KINESIO TAPE: DOES IT REALLY WORK FOR ATHLETES?

By Jessica Smith

REUTERS/MARCELO DEL POZO

If the colorful tape used at the Olympics caught your interest, then I am sure you must know about Kinesiotape. The vibrantly colored tape placed near the shoulder and legs by various athletes during their events is a form of therapeutic taping.

While an adhesive tape stuck to your skin hardly seems like an efficient remedy for aches and pains, many people claim that Kinesio tapes work miracles for athletes.

First, what is Kinesio tape?

Therapeutic taping has been in practice for many years now. Recent brands such as Kinesio popularized the culture with clever marketing strategies, which is the reason behind why we get to see athletes sporting these various colorful tapes.

Kinesio tape, made from light, thin and stretchy fabrics are often used by athletes to ease pain and enhance performance. The makers claims the tape reduces the risk of an injury by amplifying...

THE CONFUSING RULES OF MUAY THAI IN THAILAND

By Saks

This article is an attempt to try to explain the rules to watching a Muay Thai match. Now this is a feat that is quite more complicated than you would expect due to the evolution of rules which may, or may not be dictated by the current state of gambling in Thailand.

The Basic Rule Set

• A Muay Thai match consists of 5×3 min rounds with a 2 min rest in between rounds
• Each round is scored with a total of 10 points, which is accumulated for the total of 5 rounds to equal 50 points, unlike boxing where it’s scored in individual rounds.
• Points are scored according to clean strikes; punches, kicks, elbows, knees and sweeps.  Kicks, elbows, knees, sweeps, and a dominant clinch score more points than a clean punch, unless the punch results in a knockdown or does visible damage.
• When locked up in the clinch both fighters will battle for the dominant position.  When knees are executed in the clinch they must be...

TIPS & TRAINING STRATEGIES FOR YOUR FIRST MUAY THAI FIGHT

By Sean Fagan

So what do you do now?

How do you prepare yourself to step into a ring with somebody who has trained for months, if not years, with the specific goal of kicking your ass?

The answer is really quite simple:

DO WHAT YOUR COACH TELLS YOU!

If you train at a decent gym, chances are your coach has trained dozens if not hundreds of fighters for competition. All you have to do is listen to what he (or she) says. Every coach has his or her own way of doing things, but most of us follow a pretty standard formula. After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

A general rule of thumb is at least 20 hours training per week, or in other words 3.5 –...

THE MUAY THAI LEGENDS OF THE GOLDEN ERA

By Anton Kooshnir

Just one "Forgotten Legends" article was never going to even begin to be a tip (or should I say, Teep - Oee?) of the iceberg concerning the whole story about the Thai stadium scene in the beginning of the 90's. So after introducing the general topic of the series in the first article, we'll get straight to business this time.

1. Pongsiri Por Ruamrudee ("Rambo")

Every once in a while in Thailand, comes along a fan friendly slugger that puts butts in seats. In the early 90's, that man went under the nickname "Rambo", like the Stallone movie character.

Easily recognized by the "skull & bones" image on his shorts, Rambo was not quite the most successful fighter in terms of belts or the way in which a fighter is revered for his finesse and tactical mind, but nevertheless managed to become one of the most popular fighters in Thailand and one of the favorite fighters of the famous promoter Songchai Rattanasuban!

Rambo...

MAKING A CASE FOR 'MO AMATA' SOMLUCK KAMSING AS STRIKING GREAT

By Isaac Crichlow

Somluck Kamsing is one of the greatest strikers of all time.

His style is flamboyant, slick and effective, and as a result it has influenced many subsequent Muay Thai, Kickboxing and MMA champions.

He is probably best known in the West for winning a gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics, the same year Flyod Mayweather won a bronze. This indicates his high caliber as a striker, as he competed with boxers of the same pedigree as Mayweather, arguably the greatest of all time. Something tells me Floyd would not do as well in a Thai fight as Somluck did at boxing!

The reason for Somluck’s switch from Muay Thai to boxing was that he defeated most of the Thai boxing champions but was still denied a title shot by promoters. Fortunately for us, his fusion of boxing and Muay Thai created one of the most entertaining fighting styles ever. To best understand the combination of the two martial arts, it is...

SPRINT & BODYWEIGHT CONDITIONING CIRCUIT TO INCREASE EXPLOSIVE POWER AND ENDURANCE

By Sean Fagan

Are you constantly looking to improve your strength and conditioning in one aspect or another? Well, this intense Muay Thai sprint workout and bodyweight circuit is one of my favorite and best workouts to do that will help improve your anaerobic threshold, explosiveness and overall endurance.

It seems relatively simple (and it can be if you slack off) but it can really push and improve your cardio if you are able to perform the sprint workout with intensity and focus. This is what the entire exercise circuit consists of:

• 10 Pushups
• 10 Jump Squats
• 50 Yard Sprint (jog back to start)
• 10 Plyo Pushups
• 10 Jump Lunges
• 50 Yard Sprint (jog back to start)
• Repeat for 5 sets

Watch the workout video to see the sprint and bodyweight circuit in action:

Muay Thai Sprint Workout and Bodyweight Circuit 

If you enjoyed this...

THIS IS FOR MEN WHO DON'T KNOW HOW TO SPAR WITH WOMEN

By Pascale Fontaine

I feel it every time–wait, scratch that–I feel it every first time.

Whether it’s when they put their mouthpiece in and give me a snarky sideway look, ever so slowly put on their gloves, or just blantantly stare at my tits. Guys don’t particularly enjoy sparring with a girl. Or, at least until they know how much she can take.

Frankly, I can’t say I really blame them for it either. They can’t really go all out on me like they do each other and at 5’2”, I can’t say I’m very much of a challenge. So what’s a boy to do?

One of my favorite sparring partner is 6’3 and around 230 pounds. It’s an understatement to say we do not belong in the same weight class. Yet, he’s one of my best person to get a beating from. How so?

Because he knows not every sparring bout has to be a fight for the finish "I’ll rip...

SORE SHINS? CONDITIONING COMES WITH TIME

By Angela Chang

Take a trip down memory lane with me… You’ve just arrived at the gym for your first ever Muay Thai class. You walk in not knowing what to expect, but feeling excited at the same time.

You wait for class to start. The trainer tells you what to do as you warm up. You learn some basics for the foundation of your journey. You walk up to one of the heavy bags and, using what you saw on YouTube and what you just learned, you throw a kick at the bag. Suddenly, your shin and foot are burning with pain. The bag is soft to the touch, but it feels like you’ve just slammed your leg into a metal pole.  Class wraps up and you head home, sore as hell. You might have even woken up the next day with some bruises. You go back to the gym next time for more.

Days, weeks, months pass by. Now you’re kicking the bag as hard as you can and you don’t even flinch. What happened? Why doesn’t your leg...

AN INDISPENSABLE GUIDE TO FABULOUS FOOD FINDS IN THAILAND

By Angela Chang

Sweet, salty, sour, spicy, grilled proteins, peanut sauce… these are a few things we think of when we hear “Thai food.” Though most homemade Thai food is extremely healthy and features many herbs and spices, it is not so much the case when it comes to eating out.

Okay, so eating out at your favorite Thai restaurant back home is easy enough when you get the option of putting in and leaving out what you want into your noodle dish. But what about when you are actually in Thailand? What are the best options to get and stay healthy while you’re traveling through a country being surrounded by delicious food everywhere?

Let’s start with a few phrases:

"Little bit": nid noy นิดหนอย

"Oil": nam man นำมัน

"Little oil": nam man nid noy นำมันนิดหนอย

"Don’t add/Don’t put in": Mai sai _____  ไมใส

"Sugar": nam taan น...

OVERTRAINING & TRAINING SMARTER TO AVOID FATIGUE

By Angela Chang

Every athlete and fitness enthusiast has heard of the term “overtraining.”

People often confuse this term with feeling fatigued, but take note: overtraining is not as simple as that. Its consequences are quite sobering, especially for those who are serious about their progress.

Let’s take a closer look at overtraining and how you can best avoid its worst effects.

What Isn’t Overtraining?

It is not soreness. It is not being out of breath. It is not getting tired as you train.

These things are all normal and are signs of you stressing your body… which is a good thing! Stress is the only way your body can learn how to adapt and get better at whatever you’re doing. “Without struggle, there is no progress” – this rings just as true when it comes to training.

Overtraining is also not a bad session...