any muay thai fighters?

**xavierlafleur** · 09-02-2011, 08:53 PM

The grass is always greener on the other side...................................I'm in Bangkok now as I write this. In Thailand Kung Fu is the exotic art that everyone fears and talks about. Thais don't think Muay Thai is the best. Everyone is always trying to find something beyond themselves to explain why they can't do something they "know" exists but has never seen. Anywhere one goes the people there will think the great art is someplace else.

**Twist** · 09-02-2011, 09:28 PM

Originally Posted by dec11

in a training situation or for real? Both I guess
if you're sparring that hard should you not have a head guard etc?
I wasn't wearing one at the time but usually do.

didnt get a chance to use those inner gloves yet btw, spent this week digging the fvckin garden, dig down 2" hit rubble then pick axe etc etc for fvckin 30x15ft

ive now about 5 more injuries to add to the list!!

After sparring class today I've got a really screwed up left arm/shoulder from blocking head/body kicks...

Originally Posted by xavierlafleur

The grass is always greener on the other side...................................I'm in Bangkok now as I write this. In Thailand Kung Fu is the exotic art that everyone fears and talks about. Thais don't think Muay Thai is the best. Everyone is always trying to find something beyond themselves to explain why they can't do something they "know" exists but has never seen. Anywhere one goes the people there will think the great art is someplace else.

Kung Fu lol? That's funny. On another note, I want to go to Thailand so bad. That's number one on my list. What's the muay thai scene like there? Is it everywhere? Are there fights every night or how often?

**dec11** · 09-02-2011, 09:49 PM

twist in all honesty i dont rate size, you at your weight, if you were on your game, would dance around a 240lb'er (on the street) unless he was something special. im 225lbs atm and looking to drop to 200lb for muay thai. size means fvck all, its just a visual presence

xavierlafleur, not questioning your experience but i dunno, muay thai looks pretty brutal and effective to me

**xavierlafleur** · 09-02-2011, 09:50 PM

I've been doing business in Thailand for the past 2 decades and I own a home in Bangkok. I think I know something about it so in my experience Muay Thai in Thailand is just like Boxing is in America: Most people in Thailand know little about it and have no interest in Thai Boxing. It's on TV a couple of times a week but there isn't a great national following. I lived in a Stable and trained a long time ago................................... no one cares. Now days there are several Stables that cater to foreigners but the Golden Age of Thai Boxing died a long time ago.

P.S. If you come to train here you will probably find that traing in Europe and America is of much better quality.

**dec11** · 09-02-2011, 09:58 PM

Originally Posted by xavierlafleur

I've been doing business in Thailand for the past 2 decades and I own a home in Bangkok. I think I know something about it so in my experience Muay Thai in Thailand is just like Boxing is in America: Most people in Thailand know little about it and have no interest in Thai Boxing. It's on TV a couple of times a week but there isn't a great national following. I lived in a Stable and trained a long time ago................................... no one cares. Now days there are several Stables that cater to foreigners but the Golden Age of Thai Boxing died a long time ago.

P.S. If you come to train here you will probably find that traing in Europe and America is of much better quality.

but we arent questioning its popularity mate, you posted with the premise that kung fu is a better art, surely its apples and oranges and not a good comparison? i think it would be easier to become proficient in muay thai and use it effectively than the same with kung fu.

we've a thai instructor over atm and im in awe at the guy, hes a killing machine!

**xavierlafleur** · 09-02-2011, 10:11 PM

I never said Kung Fu is better. Thais generally "think" Kung Fu is better. I trained in China and nothing is better than something else.............it's the man fighting that makes the difference.

**dec11** · 09-02-2011, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by xavierlafleur

I never said Kung Fu is better. Thais generally "think" Kung Fu is better. I trained in China and nothing is better than something else.............it's the man fighting that makes the difference.

very true. fair play to anyone who gets good at kung fu, i reckon it takes along time from an early age to be good at those type arts

**Twist** · 09-02-2011, 11:44 PM

Originally Posted by dec11

twist in all honesty i dont rate size, you at your weight, if you were on your game, would dance around a 240lb'er (on the street) unless he was something special. im 225lbs atm and looking to drop to 200lb for muay thai. size means fvck all, its just a visual presence

xavierlafleur, not questioning your experience but i dunno, muay thai looks pretty brutal and effective to me

I dance a bit but when someone has a 10+ reach advantage and 50+lbs there's only so much I can do lol. That's what my instructor is telling me to do, stay out of the pocket more often. I've gotten used to taking a couple hits to get on the inside and then lighting up a bigger guy but the thing is sometimes I get rocked on the way in and on the way out so I really feel I'm at a disadvantage... Need to learn to move my feet better and move my head. Also I think with all the injuries I am very hesitant and it's hurting me. Do you get that dec?

X any tips on surpassing reach/weight advantages? Anything that really helped you out?

**xavierlafleur** · 09-03-2011, 12:06 AM

I'm a big guy so the only problem I have encountered is finding someone to spar with or fight.
Everyone is week in defense at the low line........................ the area from the instep to the groin. The taller the opponent is the easier it is to attack his legs and groin. That said it is never easy to hit a moving target. The best way to beat a larger opponent is to give him the disadvantage. When the attack is a surprise attack the attacker has the advantage. When the attack is not a surprise then the attacker is disadvantaged. Make a larger opponent attack then counter-attack when he misses and is off balance.

**Twist** · 09-03-2011, 12:08 AM

So with the weakness area are you saying to use my lead leg to kick him inside leg above the knee? How would I exploit that weakness area? I have been using the previous technique but I still get tagged as their arms are longer than my legs and when I am moving out I get kicked at also. I'm very frustrated. I work people my size though lol.

**xavierlafleur** · 09-03-2011, 12:39 AM

There are three distances in fighting: the long or safe distance where he can't hit you and you can't hit him. There is the middle distance where kicks and long punches can make contact and there is the close distance where upper cuts, knees and elbows are used.

The bigger your opponent is the farther the distance he will have to travel to get from long distance to middle and close distance. If you maintain a long distance and make him come to you then you are turning his superior reach into a disadvantage because he will be relatively slow when coming closer to you. This gives you plenty of time to move and make his attack miss. It is when he has all his weight on his lead leg (after missing his attack) that he is most vulnerable to a leg attack...................use a tibia kick to his outer calf, knee or thigh. After missing an attack is also a good time for you to get close and take him out with an upper cut under his chin (dangerous strike in a real fight without gloves).

If you are an aggressive fighter and prone to attack you should train a few months in counter-attacking against a bigger opponent.
If your opponent is the same size or smaller than you then make him come to you and nail him just when he reaches middle distance............................ unless it is a surprise attack the attacker is always disadvantaged.

**dec11** · 09-03-2011, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by Twist

I dance a bit but when someone has a 10+ reach advantage and 50+lbs there's only so much I can do lol. That's what my instructor is telling me to do, stay out of the pocket more often. I've gotten used to taking a couple hits to get on the inside and then lighting up a bigger guy but the thing is sometimes I get rocked on the way in and on the way out so I really feel I'm at a disadvantage... Need to learn to move my feet better and move my head. Also I think with all the injuries I am very hesitant and it's hurting me. Do you get that dec?

X any tips on surpassing reach/weight advantages? Anything that really helped you out?

one of the more experienced guys said cos im a big guy, he'd most likely get in close and clinch work me, hanging on to me with all his weight until he had me worn out and then go to town.

**Twist** · 09-03-2011, 12:23 PM

Ok I'll see what I can do. I won't be going back until thursday so my new ideas will have to wait...

**dec11** · 09-07-2011, 04:42 PM

holy sh1t, 45mins of 30sec combos on pads and burpees thrown in every 3rd round for good measure, i was fvckin wrecked, my cardio conditioning is shit!! fantastic training!

**Twist** · 09-07-2011, 07:58 PM

At least your cardio is done with fighting relevance. My cardio at my place is like sprints then 20 pushups then sprint then 20 squats sprint then 20situps without rest until you have done 60 of each. That's the warmup lol. By the time I spar or hit the heavy bag I'm so weak. I can say it really improves me though. Just wish there was more fighting aspects in the cardio.
How good are you Dec? Passing by other guys yet? I was like 2 months in when I started flying by everyone else. I can say there's only a couple guys in my classes that are better than me. Although the real kickboxers have their own class/competition training so if you box them then you are badass.

**dec11** · 09-08-2011, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by Twist

At least your cardio is done with fighting relevance. My cardio at my place is like sprints then 20 pushups then sprint then 20 squats sprint then 20situps without rest until you have done 60 of each. That's the warmup lol. By the time I spar or hit the heavy bag I'm so weak. I can say it really improves me though. Just wish there was more fighting aspects in the cardio.
How good are you Dec? Passing by other guys yet? I was like 2 months in when I started flying by everyone else. I can say there's only a couple guys in my classes that are better than me. Although the real kickboxers have their own class/competition training so if you box them then you are badass.

thats alot of 'pure' fitness work. how long does your actually fight skills section last?

im def still at beginner stage, only 6 classes so fare mate.i think once my hips open up a bit and my co-ordination snaps into place i'll be going good. my boxing skills have improved significantly and my right side kicking is good. one big prob is throwing my hips into knee strike, my hams and ventro glutes feel like they are going to tear, so i end up throwing the knee more upwards than forwards.

i also find it hard to hold my guard in tight, lats, delts and pecs pump up solid after 15mins. i think it will just take a few months to ease certain muscle groups into it, alot of developmental stretching on the horizon, im so tight in places i will need assisted stretches, damn plifting!!.

**Twist** · 09-08-2011, 03:41 PM

I found that doing the work over and over and over helped. I literally would just sit in front of the bag for 30minutes and kick it with one leg until that one was in too much pain then switch. That helped my hips. Static stretching does nothing.

I'm seriously thinking about switching gyms at this point. Just went to Kbox and literally it was 15minutes of fighting stuff and 45 minutes of cardio. Really stupid. It's fine when you got to 5 classes per week and each class is about a half hour of kbox cuz you still learn a lot but when I can only go to 2 classes per week (school) then 60minutes work per week really isn't enough to learn. I have not learned anything in the last two weeks from going there. Everything I learn is on my own.

**dec11** · 09-08-2011, 03:59 PM

im even taking periods of time in the house and shadow boxing, its really getn under my skin!!

yeah mate, i reckon your class focusses too much on fitness, sure you can do that outside of class easily, waste of class time imo

this prob has been posted before, but here ya go

http://vimeo.com/thempl/review/28245493/fa2c46f45f

check out what forrest griffen thinks of MT at 1:40 lol

**Twist** · 09-16-2011, 09:53 PM

So last friday I got my ass handed to me in sparring for over 4 hours that day. I did a really bad job. Later that day I was twitching in the movements; lifting my leg to block a kick and my arm would twitch almost as if it was trying to throw a jab. I sparred again today without doing anything since last week and I did pretty well. My coach wants me to compete next time but I don't think I'll do that. I value my brain a little too much lol.

**dec11** · 09-17-2011, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by Twist

So last friday I got my ass handed to me in sparring for over 4 hours that day. I did a really bad job. Later that day I was twitching in the movements; lifting my leg to block a kick and my arm would twitch almost as if it was trying to throw a jab. I sparred again today without doing anything since last week and I did pretty well. My coach wants me to compete next time but I don't think I'll do that. I value my brain a little too much lol.

if i ever i did compete, which i seriously doubt, it wouldnt be for at least 2yrs

**Twist** · 09-17-2011, 02:06 PM

There's contests near me which are more like sparring matches with 100% intensity. Full gear is worn so not as much damage is done. It's a level below amateur fights.

**DeniZen** · 09-17-2011, 04:19 PM

Anybody in Southern California next weekend there is a WBC Muay Thai event at Pala Casino on Sept 24. Can't wait!

http://www.palacasino.com/wp-content...Fight-News.pdf

**dec11** · 09-17-2011, 09:55 PM

those 'inner gloves' i was using instead of conventional wraps are shit btw, hurt my wrist so bad on a hook, i can barely wipe my ass!! gona get some decent longer wraps on mon, any recommendations?

**Twist** · 09-17-2011, 10:08 PM

My wraps are title

**dec11** · 09-19-2011, 03:22 PM

you're not gona believe it Twist, went and broke that same big toe again tonight, went to step in to a jab and follow with a kick and my ankle support held fast on the foam mat and the toe went below my foot with full weight on it. it was sheer agony, much more painful than the 1st time. out for another 6-8wks

**Twist** · 09-19-2011, 11:14 PM

Damn that blows. What ankle support? What for? Damn bro that really sucks

**dec11** · 09-20-2011, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by Twist

Damn that blows. What ankle support? What for? Damn bro that really sucks

just a normal elasticated ankle support. wont be wearing one again!!

**juice box** · 09-20-2011, 11:56 AM

When I was boxing I really didnt like the other guy to come to me because then he is in control of the fight . Am not saying rush in am say control the tempo of the fight if you are throwing stuff he has to be on guard . I could tell when someone would come out hard you can see it right before the fight starts ..

**Twist** · 09-21-2011, 12:50 AM

Originally Posted by dec11

just a normal elasticated ankle support. wont be wearing one again!!

I wear boxing shoes sometimes and my coach told me that I have to be careful because if it catches or is resistant (like it always is) during kicks I can break my ankle and ruin my knees. I need the shoe because of how messed up my feet are. I take it off when we spar or when it's primarily kicks but my feet pay for that.

Originally Posted by juice box

When I was boxing I really didnt like the other guy to come to me because then he is in control of the fight . Am not saying rush in am say control the tempo of the fight if you are throwing stuff he has to be on guard . I could tell when someone would come out hard you can see it right before the fight starts ..

I'm getting good at footwork now. The way I see it, footwork is your best defence. When guys rush you they are like a train, they move in a straight line. IF your footwork is great you can easily use that against them. It's just about mastering it though. Footwork is tough, toughest part imo.

**dec11** · 09-21-2011, 07:52 AM

Originally Posted by Twist

I wear boxing shoes sometimes and my coach told me that I have to be careful because if it catches or is resistant (like it always is) during kicks I can break my ankle and ruin my knees. I need the shoe because of how messed up my feet are. I take it off when we spar or when it's primarily kicks but my feet pay for that.

I'm getting good at footwork now. The way I see it, footwork is your best defence. When guys rush you they are like a train, they move in a straight line. IF your footwork is great you can easily use that against them. It's just about mastering it though. Footwork is tough, toughest part imo.

if i had of been barefoot, it wouldnt have happened, lesson learned. the coach kindly told me im free of charge to come in and use the bags for boxing practice until the toe heals, so mat least i'll be able to maintain some 'fight' fitness which we know isnt attainable on say a stationary bike

**DeniZen** · 09-27-2011, 05:09 PM

Originally Posted by DeniZen

Anybody in Southern California next weekend there is a WBC Muay Thai event at Pala Casino on Sept 24. Can't wait!

http://www.palacasino.com/wp-content...Fight-News.pdf

Saturday night Craig Buchanan defends his title with first round tko of James Martinez. It looked like the fight was stopped early, but Martinez was done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYskMhQ4jZg

**Mass760** · 09-27-2011, 08:52 PM

Craig worked Martinez! Craigs been fighting for along time.. I seen him fight a few times back in the day.
He has a gym Local where I'm from..

**dec11** · 09-27-2011, 09:15 PM

we've a good night coming up in november in Dublin, Ireland v Poland

**dec11** · 10-14-2011, 09:40 PM

back in training next week, deadlifted today at full power so toe is healed, wonder what i'll break next lol

**BBrian** · 01-06-2012, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by dec11

have bad shin splints although laying off heavy squats should help a tad

Serious shin splints is enough to stop any athlete. In Marine Corps boot camp we lost 65% of our initial platoon by the time it was all over, a great many of them being due to injuries, and shin splints being one of the leading causes. My kickboxing/muai thai coach had us take a rolling pin (for bread, from the kitchen) and roll it up and down our shins for countless hours. This is far more painful than you could ever imagine, but it did an incredible job of toughening up my shins. Between this little method and an incredible amount of leg stretching in every direction, my own shin splints eventually disappeared.