The lesser known advantages of training in Muay Thai, though not always evident to the casual observer, add to a practitioner’s overall skill development and ultimately, enhance their quality of life.
The way a practitioner integrates all eight points of contact (fist, forearm, elbow, knee and shin) to deliver a strike, while defending an incoming attack, requires the practitioner to be able to coordinate his/her movements. The ability to coordinate movements has a positive impact on the practitioner’s day-to-day activities, as it improves their balance and awareness of their surroundings.
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Although coordination training associated with Muay Thai is primarily utilized within the confines of the ring, it is also advantageous outside of the ring. Improved coordination and balance will cause the practitioner to be less clumsy in everyday activities.
For example, the ability to navigate a crowded street, catch a falling object, or regain balance on uneven terrain are all examples of the benefits of improved coordination and balance. Overall, the practitioner’s body is more capable of performing complex movements due to increased coordination.
Mental Focus During Sessions That is Rarely Achievable Through Typical Forms of Exercise
Due to the fact that muay thai sydney training involves intense, focused activity, the practitioner is forced to maintain focus throughout the entire session. If the practitioner misses a defense or delivers a poorly timed counterattack, he/she will receive immediate negative feedback in the form of receiving a hit/kick. This type of immediate negative feedback causes the practitioner to become acutely aware of their environment and maintain a heightened level of focus, often referred to as the “present moment.”
The ability to maintain focus for extended periods of time is a benefit of Muay Thai training that translates into improved focus during work, conversations and in minimizing distractions. By utilizing sessions where the practitioner receives immediate negative feedback for mental distraction, the brain learns to maintain focus during prolonged periods of time.
Additionally to maintaining focus, the learning of complex techniques (i.e., breaking down a roundhouse kick into proper hip rotation, pivot and follow-through), and remembering sequences of techniques, presents the practitioner with additional cognitive challenges that serve as a mental workout that is comparable to the physical workout.
An Outlet for Stress and Anger
Hitting pads/bags serves as a healthy outlet for stress and anger. In addition to serving as a healthy outlet for stress/anger, Muay Thai training also serves as a healthy outlet for the tension that may not be alleviated by lower-impact forms of exercise.
However, the stress relief associated with Muay Thai training is far greater than simply releasing physical tension through striking. The intensity of the training forces the body into a physiological state where it cannot continue to support the stress response. The elevated heart rate, labored breathing and total concentration required for technique eliminates the mental bandwidth to concern oneself with work-related issues or interpersonal conflicts.
At the conclusion of the training session, the practitioner’s stress hormone levels are depleted, the practitioner’s endorphin levels are elevated and the practitioner’s mind is clear enough to create a buffer against the stresses of daily life. It is common for practitioners to describe Muay Thai training as their “therapy,” even though it sounds overly dramatic, it is very common for practitioners to attribute Muay Thai training as a primary source of clearing their minds.
Functional Strength vs. Gym Strength
Muay Thai training creates strength in a manner that is vastly different from weightlifting. Rather than creating strength through isolated muscle groups, Muay Thai training creates strength through movement patterns that involve multiple muscle groups working together in a coordinated effort.
For example, throwing a powerful kick, requires the practitioner to possess sufficient strength and flexibility in the muscles of the legs, hips, core and balance to deliver the kick effectively. Additionally, the clinch position used in Muay Thai training provides opportunities for the practitioner to build grip strength, shoulder endurance and core strength. As a result, the strength developed through Muay Thai training is applicable to the movement patterns encountered by the practitioner in their daily life.
As a result, the functional strength developed through Muay Thai training enables the practitioner to more easily lift and carry heavy objects, maintain balance on one leg while reaching, and perform other daily functions more effectively. The body develops strength based on how it moves versus how it lifts weights.
Flexibility Developments From Muay Thai Training
Muay Thai training requires flexibility to perform many of the techniques involved in the art such as high kicks, knee strikes and defensive movements. However, like flexibility training (i.e., yoga or dedicated flexibility training), the flexibility developed through Muay Thai training is developed through the active utilization of the range of motion as opposed to the passive stretching.
The flexibility developed through Muay Thai training is demonstrated through the practitioner’s ability to rotate their hips to generate power for a kick, the practitioner’s shoulder mobility to punch and the practitioner’s ankle flexibility to pivot. Since this flexibility was developed through active utilization of the range of motion, it tends to be retained longer than flexibility developed through static stretching.
Development of Timing and Rhythms
Fighting is not a linear event, it is rhythmic. Practitioners must be able to time their strikes, read their opponents movements and identify openings to execute successful attacks. This creates a sense of timing and rhythm that is almost musical. Many practitioners describe the process of executing a series of movements in a predetermined sequence of movements as a “violent dance”, which captures the essence of the rhythmic timing involved in fighting.
This timing development enhances the practitioner’s overall athleticism and body awareness, which is why many practitioners report they are able to learn new physical activities faster than non-practitioners. Even for practitioners that do not engage in sparring or competition, the pad work and bag work completed to a predetermined sequence of movements assist in developing timing that makes all movement more fluid and natural.
Cardiovascular Adaptation Through Periodized Training
Muay Thai training consists of short, intense periods of exercise (bursts) followed by short periods of rest/recovery. This type of training protocol elicits different cardiovascular adaptations than continuous moderate-intensity exercise (e.g., jogging). Specifically, the body adapts to recover more quickly between bursts, to store lactate more efficiently and to maintain performance despite accumulating fatigue.
These adaptations transfer into improved endurance in activities that require intermittent bursts of energy versus sustained periods of moderate energy output. Additionally, the periodized nature of Muay Thai training enables the practitioner to train more efficiently than continuous moderate-intensity training, as Muay Thai training can produce similar metabolic effects in less time than continuous moderate-intensity training.
Enhanced Reflexive Abilities and Reaction Time
Training with partners, regardless of whether the training is in a controlled environment or uncontrolled environment, requires the practitioner to react to incoming strikes and create openings to execute successful counters. This constant stimulus-response cycle enhances the practitioner’s reflexive abilities and decreases their reaction times.
The improvements in reaction time and reflexive abilities translate into quicker reactions in the practitioner’s daily activities such as while driving, reacting to unexpected events or having better hand-eye coordination in recreational or competitive sports and in day-to-day activities.
These improvements occur as a result of the variable nature of training with partners compared to the repetitive nature of training alone. When training with partners, the nervous system must continually adapt to the varied stimuli presented, thereby enhancing the practitioner’s reflexive abilities and reaction times.
Quiet Confidence Due to Capability
Practitioners of Muay Thai training gain a unique form of confidence that comes from the knowledge that they are capable of responding physically to any given situation. This confidence is not assertive in nature, but instead is a quiet confidence that reduces anxiety in potentially threatening environments.
As a result of the capability to respond physically to any situation, most serious practitioners demonstrate a reduction in aggressive behavior and avoidance behaviors.
