Muay Thai: Part 1 — Personal Progress

I’m here in Thailand, for a month’s worth of Muay Thai training. 

First and foremost, I am getting my ass kicked - mostly figuratively but also kinda literally too. It’s getting better, but there’s always a next level to get to and I’ll never stop getting my butt wiped. Anyway, I have attended three weeks of classes, with one week to go. So here’s my update: Part 1 of 3 — Personal Progress.

Backstory: I’m here by chance, but it must be fate.

I was talking to a friend of a friend about taking a sabbatical/break from work; he suggested that I should train Muay Thai in Thailand. That’s what he would do if he were in my position. Without having put in too much thought on where/what I would do… the idea stuck. It’s pretty wild though, because I’ve never taken any martial arts class before, and I’m pretty much a couch potato. The most regular exercise I’ve gotten is running, but even that was sporadic after a bad case of tendonitis. The idea of getting fit seemed good, and why not do so by learning Muay Thai. So I looked up the gym he recommended, plans were made, and here we are. That was it. Sometimes life has a funny way of working out (pun intended).

Fitness: Making slow and steady progress.

One of my life goals is to get a six pack - at least once, so I can have picture proof. I think of it like a diploma; attaining it once counts for a lifetime. I was hoping a month of training might get me close, but in hindsight, totally not possible. Especially because I find reasons to eat poorly (e.g. Superbowl munchies, taking a mini-vacation in Singapore, or it’s hot and I want ice cream).

That said, I do feel much more fit than before. The scale doesn’t reflect it too much, and I’m optimistically thinking it’s just more muscle than fat. Perhaps the most telling sign of improvement is that I  have lost enough cheek fat to reveal dimples on both cheeks. I typically have a single dimple on one side when I’m on a good day. And absolutely none when I’m on a holiday or weekend binge. So it was a pleasant surprise to see not one, but two dimples! Yay for realistic and attainable gains. I’ll take the slow and steady progress.

Conditioning: This is so important, and I’m getting better.

My conditioning and stamina have improved greatly. All the drills really help, and just being active for the majority of the two hour class is great exercise. Not to mention, it is very hot here - usually in the 80s - and humid. So I’m constantly dripping sweat.

In a fight, it’s really crucial to have good conditioning. An actual combat situation requires a ton of energy and stamina. The amount of energy it takes to truly throw a punch or kick, and then string them together for a three minute round is just utterly ridiculous. We simulate this during the 1-on-1 trainer portions of class and it always tires me out. Even though I go at a slow beginner pace, it is such a great workout. And I’m definitely getting much better. I am able to string together longer sequences, attack with more power, and maintain better 

Coordination: Made pretty basic gains.

I can now jump rope properly. Not great, but when I first started, I could barely even get 10 skips in. Now, I can go for minutes at a time, and even switch the foot I’m jumping with.

Jumping Knee: This was a surprisingly hard thing for me to learn, because it requires jumping from one foot to the other while kneeing. I suppose it’s similar in a way to doing the “running man”. But for whatever reason my brain just couldn’t comprehend the motions needed to make it happen. But yes, I can do it now. 

Muay Thai skill: I’ve learned the basics and now trying to perfect them.

I know all the basic moves (to varying degrees of proper technique), and even some combos and counters. I’ve learned different ways to punch, elbow, kick, knee, and clinch. Even the defensive moves --  block, catch, parry, slip, duck, turn -- can have different execution methods.

It’s amazing though. The first step was just to learn what the moves were. And that took some time. Then the next step is how to perform them properly, which is an ongoing process. At first, I’d get plenty of comments on technique - such as which hand to pull down while kicking - and now it’s less and less.

By far, the hardest thing to learn for me is how to kick properly. There are so many things to get right, like foot placement, balance, proper pivoting with planted foot, and which part of the shin to hit with.

My favorite moves include spin elbow, body punch, jab and jab body. And of course the fun moves: “Superman” where it’s literally that jumping punch that you imagine Superman makes. And there’s also another where it’s attacking with the elbow by bringing it high up and swinging down. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of it because I only hear it in Thai and even then can’t quite pronounce it. 

Next up would be executing these skills in a fight. And I’m not there yet, far from it.

Fighting Ability: I will never get in a fight.

We have sparring sessions, to simulate fights and my major learning is that I should never ever get in a real fight. Never.

Reason number 1: My body just can’t handle it. Specifically, my left shoulder. I dislocated it many years ago, and now - if I try and throw a really hard left hook, it will pop out and back in a bit. And if anyone ever hit me there, it just simply can’t last.

Reason number 2: I am too slow. My reaction time is slow. My speed is slow. My thought process is slow. And I simply have no idea of what I’m doing. In order to fight, you have to think quickly, react quickly, act quickly. And I can do none of those things. Yes, it’ll get better with more practice and training. But I already know that I just don’t have that innate ability.

Notes about sparring sessions: I’ve matched up with experienced people, and they are great in that they take it easy and just let me feel things out. But still, I have no chance of actually hitting them, and they could destroy me at moment’s notice but hold back. Matching up with beginners is great, because they are like me and just trying things out, with no chance of hurting each other. The worst sparring partners are those who know just enough to be dangerous, but don’t know enough to hold back; they understand what they are doing and want to go for it, using all their skills, regardless if the opponent can defend or not. And that’s why having a mouthguard is so important. Definitely got punched in the face a few times, resulting in minor cuts on the inside of my lip.