Muay Thai is a true combat martial art and the fights are exciting and wonderful to watch. But I can understand why people will be confused about how Muay Thai fights work.

I decided to research the internet to explain as simple as possible, everything about Muay Thai fights so you can best understand them.

Muay Thai has two fighters fight against each other in a boxing ring(maximum size 24ft by 24ft), each fight is either 3 or 5 rounds of 3 minutes and fighters can win by knocking their opponent out, the referee stopping the fight(technical knock out) or winning on points.

How Do Muay Thai Fights Work?

Muay Thai is a stand-up combat sport developed in Thailand, if you want to know more about the history of Muay Thai please check my post here. The sport is known as the art of eight limbs as you can use the fists, elbows knees, and shins, as well as Neck wrestling known as the clinch with various trips & sweeps.

Fighters can also catch kicks and off-balance their opponent with sweeps.

Before every Muay Thai fight in Thailand, both fighters must perform the pre-fight dance ritual known as the Wai Kru to pay respect to all their trainers in life and who helped them on their fight journey.

Before and during every Muay Thai fight, the rhythmic music known as Sarama is played to build a fight atmosphere which increases in intensity as the fight goes on.

If you want to know more about the Wai Kru Ram Muay & Sarama and other spiritual practices in Muay Thai please check my post here.

A Muay Thai will have two fighters facing off against each other in 3 to 5-minute rounds depending on the organization and if the fight is a championship fight. One championship for example has 3 3-minute rounds for a normal fight and 5 3 minute rounds for a championship fight with one-minute rest between each round.

Muay Thai Boxing Ring Size

The boxing ring is a square surrounded by ropes with the maximum size being 24 ft by 24 ft but again it varies by the organization. YOKKAO’s rings must measure between 4.9 by 4.9 meters (16 ft) to 7.3 by 7.3 meters (24 ft)

Thai boxing rings should always have safety in mind with the ropes, 4 corner posts, and ring floor covered with the appropriate padding and cushioning material to protect fighters from damage.

YOKKAO Muay Thai Boxing Glove Size

Fighters Weight	Boxing Glove Size
100 lbs- 126lbs( Mini Flyweight to Featherweight)	6oz
126 lbs up to 147 lbs (Super Featherweight to Welterweight)	8oz
147 lbs and above (Super Welterweight and above)	10 oz

Just like the ring sizes, different organizations have different rules regarding fighters’ weight and the prescribed boxing glove size. One championship has fighters fight with 4oz MMA gloves to make fights more entertaining as smaller gloves mean more knockouts

How To Win A Muay Thai Fight

You win a Muay Thai fight either by causing your opponent to be knocked out so he/she cannot continue to fight or by a technical knockout if the referee thinks the fighter cannot continue or win by points scored by judges after the 3-5 rounds are contested without any fighter being knocked out.

Just like in Boxing, if a fighter is knocked down they must get up within 10 seconds and show they can fight otherwise it is a technical knockout, if they get up the other fighter scores a knockdown which scores good points.

In a single round, if a fighter is knocked down three times, the referee will end the fight.

How Are Muay Thai Fights Scored?

You can see the official scoring system in WMC Muay Thai’s website here but the scoring will vary a lot depending on where you are, as different countries score in different ways with England scoring the most similar to Thai scoring.

I was told by Andy Howson in a zoom call that countries like France are notoriously biased towards their own fighters, so if your fighting in France secure that knockout!

Legally you can score with the following techniques, you can strike every part of the body aside from the groin, but there is more to scoring than adding up the number of strikes you have delivered to your opponent.

Legal Techniques To Score In Muay Thai

• Punches
• elbows
• knees
• kicks
• sweeps
• throws

What Is Muay Thai’s 10 Point Scoring System?

In Muay Thai the winner of each round gets 10 points whilst his opponent gets either 7,8, or 9 depending on how close the round was.

• 10-10 Is an even round
• 10-9 One winner and the following rules do not apply
• 10-8 One boxer was clearly dominant or the winner of a round with the loser being counted once in that round
• 10-7 One clear dominant winner with the loser being counted once in that round or one winner of the round if a loser has been counted twice in that round.

Unlike in Boxing which is scored in individual rounds, Thai fights are scored out of 50. Even if you down a couple of rounds the later rounds matter more where you can win on points

If both boxers are evenly matched they get 10 points each, a fighter who is excellent in all 5 rounds can get a maximum of 50 points,

Muay Thai Scoring Gives The Advantage To

• The boxer will strikes with Muay Thai weapons the most(elbows, kicks score the highest)
• The Boxer with the heavier and more powerful accurate hits on target
• The Boxer will make the other boxer more tired using Muay Thai weapons
• The Boxer who shows the better style of aggressive attacks
• The boxer who shows good defense using Muay Thai techniques
• Boxer who commits the least fouls

Muay Thai Scoring Not Giving The Advantage

• Boxer who violates any rules with his Muay Thai weapons
• A boxer whos strikes get defended by their opponent’s arms or legs
• A Boxer who hits light without any power behind their strikes
• If a Boxer kicks their target at their leg is caught by the opponent and he/she is swept, the kicker will score a point, if he pretends to fall off the floor(violation of rules)
• Throwing an opponent on the floor without using Muay Thai techniques

How Muay Thai Judges Score Aggression

As Muay Thai is a combat sport aggression is the most important factor when winning a round. Points for aggression are based on how many clean strikes the fighter lands with power and accuracy.

It doesn’t matter what direction the fighter is going, forward sideways, or back as long as he/she is striking effectively.

Generally, kicks, elbows, and knees will score the highest but again this is different depending on where the fight is taking place and the organization. What matters the most is the strikes land clean without being blocked for maximum damage and maximum point-scoring.

The judges will judge a powerful strike on various factors.

• If a strike makes your opponent wince or grunt after taking a powerful hit
• If a strike makes an opponent off balance and forced to balance themselves with a step
• If a strike or sweep completely unbalances the opponent and they hit the ground
• Or if a strike knocks an opponent to the ground and they are forced to take 10 count

According to the rules, it is wise not to appear hurt when your hit even if you are, as this looks bad to the judges, especially if you get knocked down get up as soon as possible as the referee can stop the fight at any time giving you an instant loss.

How Muay Thai Judges Score Ring Generalship

Ring generalship refers to a boxer’s ability to manipulates space and positioning and decide where and how the fighting is taking place. It is second only to landing clean powerful strikes in Muay Thai scoring

Points are given on how effective a fighter can dominate his/her opponent, controls the action, and makes it awkward for their opponent. You must control the pace of the fight if you want to score for ring generalship.

For Muay Thai, ultimately it is a game of hitting and not getting hit, so showing all your skills in defensive, evasion, and counter attacking is pivotal.

In Muay Thai this means checking kicks, slipping and blocking punches, and utilizing your footwork and long guard to make your opponent fight at your own fight pace. Stopping your opponent landing any clean strikes is crucial.

How Muay Thai Judges Score Pure Aggressiveness

Pure aggressiveness refers to a fighter who forces the action and controls the pace and makes the opponent back up, it is similar to Octagon control in the UFC. It is the least important aspect of Muay Thai scoring.

Whilst pure aggression points add up, dealing with the most damaging clean strikes whilst avoiding taking damage are the most important criteria for winning a Muay Thai fight.

This is why you will see the most aggressive fighter lose, as yes they might be forcing the action and marching forward, but they also are getting hit the most and even if the other guy is retreating if he isn’t getting hit whilst dealing damage himself then he will win.

What Are The Muay Thai Rules?

In a Muay Thai fight, there are 3-5 minute rounds with each round lasting 3 minutes with a two minute rest period in between rounds. Unlike in Kickboxing, there are no deciding rounds if the fight ends without a clear winner.

If you want to know exactly what are the differences between Kickboxing and Muay Thai please check out my post here.

• Thai boxers must wear boxing gloves not weighing less than 6 ounces(172 grams), the gloves cannot be changed from their original shape
• Shoes and shirts are prohibited for male fighters
• Only Muay Thai shorts can be worn on the ring and they are usually colored red or blue depending on the fighters corner, although pink and Maroon are acceptable in YOKKAO competitions
• Boxers must wear groin guards to protect their groin
• A gumshield is not mandatory 
• Boxers cannot wear shirts or shoes but an ankle guard is allowed
• Boxers can wear a sacred headdress known as the Mongkol only during the pre-fight ritual known as the Wai Kru, and it must be removed before the fight.
• Metal or any equipment that can harm the opponent cannot be used.

What Are The Muay Thai Ring Rules?

1. Size. The ring must be a square with each side having the following dimensions. Small size is 20 feet(6.10 meters), the large size is 24 feet(7.3 meters) measured within the ropes
2. Floor And Corner. Must be well made without any barriers with a minimum extension outside of the ring at least 3 feet (91 cm). The minimum floor height should be 4 feet (1.22 meters) with a maximum height of 5 feet(1.48 meters) from the floor of the building. The corner posts should have a diameter between 4-5 inches(10-12.7cm) with a height of 58 inches(1.47 meters) from the ring floor. Every post must be properly cushioned for the safety of the fighters
3. Ring Floor. The floor has to be padded for protection with either soft cloth, rubber mat, or similar material with a minimum thickness of 1-5 inches(2.5-3.7 cm). The padding has to be completely covered by a canvas cloth
4. Ropes. Must be 4 ropes with a diameter between 1.2-2 inches(3-5cm) connecting to all four corner posts. The distance between the ring floor to the lower rope is 18 inches(46cm) the 2nd rope 30 inches(76cm) the 3rd rope 42 inches(107cm) and the last rope 54 inches(137 cm). Each rope has to be cushioned by soft material. Each rope will be joined together by two cords of 1.2-1.6 inches (3-4cms) in diameter with equal distance between each other
5. Ring Steps. At least 3 steps are required, with the width of each step being at least 3.5 feet(1.07 meters). One step is located at each corner and a third step is positioned in the center for doctors and other officials
6. Plastic Bin. Located the fighters corner for disposal of tissues, bandages or any other waste products

Muay Thai Ring Accessories

1. Break area at both corners.
2. Two drinking water bottles and two spray bottles. No other type of bottle is allowed ringside.
3. Two towels.
4. Two bowls of water.
5. Tables and chairs for the officials.
6. Alarm bell.
7. One or two stop clocks.
8. Score sheets.
9. Locking box for keeping the score sheets.
10. One set of round indicators, signs, or boards.
11. Two pairs of spare boxing gloves.
12. One spare set each of red and blue boxing shorts.
13. Groin protector with one or two ties.
14. Two cloth squares to facilitate a groin protector change or adjustment.
15. Stretcher.
16. Blunt edged scissors.

Muay Thai Boxing Gloves Requirements

1. Boxers must use gloves certified by the WMC Executive Board per the regulations and provided by the stadium manager.
2. Glove usage will change depending on the competition as some organizations like One Championship use 4oz gloves, but the following are general Muay Thai recommendations

Weight Division	Glove Weight
Mini Flyweight – Junior Featherweight	6 ounce (132 grams)
Featherweight – Welterweight	8 ounce (227 grams)
Junior Middleweight and upwards	10 ounce (284 grams)

To prevent people tampering with the glove, the weight of the leather cannot be more than half of the gloves weight, including the inner cushioning which should be in good condition.

Muay Thai Rules Bandages

Only soft material is allowed with plastic or similar plastic types are banned. The size must be 2 inches x 6.5 yards (5cm x 6 metres). Whilst you can use adhesive tape at 2.5 cm x 2.5 metres this is only allowed for covering the back of the hand and not over the knuckles.

What Is The Muay Thai Dress Code?

• Only boxing shorts can be worn with the color changing on the corner. red, pink, or maroon or with a red stripe for the red corner; blue, bright blue, black for the blue corner
• A groin protector must be worn and tied at the back
• No long hair or beards are allowed, a short mustache is fine but the hair cannot extend past the lip
• The Mongkol is only worn when performing the Wai Kru before the fight has started. Amulets may be worn on the arm or waist and be covered by material to avoid injury
• Elastic bandages are allowed on the arm or legs to prevent sprains, but you cannot insert a shin guard
• Cannot wear any metal decoration of jewelry
• Cannot gain an unfair advantage using vaseline or fat
• Can wear ankle bandages to protect the feet

If any of the dress code rules are breached this could result in disqualification if there is an issue is with the Boxing gloves the referee can suspend the fight until the issue has been sorted

Muay Thai Weight Divisions

Weight Division	Maximum Weight
Mini Flyweight	105 lbs (47.727 kg.)
Junior Flyweight	108 lbs (48.988 kg.)
Flyweight	112 lbs (50.802 kg.)
Junior Bantamweight	115 lbs (52.163 kg.)
Bantamweight	118 lbs (53.524 kg.)
Junior Featherweight	122 lbs (55.338 kg.)
Featherweight	126 lbs (57.153 kg.)
Junior Lightweight	130 lbs (58.967 kg.)
Lightweight	135 lbs (61.235 kg.)
Junior Welterweight	140 lbs (63.503 kg.)
Welterweight	147 lbs (66.638 kg.)
Junior Middleweight	154 lbs (69.853 kg.)
Middleweight	160 lbs (71.575 kg.)
Super Middleweight	168 lbs (76.363 kg.
Light Heavyweight	175 lbs (79.379 kg.)
Cruiserweight	190 lbs (86.183 kg.)
Heavyweight	190 lbs+ (86.183 kg.+)
Super Heavyweight	209 lbs+ (95 kg.+)

If you want to know more about all of Muay Thai’s rules check out the official Muay Thai councils website here.

How Long Are Muay Thai Fights?

Muay Thai fights are sanctioned for 3-5 rounds 3 minutes per round, with a 1 to 2-minute break between rounds. This differs depending on amateur fights or fight promotions with variations like 2-minute rounds, 3 round fights, and 1 minute rest time between rounds.

At the highest level of Muay Thai, in the internationally recognized Muay Thai stadiums, Lumpinee and Rajadamnern fights are 5 3 minute rounds, with a 2-minute rest between rounds.

Generally, Muay Thai fights will last 35 minutes for 5 rounds including the rest periods between rounds and 29 minutes for 3 rounds.

What Are Muay Thai Fouls

You might think everything is allowed in Muay Thai but that isn’t the case, you could be guilty of committing fouls in your gym that you weren’t even aware of! I know I was.

Muay Thai Fouls

1. Biting, eye-poking, spitting on your opponent, head butting or even sticking your tongue out to make funny face is a foul
2. Using Judo or Wrestling techniques by throwing,back-breaking or locking your opponent’s arms
3. Falling over or attacking a fallen opponent who is getting up, or grabbing the rope
4. Using bad language during the fight
5. Not listening to the referee
6. Knee striking at the groin area, the referee has allowed a resting time-out of no more than 5 minutes long, if the knee struct boxer doesn’t want to continue the referee will declare hi the loser or make a “no decision”
7. Catching the leg and pushing forward for more than 2 steps without using any weapons, the referee will order the boxer to stop and give him a caution. after two cautions the referee will give a warning
8. Pretending to fall after your kicking leg is caught, as this is taking advantage over his/her opponent and he will be cautioned by the referee. If the boxer does it again and the referee has given 2 cautions the violated will receive a warning
9. When both boxers fall out of the ring, and either boxer tries to delay getting back into the ring
10. Using forbidden substances as specified by WADA
11. Violating any of the rules

How To Watch Muay Thai Fights?

Unlike other sports like Soccer or Basketball, there isn’t one super Muay Thai organization, the most elite stadiums are the Lumpinee Stadium and Rajadamnern Stadium both located in Bangkok.

I will discuss where you can watch fights both online and offline so you can enjoy all the fights you could ask for!

Where To Watch Muay Thai In Thailand

The best place to watch Muay Thai is the motherland of Muay Thai, Thailand itself! Bangkok is the number one Muay Thai destination but you can watch Thai boxing pretty much anywhere in Thailand

Where To Watch Muay Thai In Bangkok

• New Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. Stadium, Sports Center. …
• Rajadamnern Boxing Stadium. Stadium, Sports Center. …
• Siam Boxing Stadium. Stadium. …
• Channel 7 Boxing Stadium. Stadium, Sports Center. …
• Bangkok Boxing Stadium. Stadium, Sports Center. …
• Rangsit Boxing Stadium

Where To Watch Muay Thai In Chiang Mai

• Chiang Mia Boxing Stadium
• Thaphae Boxing Stadium
• Anusarn Boxing Stadium
• Loi Kroh Boxing Stadium 

Where To Watch Muay Thai In Phuket

• Bangla Boxing Stadium
• Rawai Boxing Stadium

Where To Watch Muay Thai Online?

Thai TV channels(Channel 3, TV5, TV7, etc) will broadcast Muay Thai events pretty much every day, and all these channels have their dedicated websites where they broadcast live streaming of Muay Thai events.

However, trying to access these Thai websites with internet outside of Thailand will result in a very slow internet connection, with some Thai TV channels the streaming will be reserved for people in Thailand only.

The best solution relies on using a VPN(a virtual private network) such as Express VPN(link to the site) a VPN is a software that tricks other websites into thinking you are in a different country; so you can stream Thai boxing with a perfect connection and no problems at all!

Alternatively, there are TONS of Muay Thai fighters available for free on YouTube! Organizations like YOKKAO and One Championship frequently upload Muay Thai fights.

Even better One Championship always streams their fight cards for free! Just subscribe to their YouTube channel here and you will see a notification whenever they go live, so you can watch fantastic Muay Thai fighters like the current MMA/Muay Thai atomweight world championStamp Fairtex and Liam Harrison go at it.

And it’s LIVE!

Interested in Muay Thai? Check Out My Recommendations

Looking For Gear To Use When You Train?
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Muay Thai dates back to the middle of the 16th century with a deep spiritual history with various different spiritual practices, one such practice is the Muay Thai dance.

What exactly is the Muay Thai dance and why do Muay Thai fighters do it before they fight?

The Muay Thai Dance or the Wai Kru Ram Muay is a pre-fight ritual used to warm up and stretch and for fighters to pay respect to their teachers and other people who helped them on their fight journey. “Wai” is a Thai greeting and “Khru” is teacher, “ram” means dance, and “Muay” means Boxing. 

However, the Wai Kru Ram Muay is only one part of the deep spiritual practice of Muay Thai,. To truly understand it you need to understand the rich history of Muay Thai and know why Thai fighters wear headbands(Mongkhon) and armbands(Prajied).

Are you ready to find out?

What Is The Wai Kru Ram Muay?

The Wai Kru is a pre-fight ritual performed by fighters before fighting in Muay Thai competitions. The style of the Wai Khru has even spread to muay Lao(martial art) in Laos and pradal serey(martial art) in Cambodia where it has local names.

As the Wai Khru exists in pretty much all Thai performance arts from Thai traditional music to classical Khon dancing and other Thai fighting arts such as Krabi krabong(sword fighting) it is important to understand Thai culture itself and the meaning behind the words Wai Khru Ram Muay.

Meaning Of Wai In Thai

The traditional gesture used to show respect in Thailand is called”Wai” and is used for both hello and goodbye and the following other uses.

• Apologizing
• Thanks
• Praying
• Showing general respect

You perform a “Wai” by slightly bowing your head with your hands pressed together covering your face in prayer. The higher your hands compared to your face, and the lower the bow your more respect you are giving.

Meaning Of Kru In Thai

Kru is the Thai form of the Sanskrit word for “Guru” meaning teacher. For Muay Thai your teachers refer to anyone who has to given you the skills that you have now, this could be your current Muay Thai teacher or ones in the past.

In the words of Kru Yadtong Sınanan a world reendowed Muay Thai grandmaster who has coached countless fighters over the years, your Kru is anyone who has helped you on the path and in your Wai Kru, you pay respect to all teacher in your life, not just in Muay Thai.

Meaning Of Ram Muay In Thai

Ram is the Thai word for classic “dancing” with Muay meaning “boxing”, so Ram Muay means the dance of boxers or boxers dances. The Ram Muay is used as both a stretch and a physical and mental warmup before the fight.

Every fight camp and teacher will have their style of Ram Muay, some will be very complex whilst the others are quite simple. Fighters with different teachers and different regions in Thailand or countries Ram Muay will all be unique, as a way to express their own unique backgrounds and roots.

The dancing is important physically, mentally and even artistically and everyone’s Wai Kru will be different even those from the same gym/teacher.

You might think the Wai Kru is a Buddhist custom but you would be wrong as it does not conflict with any other religious beliefs the Thai boxer has.

Certain Muslim fighters, particularly in the south of Thailand and Malaysia(high Muslim population), will perform the Wai Kru by wearing their Mongkol(headband) on top of their Keffiyeh which is a traditional Arabian headdress

If you want to learn more about why Thai fighters wear headbands and all the Thai pre-fight rituals in more detail, please check out my post here.

In Thailand you perform the Wai Kru otherwise you cannot fight, and performing the Wai Kru poorly is seen as an insult to both your fellow fighters and your gym, so it should be treated with the utmost respect.

What Is The Yang Sam Khum? (Muay Thai Shuffle)

This part of Wai Kru looks like normal footwork in a fight situation, it is also called the three steps movement.

To perform it, stand in your fighting stance and in time with the music step forward lifting your forward foot and then return it to the floor, after the move a few steps forward and then lift your back leg forward and do the same in the other stance and then repeat the movement, see the above video for an example.

When you step in from your back leg it will almost look like a checking a kick as you raise the knee as you step. Yang Sam Khum is very useful in a fight situation as you can gain distance between your opponent quickly and safely.

What Is The Sao Noi Pa Pang? (Wai Kru Sitting)

The Sao Noi Pi Pang happens around the middle of the Wai Kru when the fighter is sitting down. The whole movement is mimicking a young maiden who applies talcum powder near a riverfront Thai legend.

The dance starts walking along a river, followed by bathing in the river(hip opening) and then applying powder to the face, which you can see in the above video. Noog Toom the legendry transgender Thai fighter (see more here) popularised this version of the Wai Kru.

What Is The Hong Hern? (Swan Dance)

This is a modern aspect of the Wai Kru and will be seen in many gyms across Thailand with slight modifications. In the dance, the fighters will move to each side of the ring, and whilst standing on one leg and stretching they will do movements mimicking a bird flapping its wings.

You can see the legendary Muay Thai fighter Buakaw perform the movement at 5:12 in the above video.

What Is The Pra Ram Tam Gwang? (Arrow Mimicking)

This movement is a homage to the Hindu epic when Rama the hero of the God Vishnu kills Marchica a demon with a bow.

The movement has a lot of kneeling with bringing the hand to the brow to shield your eyes from sunlight to get a better clean shot of the imaginary animal. You mimic the drawing of arrows, stringing them into your boy, and then fire.

In 6:59 you can see Buakaw missing three times which is common in the dance, certain people when performing the Pra Ram Tam Gwang after missing a shot will even get closer with their opponent playing along and reacting to the arrows! The last arrow will always hit, and then the fighter will return to his/her corner.

How Do You Do Wai Kru Ram Muay?

1. Began by entering the ring from your corner, and whilst keeping your right hand on the top rope make your way through the ring in a clockwise direction
2. Stop at each corner and slightly bow 3 times, here some fighters will say a prayer whilst others will just tap the ring padding and move on. This is where the Wai Kru is unique to your style
3. Circle the ring 3 times with your hands by your chest this is where you can do the Yang Sam Khum if you choose to do so
4. Walk to the center of the ring and perform a “Wai” to give respect to your teachers in life, here certain fighters will not bow the whole way, see Namsaknoi in the above video as he doesn’t fully bow as he is of the Muslim faith, in a traditional competition you will face both sides of the ring but with TV constraints fighters don’t have enough time
5. After making your way towards the center of the ring, face the crowd on each side and your Wai Kru is finished!

If that sounds confusing, please watch the above video to get a better understanding on how to perform the Wai Kru Ram Muay.

What Do Muay Thai Fighters Wear On Their arms?

The Muay Thai armband called the Prajiad traditionally is blessed by a monk to give good luck and confidence to the fighter. Typically they are made out of material from a close female family member’s clothes like a mother’s dress. In modern times gyms outside of Thailand have used the Prajiad as a ranking system, similar to a belt in Karate.

The history of the Prajiad and the headband Mongkohn(headband) dates back to ancient battle-worn Thailand when Thailand was called Siam.

Fighting was very common during this period and Thailand was constantly at war such as the Burmese-Siamese wars(wiki link) fought between the 16th and 19th centuries; this is where Muay Thai developed as an unarmed combat system on the battlefield.

The ancient Siamese warriors had their unique pre-fight rituals that involved usually female family members tieing bandana like cloth around their heads and arms before heading to battle, to bring good luck and protection to their sons & husbands before going to war.

The rituals are the same today but instead of going off to battle, the Prajiad and Monkohn are protecting the fighters from injury during a Muay Thai fight. Muay Thai is rich with spiritual history and these practices have barely changed for 100s of years.

Certain fighters will wear one Prajiad whilst others will wear two, traditionally they are kept in high or well-revered places as if someone steps on, or steps over the Prajiad, or drop the Prajiad it will lose its mystical power.

In some gyms in Thailand but mostly in the west Prajioud is used as a ranking system similar to belts in traditional martial arts, with white being the beginner level and black being the highest level you can achieve, see the above video by Flaviboi to see how he is using the Prajioud.

Now, this has nothing to do with the culture of Muay Thai, but the practice has been adopted by Muay Thai teachers to encourage their students to reach a goal and achieve a certain level in Thai Boxing as Muay Thai does not have a ranking system as since it’s a combat sport you do your talking in the fight!

If you want to know more about why Muay Thai doesn’t have a ranking system, and how other ranking systems work in different martial arts, please check my post here.

Never wear your Prajiad whilst training as you should only wear it before and after a fight. Prajiad has become very mass-produced so if you want a genuine one you need to go to Thailand where a monk can create one for you and bless it.

Remember if you go to Thailand always treat the spiritual objects with deep respect, even if you don’t believe in the mystical aspect as it is the respectful thing to do.

NEVER put a Prajiad on the floor, step on it, play with it, or disrespect it in any way. Otherwise, you will lose face with your trainers and gym partners and maybe even get kicked out of the gym!

What Do Muay Thai Fighters Wear on Their Head?

The Muay Thai headband known as the Mongkol, or “Mongkhon” is blessed by a monk or Rusei(shaman) and is traditionally worn by fighters before they enter the ring and taken off by their trainer before they perform the pre-fight dance ritual. It is meant to protect the fighter and bring good luck.

Why Do Muay Thai Fighters Wear The Mongkhon?

Traditionally the Mongkhon is blessed by a monk or shaman and is only worn during the Wai Khru(pre-fight dance ceremony) which is meant to show respect for the fighters teacher, family, and the art of Muay and Thailand as a whole.

When the Wai Kru is finished, the fighter will return to this corner, and prayer is whispered between the main coach and assistant coach with the Mongkton being removed before the fight and hung near the corner of the room u high up; as the sacred headband must be kept high to the ground and never pass under the ropes or between the ropes before entering the ring.

This is why male fighters must step over the ropes before entering the ring with the Mongkhon worn. The Mongkhon will be placed on the male’s fighters head by the trainer before he enters the ring, over the top ring ropes.

For women, it is forbidden to wear a Mongkhon as it brings bad luck, and traditionally women should enter the ring by going underneath the ropes. Unfortunately Muay Thai still carries with it a lot of sexist traditions but it’s important to still respect these traditions if you train in Thailand.

Although the attitude towards women doing Muay Thai is changing and certain Muay Thai schools will allow the women to wear a Mongkhon and perform the Wai Kru.

You can see the young Thai fighter Jodie McCarthy performing the Wai Kru whilst wearing the Mongkhon in the video below.

In Thailand, you will only receive a Mongkhon from your coach if you’re a fighter, and when he/she believes you have trained hard enough and can represent your gym with complete honor and respect.

Fighters wear Mongkhon to pay respect to the coach, their gym, and the practice of Muay Thai itself and to pay gratitude for following the fighter through the difficult journey of preparing for a fight.

Individual gyms and training camps have their own unique Mongkhon that is blessed with the spirit and strength of the gym and the master instructor. It is worn on the head as the head is sacred in Thailand and blesses the fighter with good fortune and luck in their fight.

History Of The Muay Thai Headband

The history of the Mongkol Buddhist tradition dates back to ancient battle-worn Thailand when it was still called Siam. Fighting was very common during this period and Thailand was constantly at war such as the Burmese-Siamese wars(wiki link) fought between the 16th and 19th centuries.

The ancient Siamese warriors had their unique pre-fight rituals that involved tieing bandana like cloth around their heads before heading to battle.

The Mongkol has many legends about how it was made even including a method using a live snake! This is from the book page 70 of Muay Thai: A Living Legacy that you can purchase from Amazon via the link here.

… when the selected snake opened its mouth, its tail was rammed down its own throat, forming it into a circle, in which state it was placed in the sun to die and dry for seven days and nights. The Mongkok was then woven around this shape.”(p. 70, Muay Thai: A Living Legacy)

p. 70, Muay Thai: A Living Legacy)

Thailand and Muay Thai have deep spiritual roots and whilst the Mongkok snake origin cannot be proved or disproved it showcases the importance of magic in Mongkol’s history, it does also make sense because of the string shape of a Mongkol.

The mongkol was usually made of cloth or talisman from. a loved one like a mother and was blessed by a monk and supposedly filled with memories of their loved ones so they come back safe from battle.

The incantations purpose such as Gam Baan Nak Muen” which meant “the clenched-fist weighing many thousands” blessed the fighter with power and luck in preparation for battle.

The siamese warriors blessing each other created the tradition of the master created the Mongkol to pass it to their students. This is continued to this day with modern Muay Thai preserving the tradition.

Muay Thai is very closely connected to the modern history of Thailand mainly due to King Chulalongkorn’s interest in Muay Thai. You can read more about the history of Muay Thai here.

The Mongkol is still important in Muay Thai culture not only for Buddhist fighters but also for fighters from other religions. Different religions have separate methods of putting power into the Mongkol to provide strength and protection.

Certain Muslim fighters, particularly in the south of Thailand and Malaysia(high Muslim population), will place scrolls of verses from the Quran inside the Mongkon. This will wear their Mongkol on top of their Keffiyeh which is a traditional Arabian headdress

What is The Mongkol Made Out Of?

When Thailand was still called Siam the Mongkol was usually made out of hair from a loved one or pieces of material from a treasured piece of clothing like a baby’s birth towel, or the bones of a fighter’s ancestor. Occasionally Mongkol will be blessed with sacred amulets.

Traditionally a Mongkol will always be something personal and venerable to the fight, you can see on page 69 of Muay Thai a living legacy.

strand of [the fighter’s] father’s hair or even a thread from [one’s] mother’s paa-tung (sarong) used at the time of [one’s] birth.”

p. 69, Muay Thai: A Living Legacy)

In the west, birthing clothes are not that common, but a Mongkon can be made out of any piece of clothing that’s personal to you or related to your family like a mother’s dress.

Tiger Muay Thai(their website) one of the best Muay Thai Gyms in the world, Mongkon has a sacred tiger amulet woven into it and was blessed in the Wat Chalong temple located in southern Thailand.

Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu a Muay Thai fighter had her Mongkol made from her mother’s skirt fitting the Thai tradition. They shredded the skirt into strips and twisted the strips into cords to wrap around the tubing at the center of the Mongkol which gives the structure and shape.

You can see Slyvies’s beautiful custom made Mongkol in the video below

What is Muay Thai Music Called?

The Muay Thai music known as the Sarama is rhythmic music that is played during Muay Thai fights and the pre-fight ritual known as the Ram Muay. It is performed by four musicians playing either one or two kinds of flute, a pair of Thai drums and symbols. The Sarama is to build a fight atmosphere and increases in intensity a the fight goes on. 

I will briefly explain the main four instruments used in the Sarama.

What Is The Pi Java? (Javanese Clarinet)

Coming from India it is also be called the Pi Kaek. It has been changed a lot since the original version by the Javanese(wiki link). The sound is high pitch and perfect for a Muay Thai fight.

What Is The Klong Kaak?

The Klong Kaak is a set of two drums, with one drum making a high pitched sound called a male drum, and the other makes a lower-pitched sound called a female drum.

The drum is around 58 centimeters long, with the bigger drum called “Narai” having a diameter of 20 centimeters and the smaller one called “Nathan” having a diameter of 18 centimeters.

The drum is covered with special material, and there have to be two drums for the Sarama, players will place the drums on their laps and use both hands to create the rhythmic beat

What Is Ching?

Ching are symbols made of brass or iron connected with a piece of string to keep them in place. They are small but in the Sarama they are the leader of the band.

Shaped like a teacup or a hollow cone, they are played by being hit together, the diameter of each one is 5.5-6.5 cm.

What Is Kong Mong?

Kong Mong is a drum that comes from the south of Thailand, and like the Pi Java is used to create action and increase the pace of the fight.

Thai like other Asian languages have names that come from how the object sounds, Kong Mong comes from the sound the instrument makes namely the “Mong” sound.

In ancient times the Kong was used to announce what time it is almost like a clock, but Thai and Indian culture in general, have had gongs and drums in their music for a very long time.

If you want to see photos of all these instruments and learn more about them, please check out this post by muaythaifighting.

What does Nak Muay mean in Thai?

If you are a Nak Muay you are someone who practices Muay Thai. Western Muay Thai fighters are called Nak Muay Farang which means “foreign” boxer Muay Thai is a fighting art that involves all 8 limbs being used, fists, legs, knees, and elbows and has standing wrestling known as the clinch.

A Nak Muay is not to be confused with Nak Muay Nation which is a vast selection of online muay Thai training videos and e-books available as a one-off purchase or on a subscription basis by Sean Fagan aka the Muay Thai guy on Youtube.

If you want to know more about Nak Muay Nation please check out the review here or go to Sean’s official website right here.

Interested in Muay Thai? Check Out My Recommendations

Looking For Gear To Use When You Train?
If you are interested in training Muay Thai, here is some of the gear I recommend: Best Mouth Guard Best Gloves Best Shorts Best Shin Guards
Want To Learn To Fight, But Don’t Want To Go In Person?
CoachTube has online training videos for Boxing, Karate, MMA and more. And best part is you can do it all from your home allowing you to go at your own pace. Check them out here.
Interested In Training Other MMA Fighters?
Click here to check out the MMA Conditioning Association and see what you need to become an MMA conditioning coach and begin training fighters.

I know losing weight can be difficult, but luckily for you, Muay Thai is a fantastic way to lose weight, and I’ve seen people at my gym shed the pounds after only training for a short while.

In this article, I will explain everything you need to know about losing weight with Muay Thai so you can fast track your progress to becoming a new you! Excited? Let’s get to it!

How To Lose Weight With Muay Thai

You Must Have A Good Diet

Even if you train 90 minutes every day 7 days a week if you’re eating more calories than you consume, you CANNOT lose weight so mastering your diet is key to effective weight loss.

Remember this is the key to achieving effective weight loss

The calories you eat must be less than the calories your body needs to keep the same weight

How To Lose Weight

Your body must use fewer calories than you eat eating to lose weight, it is simple as that. If you don’t know how many calories your body needs to maintain your weight, don’t worry you will find out shortly.

How To Calculate Your Bodies Maintenance Calories

We must understand how many calories your body needs to maintain it’s current weight, and aim to eat around 200-500 calories less than that number for fat loss.

If it all sounds confusing, don’t worry, I will go through the whole process with my weight so you can understand it.

Everyone’s body will be different, you can use a BMR(base metabolic rate) calculator located down below to get a rough estimate, but it will not be accurate as you need time to eat at those specific calories and see how your bodies adjust.

If you find you’re not losing weight at that number, simply reduce the calories if you find it’s too difficult then eat more than the number and THEN reduce the calories.

1. Calculate your BMR(link to calculator)
2. Look at the graph in the calculator and see what activity level you are
3. Subtract 200-500 calories from that number
4. Eat those calories for a week and see how your weight adjusts

For me, my age is 25 and I weigh 170 pounds, and my BMR which is the calories my body needs to function is 1,802 which is pretty accurate.

I exercise daily so my maintenance calories according to the calculator are 2793, and considering I eat 3000 calories a day to gain weight so far the calculator is accurate.

However, if I wanted to LOSE weight I would do 2793(calories based on my activities levels) and -500 calories giving the calories I need to lose weight to be 2293. Just do the same for yourself and you will have your rough estimated daily calories you need to lose weight!

Remember if you haven’t started to train Muay Thai yet, your BMR will be far higher when you start training as Muay Thai is such intense exercise.

You must increase your calories to match your activity level if you start training, as fewer calories aren’t better as your body can go catabolic and start eating itself; stay -500 calories of your BMR to lose weight in a sustainable healthy way

How To Count Your Meal Calories

Okay so you have your number, for me hypothetically it is 2293 so how do you go about calculating it? The best way is to use a precision kitchen scale such as this Nicewell Food Scale from Amazon(link to best price).

Weigh your foods than either search the food in a database like nutritionix(link) or the much easier way to use a food app like myfitnesspal and simply scan your foods bar code to add your calories automatically!

Watch the above video to get an easy tutorial on how to count your calories using a scale, the guy is using a cup measuring set, you can buy the U- taste cup set on Amazon right here.

I recommend getting a more quality set as they are fantastic for easily measuring out portions and I find the cheaper plastic sets break easily.

Now you can follow the easier option of counting your calories by guessing without measuring as this is what I do.

However, you need a lot of experience to understand how basic calorie counting works before you do this method.

Stick with the weighing method for at least a month before you start guessing as even being wrong about 100-200 calories a day could make you not lose weight! As underreporting calories is a big factor by overweight people who struggle to lost weight as seen in this study.

Meal Plan

Okay, so you know how many calories you need to lost weight, and how to measure your calories either by guessing or even better-tracking foods using a scale. Now, what?

Having a structured meal plan is the best way to lose weight, as your ensuring you are eating good calorie-dense foods that not only are very filling but are packed full of protein and other micronutrients your body needs to be healthy and lose weight, without sacrificing muscle.

Thai fighters typically eat the same food that most Thai people eat, usually a meal with rice with some protein, which could be beef, chicken, or fish with a lot of green veggies, nothing special; but this is exactly the meals you should be eating to lose weight.

Either watch the above video by Jeremy Either on the best science-based diet for weight loss or read this article by Healthline on the best 20 foods for weight loss. But I list some of my personal best foods for losing weight.

Best Muay Thai Foods For Weight Loss

• Lean Beef & Chicken
• Fish(salmon, Tuna, Tilapia)
• Cruciferous Vegetables(Cabbage, Broccoli, Kale, etc)
• Whole Eggs
• Whole Grains(Oats)
• Boiled Potatoes
• Nuts
• Avocados

You need to set yourself up for success, and not buy highly processed foods like cookies or even orange juice. A general rule is the more processed food is the worse it is for your body.

Carbs are everyone’s worst enemy for weight loss, and I see this with my mom who has lost a lot of weight but is struggling now become of her high carb intake; things like bread, pasta, and baguettes are the worst offenders.

Look at several foods that you like in the above article or the above video, and make a daily meal plan out of those foods and try to get to your estimated calories.

Say, if you need 2000 calories to lose weight, fill those 2000 calories with healthy calorie-dense foods that you enjoy! Do not eat foods you don’t like, as this is difficult to stick to.

Don’t think of these changes as much as a “diet” as they are a life choice, you should be keeping up with this healthily eating forever for maximum benefits, so make sure its sustainable by eating foods you look forward to eating!

How To Track Weight Loss Progress

Every day eat just under your maintenance calories that you found out using the above calculator to measure progress weigh yourself every day and keep a track of that weight, then divide all your weekly measurements by 7 to get an average weight for the week.

I will give you an example, these are my weekly numbers when I weighed myself 168.4,169.9,169.4.168.4,169,170.3,169.4, I add all these numbers together and then divide by 7 which gives me 169.4(my weekly weight).

If you do this every week you will see your weekly weight and if you need to increase or decrease calories, you should stick between 1-2 pounds of weekly fat loss for optimal results. I wish you luck!

Notes On Muay Thai Weight Loss

• 3500 calories= 1pound of fat loss, if you are in a -500 calorie deficit you will lose 1 pound of fat a week!500×7)
• You should lose roughly 4 pounds in one day after dropping calories, don’t worry as this is all water weight!
• The more body fat you have, the easier losing fat is, the leaner you are the more difficult fat loss is
• You should lose between 1-2 pounds, depending on how much fat you are
• If you don’t lose weight after 1 week reduce your calories by 100-200 and try again, make sure you’re adding your calories up properly and include sauces!
• Lifting weights or doing Muay Thai strength training will help retain your muscle if you don’t strength train some of your weight loss will be muscle as well as fat.

Muay Thai Training To Lose Weight

Now if you haven’t joined a Muay Thai gym please do as you cannot truly learn by yourself. Check out my post here on the 12 ways Muay Thai gets you into shape if you need more reasons to train, but if you really want to learn Muay Thai by yourself check out my post on the topic here.

Assuming your already training Muay Thai at least 2 times a week, the following tips will help you take your fat-melting Muay Thai routine to the next level!

Train With High Intensity

Muay Thai burns calories like no other martial art, burning roughly 600 calories per hour!

But this is only if you’re giving the class 100% of your power, are you guilty of talking during your training session or being late, and skipping the early warm-up(I’m guilty of this) then you won’t be burning as many calories as you should be.

Everything from your stamina and your Muay Thai performance will increase if you really go all out in your training, every time you feel you can’t push harder really ask yourself can I do more? I’m sure your body is capable of a lot more than you think it is.

Remember you will only burn 600 calories per hour if you put in the right intensity, if your not part of a Muay Thai gym and still want a fantastic Muay Thai workout, check out the above conditioning video.

Do Light Cardio 2-4 Times A Week

I have written about the 12 reasons why Muay Thai gets you into shape and doing low-intensity cardio like jumping rope or running is excellent for improving your heart function(aerobic system)but also for burning calories!

Jump rope, in particular, is phenomenal for losing weight, a 200-pound person jumping rope for 10 minutes will burn 196 calories! Check out this article here on the benefits and my recommend jump ropes here on Amazon.

In Thailand, the jump rope is stable for conditioning and cardio and it isn’t hard to see why!

Now cardio is not enough for weight loss as 80% of your results will come from your diet, but what cardio does, is it gives you a buffer and allows you to overeat and enjoy more foods than if you were super strict with your diet and have to count every calorie to lose weight.

I recommend jumping rope for your cardio or running as you can do them both anywhere and jumping rope also works your footwork which is key for Muay Thai.

Even if you jump rope for 20 minutes 3-4 times a week this will have a big impact on maintaining a negative caloric state combined with a good high protein diet with good healthy fats and unrefined carbs.

I believe anywhere from 2-3 times a week or more is ideal to lose weight with cardio, depending on your diet, fitness goals, and your Muay Thai training regime.

Someone preparing for a fight will have a very different cardio schedule than an obese person who is trying to lose weight, so everyone’s cardio regime is different.

If you train in Thailand expect to run twice a day a rough estimate being one 3 miles (4.8K) run in the morning and another 3 miles (4.8) run in the evening. You will notice most Thai fighters are super lean with no extra fat on them, and this is partly due to they’re intensive training.

I think the Thai style of running might be a bit too much but the point is it’s important to regulate your weight and improve your cardio but also strengthening the mind doing something you don’t want to do.

I have lost a lot of fat exclusively to diet but on a recent cut I lost fat at a far quicker pace without counting calories by doing HIIT(high-intensity interval training) with a jump rope 4 times a week and it made a big difference on how much fat I lost in even less time!

Do HIIT(High-Intensity Interval Training)

For the most effective weight loss possible, there is no substitute for HIIT training, check out this study on why it is so effective.

A typical HIIT workout will have you working from 30 seconds to 3 minutes of anything between 80-100% of your maximum heart rate with a short rest period usually the same as your working set that decreases the better your cardio. So if you skip for 30 seconds as hard as you can, rest for 30 seconds.

Click here for a heathline article on the 7 benefits of HIIT training but the article stated the following about a study on HIIT and fat loss.

a study found that people performing HIIT three times per week for 20 minutes per session lost 4.4 pounds, or 2 kgs, of body fat in 12 weeks — without any dietary changes

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-hiit#section4

If your short on time I think HIIT is fantastic for weight loss in Muay Thai, check out the video above of Jump Rope Dudes for a fantastic workout that burns a whopping 700 calories!

Fighters will do HIIT style cardio such as hill sprints, circuit work, sprints for increased performance. Whilst you could argue traditional low-intensity cardio like jogging will burn more calories in the long run as you could run for 60 minutes plus, I think HIIT is a far more effective use of your time if you’re trying to lose weight with a busy schedule.

Start Strength Training

Strength training using weights or your own body weight(calisthenics) as resistant training is good for losing weight as it will not only increase your muscle and your strength but also help you burn more calories.

The more muscle tissue you have you more your body burns calories as your BMR will be a lot higher naturally, you naturally you can eat more and still lose weight!

Think if you have two individuals and they both weigh 190 pounds but one is 10% body fat and the other is 25%, the BMR of the person with 10% body fat will be higher than the other person as he simply has a lot more muscle.

Check this study here on how weight training during caloric restrictions makes maintaining a lean body mass that much easier.

For Muay Thai you should train functional movements that will benefit specific parts of your Muay Thai game. Pull-ups will be fantastic for Muay Thai with high carry over to the clinch, whilst bicep curls? Not so much.

Weight training helps prevent muscle and strength loss during a fat loss phase and will help you to build a lean healthily sculpted physique.

The issue with just losing weight is you must just become skinny fat(skinny with a belly) but with weight training, you will look and feel a lot better after your weight loss.

If you don’t have access to a gym? No problem as bodyweight exercises such as pushups, squats, burpees, and many other exercises you can do from the comfort of your own home, is more than enough to promote good muscle growth.

How Many Calories Do You Burn In A Muay Thai Class?

Muay Thai burns around 600 calories per hour, if an average Muay Thai class is 90 minutes you will burn 900 calories per class. However, is this accurate? Many variables need to be considered.

What Affects Calorie Burn In Muay Thai Class

• How much you weigh
• Your sex(men burn more calories than women)
• Lean Mass Vs Fat mass
• Your fitness levels(as you become better at specific workouts your body becomes more efficient so you burn fewer calories)
• Level of intensity(from light, medium to heavy)

There is no way to know as all these factors will have a big impact on how many calories you burn, and each class will be different. The best way would be to use a fitness tracker like a Fitbit (you can view one here on Amazon).

Track your average calorie burn and make an average to get a rough idea of how many calories you burnt. Or you use a heart rate monitor like this Polar H10 on Amazon to understand how many calories you burn.

Even better use both fitness track and the Polar H10 to get the most accurate reading you can.

Can You Lose Weight In A Muay Thai Vacation?

Muay Thai vacations are a popular way to lose weight if you see Tiger Muay Thai articles here one man lost 100KG(220 pounds) in only one year at Tiger Muay Thai!

You will pay a premium but gyms like Tiger Muay Thai are some of Asia’s finest first-class weight loss destinations, every Muay Thai vacation you go to will have teams of dedicated professionals who will help you to get rid of that unwanted fat and make you the best shape you have ever been.

Do you NEED to go to Thailand to lose weight with Muay Thai? Of course not but there is no doubt being surrounded by excellent trainers and people just like you who are trying to lose weight, will provide excellent fuel and motivation for your success on your weight loss journey.

According to Tiger Muay website, this will be your typical day in a weight loss camp in Thailand, I think this routine will be quite common for most places you will go to.

Tiger Muay Thai Weight Loss Camp Schedule

• 7 Am Vinyasa Flow Yoga
• 30-minute break
• 2 hours of BodyFit class(a mixture of running, bodyweight exercise and exercise using various fitness equipment
• 2-3 hours off with a relaxing swim and a visit to the steam room
• Eat lunch
• Join a Cross-Training(weights) or Strength and conditioning session

The best part about these vacations is the expert coaches who no matter what body type or fitness level will make sure you can participate and get the maximum benefits from your training.

You will also get access to the exclusive Tiger Muay Thai martial art classes from:

• Muay Thai
• MMA
• Western boxing
• BJJ
• Self-defense
• Krabi Krabong
• Muay Boran

If you want to see many testimonials from Tiger Muay Thai weight loss, check out this article here Weightloss Thailand or watch the above video of the inspiring story of Robert Orphanides who lost 110lbs in Tiger Muay Thai!

Now do I think it’s worth it? It depends on if you ever been to Thailand and how much money you have. I believe it’s around 32000 baht/$1015.36 for one month of training and accommodation not including food or flights.

Do I think you need to go to Thailand? to lose weight with Muay Thai? No of course not, all you need to lose weight is eat fewer calories than you consume and d a few sessions of cardio a week.

Do I think it would be beneficial to go?

Why not? Tiger Muay Thai is a world-class gym with superb coaches with tons of experience of helping people achieve their fitness goals regardless of what they are.

If you have the cash I don’t see a reason why you shouldn’t go, for a fantastic new experience with meeting tons of interesting new people in Thailand and possibly forming friendships that could last a lifetime!

Interested in Muay Thai? Check Out My Recommendations

Looking For Gear To Use When You Train?
If you are interested in training Muay Thai, here is some of the gear I recommend: Best Mouth Guard Best Gloves Best Shorts Best Shin Guards
Want To Learn To Fight, But Don’t Want To Go In Person?
CoachTube has online training videos for Boxing, Karate, MMA and more. And best part is you can do it all from your home allowing you to go at your own pace. Check them out here.
Interested In Training Other MMA Fighters?
Click here to check out the MMA Conditioning Association and see what you need to become an MMA conditioning coach and begin training fighters.

Muay Thai and Kickboxing are both forms of kickboxing, but even people who are into both sports can often struggle to tell the difference.

I understand how confusing it must be, so I researched the internet trying to understand what exactly is the difference between Muay Thai and Kickboxing?

Muay Thai traditionally is 5, 5-minute rounds of striking with all 8 limbs. Kickboxing is 3, 3-minute rounds with no elbows. The Clinch is big in Muay Thai with throws and sweeps being permitted. In Kickboxing the clinch is limited to only 5 seconds with no sweeps or throws allowed.

Now, in reality, Muay Thai dates back several 100 years and has deep spiritual roots in Thailand, this spiritual past and the rules are the biggest difference between the two sports.

I will discuss in detail more of all the differences so you can truly understand what makes Kickboxing kickboxing and how it differs from Muay Thai.

Rule Differences

The general difference between Muay Thai and Kickboxing is Muay Thai has an eight-point striking system with elbows and knees as well as kicks and punches being scored.

Kickboxing is a four-point striking system involving kicks and punches with some organizations such as Glory(Glory) allowing knees.

Traditional Muay Thai fights are 5 rounds of 5 minutes similar to UFC title/main event times and Kickboxing fights are 3 rounds of 3 minutes sometimes extending to 5 rounds depending on the promotion.

This makes the pacing of both sports every different. With Muay Thai in Thailand, the first two rounds are not that important and usually, fighters just feel each other out .

In Thailand betting is prohibited aside from specific sports events like in Thai Boxing; the first two rounds are where most of the bets are taken which is why Muay Thai fights start off slower.

In certain Kickboxing organizations like WAKO(world association of kickboxing organizations) fighters are obliged to deliver a minimum of 18 kicks(WAKO Rules) at the end of the match(6 per round)  after every round an official kick counter must report to the referee if there are missing kicks.

In Muay Thai there are no striking limits since you have so many weapons available to you it would make little sense. There are big differences between how both sports are scored which is discussed later.

Kickboxing Prohibited Techniques

Although Kickboxing is a very generic term and refers to many different organizations like K-1, Glory, and One Championship they all remove fundamental Muay Thai techniques.

I believe they do this to make Kickboxing more action-oriented and exciting, as clinching and sweeps/trips make the fights more time consuming as fighters need to get up after they are down and clinching can be used to time waste.

I don’t agree with this logic as I think it makes Kickboxing far less effective in a self-defense scenario than Muay Thai, as it makes kickboxing more of a sport than a martial art.

You cannot sweep or catch your opponent’s leg in all Kickboxing organizations in modern times, although Japanese kickboxing was a lot more lenient before 1993. The following rules are from the official Glory rules which you can access via the link.

Glory Kickboxing Legs,Sweeps,Throws Rules

Throws, leg sweeps, foot sweeps, or pushing of any kind as an effort to off-balance or down an opponent; any attempt to off-balance or down an opponent with anything other than a legal strike may be considered a foul.

Grabbing, or holding for any reason other than to immediately attack with a knee strike (or strikes) is a foul; this includes holding to rest or grabbing an opponent to stop them from striking.

Glory Rules

Since Muay Thai is combat sport turned into a martial art, throws and leg sweeps are a key element of Muay Thai and there is no limit to how long you can hold someone’s leg, wherewith Kickboxing if you grab someone’s leg you must immediately attack.

The Muay Thai techniques that Kickboxing lack is one of the reasons it’s so good for self-defense, if you want to know the 12 other reasons why Muay Thai is fantastic for self-defense, please click my article here.

Certain organizations like the international kickboxing federation(IKF) don’t even allow kicks or punches below the waist!

Leg kicks are a crucial part of Muay Thai and part of what makes it so dangerous, this is why I consider certain Kickboxing organizations//styles to just be inferior to Muay Thai as a self-defense system.

The IKF also does not allow elbows or knees(IKF RULES) of any kind, but Glory allows knee strikes but not to the head.

Muay Thai & Kickboxing Clinch Differences

Whilst sweeping and catching the leg is allowed in some Kickboxing organizations, the Muay Thai clinch is severely limited in Kickboxing rules

If you want to see how TRULY. effective the Muay Thai clinch can be check the above video for the 6 clinch masters that dominated the 80s & 90s.

In Glory Kickboxing you must strike immediately after you enter the clinch and if your opponent counters the referee can allow the clinch for “up to 5 seconds“.

Glory Kickboxing Clinching Rules

If a fighter clinches and fails to immediately attack with a legal knee strike or completes the knee attack and does not release the clinch this may be considered “holding” which is a foul and will result in a caution, warning or penalization

Glory Rules

So defensive cinching in Kickboxing could even result in points being taken away!

With Muay Thai, the clinch is standing wrestling you’re trying to get your opponent to the ground or smash them with knees & kicks and this is why Muay Thai is so effective; usually, there is no limit on time as long as the fighters remain active in the clinch.

Just take a look at the above video on how useful the clinch can be in both offensive and defensive situations.

Unfortunately, some Muay Thai promotions like One Champion are leaning more towards the Kickboxing style of clinching, with referees quickly separating the fighters. I believe this is to make the fight more action-packed, but I don’t like it as the clinch is so important to genuine Muay Thai.

History & Culture

Culture

Muay Thai has a history that dates back at least several 100 years mostly to when Thailand was called Siam and was a battle warring nation, check this wiki post for more information and the above video for a documentary on the origin of Muay Thai.

Muay Thai was essentially a battle art for when soldiers lost their weapons on the battlefield and had to rely on only their 8 limbs for survival; also this is why all Muay Thai techniques leave you’re still standing, as who wants to be on the ground in a battlefield?

It doesn’t seem smart to me!

This is why Muay Thai is so effective for self-defense as most of the blocks and techniques still work barehanded, this isn’t the same for other fighting arts like Boxing. Click here for the differences between Boxing and Muay Thai if you want to understand why Boxing is less effective in a self-defense situation.

Muay Thai’s rich history has a tremendous amount of culture and spiritual practices embedded deep into the sport. If you want to know more about the spiritual side of Muay Thai check my post here.

Traditionally respect is very important in Muay Thai even between fighters and before every fight, Muay Thai fighters do the Wai Kru which is a traditional pre-fight virtual to pay respect to the fighters masters and everyone who helped them in their path and also to stretch and limber up before fighting.

Thai fighters wear Mongkol(headband)and a Prajioud (armband), these both have deep spiritual meaning relating to the history of Muay Thai as a battle art and they are meant to bring good luck to the fighter and to protect them; this tradition dates back to ancient Siam when women of soldiers families blessed soldiers with a piece of clothing to protect them in battle.

No such traditions are found in Kickboxing as Kickboxing is more an umbrella term and refers to all kicking and punching arts and has no specific cultural origin, whilst Muay Thai comes strictly from Thailand.

You will see Kickboxers perform the Wai Kru, but 99 times out of 100 they are Thai fighters who transitioned into kickboxing.

A perfect example of the differences between the cultural styles of Kickboxing and Muay Thai is shown in the above video of Buakaw performing the Wai Kru whilst his opponent is just standing there.

Generally, a Muay Thai fight will play with traditional Thai fighting music, to help with the Thai fighters natural 1-2 1-2 rhyme.

With Kickboxing even events happening in Thailand, there is no music present and the only sound is the roar of the crowd and the noises of each fighter’s corners.

History Of Kickboxing

The issue with comparing Muay Thai and Kickboxing is assuming you are treating Muay Thai separately, Kickboxing refers to many different styles that are each unique and have different cultures.

We need to look at them individually to understand what a general term kickboxing is.

List Of Kickboxing Styles

• American Kickboxing
• Dutch Kickboxing
• K1/GLORY Kickboxing(most popular)
• Chinese Kickboxing (San Chou)

What Is American Kickboxing?

American Kickboxing became popular in the 1960-80s in the USA and was not influenced by Muay Thai but moreso Kyokushin Karate and Boxing. Sometimes there is a 6 round kick limit per round with a kick counter official, only strikes above the waist are allowed.

Rules

• 4 point striking system(punches & kicks)
• Kicks are only above the belt
• Throws sweep and takedowns are banned
• Clinch forces a reset of both fighters positions

Differences Between American Kickboxing & Muay Thai

The video above is an excellent example of American Kickboxing style vs Muay Thai. The fight between Duke Roufus and Changpuek Kietsongrit was important as in the 80s Muay Thai In North America and Kietsongrit was one of the first Thai’s to travel outside of Thailand to showcase Muay Thai to the masses.

Notice how American kickboxing is very flashy with spinning backlists and a bouncy style, whilst Muay Thai is a lot more controlled and simple. The best example of a modern American Kickboxing style is Stephen Wonderboy Thompson.

Remember that the above fight was with Kickboxing rules so, no clinch sweeps, or catching kicks so we can only imagine how bad Roufus would have lost with full Thai rules!

What Is Dutch Kickboxing?

Dutch Kickboxing is a mixture of western boxing and Muay Thai with a Dutch style. A Dutch low kick is different than a Thai low kick as it is thrown in a downwards chopping motion. Ernesto Hoost popularised the style.

History Of Dutch Kickboxing

The Dutch developed their style in the 1970s after Dutchmen traveled to Japan to learn more Japanese kickboxing which was a mixture of Kyokushin karate and Muay Thai.

The Dutch Kickboxing Association was created in 1976 by Jan Plas and Thom Harinck. Plas learned Kyokushin karate from Jon Bluming(martial arts pioneer), and Hanrick wrote a book called “Godfather of Muay Thai in The West” that you can buy for a great price on Amazon here.

Harinck is the grandfather of European Muay Thai and founded the NKBB (Dutch Kickboxing Association) in 1976, the MTBN (Dutch Muay Thai Association) in 1983, the WMTA (World Muay Thai Association) and the EMTA (European Muay Thai Association) in 1984.[

Rules

• 6 point striking system(punches, knees, kicks)
• Kicks are only above the belt
• Clinch fighting, throws and sweeps are allowed.
• Elbows are banned
• Clinch is allowed but it must be used offensively, and only one strike is permitted.

Differences Between Dutch Kickboxing & Muay Thai

Since dutch kickboxing is heavily influenced by Muay Thai the differences are a lot more subtle than with American kickboxing.

Since elbows are not allowed in dutch kickboxing the guard is more like a traditional boxing guard that has been changed to defend kicks.

In Muay Thai punches don’t score high but in Dutch kickboxing, they do, so the boxing combinations are a lot longer usually ending in a low kick with proper rotation of all the punches.

In Muay Thai the footwork is a lot slower and fights happen at a rhythmic 1-2 pace, the Thai clinch isn’t as important with dutch Kickboxing and the style is more explosive focussing on high- low strikes.

Check out the above video for a comparison of the styles.

To see a classic example of a Dutch kickboxer see the above video of one of the greatest kickboxers of all time Ernesto Hoost, who was well known for his deadly leg kick.

What Is K-1 Kickboxing?

K-1 is a Japanese kickboxing promotion like the UFC which was created in 1993. It has evolved to become a general term for kickboxing and it’s own martial art style. The style is a blend of Muay Thai Kyoshin Karate and American kickboxing.

History Of K-1

K-1 started in Japan in 1993 as a way to test who were the best kickboxers from various styles. : dutch kickboxing, boxers. karate etc to see who was the best. like the early days of the UFC but for kickboxing.

K-1 proved to be very popular with numerous different tournaments formats from World Grand Prix Final Eliminator where 16 men faced against each other on one evening until there was only one winner and a  K-1 World Grand Prix Final.

In 2010 K-1 and it’s parent company FEG.[5] were caught into financial problems, and even Sim Rutz the owner of the Dutch-based kickboxing promotion Its Showtime, claimed in January 2011 that some fighters from Its Showtime had not been paid for fights in K-1.[6]

The entire K-1 brand, with most of its trademarks, except, ‘K-1 Koshien’, ‘K-1 MAX’ and ‘Dream‘, was sold to Japanese real estate firm, Barbizon Corporation Limited, on July 28, 2011.[8]

Rules

• 3 or 5 minutes rounds lasting 3 minutes each
• Scored on a ten-point system with the winner getting 10 points, the loser getting 9 or less and a draw resulting in 10 points for both fighters
• 3 knockdowns in a round result in a technical knockout
• If there is a draw after three rounds, the scores are discarded and there is another 1-2 3 minute rounds with the judges score separately

What Is Japanese Kickboxing?

Japanese Kickboxing is a mixture of Karate and Muay Thai. It was created by Tatsuo Yamada a Karate expert who was interested in learning Muay Thai and in 1959 he called the new sport karate-boxing.

History Of Japanese Kickboxing

On December 20, 1959, a Muay Thai event held by Thai fighters was held at Tokyo Asakusa town hall in Japan. Tatsuo Yamada, the creator of Nihon Kempo Karate-do was interested in Muay Thai and 1959 and said the following when he created karate boxing.

The draft principles of project of establishment of a new sport and its industrialization

Tatsuo Yamada Grandfather Of Japanese Kickboxing 

In 1963 there were Karate vs Muay Thai fights and three karate fighters from the Oyama Dojo traveled to the world-famous Lumpinee Thai boxing stadium in Thailand and won 2-1 against the Thai fighters!

Japan pioneered kickboxing and created the first kickboxing sanctioning body founded by Osamu Noguchi in 1966 called the Japan Kickboxing Association, the first kickboxing event that was held in Osaka on April 11, 1966.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the Sport reached North America and Europe, and later when K-1 was established in 1993 Japanese kickboxing only grew and grew, and only then were Boxing rules introduced with limited clinching and no elbows.

If you want to know more about the origins. of Japanese kickboxing check out this article here.

Japanese Kickboxing Rules

Japanese Kickboxing is essentially K-1 before K-1 so the rules are the same. Only in 1993 when K-1 was created were elbows banned and the clinch became more limited.

What Is Sanda? (Chinese Boxing)

Sanda is a fighting system developed by the Chinese military based on the study and practice of traditional kung fu and modern combat techniques. It includes elements of kickboxing with close range quick punches. and kicks, with even wrestling, takedowns, throws, sweeps, elbows and knee strikes 

Sanda or Sanshou in Chinese is like Kickboxing as it is an umbrella term that covers. a lot of different martial art styles, you can see the rules here. If you watch the fight above it looks like a mixture of Muay Thai wrestling and Judo.

Whilst the clinching, elbows, and knees are not as specialized as Muay Thai Sando is still a fantastic martial art especially with the takedown elements.

Technique Differences Between Muay Thai & Kickboxing

Stance

A traditional Muay Thai stance will have a 1-2 matching rhyme or the lead leg going up and down(see above video), the stance will be narrow with the hips pointed directly to the opponent, so you can easily check kicks.

Hands are up high so you can parry punches and kicks and your ribs are quite exposed, but you’re set up to easily check. and counter with a kick.

Whereas the dutch stance. is more similar to boxing with the hips turned a bit and a big focus on heavy combinations and punches. Think Johanna Jędrzejczyk in the UFC.

Boxing

Typically a K-1 or Dutch fighter will punch more than they kick, normally they will have better Boxing than a Muay Thai fighter but this isn’t necessarily true in modern times as Thai fighters like Rodtang Jitmuangnon the current has fantastic boxing.

The majority of K1 fights like the K-1 classic fight between Zambidis vs. Chahid(see above) will have tons of boxing compared to kicks.

With Muay Thai kicks are used more than punching; as in Thai, you have the clinch and elbows to worry up when you’re close and punches don’t score as much as kicks.

You will see Kickboxers land long combos anywhere between 3-6 with far more head movement like slipping punches, and more Boxing inspired footwork.

Footwork

Muay Thai is a much slower martial art as you wait for the perfect opportunity to strike, and judges do not reward aggressive rushing behavior like in Boxing or kickboxing.

This doesn’t mean you cannot fight aggressive (Rodtang is aggressive) but Muay Thai is more of a counter-attacking style.

You can see in the above video the differences in styles, as Kickboxing is a lot more bouncy and fluid than Muay Thai, generally in Muay Thai you block and then counter-attack, with Kickboxing the focus is on evasion and being allusive,like Connor McGregor in the UFC.

Head Movement

In general Muay Thai fighters do not have much head movement, and don’t slip or duck punches. There are exceptions like Samart Payakarun and Sanchai both considered some of the greatest Muay Thai fighters of all time, but as a rule, there is little head movement compared to kickboxing.

Kickboxing has a lot of emphasis on punching there is more head movement, and K-1 fighters will incorporate slipping punches with some slight bobbing and weaving.

Masto(above video) is a good example of a K-1 fighter who will lean forward and get his head off the centerline whenever throwing a left uppercut.

However, in K-1 the head movement is not supper excessive as you will need to watch out for kicks and knees which will still hit you if you try to evade them.

Blocking/Checking Kicks

Typically Kickboxers will not check(lifting the leg) kicks, since kicks score so highly in Muay Thai compared to Boxing checking kicks is very important to win on points. and to protect yourself as Thai fighters kicks are so deadly.

Whilst some K1 fighters usually those with a traditional Muay Thai fighters will check kicks, normally kicks are not usually checked. I believe K-1 fighters shins are not as conditioned as Muay Thai fighters shins, so they don’t check as much as checking kicks HURTS if you are not conditioned.

If you want to know why Muay Thai fighter’s legs are so strong, please check out this post.

Difference In Fight Pace Between Muay Thai & Kickboxing

In Muay Thai fought in Thailand the first 2 rounds will start slow as both fighters feel each other out so people in the audience can place bets on who wins. The third round is called the “money round” as this is when the fight really gets going.

In Thailand, the first 2 rounds are not that important, with the 3,4 and 5th being the ‘real’ rounds.t. You will see Thai fighters even outside of Thailand turn it up in the 3rd and be at a walking pace in the 1st and second.

With Muay Thai outside of Thailand such as in One Championship, it depends on the fighters but most fights will start round one depending on a 3 or 5 round fight or if a Thai is fighting.

With K-1 no matter if it’s a 5 or 3 round fight, fights typically start and end hard which is why K-1 organizations like Glory are so exciting to watch. Kickboxing doesn’t have the same culture of slow starts like Muay Thai, which is why the fighting pace is different.

What Is Better Kickboxing Or Muay Thai?

I believe Muay Thai is better for combat as it is a combat art turned into a martial art, whilst Kickboxing while being very effective it lacks many key self-defense components like the clinch and elbows.

Despite kickboxers usually having better boxing than Muay Thai fighters; the clinch and elbows on the inside more than make up for this.

Now the argument between dutch kickboxing vs Muay Thai is more difficult to answer, as assuming the dutch kickboxers have elbows and knees most o the other techniques are derived from Muay Thai.

I still believe traditional Muay Thai is more effective, as the clinch is a big part of it and at least in modern Glory rules, the clinch is still there but it is watered down so dutch kickboxer will not treat the clinch with the same importance as traditional Muay Thai fighters.

If your comparing American style kickboxing, with no knees, elbows, or attacks below the belt Muay Thai is just a far superior art in every way. With K-1 and dutch kickboxing, the competition is a lot closer but I still think Muay Thai edges it because of how important the clinch is in true Muay Thai.

Interested in Muay Thai? Check Out My Recommendations

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Muay Thai is one of the best martial arts for self-defense, but can you practice it at home by yourself? Yes, you can! In this article, I am going to tell you exactly learn Muay Thai at home by yourself

I would still recommend training Muay Thai at a gym but sometimes people live in very remote areas and don’t have access to Muay Thai a gym, this is why the internet will be such an important resource for you.

Luckily when learning to strike you can learn a lot by yourself compared to a grappling art like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, where progressing is difficult if not impossible without a training partner.

I will include tons of different drills and helpful resources to learn Muay Thai by training by yourself at home, and I will include a daily home Muay Thai training schedule just for you!.

Remember, before you do any exercise aside from footwork and light shadow boxing you must warmup or risk injury see a fantastic Muay Thai warm-up in the beginner of my post here.

Mobility, Hip Rotation & Stretching

If I could go back to my first day of Muay Thai training I would work on my hip rotation, stretching, posture, and mobility. There is NOTHING you can do that would be more beneficial for your kicks and knees than learning proper hip rotation as soon as you start training.

The best thing is you can do all these exercises anywhere!

Hip Rotation

When you kick, all your power is generated from the hips. Most people when they start Muay Thai will kick straight up like a soccer kick, this is a big no-no as all you will hit is elbows and damage yourself more than the person your hitting.

A perfect analogy is a baseball bat if someone broke into your house and you’re trying to defend yourself, would you swing your bat straight up? Or would you use your hips to get the most power possible? It’s the same with the roundhouse kick in Thai Boxing.

This is the kick checklist whenever you kick

• With the lead leg, your heel must go past your toes (foot has turned 180 degrees to where your kicking)
• As you kick have your force go upwards not down
• Bring your shoulder forward and whip your arm as you kick(same arm as kicking leg)

You can practice proper hip rotation in the drill by Slyvie a Muay Thai fighter with 200+ professional fights in the video above. Remember you should feel your side butt cheek flex with the hip that is rotating, which means you are fully rotating your hip.

There are people at my gym including me who were training for months and months without proper hip rotation on their kicks, it is a crucial Muay Thai movement pattern, and whilst it is somewhat unnatural without it you will not kick properly.

I would recommend doing these at least 100 times per day on both legs to open up your hips, it is common in Thailand for a trainer to tell a westerner to do 300 reps per leg if their hips are especially tight.

1. Place your foot on a platform like a sofa and be on your toes on the other foot like your kicking
2. Turn the foot on the platform to the shin to mimic the kick whilst using your arms
3. Repeat for 25 reps and change leg for a total of 100 reps each leg

Mobility

People living in the west tend to have tight hips due to sitting all day which makes throwing kicks very awkward, as a lot of people just lack hip mobility.

Asian people, in general, can throw kicks a lot easier because they can sit in a full squat(heels on the floor) for hours without pain, in the west since we sit all the time our hips are just stiffer.

How can you solve this problem when training at home? It’s quite simple you need to work on it!

Hip mobility is crucial to proper hip rotation and general injury prevention in Muay Thai and normal life. See this study on the professional application of injury prevention for Soccer athletes who practiced muscle mobility.

Training by yourself is the perfect opportunity to focus on good movement patterns and this is a summary of Don Heatrick’s superb video on unlocking your hips as a Muay Thai athlete.

Following the video could be the key in making your kicks so much better, as even you could have good technique but lack the necessary hip flexibility to turn your hips in.

This routine is split into three different sections, to do all the exercise, you must have a foam roller(like this one on Amazon) or lacrosse ball(which you can view here on amazon) for a cheaper option and a resistant band (like these on amazon).

I have everything and I recommend you buy the equipment as it’s super important not just for Muay Thai for ensuring you have good health and posture throughout your life; this is especially important in modern society with smartphones and computers making us have poor rounded posture. giving us health problems later in life.

1. Releasing the hips
2. Opening the hips
3. Anchoring the hips

1.Releasing the hips

1. Start to foam roll at the top of the knee and gradually roll up and down the thigh to break down the muscle tissue
2. When you find a tight area “windshield wipe” your legs left and right to get at that tissue and flex up and down.
3. Avoid the IT band(the middle of your leg) as it cannot be lengthened and for rolling, it could cause injury
4. Foam roll each leg for 1-2 minutes then switch legs.

2.Opening The Hips

1. Attach your band to something sturdy like a squat rack or a TV stand and little lower than hip height
2. Step into the band and have it high behind your glute/booty & make sure there is decent tension so it’s pulling your hips forwards
3. Squeeze your glutes by pointing your pelvis forward and thrust your hip in front of your knee don’t arch from your back make sure its the hips
4. Practice the movement from different angles ensuring you squeeze your glutes throughout the motion
5. Repeat for 1-2 minutes and then switch sides!

3.Anchoring The Hips

1. Place your foot on a bench or a platform at a similar height like a chair so your ankle can pivot down and up
2. Your stance must allow your hip to be at knee level or lower
3. Keep your chest up and chin down and drive through the floor with your foot whilst squeezing your glutes and feeling that near hip stretch
4. Once you understand the movement pattern try adding weights
5. Repeat for around 3 sets of 10 reps for both legs

These exercises will help your Muay Thai and general health by affecting the muscle length, the joint capsule(how your bones are positioned), and your neuromuscular control of how your brain tells you what range of motion you have.

I recommend doing these exercises as part of a dynamic warmup to reinforce good movement patterns which are key to reducing injury risk and making sure your kicking correctly.

Releasing and opening your hips can be done randomly throughout the day, but is perfect for active rest between weight training sessions or part of a recovery day where you work on your posture issues or any muscle that is giving you pain.

Stretching

After your mobility session, your muscles should be nice and warm which is a perfect time to work on stretching and lengthening your muscles, which is key to improving your Muay Thai.

If you do them separately then make sure to jump rope for 5-10 minutes before you stretch so your muscles are very and warm, click here to see some of the best jump ropes on Amazon. Take a look here to understand why you need to warm up before stretching or doing exercise.

The difference between flexibility and mobility is flexibility relates to muscles, and mobility relates to joints, you need both to truly excess at Muay Thai but I do believe establishing proper mobility is more important.

Follow FightTips video above to get an easy quick stretching routine that you can do anywhere that lasts around 20 minutes. I recommend doing this routine anywhere between 4-5 times a week to every day to get maximum results

Chamber Your Kicks

Before you learn how to throw a kick, imagine having control of your kicks like they are fists, with superb balance, control, and knowing where your kicks will go. Chambering your kicks is how you can do this!

Chambering is when you lift your knee towards your chest whenever you kick or check, and the act of retracting the foot back.

In Muay Thai even though we don’t chamber our kicks as much as other martial arts like Karate and Taekwondo it is still super important to improving your power, strength, and balance when throwing and checking kicks.

If you see the fighter of our generation Saenchai you will see he has a fantastic chamber.

These drills to improve your chambering can be done anywhere or at home. from the superb fightTips video above, I have summarised all the drills.

Drill 1 Three Leg Dog

1. Get into a push-up/plank position and sit your hips back to get into downward dog(yoga pose)
2. Peddle your calves up and down to warm up the hamstrings & calves
3. Lift one leg up and then drive your knee up to your chest as high as possible with your heel towards your butt/glute, hold this position for three breaths
4. Bring the leg up and drive to the outside of the elbow aiming to eventually get the knee to the armpit, hold for three breaths
5. Repeat step 4 with the opposite elbow
6. The entire 3 movements count as 1 rep so repeat the process on the other leg for a total of three sets per leg.

Drill 2.Seated Leg Lift

1. Sit down with your back straight and place something next to your legs like a Yoga block(like these on Amazon) or boxing glove/book
2. Swing your leg over the object and tap the ground and repeat for a total of 5-10 reps on each leg and 3 total sets

Changing the setting on the block makes it more challenging and remember to not hunch forward as you want the focus on the hip flexor.

Drill 3. Standing Hip Flexor Stretch

1. Stand on one leg and grab your knee with both hands and pull up to stretch the hips. hold for 3 breaths
2. Repeat the stretch but turn your knee inward, outward and behind and hold for 3 breaths in every position

If you lack the balance either do them leaning against a ball, or repeat all the stretches lying down as you can see Shane do in the video.

For the most benefit do these drills every day or at least 5 times a week, and you will see a vast improvement in your kick chamber which will benefit any kicks you will ever do across all martial arts!

Muay Thai Techniques

Now, working on your technique is going to be the most difficult thing to train by yourself at home, this is why filming yourself is crucial and I highly recommend buying a tripod such as this one from Amazon so you can film yourself training.

You film yourself as you don’t have an instructor or other people helping you are your technique, you have to be your own instructor so filming is a necessity for home training.

Luckily for you fightTips(above video) has created a FREE Muay Thai beginner class where he goes over the following things that need to be your base in Muay Thai when your training at home.

We are very lucky that YouTube has all these fantastic resources that didn’t exist even 10 years ago.

Later I will go throw the basic Muay Thai techniques you need to film yourself and practice, but I urge you to follow the above beginners’ class often to familiarise yourself with what your learning.

• Jump rope
• Shadowboxing
• Heavy bag work
• Padwork
• clinching
• stretching

Check

Checking a kick is a super basic move in Muay Thai but it is vital to have a well rounded defensive game. Without checking kicks, you will be a target for the devilish Muay Thai low kick that brings in the pain!

Checks are designed to block low kicks and body kicks, so your opponent’s shin will hit either the top of your shin(the hardest part) or even worse your knee. This will hurt you, but it should hurt your opponent more.

1. Stand up straight in your stance
2. Lift either one of your knees with your foot facing down to around chest level and to the side
3. Return to your stance.

Teep

The Teep is one of your main weapons in Muay Thai for both offensive and defense. It might look like a front kick but think of it more like a jab to keep the distance and punish attackers who come in.

You can see it demonstrated by Muay Thai Pros in the above video, but I will go through somethings you should keep in mind.

1. Stand in your stance with your weight on the back leg
2. Bring your knee up
3. Push with your hip and hit with the balls of your feet
4. Retract your knee and bring feet back to the same position.

Roundhouse

We have already spoken about hip rotation and this is where all that work will come in handy with the Muay Thai roundhouse! You can see it demonstrated in the video above, but the truth is it is a complicated kick and will take many months before you can throw it with good form.

1. Depending on how far you step out with your pivoting foot as you kick(foot in front) in about a 45-degree angle
2. Stay on the balls of your feet as you kick
3. Swing the same arm as your kicking leg to generate power and balance, whilst keeping the other hand up for protection whilst turning your hip in
4. Return to your stance, in one motion.

Switch Kick

The switch kick is the same as the roundhouse but you switch stances(change leg positions), learning a roundhouse before a switch kick is the best way to learn it.

You use the switch kick to attack the opponent’s body and it scores highly in Muay Thai.

1. Switch stances by changing the position of your legs, without jumping up or moving whilst stepping slightly to the side
2. Stay on the balls of your feet as you kick
3. Swing the same arm as your kicking leg to generate power and balance, whilst keeping the other hand up for protection whilst turning your hip in
4. Return to your stance, in one motion.

Knee

The basic beginner knee is known as the spear knee and is a devastating strike if it lands. You can use offensively when your opponent is backing up or as a counter when your opponent likes to walk in

1. Be in your Muay Thai stance whilst on the balls of your feet
2. Push up on the balls of your foot of your lead leg(forward leg) and bring your knee straight up
3. Flex the kneeing leg down and bring your heel close to your butt to strike with the hardest part of the knee

Switch Knee

Switch knee is the same but we switch stances before we throw it.

The basic beginner knee is known as the spear knee and is a devastating strike if it lands. You can use offensively when your opponent is backing up or as a counter when your opponent likes to walk in

1. Be in your Muay Thai stance whilst on the balls of your feet
2. Switch stances by changing your lead leg and back leg position.
3. Push up on the balls of your foot of your lead leg(forward leg) and bring your knee straight up
4. Flex the kneeing leg down and bring your heel close to your butt to strike with the hardest part of the knee

Boxing

Boxing is a very crucial part of Muay Thai, and if you want to see the differences between the sports check out my post here.

I cannot explain Boxing in this post as it is too complicated, but the fantastic Boxing beginners masterclass by precision striking in the video above is all you need.

Remember when practicing his drills Muay Thai is different from Boxing, the stance as well as the head movement. So remember not everything is applicable but all the basic strikes like jab, cross, hook are all very similar and crucial to succeed in Muay Thai

Elbows

Elbows are what makes Muay Thai such an effective martial art, and separates it from Kickboxing. There are numerous different elbow techniques but I will let Jompop Kiatphontip, former No1 at Rajadamnern Stadium in the above video explain the basic strikes.

Clinching

Clinching is what makes Muay Thai such an effective martial art if you want to see the other 12 reasons why Thai Boxing is fantastic for self-defense check out my post here.

Clinching is when fighters wrestle each other whilst standing and throwing knees, from the clinch. There are numerous throws and sweeps to your opponent to the ground whilst you stay standing.

This links to when Muay Thai was a combat sport, as you want to stay on your feet as you fight, check my post here for more information about Muay Thai’s traditional history.

Watch fightTips video above where he gets a private lesson from Petchboonchu, the most decorated Muay Thai champion in history, and arguably the best clinch fighter ever, and he explains the clinch in a way that is simple and easy to understand.

Catching Kicks

Catching kicks and then sweeping or tripping your opponent is a big part of Muay Thai. I know you can’t practice this yourself but it’s still good to know for when you can practice it.

Watch the above fightTips video with Kevin Ross who is the current Bellator flyweight kickboxing champion, who is a master at catching kicks.

1. Grab your opponents front/roundhouse kick ideally by the angle
2. So to the side
3. Drive your lead leg to the outside and try to get your rear hip under his hip and drive through him
4. Bump your opponent with the thigh and make him sit on his leg.

Footwork

Ask any fighter and they will say footwork is one of the most important skills to develop across all martial arts, and even most sports! Best of all it can be practiced anywhere, anytime, and easily at home.

It is often never trained, so if you start training your footwork early, you will have a big advantage when you start training at a gym.

Everything relates to your foot connection to the ground, with 3 main points on your foot, one on the base and two near the front.

Your weight should be distributed 50/50 on your foot on the balls of your feet, with your tail bone and chin ducked under. Stay vertically upright and keep this position whenever you move.

One drill you can practice seen in the above video is very simple.

1. Stand in a Muay Thai stance
2. Take one step straight and step back in the same position, then do the same action but step right, back and then left
3. As you get more comfortable double the steps or try the drill in your opposite stance.

Never do any unnecessary steps it should only be one step as any more will put you off balance when you get comfortable with the drill take two steps and even add punches as you step.

6 Step Solo Footwork Drill

I started to implement this 6 step solo footwork drill by fightTips and already I have seen solid improvements to not only my footwork but also my shadow boxing.

This drill involves six different punches with numbers that correspond to the actions, now you don’t have to jab in the advancing steps it can be an uppercut, elbow, or hook depending on your spacing.

I will briefly outline the drill

1. Probing Step-in your Muay Thai stance takes a small step forward(around 1-4 inches) and do a jab as you step; think of your foot and arm being connected like a puppeteer and his/her puppet and whenever the hands move so does. the foot
2. Retreating Step- take the same step backward on your back foot and do a jab
3. Pivot Cross- whilst still do a cross making sure you pivot off the backfoot whilst turning the shoulders
4. Advancing 1-2 Step forward like in step 1 but bring your back foot with you and throw a cross after the jab
5. Retreating 1-2. Do a jab whilst bringing your front foot back and then bring your back foot back and do a cross
6. Switch Jab. Switch your stance(if your a southpaw go orthodox and vice versa) and throw a jab in the opposite stance as you switch
7. Repeat step 1-6 in Southpaw!

Shadowbox

There is nothing more beneficial you can do to improve your Muay Thai than Shadowboxing. It can be done everywhere, waiting in line for groceries or at the airport, you name it!

Now, when you shadow box you must visualize an opponent who is fighting you as you practice. This will help you, whenever you spar as your accustomed to fighting a moving opponent who reacts to what you throw. Make sure to train defense as well as offense, for shadowboxing to truly be effective.

The above 10-minute Muay Thai Shadow Boxing workout by Sean Fagan(check him out) is excellent and I do it daily. It works so well as it trains all elements on your Muay Thai, from offensive to defense and you can go through it at your own pace.

Remember to focus on technique as you shadowbox, otherwise, your body can remember bad habits via muscle memory. This is why filming yourself shadowboxing is so important and I urge everyone to film themselves training as often as they can.

I structure this workout by an internal timer on my phone where each section is split up by 10,1 minute rounds with no rest.

1. Straights, teeps, and checks
2. Single strikes
3. Punch combos with a kick finish
4. Combos with a defensive finish
5. Forward fighting
6. Counter fighting
7. Punches & Elbows
8. Lower Body strikes
9. Creative flow
10. Fight pace

How Not To Shadowbox

A lot of people have issues with shadowboxing, even professional fighters because they are making one of the mistakes in the above video by Sean Fagan but most likely they are not visualizing an opponent.

In the above video, Sean goes into detail about the issues people have with shadow boxing and I will briefly summaries the main points

1. Kicking Wrong 2:57. I still suffer from this problem as it’s harder to visualize and properly rotate your hip if your kicking air. To fix it, record yourself or think about correct hip rotation every time you kick
2. Too Much Head Movement 4:10. Excessive head movement is fine for Boxing as that is part of the sport but with Muay Thai, you want to keep your head movement sharp, minimal, and technical as you can’t bob and weave a roundhouse!
3. Looking/Punching Down 5:37. This one is more common for an absolute beginner, but you wouldn’t look at the floor or punch down if your fighting anyone but a super midget!
4. Staying Stationary 6:34. Movement and footwork is key to succeeding in fighting so make sure you move around and cut angles, to make it difficult for your imaginary shadow opponent
5. Just Offense, No Defence 6:35. You need to add checks, leans backs, catching kicks and catching jabs/crosses when your shadowboxing as your trying to simulate a real fight
6.  Not Mixing Up Your Strikes 7:37. Now just working the basics like 1-2 right kick is fine if your focus on technique, but if you want to simulate a real fight you need to diversify your strikes. Make sure you’re hitting high and low, to the body and the head with some low kicks. Keep your imaginary partner guessing!
7. Too Tense 8:58. This is common in the beginning as fighting can be very stressful so your natural inclination is so tense up. Don’t do this as it will only waste much-needed energy. Ideally, you want to be nice and loose and released whilst your fighting, only tensing up your fists when you’re just about to connect for maximum speed and power.
8. Forgetting To Breath 10:15. This happens to a lot of people especially in BJJ where people forget to breathe. Don’t forget the most basic thing as if you lose your breathe you will get tired quickly and your strikes will lack any power.
9. Forgetting To Visualise 11:43. Even professional fighters make this mistake and it’s key to getting the most out of shadowboxing. You need to BELIEVE someone is fighting you and reacting to what you throw and you need to react to their strikes. I know it’s difficult but in time you will get there.
10. Not Extending Your Arms 12:50. I’m still guilty of this, and it’s a very easy mistake to make. Whenever your punching make sure you fully extend your arms, this is to maximize both your range and punching power. You don’t want those mini T-rex arms whilst shadow boxing!

Heavy Bag

Now, I know you might not have access to a Heavy Bag but it will be your number one training partner, it is never late and always there for you.

Ask any fighter and they will say without a doubt it is best the best pieces of fighting equipment you can buy.

Especially if your only training at home getting a heavy bag is even more important.

It is fantastic for improving your footwork and combos and every Muay Thai athlete has put 100s of hours into it. I highly recommend the Fairtex heavy bag (check it out on Amazon here).

If you don’t have the budget you can make one out of heavy carpet or material around the house, like in the video below.

How To Make A Heavy Bag

When you have your heavy bag Sean Fagan’s 20-minute heavy bag workout. for beginners it is fantastic and I’ve done it many times after a training session.

Remember all the 10 shadow boxing mistakes from the above video, and practice good form in everything you do on the bag, if you don’t you could get injured so pay attention!

Here is a brief overview of the workout.

• Round 1(1 minute each)
• -Jabs & Teeps
• -Jab, Roundhouse
• -Cross, Switch Kick
• Round 2(1 minute each)
• -Left Side Strikes
• -Right Side Strikes
• -Boxing Only
• Round 3(1 Minute Each)
• -Alternating Teeps
• Jab, Roundhouse, Cross, Switch Kick
• Combo Finish W/Check & Kick
• Round 4
• -Jab, Lead Elbow (1 min)
• -Jab, Rear Elbow (30 sec)
• -Balancing Left Teep Drill (30 sec)
• -Balancing Right Teep Drill(30 sec)
• Round 5(1-minute each)
• -Power Right Roundhouse
• -Power Left Roundhouse
• -Power Right Roundhouse –
• -Power Right Roundhouse –

Cardio

Muay Thai already is a fantastic aerobic and anaerobic workout, check out my post here on why Muay Thai is so good for your health.

However, you need to do some other form of cardio so you can make your heart stronger to improve your cardio in a fight situation and improve your general health.

There are two different types of cardio you can do, we want to train both as they are equally important in Muay Thai.

• Aerobic(low intensity, think skipping or lightly jogging)
• Anaerobic(without air, think sprinting or lifting heavyweight)

In the video above Shane from FightTips recommends the following weekly cardio workout.

Weekly Cardio Workout

• 3-4 days a week jog/run(aerobic) for 2/3 miles or 3.2/4.8 kilometers
• 2 days a week sprint(anaerobic) 100mx10

Now, this is a good conditioning workout, and fighters in Thailand run two 5K/3.1 miles runs every day. But an increasing number of fighters have spoken out about running and how they don’t enjoy it and instead do other more sports-related cardio like hitting pads.

ANY form of cardio that trains your aerobic system for around 20 minutes 3-4 times a week, with the ability to go anaerobic is fine. I will list the alternatives to running.

I still recommend running as the number one cardio you should do, as it is a very natural human action and the runners high after a workout is beautiful; running is also challenging and great for building the mental toughness that you need in any combat sport and all difficult situations in life.

However, if you don’t like running I don’t believe you should be obligated to train something you don’t like, no matter how beneficial it is.

Cardio Alternatives To Running

• Swimming
• Hitting pads
• Skipping
• Interval training
• Treadmill
• Rowing
• Cycling

Strength & Conditioning

If you don’t do any strength and conditioning and you do Muay Thai you are seriously missing out on some big benefits!

I’ve been on a Zoom call with 5x Muay Thai world champion Andy Howson and he said strength and conditioning is like having a suit of armor; it makes you stronger and less likely to get injured in combat sports.

Everyone from every level can benefit from S&D and the best Muay Thai specific S&D workout I’ve seen was created by Don Heatrick(mentioned earlier) and I have started to incorporate it in my Muay Thai training routine.

There are two full-body workouts, meant to be performed around 2-3 times a week with at least one day of rest between each exercise.

Both routines contain 7 exercises with 3 supersets(2 exercises done connected with no rest) and one ab exercise, with each superset being repeated 4 times before moving on.

I will include a YouTube link where Don himself is demonstrating the exercises, with a brief exercise outline underneath each video.

Every exercise has been chosen to benefit your Muay Thai and I will link Don’s website with all his reasoning behind all exercise choices here.

He has 25+ years of coaching experience and is a former Thai boxer(ranked 4th in the UK when he was 40). I cannot recommend him enough and I love his work and want more people to know about him.

Full Body Workout A

• 1a) Front squat x 5-reps
• 1b) Rear foot elevated split squats (Bulgarian split squats) x 8-reps each leg
• 2a) Incline bench press x 5-reps
• 2b) Dumbbell chest press x 8-reps
• 3a) Pull-ups x 5-reps
• 3b) Dumbbell bent over rows x 8-reps each side
• 4) Dragon Flags x5-reps

Full Body Workout B

• 1a) Deadlift x 5-reps
• 1b) Single leg suspension squat x 8-reps each leg
• a) Standing overhead press behind neck* x 5-reps
• 2b) Barbell push press x 8-rep
• 3a) Barbell bent-over row x 5-reps
• 3b) Suspended rows x 8-reps
• 4)Core plate (landmine) twists x 5-reps

If you don’t have access to a gym or weights at home, then a Kettlebell workout by Funk Roberts(certified MMA conditioning coach) is a superb alternative.

A kettlebell is one of the best fitness investments you can ever make, and you can do the workouts anywhere even with limited space. You get a kettlebell here on Amazon. I recommend a 25/5K KB.

Alternatively, if your super broke and cannot afford a Kettlebell, Jeremy Either a fitness YouTuber has a fantastic full-body workout that you do at home without any equipment. Check it out down below.

Adopt The Right Mindset

Training your mind for success and changing your subconscious to make sure your goal-oriented, is one of the best things you can do to succeed in anything, not just Muay Thai.

I will go through various things you can to maximize your success in Muay Thai by training by yourself

Surround Yourself With Like-Minded People Online

If you don’t have access to a gym it can be very difficult to be consistent, that’s why joining a Muay Thai community such as Nak Muay Thai Nation or r/MuayThai(Reddit) or even YouTube is a good choice.

In all these communities you can post your Muay Thai videos and ask for form critiques, and the community will be glad to help you. Having a community of your own helps keep yourself accountable, as it is difficult to practice by yourself with 100% commitment.

Relax & Meditate

I don’t think there’s anything more beneficial you can do for your life in general than meditate, click here for the 12 reasons you should meditate but I do it myself every time I wake up and before I sleep and can’t see myself living myself without the practice.

Meditation improves your focus and attention span, as well as sharply reducing stress; all things that will greatly benefit your Muay Thai. Think before a fight, who would win assuming all things were equal but one person mediated regularly and the other did not?

I would wager highly the person who mediates will win, because they have practice in focussing heavily on one thing. the exact quality you need to win a fight is to focus on it!

Thai fighters themselves do a form of meditation in the form of dance before every fight, called the Wai Khru, and fighters engaging in some form of spiritual practice, whether meditation, prayers, or mantras is super common across all martial arts and even sports in general.

Practice Positive Mantras/Self Belief

If you think you will lose a fight, do you think you have a chance of winning? I don’t think so.

This is the power of negative self-talk and we are all guilty of talking down to ourselves. The problem is, this encourages your subconscious mind to put yourself down which will create failure in your life and your Muay Thai.

Think of your brain like a computer that is programmed, with having poor self-esteem and getting bad thoughts is kinda like a computer program gone wrong (see the above video),; reprogramming your mind for your Muay Thai training will improve every aspect of your life no matter what it is.

I know this sounds a bit too far fetched but fighters like Liam Harrison(8x Muay Thai world champion) have had tremendous success with mind coaches, and I have seen improvements in my life with positive thinking and talking things into happening.

A famous mind coach that Liam Harrison uses and is very good friends with os Vinny Shoreman, who is also a well known MayThai commentator, fighter, and ex-coach. He did a Zoom session for our gym that everyone loved. You can see a clip of him on the Joe Rogan Experience in the video below

Positive Affirmation

Positive affirmations(saying good things to yourself) is key to succeeding in anything in life, but especially incoming difficult things like learning Muay Thai.

Spend your time when your not training to think about what you IMPROVED not what you did wrong that session, yes of course it is important to look at your weaknesses but focus instead on how much better you are compared to when you first started.

For Muay Thai, positive affirmations make you look on the bright side even in bad times, like when you didn’t do good in sparring or just finding a technique difficult to learn. It allows you to stay rational when others would only see the bad in something

The issue a lot of people have in life is focusing on what went wrong. they might do badly in their first spar and think because they did bad that is their destiny, positive thinking allows you to think rationally and be more in control in bad situations.

Here is one of Brian Tracy’s (self-development author) quotes from the above video.

“Whatever is expressed is impressed. Whatever you say to yourself, with emotion, generates thoughts, ideas, and behaviors consistent with those word”

Brain Tracy(self-development author)

If you start getting negative about your Muay Thai training you will become worse as your behaviors and emotions will reflect your negative thoughts, you become what you say.

Brian Tracey even stresses using an affirmation to remove emotion from bad events, and even see the benefits in problems.

Let’s say you have a shin injury and cannot kick. If you train your mind to see the positives in everything with meditation and positive self-affirmations, you would use the time constructively and focus all your effort on footwork and Boxing, working with what you CAN do rather than what you cant!

Muay Thai Positive Affirmations

Say these randomly throughout the day repeating one around 5 times but it’s good to do these when your wakeup and go to bed. Be consistent with your mediation and positive affirmations, and I ensure you, you will see benefits and improvements across your entire life.

1. I will succeed in everything I choose to put my mind to
2. I will improve my Muay Thai every day and become the best fighter I can possibly be
3. I am confident in Sparring and stay calm and collected in every situation
4. I will learn from every problem and outcome and come out a better more well-rounded fighter
5. I will allow any losses or bad moments to wash over me like rocks in a river

Daily Solo Home Training Routine

This is the daily training routine that I do to improve my Muay Thai, when you do it, start small and do a few of the things every day until it becomes a habit.

If you aim too high and end up not accomplishing your goal, you will feel unmotivated so start small to build a habit as you will build momentum and create something called the compound effect, based on a book of the same name by New York best seller Darren Hardy.

You can buy the eBook yourself on Amazon right here or watch a summary of the book in the above video.

But basically, the idea is Daily Consistency= Massive Results, so start small doing my routine maybe start committing to jump rope in the morning and stretch, and eventually, it will become a habit that will build success.

Muay Thai Training A

1. Wake Up and jump rope for 5 minutes do Yoga, Followed By Meditation & Positive Self Affirmation (40 minutes)
2. Run 5k/(3.1 miles)
3. Do 10×100 meter sprints 
4. Do 100 hip rotations(see Slyvies video) and 100 shadow kicks on both legs(10 minutes)
5. Shadow Box (10 minutes)
6. Do Don Heatrick Mobility Work(15 minutes)
7. Hit the bag(20 minutes)
8. Do 100 hip rotations(see Slyvies video) and 100 shadow kicks on both legs(10 minutes)
9. Shadow Box (10 minutes)

Muay Thai Training B

1. Wake Up and jump rope for 5 minutes do Yoga, Followed By Meditation & Positive Self Affirmation (40 minutes)
2. Do 100 hip rotations(see Slyvies video) and 100 shadow kicks on both legs(10 minutes)
3. Shadow Box (10 minutes)
4. Perform One Of Don Heatrick’s Muay Thai full-body workouts
5. Hit the bag(20 minutes)
6. Do 100 hip rotations(see Slyvies video) and 100 shadow kicks on both legs(10 minutes)
7. Shadow Box (10 minutes)

Interested in Muay Thai? Check Out My Recommendations

Looking For Gear To Use When You Train?
If you are interested in training Muay Thai, here is some of the gear I recommend: Best Mouth Guard Best Gloves Best Shorts Best Shin Guards
Want To Learn To Fight, But Don’t Want To Go In Person?
CoachTube has online training videos for Boxing, Karate, MMA and more. And best part is you can do it all from your home allowing you to go at your own pace. Check them out here.
Interested In Training Other MMA Fighters?
Click here to check out the MMA Conditioning Association and see what you need to become an MMA conditioning coach and begin training fighters.

Muay Thai is a fantastic martial art, but can you practice it by yourself? Yes, you can and in this article, I am going to tell you exactly how to practice Muay Thai with no partners.

Yes, it is better to train Muay Thai with a partner since it’s a combat sport but you can greatly improve your Muay Thai by focussing on several key areas that I will go over.

I will include tons of different drills and helpful resources to help you take your Muay Thai game to the next level training by yourself, and I will include a daily Muay Thai training routine just for you!

Remember, before you work on anything aside from footwork and light shadowboxing you must warm up or risk injury. You can see a fantastic Muay Thai warm-up in the beginning of my post here.

If you’re interested in getting the best Muay Thai gloves for your money check out these Limited Edition Fairtex Gloves from Amazon. Premium quality at an amazing price!

Work On Mobility, Hip Rotation & Stretching

If I could go back to my first day of Muay Thai training I would work on my hip rotation, stretching, posture and mobility. There is NOTHING you can do that would be more beneficial for your kicks and knees than learning proper hip rotation as soon as you start training.

The best thing is you can do all these exercises anywhere!

Hip Rotation

When you kick, all your power is generated from the hips. Most people when they start Muay Thai will kick straight up like a soccer kick, this is a big no-no as all you will hit is elbows and damage yourself more than the person you’re hitting.

A perfect analogy is a baseball bat. If someone broke into your house and you’re trying to defend yourself, would you swing your bat straight up? Or would you use your hips to get the most power possible? It’s the same with the roundhouse kick in Thai Boxing.

This is the kick checklist whenever you kick

• With the lead leg, your heel must go past your toes (foot has turned 180 degrees to where you’re kicking)
• As you kick have your force go upwards not down
• Bring your shoulder forward and whip your arm as you kick (same arm as kicking leg)

All of these things can be practiced in the drill by Sylvie, a Muay Thai fighter with 200+ fights in the video above. Remember you should feel your side butt cheek flex on the hip that is rotating, this means you are doing it correctly.

It is very important to practice proper hip rotation as it is quite an unnatural movement while being a fundamental Muay Thai movement pattern. Without it you will not kick properly.

I would recommend doing these at least 100 times per day on both legs to open up your hips. It’s not uncommon in Thailand for a trainer to tell a westerner to do 300 reps per leg if their hips are especially tight.

1. Place your foot on a platform like a sofa and be on your toes on the other foot like you’re kicking
2. Turn the foot on the platform to the shin to mimic the kick while using your arms
3. Repeat for 25 reps and change leg for a total of 100 reps each leg

Mobility

People living in the West tend to have tight hips due to sitting all day which makes throwing kicks very awkward, as a lot of people just lack hip mobility.

How do we solve this problem by ourselves? Hip mobility is crucial to proper hip rotation and general injury prevention in Muay Thai and normal life. See this study on the professional application of injury prevention for Soccer athletes who practiced muscle mobility.

Training by yourself is the perfect opportunity to focus on good movement patterns. The above video is a summary of Don Heatrick’s superb tips on unlocking your hips as a Muay Thai athlete.

Following the video could be the key in making your kicks so much better, as you could even have good technique but lack the necessary hip flexibility to turn your hips in.

This routine is split into three different sections. To do all the exercises, you must have a foam roller (best price on Amazon) or lacrosse ball (Amazon) for a cheaper option, and a resistant band (Amazon).

I have everything and I recommend you buy the equipment as it’s super important not just for Muay Thai, but for ensuring you have good health and posture throughout your life. This is especially important in modern society with smartphones and computers making us have poor rounded posture which can lead to health complications later in life. This routine will help you with the following

1. Releasing the hips
2. Opening the hips
3. Anchoring the hips

1.Releasing the hips

1. Start to foam roll at the top of the knee and gradually roll up and down the thigh to break down the muscle tissue
2. When you find a tight area “windshield wipe” your legs left and right to get at that tissue and flex up and down.
3. Avoid the IT band (the middle of your leg) as it cannot be lengthened and for rolling, it could cause injury
4. Foam roll each leg for 1-2 minutes then switch legs.

2.Opening The Hips

1. Attach your band to something sturdy like a squat rack or a TV stand and little lower than hip height
2. Step into the band and have it high behind your glute/booty & make sure there is decent tension so it’s pulling your hips forward
3. Squeeze your glutes by pointing your pelvis forward and thrust your hip in front of your knee don’t arch from your back make sure its the hips
4. Practice the movement from different angles ensuring you squeeze your glutes throughout the motion
5. Repeat for 1-2 minutes and then switch sides!

3.Anchoring The Hips

1. Place your foot on a bench or a platform at a similar height like a chair so your ankle can pivot down and up
2. Your stance must allow your hip to be at knee level or lower
3. Keep your chest up and chin down and drive through the floor with your foot while squeezing your glutes and feeling that near hip stretch
4. Once you understand the movement pattern try adding weights
5. Repeat for around 3 sets of 10 reps for both legs

These exercises will help your Muay Thai and general health by affecting the muscle length, the joint capsule (how your bones are positioned), and your neuromuscular control of how your brain tells you what range of motion you have.

I recommend doing these exercises as part of a dynamic warmup to solidify good movement patterns which are key to reducing injury risk and to ensure you’re kicking correctly.

Releasing and opening your hips can be done randomly throughout the day. It is perfect for active rest between weight training sessions or part of a recovery day where you work on your posture issues or any muscle that is giving you pain.

Stretching

After you have worked on your mobility, your muscles should be nice and warm. This is a perfect time to work on stretching and lengthening your muscles, which is key to improving your Muay Thai.

The difference between flexibility and mobility is flexibility relates to muscles, and mobility relates to joints. You need both to truly succeed at Muay Thai, but I do believe establishing proper mobility is more important.

Follow FightTips video above to get an easy quick stretching routine that you can do anywhere that lasts around 20 minutes. I recommend doing this routine anywhere between 4-5 times a week to every day to get maximum results.

Chamber Your Kicks

Imagine if you had as good of control of your kicks as your fists? With good balance control, and knowing where your kicks will land, working on your chamber is how you can achieve this!

Chambering is when you lift your knee towards your chest whenever you kick, and the act of retracting the kickback.

In Muay Thai even though we don’t chamber our kicks as much as other martial arts like Karate and Taekwondo, it is still super important to improving your power, strength, and balance when throwing and checking kicks.

These drills to improve your chambering can be done anywhere by yourself. From the superb FightTips video above, I have summarized all the drills.

Drill 1. Three Leg Dog

1. Get into a push-up/plank position and sit your hips back to get into downward dog (yoga pose)
2. Peddle your calves up and down to warm up the hamstrings & calves
3. Lift one leg up and then drive your knee up to your chest as high as possible with your heel towards your butt/glute, hold this position for three breaths
4. Bring the leg up and drive to the outside of the elbow aiming to eventually get the knee to the armpit, hold for three breaths
5. Repeat step 4 with the opposite elbow
6. The entire 3 movements count as 1 rep so repeat the process on the other leg for a total of three sets per leg.

Drill 2. Seated Leg Lift

1. Sit down with your back straight and place something next to your legs like a Yoga block (best price on Amazon) or boxing glove/book
2. Swing your leg over the object and tap the ground and repeat for a total of 5-10 reps on each leg and 3 total sets

Changing the setting on the block makes it more challenging and remember to not hunch forward as you want the focus on the hip flexor.

Drill 3. Standing Hip Flexor Stretch

1. Stand on one leg and grab your knee with both hands and pull up to stretch the hips- hold for 3 breaths
2. Repeat the stretch but turn your knee inward, outward and behind and hold for 3 breaths in every position

If you lack the balance, either do them leaning against a ball, or repeat all the stretches lying down as you can see Shane do in the video.

For the most benefit do these drills every day or at least 5 times a week, and you will see a vast improvement in your kick chamber which will benefit any kicks you will ever do across all martial arts!

Footwork

Basic Footwork Drill

Ask any fighter and they will say footwork is one of the most important skills to develop across all martial arts, and even most sports! Best of all it can be practiced anywhere, anytime, and is often never trained; don’t be that guy/girl who doesn’t train footwork!

Everything relates to your foot connection to the ground, with 3 main points on your foot, one on the base and two near the front. Your weight should be distributed 50/50 on your foot on the balls of your feet, with your tail bone and chin ducked under. You should be vertically upright and keep this position whenever you move.

One drill you can practice seen in the above video is very simple.

1. Stand in a Muay Thai stance
2. Take one step straight and step back in the same position, then do the same action but step right, back and then left
3. As you get more comfortable double the steps or try the drill in your opposite stance.

Never do any unnecessary steps. It should only be one step as any more will put you off balance. When you get comfortable with the drill take two steps and even add punches as you step.

6 Step Solo Footwork Drill

I started to implement this 6 step solo footwork drill by FightTips and already I have seen solid improvements to not only my footwork but also my shadow boxing.

This drill involves six different punches with numbers that correspond to the actions. Now you don’t have to jab in the advancing steps, it can be an uppercut, elbow, or hook depending on your spacing.

I will briefly outline the drill

1. Probing Step-in your Muay Thai stance takes a small step forward (around 1-4 inches) and do a jab as you step; think of your foot and arm being connected like a puppeteer and his/her puppet and whenever the hands move so does the foot
2. Retreating Step- take the same step backward on your back foot and do a jab
3. Pivot Cross- while still do a cross making sure you pivot off the backfoot while turning the shoulders
4. Advancing 1-2 Step forward like in step 1 but bring your back foot with you and throw a cross after the jab
5. Retreating 1-2. Do a jab while bringing your front foot back and then bring your back foot back and do a cross
6. Switch Jab. Switch your stance (if you’re a southpaw go orthodox and vice versa) and throw a jab in the opposite stance as you switch
7. Repeat step 1-6 in Southpaw!

Shadowbox

There is nothing more beneficial you can do to improve your Muay Thai than Shadowboxing. It can be done everywhere, waiting in line for groceries or in the post office, you name it!

Now, when you shadow box you must visualize an opponent who is fighting you as you practice. This will help you when you spar as you’re accustomed to fighting a moving opponent who reacts to what you throw. Now you must train defense as well as offense, for shadowboxing to truly be effective.

The above 10-minute Muay Thai Shadow Boxing workout by Sean Fagan (check him out) is excellent and I do it daily. It works so well as it trains all elements on your Muay Thai, from offensive to defense and you can go through it at your own pace.

Remember to focus on technique as you shadowbox, otherwise, your body can remember bad habits via muscle memory. This is why filming yourself shadowboxing is so important and I urge everyone to film themselves training as often as they can.

I structure this workout by an internal timer on my phone where each section is split up by 10,1 minute rounds with no rest.

1. Straights, teeps, and checks
2. Single strikes
3. Punch combos with a kick finish
4. Combos with a defensive finish
5. Forward fighting
6. Counter fighting
7. Punches & Elbows
8. Lower Body strikes
9. Creative flow
10. Fight pace

How Not To Shadowbox

A lot of people, even professional fighters, have issues with shadowboxing. Many times it is because they are making one of the mistakes in the above video by Sean Fagan. Most likely they are not visualizing an opponent.

In the above video, Sean goes into detail about the issues people have with shadow boxing and I will briefly summarize the main points

1. Kicking Wrong 2:57. I still suffer from this problem as it’s harder to visualize and properly rotate your hip if you’re kicking air. To fix it, record yourself and focus on correct hip rotation every time you kick
2. Too Much Head Movement 4:10. Excessive head movement is fine for Boxing as that is part of the sport, but with Muay Thai, you want to keep your head movement sharp, minimal, and technical as you can’t bob and weave a roundhouse!
3. Looking/Punching Down 5:37. This one is more common for an absolute beginner, but you wouldn’t look at the floor or punch down if you’re fighting anyone but a super midget!
4. Staying Stationary 6:34. Movement and footwork is key to succeeding in fighting so make sure you move around and cut angles, to make it difficult for your imaginary shadow opponent
5. Just Offense, No Defense 6:35. You need to add checks, leans backs, catching kicks and catching jabs/crosses when you’re shadowboxing as you’re trying to simulate a real fight
6.  Not Mixing Up Your Strikes 7:37. Now just working the basics like 1-2 right kick is fine if your focus is on technique, but if you want to simulate a real fight you need to diversify your strikes. Make sure you’re hitting high and low, to the body and the head with some low kicks. Keep your imaginary partner guessing!
7. Too Tense 8:58. This is common in the beginning as fighting can be very stressful so your natural inclination is to tense up. Don’t do this as it will only waste much-needed energy. Ideally, you want to be nice and loose and relaxed while you’re fighting, only tensing up your fists when you’re just about to connect -for maximum speed and power.
8. Forgetting To Breathe 10:15. This happens to a lot of people especially in BJJ where people forget to breathe. Don’t forget the most basic thing, for if you lose your breath you will get tired quickly and your strikes will lack any power.
9. Forgetting To Visualise 11:43. Even professional fighters make this mistake and it’s key to getting the most out of shadowboxing. You need to BELIEVE someone is fighting you and reacting to what you throw and you need to react to their strikes. I know it’s difficult but in time you will get the hang of it!
10. Not Extending Your Arms 12:50. I’m still guilty of this, and it’s a very easy mistake to make. Whenever you’re punching make sure you fully extend your arms. This is to maximize both your range and punching power. You don’t want those mini T-rex arms while shadow boxing!

Heavy Bag

Now, I know you might not have access to a Heavy Bag but it will be your number one training partner, it is never late and always there for you. Ask any fighter and they will say without a doubt it is def the best pieces of fighting equipment you can buy.

It is fantastic for improving your footwork and combos and every Muay Thai athlete has put 100s of hours into it. I highly recommend the Fairtex heavy bag (best price on Amazon).

If you don’t have the budget you can make one out of heavy carpet or material around the house, like in the video below.

When you have your heavy bag Sean Fagan’s 20-minute heavy bag workout for beginners it is fantastic. I’ve done it many times after a training session.

Remember all the 10 shadow boxing mistakes from the above video, and practice good form in everything you do on the bag, if you don’t you could get injured so pay attention!.

Here is a brief overview of the workout.

• Round 1 (1 minute each)
• -Jabs & Teeps
• -Jab, Roundhouse
• -Cross, Switch Kick
• Round 2 (1 minute each)
• -Left Side Strikes
• -Right Side Strikes
• -Boxing Only
• Round 3 (1 minute each)
• -Alternating Teeps
• Jab, Roundhouse, Cross, Switch Kick
• Combo Finish W/Check & Kick
• Round 4
• -Jab, Lead Elbow (1 min)
• -Jab, Rear Elbow (30 sec)
• -Balancing Left Teep Drill (30 sec)
• -Balancing Right Teep Drill(30 sec)
• Round 5 (1 minute each)
• -Power Right Roundhouse
• -Power Left Roundhouse
• -Power Right Roundhouse –
• -Power Left Roundhouse –

Cardio

Muay Thai already is a fantastic aerobic and anaerobic workout. Check out my post here to see why Muay Thai is so good for your health. However, you need to do some other form of cardio so you can make your heart stronger and improve your cardio in a fight situation.

There are two different types of cardio you can do. We want to train both as they are equally important in Muay Thai.

• Aerobic (low intensity, think skipping or lightly jogging)
• Anaerobic (without air, think sprinting or lifting heavy weight)

In the video above, Shane from FightTips recommends the following weekly cardio workout.

Weekly Cardio Workout

• 3-4 days a week jog/run (aerobic) for 2/3 miles or 3.2/4.8 kilometers
• 2 days a week sprint (anaerobic) 100mx10

Now, this is a good conditioning workout, and fighters in Thailand run two 5K/3.1 miles runs every day. But an increasing number of fighters have spoken out about running and how they don’t enjoy it and instead do other more sports-related cardio like hitting pads.

ANY form of cardio that trains your aerobic system for around 20 minutes 3-4 times a week, with the ability to go anaerobic is fine. I will list the alternatives to running.

I still recommend running as the number one cardio you should do, as it is a very natural human action and the runners high after a workout is beautiful. Also, running is just excellent cardio and good for training the mind.

However, if you don’t like running I don’t believe you should be obligated to train something you don’t like, no matter how beneficial it is.

Cardio Alternatives To Running

• Swimming
• Hitting pads
• Skipping
• Interval training
• Treadmill
• Rowing
• Cycling

Strength & Conditioning

If you don’t do any strength and conditioning and you do Muay Thai you are seriously missing out!

I’ve been on a Zoom call with 5x Muay Thai world champion Andy Howson and he said strength and conditioning is like having a suit of armor; as it makes you stronger and less likely to get injured in combat sports.

Everyone from every level can benefit from S&C and the best Muay Thai specific S&C workout I’ve seen was created by Don Heatrick (mentioned earlier). I have started to incorporate it into my Muay Thai training routine.

There are two full-body workouts, meant to be performed around 2-3 times a week with at least one day of rest between each day. Both routines contain 7 exercises with 3 supersets (2 exercises done connected with no rest) and one ab exercise, with each superset being repeated 4 times before moving on.

I will include a YouTube link where Don himself is demonstrating the exercises, with a brief exercise outline underneath each video.

Every exercise has been chosen to benefit your Muay Thai, and I will link Don’s website with his reasoning behind all exercise choices here.

He has 25+ years of coaching experience and is a former Thai boxer (ranked 4th in the UK when he was 40). I cannot recommend him enough and I love his work and want more people to know about him.

Full Body Workout A

• 1a) Front squat x 5-reps
• 1b) Rear foot elevated split squats (Bulgarian split squats) x 8-reps each leg
• 2a) Incline bench press x 5-reps
• 2b) Dumbbell chest press x 8-reps
• 3a) Pull-ups x 5-reps
• 3b) Dumbbell bent over rows x 8-reps each side
• 4) Dragon Flags x 5-reps

Full Body Workout B

• 1a) Deadlift x 5-reps
• 1b) Single leg suspension squat x 8-reps each leg
• 2a) Standing overhead press behind neck* x 5-reps
• 2b) Barbell push press x 8-reps
• 3a) Barbell bent-over row x 5-reps
• 3b) Suspended rows x 8-reps
• 4) Core plate (landmine) twists x 5-reps

If you don’t have access to a gym or weights at home, then a Kettlebell workout by Funk Roberts (certified MMA conditioning coach) is a superb alternative.

A kettlebell is one of the best fitness investments you can ever make, and you can do the workouts anywhere even with limited space. Buy the Amazon basics KB that I have here (best price on Amazon)

I recommend a 25 pound/16 Kg Kettlebell if you’re a guy and a 5 pound/10 kg Kettlebell if you’re a girl to start off with.

Alternatively, if you’re super broke and cannot afford a Kettlebell, Jeremy Ethier, a fitness YouTuber, has a fantastic full-body workout that you do at home without any equipment. Check it out down below.

Adopt The Right Mindset

Training your mind for success and changing your subconscious to make sure you’re goal-oriented, is one of the best things you can do to succeed in anything, not just Muay Thai.

I will go through various things you can do to maximize your success in Muay Thai while training by yourself.

Surround Yourself With Like-Minded People Online

If you do not have access to a gym it can be very difficult to be consistent. That’s why joining a Muay Thai community such as Nak Muay Thai Nation or r/MuayThai (Reddit) or even YouTube is a good choice.

In all these communities you can post your Muay Thai videos and ask for form critiques, and the community will be glad to help you. Having a community of your own helps keep yourself accountable, as it is difficult to practice by yourself with 100% commitment.

Relax & Meditate

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-benefits-of-meditation

I don’t think there’s anything more beneficial you can do for your life in general than meditate. Click here for the 12 reasons you should meditate. I do it myself every time I wake up and would not want to live without it.

Meditation improves your focus and attention span, as well as sharply reduces stress; all things that will greatly benefit your Muay Thai. Think before a fight, who would win assuming all things were equal but one person mediated regularly and the other did not?

I would wager highly the person who mediates will win, because they have practice in focussing heavily on one thing. The most important thing you need to win a fight is to focus on it!

Thai fighters themselves do a form of meditation in the form of dance before every fight, called the Wai Khru. Fighters engaging in some form of spiritual practice, whether meditation, prayers, or mantras is super common across all martial arts and even sports in general.

If you’re interested in the spiritual side and traditions of Muay Thai, check my post here.

Practice Positive Mantras/Self Belief

If you think you will lose a fight, do you think you have a chance of winning? I don’t think so.

This is the power of negative self-talk and we are all guilty of talking down to ourselves. The problem is, this encourages your subconscious mind to put yourself down which will create failure in your life and your Muay Thai.

Think of your brain like a computer that is programmed, with having poor self-esteem and getting bad thoughts is kinda like a computer program gone wrong (see the above video). Reprogramming your mind for your Muay Thai training will improve every aspect of your life no matter what it is.

I know this sounds a bit too far fetched, but fighters like Liam Harrison (8x Muay Thai world champion) have had tremendous success with mind coaches. I also have seen improvements in my life with positive thinking and talking things into happening.

A famous mind coach that Liam Harrison uses and is very good friends with is Vinny Shoreman, a well known MayThai commentator, fighter, and ex-coach. He did a Zoom session for our gym that everyone loved. You can see a clip of him on the Joe Rogan Experience in the video below

Positive Affirmation

https://muaythaibro.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=688&action=edit

Positive affirmations (saying good things to yourself) is key to succeeding in anything in life, but especially while learning difficult things like learning Muay Thai.

Spend your time when you’re not training to think about what you have IMPROVED on, not what you did wrong that session. Yes, of course it is important to look at your weaknesses but focus instead on how much better you are compared to when you first started.

For Muay Thai, positive affirmations make you look on the bright side even in bad times, like when you didn’t do good in sparring or are just finding a technique difficult to learn. It allows you to stay rational when others might only see the bad in something.

The issue a lot of people have in life is focusing on what went wrong. They might do badly in their first spar and think because they did bad that is their destiny. Positive thinking allows you to think rationally and be more in control in bad situations.

Here is one of Brian Tracy’s (self-development author) quotes from the above video.

“Whatever is expressed is impressed. Whatever you say to yourself, with emotion, generates thoughts, ideas, and behaviors consistent with those words”

Brain Tracy (self-development author)

If you start thinking negative about your Muay Thai training, you will become worse, as your behaviors and emotions will reflect your negative thoughts. You will become what you say.

Brian Tracey even stresses using positive affirmations to remove emotion from bad events, and even be able to see the benefits during difficult times.

Let’s say you have a shin injury and cannot kick. If you train your mind to see the positives in everything with meditation and positive self-affirmations, you could use the down time constructively and focus all your effort on footwork and Boxing. Working with what you CAN do rather than what you cant!

Muay Thai Positive Affirmations

Repeat these affirmations randomly throughout the day. Repeat each at least 5 times. It’s good to do these when you first wake up and again when you go to bed. Be consistent with your mediation and positive affirmations, and I ensure you, you will see benefits and improvements across your entire life.

1. I will succeed in everything I choose to put my mind to
2. I will improve my Muay Thai every day and become the best fighter I can possibly be
3. I am confident in Sparring and stay calm and collected in every situation
4. I will learn from every problem and outcome and come out a better more well-rounded fighter
5. I will allow any losses or bad moments to wash over me like rocks in a river

Daily Solo Training Routine

This is the daily training routine that I do to improve my Muay Thai. At first, start small and do a few of the things every day until it becomes a habit.

If you aim too high and end up not accomplishing your goal, you will feel unmotivated. It is important to start small as you build a habit and you will build momentum and create something called the compound effect (based on a book of the same name by New York best seller Darren Hardy).

You can buy the eBook yourself for the best price on Amazon right here or watch a summary of the book in the above video. But basically, the idea is Daily Consistency= Massive Results, so start small doing your routine, and eventually, it will become a habit that will build success.

Muay Thai Training

1. Wake Up and jump rope for 10 minutes, do Yoga, followed by meditation & positive self affirmation (40 minutes)
2. Run 5k/(3.1 miles)
3. Do 10×100 meter sprints
4. Do 100 hip rotations (see Sylvies video) and 100 shadow kicks on both legs (10 minutes)
5. Shadow Box (10 minutes)
6. Do Don Heatrick Mobility Work (15 minutes)
7. Hit the bag (20 minutes)
8. Do 100 hip rotations (see Sylvies video) and 100 shadow kicks on both legs (10 minutes)
9. Shadow Box (10 minutes)

Remember to only run 2-3 times a week, and to lift weights or do some other form of conditioning 2-3 times a week.

TriggerPoint GRID Foam Roller (Amazon Link)

Kieba Massage Lacrosse Balls for Myofascial ReleaseAmazon Link)

AmazonBasics Resistance and Pull Up BandAmazon Link)

GripTight ONE GorillaPod Stand(Amazon Link)

Gaiam Yoga Block(Amazon Link)

Fairtex Heavy Bag Unfilled(Amazon Link)

Amazon Basic Kettlebell(Amazon Link)

The Compound Effect(Amazon Link)