Muay Thai Tattoos and Meanings

SAK YANT THAI TATTOOS: DESIGNS, MEANINGS & SPIRITUAL POWERS

By Sean Fagan

Ever wonder what the sak yant Muay Thai tattoos mean?

The meanings and spiritual powers of sak yant thai tattoos like the 5 lines, the tiger and hanuman are meant to give Muay Thai fighters protection, good luck, success, and other desirable attributes.

All sak yant Muay Thai tattoos are traditionally done by practicing Buddhist monks with bamboo needles. Using single bamboo needles takes much longer and is more painful than newer tattoo guns they use in most shops.

It’s bad luck if you get a sak yant Thai tattoo done by someone who is not a Buddhist monk and doesn’t use a bamboo stick. Plus, the bearer of the fake sak yant won’t be blessed with the supernatural or sacred powers it supposedly possesses. To get the full spiritual effect of any of Muay Thai tattoo, you must get it done the right way.

Sak Yant Muay Thai Tattoos and Meanings

Hah Taew

(5 Sacred Lines)

One...

Continue Reading...

6 Shin Conditioning Tips for Muay Thai

WANNA GET ROCK HARD SHINS? HERE'S HOW YOU DO IT:

By Sean Faganmuay thai shin conditioning tips

We’ve all heard the shin conditioning methods of kicking metal poles or using a rolling pin to beat your shins to a bloody pulp, but before you go out and shatter your tibia, you might want to consider other options when it comes to hardening your shins.

My goal here is to just keep it real. 

I know that you want rock hard shins that can kick throw baseball bats after a couple days of training, but that’s just NOT gonna happen.

The Muay Thai shin conditioning tips and methods below aren’t anything special or super hardcore, but they are definitely the best and most effective ways to turn your shins into bricks (not to mention, they are also safer than trying to kick down a redwood tree).

1. Be Patient, Persistent and Resilient

I know what you’re thinking –

“Really Sean? Is that your #1 best tip for shin conditioning?”

Unfortunately yes, yes it is.

Believe it or...

Continue Reading...

Workouts For Muay Thai

AUGMENTING YOUR WORKOUTS IS THE PATH TO NEXT-LEVEL MUAY THAI

By Andrew Bryan

Should you be in shape before starting Muay Thai... or will Muay Thai get you into shape?

While it can be helpful to already be in good shape prior to starting Muay Thai, training can also help get you into shape. The concept of working out for an already demanding physical activity may seem odd, but by adding sport specific training, you can improve your Muay Thai game and increase your physical fitness.

So if you’re wanting to take your Muay Thai to the next level, it’s time to consider augmenting your workouts (not including Muay Thai) by adding specific workouts to your training regime.

Hopefully you’re already doing pad work, drilling and sparring as part of your regular training schedule. Adding in workouts outside of your Muay Thai sessions can help improve your Muay Thai, make you fitter, get you ready for a fight, and overall make you more of a badass.

...
Continue Reading...

6 Facts About Muay Thai Weight Lifting

WEIGHTLIFTING POWERS UP YOUR MUAY THAI GAME

By Nick Spiegler

Traditionally speaking, people that train Muay Thai (some fighters in particular) shy away from weight lifting. A very common mindset and training approach is that a few sets of calisthenics is sufficient for strength development.

In the modern age, however, some pushups and pull-ups are not going to cut it. Proper strength training done in a smart and focused way will only serve to improve overall fitness and your fight game. If you want to get serious about lifting for your Muay Thai game, then you need to accept the following six points as true.

#1: Lifting Won’t Make You Any Slower

Believe it or not, weight lifting will not make you bulky and slow if you do it properly. However, a high calorie diet and lifting like a bodybuilder can make you add unnecessary mass and cause you to be slower in your movements. So eat the calories necessary for training and lift specifically to...

Continue Reading...

The Muay Thai “Grunt” – Benefits of Kicking & Screaming

THE BENEFITS OF MAKING WEIRD SOUNDS WHEN YOU PUNCH & KICK SHIT

buakaw kneeing pad training

By Sean Fagan
OOOSSSHHH!!!
AAAYYYYY!!!
HMMPPHHHHH!!!

Sound familiar?

If you’ve been in a Muay Thai gym long enough, you’ll hear a variety of these sounds throughout your training sessions.

When I first trained Muay Thai in Thailand, one of the most noticeable differences between the common farang and the experienced Thai fighter was the fact that every single fighter who hit the heavy bag or banged the pads would make some kind of weird ass sound every time they threw a strike.

You’ve noticed this too, right?

Even if you train at a Western gym, there’s always that one guy who hits the bag and makes awkward high-pitched screams every time he throws a kick… now why would anyone ever do that?

At first, I thought that grunting during training was super annoying and weird. I guess it’s similar to the way I used to feel about the Thai music that...

Continue Reading...

5 Unwritten Rules Of Muay Thai Sparring

THESE ARE THE UNIVERSAL SPARRING RULES

By Angela Chang

The bell rings and you touch gloves. Not much is usually exchanged during a round or even between rounds, at least not verbally. Physically, it’s a different story.

Sparring is a part of training and everyone who’s trained for at least a bit should be doing it. For those new to Muay Thai or combat sports in general, though, it’s important to know that there are some common ground rules when it comes to sparring – no matter where you are or who you’re up against.

SPARRING RULE #1: Big gloves are a must.

Perfect for sparring are gloves in the 14-18 ounce range. They have more padding in them so that even if you go hard, it softens the blow a bit. Wearing big gloves promotes a safe environment in which everyone can participate.

Lighter gloves are meant for hitting the bag or hitting pads. Do not crack a fellow teammate with those gloves. They can get seriously hurt (broken nose,...

Continue Reading...

8 Best MMA Fighters Fighting Out of the Philippines

THESE ARE THE BEST FILIPINO FIGHTERS IN MMA TODAY

By Blake Jeffries

Mixed martial arts (MMA) has truly gone global. Proof of this is how countries like Thailand and Malaysia are producing top-caliber MMA talent. But one country, in particular, is fast becoming an MMA hotbed. That country is the Philippines.

In light of that fact, here are eight of the best MMA fighters currently fighting out of the Pearl of the Orient. They are all still active, and will likely build their respective legacies even more.

#1: Brandon Vera

IMAGE CREDIT: Pinterest

Vera (16-7-1) is not only one of the best MMA fighters representing the Philippines today, he is arguably the country’s finest MMA fighter so far. "The Truth" is a veteran of 13 UFC fights and has wins over Frank Mir and Reese Andy.

Ironically, it was in a loss that Vera truly shined. In UFC 105, Vera pushed the great Randy Couture to the hilt before losing via a close decision.

A decade later, 41 year old Vera is still going strong....

Continue Reading...

5×5 Circuit Workout for Strength & Endurance

A COMPLETE WORKOUT TO BUILD BOTH POWER AND CARDIO

By Sean Fagan

To be a complete badass, you need to be performing solid workouts that will target power, strength, muscular endurance, cardio, abs and core, explosiveness, and mental toughness. Sound tough? Too bad. Time to work your ass off!

Welcome to The Funk and Flex MMA 5×5 Station Circuit – By Funk Roberts

This strength and conditioning workout is ideal for fighters, but also anyone looking for all-round fitness. If you want to be ready for anything life throws at you, this is your workout. That’s why this method of training is also ideal for those in the military.

This circuit is called the 5×5 Station Circuit because it involves making your way through five stations, in five minutes each. Pretty simple. At each station, you go through the listed exercises one after the other. You keep performing these exercises in rotation for five minutes, and then you move on to the next station.

...

Continue Reading...

10 Basic Muay Thai Combos For Beginners

NEW TO MUAY THAI? START WITH THESE SIMPLE COMBINATIONS

By Evan Lee

Wait? Isn’t this quantity over quality? Well, that depends on how you look at it.

Quantity is an often overlooked component of training. The focus on quality is often at the forefront of everyone’s vision. It makes sense, because by attempting to spread yourself across you will be spreading yourself thin, thus proving the inferiority of quantity. 

In what world, then, would it be sane to suggest that quantity rule over quality?

In one where mistakes can be made.

Training can often get stale when all you do is sharpen your own tools. When one is preparing for a fight, any mistake in training can be costly and throw off the entire training camp, the margins of error are thin. No room for no lollygagging up in this.

What about when you’re not training for a fight? That’s when the fun begins.

When you’re training for fun and to develop skills, that’s when you can throw everything...

Continue Reading...

Muay Thai Heavy Bag Workouts & Training Tips

THE BEST MUAY THAI WORKOUTS, COMBOS & DRILLS FOR THE HEAVY BAG

By Sean Fagan
buakaw heavy bag training drills and workouts

Doing intense, focused heavy bag workouts for Muay Thai is easily one of the most overlooked and under utilized aspects of training.

If used properly, the heavy bag is a super effective piece of training equipment for improving your cardio, power, speed, technique, focus, and movement.

All Muay Thai fighters should incorporate heavy bag training into their overall strength and conditioning workouts on a regular basis in order to improve overall fitness as well as striking skills.

Routinely using the heavy bag is something that I find most fighters don’t do enough of. And for the fighters that do use the heavy bag, they are usually making these common mistakes and end up not using it to it’s fullest potential and getting maximum results.

These are 5 of the most common mistakes that most Muay Thai fighters make while hitting the heavy bag. Fortunately there are ways to fix and...

Continue Reading...
Close

50% Complete

Get Exclusive Deals And Updates On Upcoming Muay Thai Vacations!