ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BUYING A BANANA BAG

By Randy Pilares

Perhaps the only "good thing" to come out of a world pandemic in which masses of people are locked down at home, is that searches for "best Muay Thai banana bags" are WAY UP on Google! 

Remember when you were still training at the gym? It was just a few weeks back but now seems ages go - an obvious effect of the lockdown that took effect everywhere.

At the time, there's a good chance you probably didn’t pay a lot of attention to the heavy back in the gym. Sure, you worked on it now and then, or when your trainer specifically instructed you to work on it. But chances are that you didn’t make it a top priority in training.

That's truly a shame, because the heavy bag offers a ton of benefits and advantages, for fight veterans and beginners to the sport equally. Let's break down everything YOU need to know before investing in a banana bag for home.

Advantages of Training with a Heavy Bag

A...

DELIVER KILLER ELBOW COMBOS WITH FLOWING EASE!

By Evan Lee

The elbow strike, along with clinching, is an art quite unique to Muay Thai. And, as you would expect, the Thais are the masters of it. However, despite it being a unique art, there will be quite a few things about throwing elbows that you will find familiar.

Surprisingly enough, the principles of punching apply very well to throwing elbows, just as the principles of kicking can apply to various knees. If you’re trying to add power into a rear-straight, you’re shifting your body weight from your rear leg to your lead leg. If you watch some knockouts with the horizontal elbow, you’ll notice the exact same thing.

If you’re uncertain about working on something completely new, and uncertain on how to practice your elbows, I recommend taking whatever principles you know of punching and applying them to elbowing.

But, of course, despite the similarities, there are some unique qualities that we...

TIPS ON HOW TO PICK THE BEST HEAVY BAG FOR YOU

By Matt Filart

If you’re being a smart person, you’re probably doing your best to maintain social distancing by spending most of your time inside your home. While this is the smartest and most responsible thing to do, it can suck as a Nak Muay who needs their training fix. This means a ton of us are looking to buy a heavy bag (if you weren’t already) to help give us our fix.

It’s easy to see why, since there are tons of different drills, strategies and tactics that you can practice with a bag of your own.

How To Use The Heavy Bag For Muay Thai (13 Best Tips!)

 TWO STYLES TO CHOOSE FROM

Bags are a great tool to have in a home gym and lucky there are a ton of options for you to choose from. That being said, a lot of options can also make it a bit overwhelming and you might not know where to start when you’re looking for one.

During your heavy bag search as a Muay Thai practitioner, you’re going...

THE MUAY THAI GUYS PODCAST: EPISODE 124

By Sean Fagan

If you want to achieve your goals, you need to make sure that every single thing you do is directed towards that goal! You need focused and intentional training! You can’t expect to make quick progress if you’re just working aimlessly.

If you want to quickly get from point A to point B, you need a map and you need to plan out your path! You don’t ever just hop into your car and think, “oh, I need to get to Costco… I’ll just drive around and maybe I’ll get there.” The exact same logic applies to training and anything else in life.

With that being said, that’s all we’re talking about in today’s episode of The Muay Thai Guys podcast. Paul and I are both very ambitious people. We’ve got our brands, we’ve got this podcast, we’ve got our fight careers, we’ve got relationships, etc. We are both OBSESSED with reaching our goals! Which is why we...

SMASH 'N DESTROY THE HEAVY BAG ALONGSIDE THE MUAY THAI GUY!

By Evan Lee

Aside from working on your basic combinations, it is also important to work on certain areas specifically during your punching workouts, kicking workouts, and so on.

Today we will be covering kicks specifically, which may not be fun if you like punching, but it should be. Kicks and punches have a synergy like no other. Just think of all the great Dutch fighters, like Rob Kaman, Ernesto Hoost, Ramon Dekkers, etc. They all mix their kicks and punches incredibly well together. They use kicks to open opportunities for punches and punches to open up opportunities for kicks.

Let’s look at Ernesto Hoost for example. He made the 1-2 and liver shot to low kick synonymous with the Dutch style. By forcing his opponents to commit their weight in order to defend against Hoost’s punches, they were unable to pick up their legs to check kicks. Likewise, when your leg is being kicked out from under you, you hardly...

5 RECOMMENDED MUAY THAI HEAVY BAGS FOR YOU & YOUR HOME GYM

By Matt Filart

With a pandemic forcing most if not all gyms to close,  Muay Thai heavy bag sales have gone through the roof. If you didn't have a heavy bag before, chances are you're looking into it now!

Thankfully, there are a ton to choose from. The different lengths, weights, brands, styles, how much you workout, and how easy it is to set up are all important things to consider when you are looking to buy a heavy bag. You might want the same bag that you have at your gym; you may want a heavier bag to practice your power on; you may want a bag that’s harder so you can condition your shins.  

To help you on your heavy bag buying journey, we’ve complied a list of five different heavy bags that are top of the line.

This article is only going to be talking about the standard type of heavy bag, so no double-end or uppercut bags here. Also, these heavy bags will all be prefilled....

NOT GETTING ANYWHERE WITH THE SAME, OLD HEAVY BAG ROUTINE?

By Evan Lee

The heavy bag is the most common and useful pieces of equipment you can find, yet it is one of the most misunderstood. 

If you’re new to the sport of Muay Thai and to striking sports in general, you will probably not understand the true potential of the heavy bag. Most of us see someone working the heavy bag and think you’re just supposed to hit it and no more. It’s just something to take our days frustrations out on. That is not the case. 

Sure, boards don’t hit back, bags don’t hit back, and the list goes on. But we’re going to pretend like it does. That is what the heavy bag is: it’s the opponent.

If you watch professional boxers work the heavy bag, they don’t just stand in one position and start slinging hooks. They work combos, they move in and out, they move side to side, they pivot. They treat the bag as if it were an opponent. If you...

WHY YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST TRAIN MUAY THAI IF YOU'RE OVER 40

By Randy Pilares

You just found out about Muay Thai.

In your eyes, it seems like the coolest and most exciting martial art that you’ve ever seen.

The many techniques involved, the power in the strikes, the balance in the fighter’s movements... All of that appeals to you and makes you want to start training right NOW. 

There’s one problem though: you are well over 40 years-old and therefore "too old" to start training.

Or are you? Is there really such a thing as being too old to start training Muay Thai? 

Age Is Just A Number - Even For Muay Thai

Sure, you’ve often heard of the saying that "age is just a number." That age should not limit you from pursuing your interests, whatever they may be.

That’s what you think when debating with yourself to take the plunge or not.

But Muay Thai is a combat sport, after all. Does the saying still apply to a martial art that is also...

THE MUAY THAI GUYS PODCAST: EPISODE #125

By Sean Fagan

If you have never trained in Thailand before, you MUST! Training in Thailand will be one of the best experiences of your life. And you will improve faster than you ever have before! 

I mean, Muay Thai is the birthplace and national sport of Thailand. What else would you expect, right? Most of the greatest fighters in Muay Thai all come from Thailand. Saenchai, Dieselnoi, Buakaw, Samart, etc. That tells you everything you need to know. If you want to be the best, you’ve got to train with the best. And the best are in Thailand! 

But in order to get the best of Thailand in terms of training and fights if you want them, you need to prepare some. There are many mistakes you want to avoid, but there’s also lots of acclimating you must do in your training. 

With that said, let’s get into it! In this episode, you will learn: 

• The difference between training in Thailand and elsewhere;
• The...

DO YOU MAKE THESE COMMON BEGINNER SPARRING MISTAKES?

By Evan Lee 

Sparring is the most important thing you can do to improve your fighting abilities. It is the closest thing to fighting itself and can be done safely if you follow the right rules and guidelines. 

Sparring is where everything you’ve done comes to the test. It will tell you what you’ve done well in training and what you must improve on. This will inform what your future training sessions and overall training focus should look like. 

However, when you are just beginning in the sport of Muay Thai and any combat sport in general, it can be very easy to get flustered and accidentally fight a bit too hard and aggressively. This is a quick way to get injured and lose every single sparring partner you have. You don’t want to be one of those dudes. 

Luckily, we are here to save the day. Sparring done poorly is terrible for you, but sparring done properly is the best possible thing you can...