REST & RECOVERY TIPS FOR THE MUAY THAI ENTHUSIAST

By Jillian Bosserdet

I struggle with rest. I like routine. Regardless of how I feel, my fight camps read like a schedule. My training sessions and meals are planned out perfectly.

During fight camp, every moment of my life revolves around my fight. If I get an injury, that’s just too bad. If I am exhausted, oh well.

I struggle to understand you need to give your body and your mind time to recover – that recovery is just as important as training. I equate unscheduled rest with personal inadequacy. I think:

I’m not good enough.

I’m too weak.

My opponent, she’s not resting.

Why would I?

Because we are different people – different fighters. We have different bodies, and different means of training. Needing a break should not equal failure.

We train in a sport that is tremendously stressful on the body and the mind. During fight camps, we train two – three times a day, and six...

Why “Training Like A Thai” Isn’t For Everyone

I get it, you’re in Thailand and you want to train as hard and as often as possible. You want to make the most of your time in the mecca of Muay thai and “train like a Thai” by putting in two intense training sessions a day, six times a week. There’s only one problem…

You’re not a Thai.

Now I’m not saying that you won’t be able to handle the daily grind of training that the Thai’s go through, I’m just asking the question, do you think it’s worth it?

Yes, you’ll be putting in the hours when it comes to hitting pads, punching the bag, clinching and skipping rope, but how many of those hours will you actually be focused on what you’re doing? Will you be benefiting from the amount of hours you are putting in, or will it end up being more detrimental to your technique and overall health?

These are serious questions to consider, even if you...