Training

Muay Boran IMBA training system. Develop powerful punches with the elastic band. Becoming a power puncher is a matter of proper training: knowing how to prepare the body of fighters through a series of well-balanced exercises is the duty of a Khru (teacher) worth of his name. One of the boxing-specific training tools that most […]

Iron post training for bareknuckle punching The most peculiar tool used by Muay Boran IMBA practitioners to condition to the highest level the hands (knuckles, edge of hand, palm), forearms (radial and especially ulnar bone), shins, knees and feet (forefoot and heel) is the iron post. Made of a metal core covered by a thin […]

The prearranged sparring system (i.e. the realistic execution of pre-arranged attacks and free or predetermined defenses and single or multiple counters) is traditionally used in Martial Arts in order to rehearse potentially dangerous techniques and strategies without risking the practitioners’ safety. Knowing in advance one’s partner’s moves allows providing adequate defenses while maintaining a high […]

The first basic exercise employed by Khru Muays to teach their students to bear pain is running: every thai boxer start to bulid up his fighting spirit by wearing running shoes and by hitting the road; up and down, fast and slow, they all pile up miles and miles to become real fighters. Next step […]

Muay Thai: body or head shots? by Marco De Cesaris Body or head shots? What is the best way to knock your opponent out during a fight? What kind of attack is more damaging? The question obviously offers a wide range of possible answers, mostly depending on the personal experience of who is answering. In […]

Solo practise of techniques of attack, defense and counterattack is considered one of the most important phases of a Nak Muay’s training and is expressed either in a series of free movements or in coded patterns, these latter commonly called Forms. In Thailand this practice takes various names, Ram Muay, which means Combat Dance, being […]

di Marco De Cesaris “The heavy bag must be hit with all the force you have: it needn’t sway, rather you should try to destroy it; only in this way will you have a KO strike in street-fights.” Jack Dempsey-World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. For many martial artists and athletes in every class, the bag has […]

Training drills with focus gloves are a basic tool for a thai boxer; through a correct use of this equipment a boxer will learn: How to correctly execute basic or complex punch and elbow single attacks or combinations. How to develop accuracy in striking, timing and a sharp sense of distance, working on a small […]

Thai pads work (Som Pao) Pao mitts are unequalled as a mean to refine the combinations of strikes and to increase the explosiveness of each attack; therefore, their use should be included in every Nak Muay’s weekly training routines. By hitting these tools on a regular basis with kicks, fists, elbows and knees, great explosiveness […]

Heavy bag training for punches Any fighter who wishes to reach a high level in his (or her) chosen Martial Art must devote a part of his daily training to bag work. In particular, the powerful punches needed to knock out quickly an opponent on the street or on the ring are forged mainly through […]

Pao Phasom Thai pads (Pao in thai language) are the most typical Muay Thai training equipment in use in all thai boxing gyms, together with a plethora of heavy bags, kicking shields and body protectors. Usually Thai pads are used by trainers in pairs of the same size; nevertheless, a very refined system of using […]

Shin conditioning Among the many typical training systems adopted by Muay Thai practitioners, shin conditioning has always been one of the most spectacular, especially for beginners who approach Thai Boxing for the first time. In the past, shin bones were hardened by hitting banana trees, in motherland Thailand, since those trees have a soft surface […]