Something I find interesting is that I
am always hearing foreigners make comments about how the Thai's are
not training scientifically. I hear stuff like, “Oh man, if they
implemented a strength and conditioning program into there training
they would be so much better.” Another great one is “The Thai's
training methods are outdated.” Yeah there is always room for
improvements but the bottom line is that it comes down to putting in
the work, not some special new training methods. They have found
something that works and at this point they are still producing the
highest level fighters.
I think people forget that these
fighters are not just fighters, they are professional athletes the
same as any high level athlete. They know their body and what they
need to do to prepare for competition. Muay Thai training is very
sport specific. When you kick a bag you are getting resistance which
is going to force your muscles to get broken down and repair better
to yield greater results. It's not the same as say basketball when if
you want to jump to dunk a basketball. You can jump as much as you
want but there is no resistance that is going to force your muscles
to get broken down and repair so they produce better results unless
you implement some kind of strength and conditioning program.
Another great one I hear from
recreational athletes is “The run is to long, more than 20 minutes
can be counterproductive.” So ultimately what happens is students
try to make excuses and skip the running thinking that nobody
notices. Everybody, including your trainers notice. Yeah that is fine
to skip the run if you are just a recreational trainee and not a
professional athlete. For some reason that is unknown to me people
are assuming the Thai's are running for cardiovascular reasons. But a
nice jog isn't by itself going to get their cardio to the next level.
People are missing the point completely why the Thai's are using this
training method. Most Thai's are trying to fight as the lowest weight
they can just like MMA fighters. This is a good method for keeping
your weight down. But the main reason they are running is because
running excites your nervous system ultimately giving you more bounce
in your step and lightness on your toes.
I had the opportunity to work with Mike
Dolce for a number or years back when I was at Team Quest in
Portland. For those of you who are not familiar with Mike he is the
the most sought after nutritionist and strength and conditioning
coach in MMA. He has worked with the likes of Vitor Belfort, Chael
Sonnen, Thiago Alves, Jake Ellenburger, and many more. Basically he
knows his stuff. I think Mike said it best, he said that among his
athletes the ones that did their runs were the ones that still had
the bounce and lightness on their toes by the later rounds.
Basically my point is there is no
“magic training methods”. If you want to be the best you have to
do what is already working but do it right and consistent. It's the
same as anything else, you have to put in the hard work to get the
results you want.
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