In Muay Thai, a powerful kick can be a fight-ending weapon.
Although I'm mostly a boxer, I learned about the power of kicks early in my career, especially in Thailand, where sharp, devastating kicks are celebrated as the hallmark of elite fighters. But achieving that level of power takes more than brute strength; it’s a combination of technique, timing, conditioning, and precision.
Let’s dive into the key strategies to take your kicks to the next level.
At its core, a strong kick is all about proper mechanics. The roundhouse kick, for example, should feel like a whip, with your entire body working in unison to generate force.
Start by pivoting your supporting foot, which allows your hips to rotate fully. Without this pivot, your kick loses power and leaves you off balance. Your shin should be the main striking surface, making clean and solid contact. As your leg swings through, engage your core and...
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...
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