints without a hill?

Mixing these High Resistance Intervals amongst your “roadwork” develops your endurance in a way steady state running can’t...

And in this episode I’ll break down exactly what hill sprints do for your endurance, how to program them in your training, how steep that hill must be to get the benefit, and what you can do instead if you’re without a decent hill!

For fighters, strong doesn't mean fast. Although strength is the foundation of speed, the human body responds differently to various weight training loads & speeds. Yes, to become a faster, more explosive fighter you must first become stronger – produce more force... If you can create more force, you can accelerate quicker, hit at higher velocity and do more damage. That’s the mechanics, but we’re biological machines not purely mechanical ones.

To become a stronger fighter, you must use resistance training correctly... Historically, old-school fight coaches claimed that weight training makes fighters big and slow. But that’s only true if you use resistance training poorly. When used in the right way, weight training can either make you much stronger WITHOUT getting any bigger, or both bigger and stronger together, meaning you get FASTER, not slower!

Understanding exactly why a big fighter isn’t always stronger is crucial for fight performance. It explains why some fighters perform well in their weight class and others don’t, and informs how you can best train to dominate your weight class too.

As we’ve seen in the previous two videos, it’s speed that kills! However, the ability to generate the highest possible striking velocity is first dependent on foundation strength. But in order to achieve an effective strength-to-weight ratio, you must build the right kind of size!

Continuing our look at who hits harder, now we consider fighters in different weight classes and the effect this has on the physics of striking!

The last episode, “Fat Loss: Who Hits Harder, Big Or Fast?” created some fantastic points of discussion. And shone a light on some areas of confusion too. In this episode, I’ll take key elements from Adam’s comment to focus on one area of confusion right now…

Adam is right! However this asks a different question to Toni’s one regarding fat loss in the previous episode. So this time, let’s dig into why Adam is right, why this is a different question, and most importantly, what this means to you and your own performance training!

When it comes to fat loss, ever wondered who hits harder, BIG or FAST? Toni did when he asked…

Fighters burnout all the time. And to optimise both long term fight performance and health, and to peak on fight night, hobbyists, amateurs, and pros alike must learn how to balance high intensity fight training with adequate recovery... 

We all have a training “Goldilocks zone” that boosts our performance without sending us into either overtraining burnout, or injury blowout. Spoiler alert, this zone is a moving target!

But there are tricks of the trade you can use to plan your training just right. And the same principles apply regardless if you’re balancing the demands of work, family and friends alongside either a full time fight career, an enthusiastic Muay Thai hobby, or anything in between.  

Combat sports have so many athletic qualities and technical and tactical skills demanding attention, that training opportunities are inexhaustible! But is fighter performance training healthy?

In truth, the objectives are different when either training for optimal health or training for peak fighter performance – even if both walk hand-in-hand for part of the journey.

There's a tipping point, leading to divergent paths when the need for short-term performance in competition outweighs the need for long-term health.

In this episode we explore balancing training for peak fighter performance while also maintaining good health. Because optimal health and peak fitness are not one and the same.

Fighter training and work life balance is one of, if not THE biggest struggle for fighters living and training outside of Thailand.
It's also a struggle for western fighters training long-term in Thailand too, and affects hobbyists and pro fighters alike, regardless of location.

In this episode, Iman Barlow, winner of 19 world titles, shares what she describes as her biggest challenges.
Fighter training and work life balance is top of her list! Whatever level you train or compete at, you're not alone in this struggle.

Even many pro fighters don’t understand the real secret of how to use the hips in punching technique – 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 rear hand punching technique, you’ll win by KO far more often!

Why a lower body activation exercise for strength and conditioning for fighters? 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 knee and hip dominant patterns, or understand how they play out in fighting movements.

Today, we’ll fix that!

Many fighters and coaches misunderstand just how much Muay Thai training is really needed to achieve the best performance possible.

Generally, Thais don’t understand how to program progressive training.

They throw everyone into largely the same regimen, regardless if they’re beginners or seasoned pros.⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣And those that can’t keep up, or become injured as a result are deemed “lazy”.⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣Even Damien Trainor shared with me in our podcast together, that after feeling like he was burning out in Thailand, he had to take a day's rest – and then nobody at the camp would speak to him for 2-weeks!⁣⁣⁣

And Liam Harrison has shared his thoughts on this too, explaining his experience while living in Thailand…

That many top 10 stadium-ranked fighters in their late teens are giving up by the age of 21, because the training was killing them!

And founder of Sumalee Boxing Gym, Dr. Lynne Miller goes on to explain how traditional Thai culture makes for slow progress when it comes to taking onboard newer philosophies.

⁣⁣⁣Overtraining is real, and so are overuse injuries.

And there’s a boneyard (of discarded fighters) that you don’t see.⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣I’m not saying don’t train hard...

I’m saying pay attention to your body and don’t break yourself trying to match those that have…⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣a) Incrementally adjusted to tolerate high training volumes over years of training, and⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣b) Are genetically more robust than the majority.⁣⁣⁣

And the truth is…

⁣⁣Even Thais come undone when they’re training changes too much – even in as little as 5 mins work!!

Sundays tend to be a reflective day for me, and my Sunday posts therefore share more personal insight…

Both of my own thoughts and feelings, and a personal look behind the scenes of my own life too (in case you’re interested).

This morning, while out exercising my dog Logan, I found myself considering a post from a fighter I’ve worked with online, and our subsequent (message) conversation.

The shit had hit the fan – an ill attempted sweep in sparring had seriously damaged their knee…

Scans are needed to determine the extent of the damage…

But a 50/50 prognosis on being able to return to any physical activity in the long-term (Muay Thai included) is the reality right now...

Overcoming pre-fight fear, how introverts can shift state to fight at their best, and why it takes more than a solid S&C program to become a champion!

Sports science is often shot down by elite fighters…

Fighters that offer themselves as world class performers, who don’t follow a scientific approach to their training, and that often criticise the performance of others that do.

And it’s an understandable mindset when that’s appeared to be the reality for you personally.

But this thinking is flawed...

Consider this… Accepted ‘best practice’ is only the ‘best so far’.

In his book Rebel Ideas, Matthew Syed discusses what we accept as ‘best practice’...

It makes sense that if there’s a way of doing things that proves superior, that everyone should adopt it.

But it's important to also realise that the accepted best practice is only the ‘best so far’.

If an alternative method is proven to deliver superior results, then the status quo (best practice) should be amended.

Best practice should evolve through time in a rational, evidence based way.

For me, this is clearly reflected in Muay Thai training…

We should balance the proven aspects of traditional Muay Thai training, with the proven aspects of athletic performance research... 

Muay Thai seems to attract more than its fair share of "nice" people...

So how can a nice person hit another person with the kind of destructive power that Muay Thai is designed to inflict?

In a recent Heavy Hitters program support call, Arnaud asked how can he overcome a fear of hitting and hurting people?

It was a great question, and one he was happy for me to share to help out others too. Thanks Arnaud. :)

Father Time waits for no man, and if you haven’t already felt how getting older affects your Muay Thai, it’s a certainty you will.

In this episode, I’ll look at what you need to do to keep doing what you love (Muay Thai) and remaining badass for the rest of your life...

What’s vital to remaining vital!

A lot of fighters are using heart rate monitors these days, to allow them to train at the right intensity in their cardio sessions.

And I love using monitors in my programs too.

But most fighters are basing their training on a calculated age related maximum heart rate…

Which for most people will be way off – because individual genetics determine what your max heart rate is, NOT your fitness.

In this episode learn how to test for your REAL max heart rate.

Show notes and further resources at https://heatrick.com/2021/03/17/what-is-your-real-max-heart-rate/ 

I've been asked how I'd recommend structuring strength and conditioning when you're just 2 weeks out from a fight.

So here's a quick "down and dirty" podcast episode to get something out quickly!

How to surpass those that have been training longer than you in Muay Thai:

I’m often asked questions like… “Is 20 years old too late to start Muay Thai and become successful with it?”

So in this episode, I wanted to add a little flavour to answers I’ve given to this in the past…

I believe that measuring your potential impact in Muay Thai by the number of competitive years you have left in you isn’t a good indicator.

"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 hip impingements affect you, and if you'll need to have surgery after all.

Driven from a question left on one of my previous Q&A videos, here I expand on my reply, and explain what I mean when I say a "Low Intensity Muay Thai Session".

In this episode I dig into Jonathan Haggerty’s mindset, methods of conditioning your shins for Muay Thai kicks and shin blocks, and the different maximum heart rates for different exercises.

From Buakaw to Petchmorakot... is it real?

Combat sports athletes are constantly bombarded with video clips of fighters using training methods or supplements that are seemingly a shortcut to fantastic results.

Most of the time, these clips are little more than social media stunts, either to market a product or simply to get likes…

And fighters are always up for having a laugh, and playing with some new toy in their training for a session or two.

Certain training methods keep coming around at regular intervals on social media.  Some do help fighters improve, while others either waste their time, or even negatively impact performance.

And in this episode I take a close look at breathing...  Both Elevation Training Masks, and Personal Oxygen Supplementation.

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 the gym at one time will be limited to comply with social distancing rules and to ensure shared space and equipment is kept clean and safe.

The reality is that most people won’t be able to return to training just like they did before. So let’s expect this and plan for it.

I’m hearing more often from fighters that are doing their best to systematically improve their athletic ability...

But are finding that well-meaning trainers are sabotaging them with regular “beastings” that set them back.

A knowledge gap is beginning to grow between the students and trainers/coaches.

Information is increasingly available online, and students are actively researching ways of optimising their fight performance.

They’re investing time in learning more about this part of the training puzzle that many coaches still aren’t.

Today, are you heading out predominantly for a training session, a practice session, or a spoiling session?

Let me explain what I mean by these...

Training - moves you forward, it’s progressive, developmental loads and drills

Practicing - reinforcing existing skill, creating good habits, maintaining athletic qualities,

Spoiling - excessively repeating poor form, building bad habits (either under fatigue or not), and causes overuse injury

In this episode, I dig into these ideas to help you move forward, whatever your current limitations or opportunities are.

Here are those links!

The world-wide impact of the COVID-19 virus is now being truly realised…

Events are cancelled and fighters are now feeling a little aimless, not knowing how long restrictions are going to be in place.

During this time of inevitable social lock-down – depending on where you are in the world, it’s either already here, or it’s coming – it’s the time to focus on the things you can control.

And as a fighter there are some big things you can do to continue to move forwards, even when you’ve lost access to your Muay Thai gym and must train at home.

I see many fighters consistently working on the wrong things.

And this not only slows their progress to a crawl, but ultimately limits how far they can go.

So in this episode, I’m going to explain how you can break limits in Muay Thai.

Article Links (mentioned in this episode)...

I’m often asked, “What other exercises should I use with your Optimal Fight Camp Blueprint?”

If you’re listening to this and you’ve not seen the free blueprint and the supporting three part video series, here's the link: