HOW TO HEAL BRUISED SHINS, SHIN SPLINTS & SPRAINED WRISTS

By Sean Fagan

Sorry to break it to you, but at some point in your Muay Thai career, you are going to get hurt.

This could be a common Muay Thai injury like a blister or black eye, or it could be more serious like a sprained ankle or broken bone. In any case, being mentally prepared for roadblocks and learning how to persist past these obstacles is key to any nak muay’s career and overall sanity.

Before I go into some of the most common Muay Thai injuries, I want you to understand that when you are injured and can’t train, it is not the end of the world! I have had minor injuries and serious injuries that have kept me away from the gym, but there are always other ways to improve yourself and stay productive that do not always have to relate directly to training.

Also don’t be a dumbass. If you are seriously hurt, do not try to push through more training sessions and risk getting injured...

10 TYPES OF MUAY THAI SPARRING PARTNERS YOU WILL ENCOUNTER

By Sean Fagan

Chances are you’ll run into a variety of sparring partners throughout your Muay Thai journey.

Some partners will be absolutely wonderful to work with because you’ll be able to sharpen your striking skills and not have to worry about being injured or knocked out. On the other hand, you’ll also run into a variety of sparring partners who will ENRAGE you to the point where your blood starts to boil and you have sick thoughts of knocking them unconscious… it happens!

In the most recent The Muay Thai Guys Podcast, Sean and Paul discuss 10 types of sparring partners that you will most likely run into if you are in the sport long enough. The original post the guys got this idea from comes from their friend Steven Kong of MuayThaiPros.com – you can check out the entire article here – here’s a brief rundown of what they discuss:

Click here or the...

AVOID THESE TRAPS WHEN TRAINING IN THAILAND

By Sean Fagan

Are you thinking about training Muay Thai in Thailand?

Do yourself this one favor. Before you head over to train at a Muay Thai training camp in Thailand, get an of idea of what to expect for the training and living conditions.

Training in Thailand is no joke and you have to do your research and be prepared!

Muay Thai training camps in Thailand provide Nak Muay (muay thai students) like yourself with the perfect venue to take your skills to the next level. By traveling to the home of this awesome martial art you will have access to the best teachers, great training partners and the most effective training routines.

Chances are it will mean training at an intensity that your mind and body are not used to. The initial adjustment period can be a bit of a challenge, but the potential payoff makes the hardships along the way worthwhile.

If you want to make training Muay Thai in Thailand a positive life changing...

The Muay Thai Guys Podcast – Episode 8

What characteristics separate an average fighter from a great one?

This is an age old question that can be answered in a number of ways. In this episode of The Muay Thai Guys Podcast, Sean and Paul discuss the top 6 traits they believe are the most important for becoming an elite fighter.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what they chat about during the episode:

Top 6 Crucial Attributes Elite Fighters Possess

1. Work Ethic – Are you putting in the hours at the gym when your opponent is resting at home? Or are you sleeping in on the days you’re supposed to do some road work? Without a focused, intense worth ethic, it’s going to be difficult to compete at the highest levels.

2. Consistency – It’s extremely hard to stay hungry when you’re dealing with personal issues related to work, family, and other relationships. It’s even harder...

Why you need to be kind of crazy to be a successful fighter

Wait. There’s an art to being crazy?

Fuck yea there is!

If you are a Muay Thai fighter, you have to admit. You are kinda insane.

You have a little section in your brain that most normal people don’t have. Most normal people wouldn’t want to push themselves to the physical and mental extremes that you do. Normal people wouldn’t make it through one of your training camps. Normal people definitely would not be able to fight a 5 round war in front of hundreds of blood thirsty fans.

In order to truly be successful, you need a healthy dose of ‘crazy’ as a part of your every day diet. Think about it, most successful painters and musicians were/are crazy, so why not you?

You are an artist too. You dedicate your life to a physical martial art that pushes you past your normal limitations and fears. Just like any painter, you start with a blank canvas when you enter the ring and it’s your job...

Muay Thai Diet Tips To Improve Your Training Output

The following post is by James B who works with professional fighters as nutritional coach.

NUTRIENT DENSE FOODS AND GREEN VEGGIES ARE AN IMPORTANT TO ANY ATHLETES DIET.

I saw a need to optimize the Muay Thai diet because there are a lot of people training and fighting at an elite level who don’t know how to eat to improve performance and recovery, or how to eat to cut weight properly. For some reason proper nutrition strategies get over looked in Muay thai and I’m here to put an end to it!

My philosophy for a fighter’s diet is simple: Plenty of fresh, whole foods. Clean air and clean water, combined with hard training and genuine rest.

In this post I want to show you some things you can do to change from an average diet, to a performance diet for athletes. These may seem like simple tips, but you’ll have to trust me – they give the biggest return for your efforts. These steps help fighters make...

How To Prepare For The IFMA World Championships and Other Muay Thai Tournaments.

The following is a guest post by James Bee who works with professional fighters as nutritional coach.

With the IFMA world championship games only weeks away, I hope everyone attending has been eating and training well. No doubt most of you have to meet at a weight class.

In this post I’m going to list the foods you should be eating and how to calculate your calories to get your weight spot on by the time you’re in Langkawi. With this goal in mind, you know you’re going to have to cut and monitor daily calorie intake. The strategy – consume all the nutrition you can get in as few calories as possible.

If you don’t need to lose any weight and just want to maintain your current weight, your formula for daily calorie intake is this:

To maintain current weight: Body weight in lbs x 13 Cal

IF YOU’RE IN BETWEEN THESE WEIGHTS, DO YOUR OWN CALCULATIONS,...

“Fighting is 90 percent mental, and the rest of it is in your head.”

The psychology of fighting has spawned more Yogi Berra-style quotes than I can count, but they all seem to agree on one thing: mental toughness is key.

Throughout the history of combative sports, certain fighters have found ways to “weaponize” their minds, using mental toughness to break their opponents in the way others use speed, conditioning, or technique. This article aims to give you tools to add this kind of psychological weapon to your arsenal.

In today’s special guest post, the Warrior Punch team offers up three psychological techniques you can use to build an iron mindset.

Whether you’re a boxer, nak muay, karateka, or a white-collar worker trying to build up the courage to ask for a promotion, these mental strategies will help you manage self-doubt, maximize performance, and find strength in scary situations.

1. Draw Strength from Your Skill; Trust Your...

How To Jump Rope For Muay Thai

Have you seen those videos of Mike Tyson jumping rope like a maniac or Floyd Mayweather skipping rope like an absolute ninja and swinging them around like nunchucks?

Most people think Floyd’s just being fancy and flashy with his jump roping like he is with his pad work, but what people don’t realize is that his skipping is part of what makes him such a great mover in the ring!

But how does this apply to Muay Thai? You’d be surprised.

If you’ve ever stepped foot into a Muay Thai gym in Thailand, you KNOW how big on skipping rope they are. It’s done so damn often. And there’s a good reason why it’s so important to them!

Skipping rope in Muay Thai is even MORE important than in boxing, because skipping rope, like road work, helps to condition your shins! It builds your calves and legs and gives you the strong base you need in order to deliver kicks and take kicks. If you want tough shins that can...

Everyone Should Know These KEY Muay Thai Sparring Tips, Drills and Strategies 

“The combatant should be alive in sparring, throwing punches and kicks from all angles, and should not be a co-operative robot. Like water, sparring should be formless. Pour water into a cup, it becomes part of the cup. Pour it into a bottle; it becomes part of the bottle. Try to kick or punch it, it is resilient; clutch it and it will yield without hesitation. In fact, it will escape as pressure is being applied to it. How true it is that nothingness cannot be confined. The softest thing cannot be snapped.”

– Bruce Lee

Getting nervous about sparring for the first time?

Make sure to read my 10 Muay Thai sparring tips for beginners – A checklist for your first spar!

Muay Thai Sparring Tip #1: Have A Game Plan

Way too often I see fighters go into sparring sessions without any sort of strategy. Most fighters just step into sparring without any tactics, strategies or...