Tips & Tricks — sparring

The teep is arguably the most effective and diverse weapon in Muay Thai. It has the longest range and can be used in a wide range of angles and power levels. Like the jab in Boxing, mastering the teep is a key component of success for most elite Muay Thai fighters. It's important to note the differences between a teep and front kick. The front kick relies on a flick at the knee to generate power, while the teep (or push kick) generates power by driving your hips forward and pushing through your opponent. You can flick at the knee...

After a while of regular training, it's likely you'll hit some sort of plateau which will frustrate you, make you question your level of passion for the sport and have you searching for ways to make it exciting again. This is common with any sport or hobby and you'll need to evaluate whether it's a genuine disinterest and not just a “wall”. If you believe it's just a wall, it could simply be a way that your body and mind are telling you to switch things up. By seeing this as an opportunity and embracing it, you can turn this...

Sparring can be some of the most enjoyable and informative parts of your training, yet it can also be the most stressful and painful. For beginners it can be incredibly intimidating and even the most veteran fighter can feel pressured when sparring at a new gym.  Nonetheless, sparring is essential for developing your Muay Thai skills, reaction times, conditioning and tactical thinking.   As such, it's important to have the right attitude towards sparring and abide by some “unwritten rules” which will help you maximise your sparring time and ensure you don't walk away absolutely beaten or injured.   Hit...

When you first start out in any full-contact martial art, it's difficult to embrace strikes coming your way without flinching, moving and/or blinking. It's a natural human tendency to want to avoid pain and be hesitant in the face of incoming strikes. Given the frequency of sparring and drilling in Muay Thai training, it's important to condition your mind and body to incoming strikes so you can make the most of such training methods. As such, it's important to build a high level of comfort with contact and develop your motor memory in such a way that it embraces the...

  There are some core styles that Muay Thai practitioners often get categorised into, however, that's not to say each individual can't be effective in more than one. Furthermore, the styles aren't necessarily fixed, so components of each can be merged into others to create unique styles.   It can take a while of practising Muay Thai before you feel comfortable with one particular style and a good way to find your comfort zone is through sparring. It's also a great way to build unique elements into your style and identify your strengths & weaknesses.   As such, there are...