Top Ten Unconventional Exercises for Striking

Here is a brief description of the top 10 unconventional exercises for striking:

Jab drill

This is a forgotten drill that was taught to me by my father, former number six ranked feather weight boxer. It emphasizes the importance of the jab and helps with rhythm and timing.

Shoe Shine

This boxing drill helps sharpen your uppercuts flow and helps with hand speed.

Machine Gun Kicks

This bodyweight exercise helps add speed, timing, and torque to Thai style kicks.

Thai Knee Combo

This bodyweight exercise helps with conditioning and simulates Muay Thai knee strikes.

High Pulls

I’ve adapted this kettlebell exercise to mimic an actual punch. Punches involve a pushing and pulling dynamic that this exercise helps harness. It also helps with hand speed.

Bottoms-up Uppercuts

This kettlebell exercise helps develop proper mechanics for your uppercuts. It also helps develop torque, pivot, and hand speed. It is also a great core and bicep exercise

Fighters Figure 8

A favorite amongst my certified Kettle-Jitsu coaches. This kettlebell exercise develops speed and power for hooking style punches. It is also an amazing full body exercise.

Combat Cleans

These kettlebell cleans are performed from a fighting stance. This make the exercise pretty close to throwing an actual punch. Helps torque, pivot, and it’s an excellent full body exercise. Make sure you have a solid kettlebell foundation before attempting this drill.

Pull & Punch

My most recent development. This exercise combines an upright row with a press and pivot. Works timing, power, pivot, focus, and torque. This one will have your heart pumping in no time!

Thai Knee Swings

This kettlebell exercise combines Thai-style knee strikes with a traditional kettlebell swing. It helps develop precision and power in your knees. It will also add new life to your kettlebell swings!

originally posted by onnit.com

Learn The New Way Of Protecting Yourself With Kickboxing!

Kickboxing is not an exclusive men’s sport. However, women can perform better in kickboxing with the help of the professional trainers. Boxing is art to protect yourself from attack.

byTriangle Cleanteama year ago6 Views

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1. Kickboxing is not an exclusive men’s sport. However, women can perform better in kickboxing with the help of the professional trainers. Boxing is art to protect yourself from attack. In different martial arts seminars Sydney world champions described kickboxing as the motivated form of martial arts. It is very important that you choose the right and authenticated academy to learn kickboxing.
   
   MMA kickboxing gym in Sydney is one of the popular academies having more than hundreds of successful students of different age group. Many women have joined to learn kickboxing. The training procedure has been divided separately and designed for men and women of varied age group. At very first, free hand movement and simple jogging, skipping are asked to do by trainer as warm up session. Kickboxing requires lots of energy and the whole body movement.
   
   Women of age group of 20 to 35 years have joined kickboxing personal training to shed their weight. 1-2 hours of kickboxing practice can help you reduce 200-300 kcal. Many satisfied customers have mentioned the fact that how kickboxing healed their back and neck pain. Continuous kickboxing moves and punches require lots of stamina and correct guidance. Make sure you have chosen the correct instructor who will make you a better learner. Kickboxing takes place in 2-3 rounds with a gap of 30-40 seconds in between. Simultaneous observation and actions enhance your logical thought process. So even outside the ring you will be more active and cautions.
   
   MAD is one of the best platforms for womens kickboxing training Sydney. Kickboxing trainer’s first aim is to make you fit from outside and inside too. Appropriate trainer will boost your energy and provide you guidance about the correct and healthy food habit. Sometime when you need to kick out your frustrations and stress; kickboxing is the perfect way to do that. The complete learning process will not only make you physically strong but it will also help you to win in hard situations. To give the right punch at the right place at the right moment. So join the martial arts training and starts kicking the anxiety out of your life!

Originally posted by storify.com

Muay Thai Vs. Kickboxing. What's The Difference?

For many people, Muay Thai and kickboxing are synonymous. But although the two arts are similar in some respects, there are significant differences between Muay Thai and kickboxing, especially if you’re looking into taking up one for exercise or self-defense.

What Is Muay Thai?

Muay Thai is at least a thousand years old, and was developed in Thailand. It has its roots in muay boran, “ancient boxing,” a series of techniques that were taught to soldiers to use when they were disarmed. Muay Thai grew into both a form of sport, with evidence of public matches dating back hundreds of years, and of self-defense (for both soldier and everyday Thai citizens).

During the 1800s and 1900s, Thai royalty modernized both the way Muay Thai was taught, and how matches were arranged.

What Is Kickboxing?

This brings us to the 1960s and 1970s, when kickboxing was first developed.

“Kickboxing” is a catch-all term for Indochinese fighting systems — such as Muay Thai — and the sports that grew out of these systems. Generally, when someone is referring to “kickboxing,” they’re referring to the North American version.

Originally called “full-contact karate,” kickboxing grew out of Japanese martial artists studying Muay Thai and related systems in the 1960s. Adding to the confusion is that Muay Thai fighters can — and often do — participate in kickboxing matches under different rules.

Practical Differences

Muay Thai and kickboxing are extremely different in three important ways.

1. Muay Thai is an “eight-point” fighting system while kickboxing is a “four-point” system. Essentially, this means that Muay Thai fighters can, and will use fists, feet, knees and elbows to strike. While most kickboxing systems will only use fists and feet.  Attempts to knee or elbow your opponent will risk in a disqualification.


2. The two sports have different approaches to clinch fighting and grappling. In Muay Thai, grappling is part of the art, and often when the knees and elbow strikes come into play. Kickboxing, especially North American kickboxing… Doesn’t allow grappling.  Similar to traditional Western boxing.  Any clinching will be quickly broken up by the referee.


3. Muay Thai allows as a sport, shin kicks and other kicks below the waist, although groin attacks are off-limits for obvious reasons of taste and sportsmanship, while North American kickboxing allows no attacks below the waist. These differences will lead some to argue that Muay Thai is more practical as a form of self-defense, but it is worth noting that kickboxing is largely taught as a sport, not a method of protecting yourself.

12 Tips To Become A Better Sparring Partner

The first time you start sparring can be extremely intimidating if you don’t know what to expect. Most beginners think of sparring as one step away from being in an actual fight. The better you are at sparring, the more success you will have in preparing for a fight. If you are only training muay thai to burn calories and get a cardio workout then sparring is optional and you should continue to have fun and enjoy the sport of muay thai.

However, if you actually want to get better at muay thai, sparring should be added to your training regimen. Sparring is designed to practice new techniques and reinforce the basics. It is used to help develop timing and recognition, both of which help you use your weapons in a fight. When an opponent recognizes how to win, those win’s will keep on coming. In order to get the most out of your sparring and training, be sure to follow these tips.

Tip # 1

Don’t Go 100% – I do not think it is a good idea for beginners to spar very hard. If you have a fight coming up, hard sparring can be advantageous; however, as a beginner start slow. Usually it takes one person to kick or punch really hard, then both parties start elevating the pace. The easiest way to tell if someone is new is usually when the person is going 100% trying to KO their sparring partner. Remembering that you are sparring to improve your technique, not to KO your partner. Sparring is teamwork and neither should be going 100%.

Tip # 2

Lose the Ego – You will hit and get hit. Accept it and be ready for it. Get over your ego. People who feel that they are too good to get kicked or punched are not in touch with reality. You are training in a full contact sport and if you are new to sparring and worried about looking bad then you are in the wrong sport. The only way to get better at muay thai is to get your hands dirty. The only way you will learn to block and punch and kick is if you get kicked and punched. Eventually you will learn to block those kicks and protect yourself from those punches. Having an ego will only get in the way of becoming a better fighter. You don’t want to be “that guy” in the gym that everyone is talking about after training and at the end of the day no one even wants to spar and train with you. You can only get better with the help of others. Be sure to respect everyone at the gym and be humble.

Tip #3

Look for Openings/Timing is everything– Don’t kick for the sake of kicking! Look for an opening in your opponents guard and try to exploit it. Throw a right kick and see how your opponent responds. You need to test the waters to see if you can find any weaknesses. After all, everyone has a weakness and it is up to the opponent to identify it and maximize this to his/her advantage. The more you spar, the easier it becomes to identify weaknesses and different styles.

Tip #4

Use Combinations – Once you get used to sparring you should start to try and put together combinations. Instead of throwing a low kick, why not throw a jab-jab-low kick? Remember that putting combinations together is much more effective at landing shots than throwing single attacks. Use as many combinations as you can in order to be more effective. Focusing on using your hands and feet together in the combinations. For example, you might try a jab-jab-left hook-low kick. It is always good to try and end a combination with a kick as it scores more points.

Tip #5

Create a Game Plan – Before every sparing session you should have specific things that you want to improve on. “My goal this session is to…” Try and select a few key things that you will focus on during a sparring session. For example, you might want to enter a sparring session to try and work on setting up your low kicks. During the session, focus on throwing that low kick after every punch. This is a great way to improve your kicks. Realistically, in a fight, you’re not going to throw that low kick after every punch but at least your body is use to certain combinations and there is no hesitation when you want to execute it.

Tip #6

Knowledge is Power – Ask for advice! After sparring with someone, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Think of it as a partnership. Your sparring partner is your teammate and you will grow if you work together to improve your game. This goes both ways, so don’t hesitate to offer tips and advice if you see something that the person can improve on. The more knowledge you have during training, the closer you are to becoming a better fighter.

Tip #7

Change your Sparring Partners – Don’t be afraid to spar different people. Variety is essential! Everybody has their favourite combinations and their own style. Sparring with different people will enable you to react and respond faster and easier the more you do it. As a beginner you want to go outside your comfort zone. Practice and train your weaknesses. Whatever you feel least comfortable doing…train it, so that it becomes second nature!  Make your weaknesses your strengths. Don’t be afraid to spar someone that is better than you. Often you will learn the most from people who are at a higher level. It’s easier to pin point your weaknesses when your game is elevated. Those old habits your trainer was knit picky about will come out during uncomfortable sparring sessions. A good fighter is able to adapt and respond quickly in a fight to different styles and use it in a way that will win.

Tip #8

Look for Trends– When you begin sparring with someone you should try and look for specific patterns you notice about their style. If they are a southpaw you will want to adjust your game plan. If they have heavy hands, you will want to make sure your guard is strong and look for the leg kick opening. Use that first minute of sparring to your advantage and see what combinations they keep on throwing. Knowing their strengths and favourite combos will help you better prepare for it the next time they throw it.

Tip #9

Relax – In Thailand you’ll often here the trainers say “Sabai Sabai!” This is a tip useful to anyone and is often the most difficult  when you start sparring. Try to focus on slowing down your pace with calming breaths. The biggest challenge is when people aren’t relaxed the body tenses up. All of a sudden your punches and kicks are slower and it is easier for your opponent to hit you. Before you know it, you feel as if all technique and training is forgotten. You’re not alone! If you’re mindful and conscientious of being relaxed you can practice and train your body to do what you want.

Tip #10

Stay Balanced – Hold your ground! Balance is an essential component of muay thai. One thing that you will notice with Muay Thai compared to other martial arts is that after every punch or kick you are back to your neutral defensive stance. This will ensure that you will always be in a good position to block and counter any attacks that you might receive when you are sparring. It is important to focus on always trying to maintain strong balance to put you in a position to counter or attack. 

Tip #11

Imagine Sparring is a Game – When you spar, pretend you are playing a game. You want to score as many points as you can without your opponent scoring points on you. You should also remember that in traditional muay thai body kicks score the most points, then knees, low kicks and punches. When you pretend you are playing a game when you spar, it will help you relax and focus on trying to do the right things. Sometimes we need to “trick” our brain or breakdown a task, so that the mountain only looks like a small hill. It’s easy for one to say “relax”, but it is more difficult to understand how to get the mind and body there. 

Tip #12

Have Fun – Sparring should be fun. There is no winning or losing. Sparring is a great opportunity to learn and improve your muay thai game. Chalk it up to experience! No matter how hard you spar with someone, you should always respect them at the end of the round. Don’t ever forget that you are sparring to get better.

Remember that sparring is about improving your timing, technique and footwork to prepare you for a real fight. It is the best way to simulate a fight in muay thai. The more you can practice these tips, the more success you will have in becoming a better fighter.

5 Tips For A More Effective Stance

The fighting stance is the most fundamental position that you will ever learn in any type of martial art. A proper stance allows for strong, effortless movement and an easy transference of force from body to extremity. Furthermore, having a good stance allows you freedom of movement that directly translates into the individual expression of the practitioner’s style. Whether you are a martial artist or an athlete of another physical discipline, there is no disadvantage in having a good stance. It will only make you a better at what you do. 

Frequently in the gym I see people sacrifice their stance in order to land a blow or to get a specific grip on their opponent.While it would seem to make solid sense to attempt such an action, remember the goal of combat is not just to hit your opponent at all costs. It’s to do so in a way that weakens their position while at the same time strengthening your own.

The stance is the starting position for all martial movement. I feel that the stance nowadays has lost importance in many styles of martial arts and combative sports. It is still taught, but within the student population there seems to be a lack of information as to why certain actions are performed. In order to perform at your best it is absolutely necessary to find, perfect, and understand your starting position. Can you imagine what would happen if you attempted a max deadlift without knowing how to properly secure yourself in the beginning of the lift? The same principle applies to martial arts and, for the sake of this article, muay Thai.

In muay Thai there are several stances you can adopt during your training. Everyone is built slightly differently and these differences will determine what is the optimal stance for you. I personally feel the stance you adopt should be the one that allows for maximum ease, fluidity of movement, and transference of force. 

The great Bruce Lee put it best: “The arms and kicking leg are important only because they are the vehicles of body force. They, the tools, only give expression to body force when the body is in proper alignment. The position of the hands and arms and of the legs and feet that facilitate easy body expression is important.”

Below are five tips that will help better your stance:

1. Foot Position

The feet are the most important factor in determining your balance. The more the martial artist can feel and control the position of the feet the better he or she will be at expressing intention (punching, kicking, moving, etc.).

The feet should be staggered and placed slightly wider than the hips (but for muay Thai no wider than the shoulders). The weight distribution between both feet should be fifty-fifty. Both feet should be angled slightly to the side and the knees should be facing in the same direction of the feet. Having the feet and knees aligned will minimize any leakage of force and provide a more stable base for the athlete. The rear heel should be raised with the weight placed on the ball of the foot. The elevated heel acts as the trigger for the majority of your striking arsenal and it allows your feet to be alert and move quickly. Never stand flatfooted on both feet as your movement can easily become sluggish.

2. Abdominal Tension and Hip Position

Whenever you are in a fighting stance you want a small amount of tension kept in your abdominal muscles. Also it is important that your pelvis be positioned directly underneath your shoulders. This will allow for a stronger defense, assist you in transferring force to your extremities, and improve balance by keeping your spine in an optimal position.

Take my word for it; you do not want to be hit in a relaxed stomach. Body shots have a nasty way of stealing the life from you, especially when they are met with zero resistance. Think of abdominal tension as your armor. Don’t go to battle without it! On a scale of one to ten, you want your tension level at around a two. This amount of tension will aid your movements but will not subtract from your ability to move or breathe effectively.

3. Arm Position

The placement of the fists, forearms and elbows is extremely important in muay Thai. Having these three things in the proper position can greatly add to you offensive and defensive capabilities.

The right (or rear) elbow and forearm stays close to the body and protects the solar plexus, the liver, and the ribs. Note: I said that the elbow stays close, but it is not glued to the ribs. Allowing the elbows to protrude an inch or two can discourage your opponent from kicking to the body as they may smash their foot into your elbow. That being said, do not flare your elbows out to the side and open up the ribcage. The right (or rear) fist stays close to the face and is positioned on the jaw or cheek bone. This protects the face and gives your fist the appropriate path to attack your opponent. 

The left (or lead) arm is placed slightly in front of the body to act as a first line of defense and offense. The forearms and elbows aid in protecting the solar plexus and the ribcage. Unlike the rear arm, the lead arm is going to be very active during combat and therefore should be placed away from the centerline. When finding your optimal arm position make sure the arm is not extended to far away from the body so that the position exhausts your shoulders and prevents the generation of force. The left fist should be held at nose level. This will help protect your centerline while not obstructing your vision.

4. Head Position

The position of your head it also very important in martial arts. A bad head position can lead to knockouts and broken noses. In every gym you will hear trainers yell at their students, “Chin down! Hands up!” The head should be slightly tilted forward with the chin practically glued to your collarbone. Keeping the head in this tucked position will aid in protecting your nose and the soft tissue of the eyes. Under no circumstances must the head move from this position.

5. Movement in the Stance

Even if you have the perfect stance, for it to be effective in combat movement must be introduced. Standing perfectly still is going to make you a sitting duck for your opponent. Moving targets are hard to hit. If you don’t move, your opponent could close his eyes and still manage to hit you square in the face.

There are many different cadences fighters can adapt and in my experience everyone has their own different “swagger” while fighting. To adapt a cadence, I recommend watching fighters you enjoy and take bits and pieces from their movement patterns to add to your own style.Whatever your cadence may be just make sure that it contains no rhythm (constantly repeated movements). If it does, it becomes easy for your opponents to time you with counter shots.

List of Knee Strikes

List of Knee Strikes - Martial Arts Techniques This section provides details and instructions for a wide variety of knee strikes. These techniques are effective for many close range self-defense situations. While knee strikes are not allowed in some martial arts sparringmatches for safety reasons, they are used extensively by many other martial arts such as Muay Thai. Given the short range of knee strikes (versus kicks and punches), this technique is often combined with clinching or holding your attacker so he can not escape and move outside the limited range of your knee strike. Self-defense targets include the an attacker's head/chin, ribs, groin, quad muscles, etc. For information on kicking techniques, please visit the main Martial Arts Kicks section. Knee Strikes - Videos and/or written instructions Diagonal Knee Strike Flying Knee Strike Front Knee Strike - The front knee strike is also known as a vertical knee strike. Jumping Knee Strike Knee Bomb - The knee bomb is a well known Muay Thai technique. Knee Thrust Round Knee Strike - A round knee strike is also known as a lateral knee strike, horizontal knee strike, etc.

How To Train The Roundhouse Kick

As I have stated many times in the past, the roundhouse kick is one of the most powerful techniques in the muay Thai arsenal. It also happens to be one of the signature movements of the martial art. So, if you are going to say you practice muay Thai, you need to take the time to get this technique down.

Through both articles and videos I have shown how to perform the kick, how to defend the kick, how to appropriately time the kick, andhow to counter the kick in various ways. Today, I will give you a template of how to actually organize a training session by utilizing all of these techniques.The workout provided should take about an hour to complete and should be performed with a partner.

Workout Part #1: Warm Up and Mobility

1. Mobility Work

First, perform a basic mobility routine for five to ten minutes so your body is ready for action.Watch the video below to learn about my fighter’s mobility routine:

3. Warm Up: Jump rope x 2 rounds

3. Shadow Boxing: 2 rounds

Remember the most important rule of shadow boxing - don’t be lazy! Move around, keep your hands up, focus on your stance, and throw a lot of kicks to get the hips loose. If you’re still warming up when you begin to shadow box, slowly introduce your lower body techniques as in the video below:

4. Heavy Bag Work: 50 kicks per leg

When kicking the bag, keep the bag moving and focus on timing the kick. Optimally, you want to strike the bag right when it reaches the center of the swing. When performing this drill, take your time to set up the kicks, but don’t hold back on power. To kick hard you have to kick hard - a lot. This drill should take about ten minutes to complete.

Workout Part #2: Drilling

This next section needs to be done with shin guards and gloves. Choose three counters to the roundhouse kick and drill them one person at a time, for one round each per person. Alternate partners each round. One person will defend the kick and perform the appropriate counter while the other attacks.

Said another way: Partner A will throw kicks for the first round, while Partner B defends with the selected counter. When the round ends, Partner A now performs that same counter, while Partner B throws kicks.

Appropriate counter techniques could include, but are not limited to: checking, catching, or parrying the roundhouse kicks. Keep in mind when performing the drills to stay active and move around. Don’t stand in front of each other like statues. If you are pressed for time, switch partners every half round.

Here is a video demonstrating three different counters to the roundhouse kick:

Workout Part #3: Thai Pads

3 rounds of Thai pads per person

During the pad work section incorporate all the elements of muay Thai: punch, elbow, knee, kick, and clinch - but make sure to pay extra attention to kicking. Keep the combinations simple and repetitive.

Workout Part #4: Sparring

Spar for 3-5 rounds

All protective gear should be worn during sparring. For this sparring session kicking and defending the kick is the objective. Use your timing, footwork, feints, and strikes to set up your kicks. Also remember to spar light and work with your partner. Learning is the goal, not smashing each other.