LOOK NO FURTHER FOR HEAVY BAG TIPS & PHILOSOPHY

By Matt Filart

This quarantine sucks for just about everybody, and us nak muays have the struggle of needing to get out training fix on top of that.

We’ve talked a lot recently about buying your heavy bag and on workouts to do once you get one or if you already have one. These are great to tide you over until gyms start to open up, but with every passing day, it seems like we are going to be waiting a while. This means that if you have your heavy bag or are going to get one, you two are going to get pretty acquainted.

But maybe you want to do more than just work out! Maybe you are a newcomer to Muay Thai and don’t know how to train on the heavy bag by yourself.

Well, don’t worry you’ve come to the right article. We’re going to go over some tips and ideas to help you get the most out of your heavy bag workout.

How To Train On A Muay Thai Heavy Bag

#1: Pace Yourself

It’s easy to see a...

3 HEAVY BAG OR SHADOWBOXING DRILLS TO BE MORE BALANCED

By Andrew Bryan

Balance is crucial in any sport. Muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, any sport that requires you to spend a significant amount of time standing on one leg -- these are no exceptions to the rule.

Today we’re going to be looking at how specifically to use the heavy bag to train and improve one's balance, along with modifications for when you don’t have access to your own bag.

Let's dig in. 

DRILL #1: Lomachenko Wide Stance Drill

The first and indeed most simple of these exercises is routinely performed by the greatest living boxer, Vasyl Lomachenko. Rather than hitting the bag in your normal fighting stance, instead stand with your feet an unreasonable distance apart -- at least twice shoulder length.

From this stance, we hit the boxing bag with all our usual arsenal (save for kicks and knees). We jab, hook and pivot around the bag like normal, and we try to use as much footwork as we would...

GUYS - CHEW ON THESE MUAY THAI SPARRING TIPS

By Evan Lee

What’s the quickest way to become the pariah of an entire gym? Being a terrible sparring partner.

If you’re training Muay Thai, you should be in it for the long haul. Every fighter knows that their time in the sport, like with any athlete, can be limited. And the time you spend in Muay Thai or any sport that involves head trauma can be even further limited if you train it poorly. You do not want to be that guy at the gym who everyone hates.

Think about how the Thais spar. There is no possible way Thais could have hundreds of fights if they sparred hard regularly (though there is a place for hard sparring). And if you’re somehow worried that avoiding hard sparring makes you less tough, remember that you’re in a sport where your job is to step into the ring with another person and try to knock each other out. That’s tough enough already.

However, even if you are sensible, it can still be...

SURVIVING & THRIVING IN THE MOTHERLAND

By Evan Lee

Training Muay Thai in Thailand is an experience unlike any other. Most people who train Muay Thai outside of Thailand think that they’re ready for the real deal, don't they? They think that "Muay Thai is Muay Thai" and ultimately, it doesn't matter where you pick up and master the techniques. 

Wrong.

Remember that in Thailand, Muay Thai is their national sport. If you’re not a full-time Muay Thai fighter, odds are that you will not be training at the same intensity and frequency in which your Thai counterparts train, which is to be expected. You wouldn’t expect to keep up with them in any Muay Thai workout anymore than you would expect a casual football fan keep up with an NFL player.

Of course, you want to be prepared when you’re training in Thailand. If you’re not maximizing every second of time you spend training in Thailand, then you’re losing out on training with...

A TRIO OF SHADOW BOXING WORKOUTS TO SWEAT TO

By Matt Filart

Recently, we’ve been talking a lot about getting your heavy bag and working out with them. A heavy bag is a great tool for any nak muay to have at any time, especially in times like now... but they can be expensive and you might not be able to set one up in the place you live.

This leaves those of us without a heavy bag with even fewer options when it comes to our solo Muay Thai training. This means that most of us are going to have to stick to shadow boxing to get our training fix. This sounds straightforward enough, but shadow boxing is, like most things in Muay Thai, a lot harder than it looks.

It takes a lot of focus and intent to shadow box correctly and to get a workout from it. This means it can be hard to start shadow boxing without a coach or someone else guiding you along, especially if you are somewhat new to Muay Thai.

So, to help you out we’ve compiled three of our best shadow boxing...

STORE-BOUGHT OR HOME-MADE, HERE'S HOW TO HANG YOUR BAG

By Randy Pilares

You’ve finally bought or made a heavy bag for your home workouts. Your excitement is through the roof! 

You can now train Muay Thai at home any time you want to.

Hone the basics...

Perfect your favorite combinations... 

Drill Muay Thai until you drop....

The mere presence of the heavy bag will seriously upgrade your Muay Thai training at home!

You got one slight issue before you can start enjoying all of that, though. You will need to hang the heavy bag first, and it is not as simple as it first seems.

Before you hang that beast up, there are a few things to consider:

Location, Location, Location

Once you have your heavy bag, the first thing you need to do is to find the perfect location for it. 

The location needs to be just right. A lot of things could go wrong if you happen to select the wrong spot to hang your heavy bag.

It needs to be an area that offers plenty of space for you...

SHADOW BOXING FOR ALL! NOT JUST FIGHTERS!

By Evan Lee

Shadow boxing might look silly to the layman (though not to the pro Muay Thai fighter).

"What good could punching and kicking at air be?" wonders the layman. Turns out... quite good.

If you’re a beginner to shadow boxing, just try it for a good ten minutes. You’ll be sore tomorrow, I promise you that. But there are more benefits to it than just building some muscle.

Shadow boxing is one of the best warm ups you can do before a training session. When you look at the warm up for any sport, it’s almost always just a lighter version of the sport itself. Basketball players dribble and take some shots; powerlifters bench, squat and deadlift; and Muay Thai fighters shadow box. If you want to warm up well for your sport, you need to use all the muscles involved in that sport.

But not only is shadow boxing a fantastic warm up, shadow boxing is also by itself a fantastic workout. Think about jump roping. All you’re...

THE MUAY THAI GUYS PODCAST: EPISODE #131

By Sean Fagan

Motivation is a substance. Did you know that? It's a real thing!

But it's nothing you can feel; nothing you can see, or touch, or weigh, or quantify easily. There's no such thing as "1 motivation" or "2 motivations."

You either have it... or you don't.

So how can something so nebulous be SO integral to a fighter??

That is what Paul and I are discussing today! It’s so easy in life to lose track of why you started doing something. When we’re having to grind every single day, it’s so easy to forget that you started doing this because you love it. That’s why Paul and I are here to talk about all that today.

Let’s get into it!

• Why Paul wanted to talk about motivation;
• Why we should be more afraid of complacency than fear;
• Balancing enjoyment and ambition;
• The importance of surrounding yourself with good people;
• The power of an arrogant belief;
• And much, much more...

What's YOUR Muay Thai...

LIGHT UP YOUR OPPONENT WITH SPEAR, STAB & SKIP KNEES

By Evan Lee

The knee is the hardest bone you can possibly throw at your opponent, and it’s powered by the strongest muscles in your body. In other words, getting kneed sucks, which is exactly the reason why we need to master our knees! Instead of the ones being hurt, let’s be the ones who bring the pain.

Think about the legendary Dieselnoi. He is the knee and the clinch specialist. He’s universally considered to be one of the best Muay Thai fighters ever and possibly the best Muay Thai fighter of all time (him or Samart). In fact, he was so feared that he was forced to retire because no one would fight him. That just goes to show how important knees are.

But you know what they say: "seeing is believing" - and the same is true for these KILLER Muay Thai knee combos!

KILLER Muay Thai Knee Combo & Technique Drill [Spear, Stab & Skip Knees]

KNEES: THE FISTS OF THE LEGS!

Just like Sean said in the...

TRY A NON-TRADITIONAL HEAVY BAG!

By Matt Filart

When do you opt for a specialty heavy bag instead of the traditional types? 

We’ve talked a lot about picking up your own heavy bag and awesome solo workouts to pair with your new home bag so you can scratch that training itch whenever you want.

Hell, if you want to, you can even make your own heavy bag!

But we haven't touched on a key question:

"What if I don't want the traditional style of heavy bag?"

Or maybe, you wonder:

"What can I add to my home gym to spice up my heavy bag routine(s)?"

Are there other options available?? In fact, there are! Here are 4 great options for non-traditional, specialty heavy bags. Which one makes the most sense for you and your training?

#1: RINGSIDE COBRA BAG

You've probably seen this one before, as vids of boxers working on it are popular on Instagram. The Ringside Cobra is mainly used to train the timing of your punches, your reflexes, and even your...