Muay Thai

With the absence of something specific to self protection in my area (or whatever you want to call it) I have had to look elsewhere, unfortunately there isn’t that much choice close to me, no boxing, judo, mma, I did stumble across Muay Thai (http://www.kaizenmuaythai.com/, http://www.toddysma.com/welcome2007.htm) and I thought I would give it a bash.

The instructor Stephen Todd was very friendly and we got under way, it was a small class with myself, another guy, a father and son and also I was surprised to see two females as well.

We started off with some shadow boxing to warm up, this was interspersed with mountain climbers, we moved from hands to hands and elbows and then to hands elbows and knees. Also some mobility work, leg swings and hip opening drills.

Next we paired off for some pad work .

As far as I can remember it went like this

Jab, Cross, Hook, Cover, Double hook, Cross
Stop the elbow with one hand, left and right elbow, up elbow, power elbow
Left and right knees switching stances starting low and then working into the ribs
Roundhouse kick into the ribs and then into the thigh.

This was sometimes interspersed with 100 straight punches or uppercuts.

We then moved into a bodyweight circuit, it was timed work and rest one not sure about duration; we did it three times though.

Pushups
Star jumps
Crunches
Jumping lunges
Bicycles
Burpees

It went something like that!

We finished off with some core work, lots of leg raises, pulses, twisting crunches and I move I have seen from pilates called the hundred, it hurts!

Whilst we where doing our ab work the father and son battered lumps out of one another! Turns out the son fights thai boxing and the Dad is an ex amateur boxer who trains him in the sweet science, been at it a very long time so I’m told, I might ask him for tips! Chatted with the son for a bit, he has a fight coming up and I might go watch.




All said and done I thought it was really good, is it really specific? Maybe not but it’s good hard honest training, at the end of the day a punch is a punch and a kick a kick (did Bruce Lee not say that?) and the guys don’t seem pushy they just let you work at your level, a good bunch of guys and a good session,

I had my reservations about training in something that is essentially sport, after all my aims are rather limited to self protection, saying all that I wish I had done something like this sooner, yeah it may not be super specific but you have to make do with what’s on offer.


Will I be back? Your damm right I will be.

BUSTER