Muay thai

[ross90]

I'll put it in here because i wasn't sure where else to put it as there isn't a thai forum. So sorry if its in the wrong forum guys, moderators feel free to move it.

I went to my first thai session last night, My shins are killing today from being on the bag, i just wondered if there was any thing i can get to toughen my shins up. Or wether its just a case of over time, my shins will toughen.

Also with flexibility, i wondered if there was anything i can do to improve flexibility. Any specific stretches people have found work to improve leg flexibility for higher kicks, or anything people found works. No fancy gimmick machines, just stretches which stretch specific muscles. I could do them when i get ouy of the bath so my muscles are warm, to get used to them. Or when im stretching off before training.

But again, if people found that after 6 month of training their flexibility improved a lot and they found themselves reaching higher kicks then thats fine, but just if there is anything specific i can get for my shins, to toughen them or minimise bruising, and stretches, to maximise my kicking height, so my muscles become stretchier and its easier for me to reach higher with my kicks. Or if its just something that will happen over time in training.

[Yak]

nope, just ride it out - keep kicking the pads and heavy bad, slowly they will toughen up

ignore all the silly bollx ideas people give you about bottles/bricks and other such crap

kick thai pads (leather ones) and they will toughen up

flexibilty will come, however ensure you stretch outside of class if you can - odd session of yoga will help too - but its the hip rotation that you want and again just comes with practise

youve made the first step so well done, just keep at it ;-)

[ross90]

Thanks for the reply Yak. Yeah thats what i suspected, i was looking at yoga, and i will definately try it. Plus the lycra clad ladies will imrpove the view and tone of the session i think ;)

With the hip rotation and pivoting etc. I used to box, so once i got the hang of the stance (as its a bit different in thai, I picked up moving and footwork easily as it is just an adapted version of boxing hip rotation. The kicking has taken its tole on my shins though and Im back training tonight lol. I maybe will just concentrate on technique and hardly any power.

I will just stick it out and let my shins toughen up naturally, get myself to yoga, and light stretching at home.

On a side note what do you mean about bottles and bricks? Not sure Ive heard that one.

Thanks mate.
Ross

[C.K.A.Martial Arts]

get some thai oil for your shins it will help with the pain after training.

other than that it is hit the bags until the pad goes ~ no easy route.

[Yak]

you get a lot of bang this or bash that on it

when all you need are proper thai pads and a hard bag (ideally at your gym you have a cpl ranging from hard - i.e hard enough now - to something that feels like concrete if you touch it at the moment....thats the one to build up to ;-)

put the oil on before you start, will help numb them a little bit

[ross90]

Thai oil and yoga, alongside hard graft and training. Problems solved then :) Cheers for your help guys. C.K.A Do you stock any thai oil and would you reccommend any? Or are they all the same?

[Jamie Taylor]

Haha ya big pouf ! Roll a rolling pin down your shins to deaden the nerves.

Joking of course :) You can buy the thai oil from the gym pal.

Try to do 10 min stretches every night before bed, my flexibility has improved dramatically since I started oing that. You have to be consistent doing it though, I used to stretch a lot years ago and remember I once stopped for a few weeks and was pretty much back to square 1.

[ross90]

Ah right, theres a few things i can try then. except the rolling pin idea of course, soft lad.

Where were you lot last night? I thought you did no gi grappling on tuesdays after the thai class. I really enjoyed it, did a bit of light sparring with dave which was funny. kept catching me lol, hes a good laugh.

[d0ugbug]

Do a google for dynamic and isometric stretching set aside 20min in the morning and 20min in the evening to do the routine that will help with flexibility remember its not just your lefts you want to improve but also your core as that will help with rotations and twists etc greater speed and so on

[Jamie Taylor]

Nah its mon, wed and fri pal ! I'll prob see ya tonight, I'm gonna come a little earlier and watch you lot train for a bit. I'm skipping the class cos I had a private today and got fucking beasted. Still gonna have a good grapple like, probably wont be able to walk tomorrow.

[ross90]

Ah right, fair enough. Yeah you will see me later on, I'll be the only one not in thai shorts sweating like a fool because my fitness has been pants since christmas lol. Still getting to grips with everything and Im not sure if dave will teach me anything else tonight. You do a one on one thai session today? I need to keep up the running, started running, only short distance like 1.5 mile per day and then build on it.

[Jon-Leggy]

If your not used to working ur legs especially if u aint done thai before, then just keep the leg work up. I mean when i started i used to have red raw legs of the bag and hurt like a bitch, but like ull get used to it much easier aswell as finding ur self improving.

[Ross9]

As all have said it comes from keeping at it, the flexibility too.

I asked a very similar question about the kicks about a month after I started (just about a year ago now) and my coach explained that the kicks tend to be the last thing to come due to the nature of the movement.

ie in day to day life, you walk straight back and forth, you reach your arms straight back and forth, and rotate your upper body to reach for stuff, but you really never turn your hips much for anything, so the longer you've been on the planet for,the longer it tends to get used to turning everything over, I found over time it all loosened up. Head kicks still feel uncomortable at the hips for the first couple if I'm not really warm then loosen up, my hips used to feel that way doing leg kicks lol.

Trick is to start kicking when your 5 I think lol.

[Jamie Taylor]

Jon-Leggy where do you train thai ?

[Jon-Leggy]

sent you a message

[TheMonk!!]

Look on google for eddie bravo stretching it shows alot of good stuff I sat in the lotus position while watching tv for about 2 hour it's helped alot

[jumpinjackflash]

Thanks for the reply Yak. Yeah thats what i suspected, i was looking at yoga, and i will definately try it. Plus the lycra clad ladies will imrpove the view and tone of the session i think ;)

With the hip rotation and pivoting etc. I used to box, so once i got the hang of the stance (as its a bit different in thai, I picked up moving and footwork easily as it is just an adapted version of boxing hip rotation. The kicking has taken its tole on my shins though and Im back training tonight lol. I maybe will just concentrate on technique and hardly any power.

I will just stick it out and let my shins toughen up naturally, get myself to yoga, and light stretching at home.

On a side note what do you mean about bottles and bricks? Not sure Ive heard that one.

Thanks mate.
Ross

this all depends on how your class is structured but at the end of each lesson i would also try and aim to do 50 kicks on each leg. obviously youre not going to be able to do it day one but try 20, 25, 30 etc..

eg of our class is : 5 rounds of padwork(no routines or anything just let padman work you) each end of each round when music speeds up its 20 kicks each leg(if you have a grading cming up its 30)..

1 round each of elbows and kness..

depending on experience 2-3 rounds of one attack one defend or sparring or neck wrestling..

1 round of hand weights speed up combination when music speeds up

then you can stay and spar or if you have a grading coming up 50 kicks both legs, 50 knees both legs

[IceKid]

your shins will get tougher over time, mine used to kill when i first started, now i practice low kicks on the bus-stop post while waiting for the bus home from training :D

[Esputahlo]

just keep training they toughen up over time and the flexability will come as long as you stretch properly , i used to stretch whilst watching the telly , just basic ones.