Alla

Ok, that makes sense. Now answering your question, I suggest talking to your trainer. Joining the fight team might also mean training with the fight team for a few months before having an actual fight, so you'll have time to figure it out. If your trainer thinks you are ready to fight and you want to fight, sure, go ahead. On the other hand, if you don't really-really want to fight, don't do it, at least yet. There is no shame in wanting to train some more before fighting. Being in the ring not really wanting to fight is not a good experience.

Didn’t you start training only 4 months ago? Most people will say it is a bit too early even for the first fight, let alone turning pro. When you say “going pro” do you mean just having your first (ever) official fight?

Backing up can be useful if you have longer reach, but less power than you opponent. I am not sure if this applies to Muay Thai as much, but going backwards while throwing only straight punches is a viable tactic in boxing for somebody with a longer reach. Something I recently read and would like to try is going backwards making a figure 8 in the ring. This should prevent getting cornered.

Hi Micc, In case you haven't sorted this out yet. It seems that you don't want to go to this camp, so probably the best course of action is to try to get your money back if possible. Ask your trainer to put you in contact with the organisers and ask them. Failing that, I think you could actually get a lot of benefit from this camp. Training with new trainers can be very enlightening. You will be shown different ways of doing things. You might get to work on the weak spots you didn't know you had. Also, I wouldn't worry about K1/boxing. Just go to it with an open mind and try to learn what they are teaching. It is bound to help with your Muay Thai, even if just by understanding why certain things are done differently. And there is a lot of shared skill set between those different sports. I am speaking from experience of training for 5 months in a boxing gym. It had a lot of positive effect on my Muay Thai. I've also done quite a lot of gym hopping and I learned something new and useful every time. As for trainers not knowing you, it can be a good thing too. They have no prior expectations from you, so there is no way you can disappoint anybody. You are free to make any mistakes and try to learn from them. Good luck whatever you decide. Alla

I have another idea why punch defence is considered more important in the West than in Thailand. Distribution of weight classes. The most competitive weight classes in Thailand would be at lower weights than in the West. Heavier weight class - higher probability of punch knockout. If most fighters you train are middleweights and above a single punch knockout is something that happens regularly. If a majority of your fighters are around featherweight - not so much.

Thanks everybody for the tips and drills. I really like Emma's marching drill, I think it should help with timing and balance. Also, Sylvie, thanks a lot for the video, I think I know now what I should be trying to do. The general movement looks to me like you are making a wide step forward, except the foot lands on the bag instead of the floor. nakmuaybynature, yes "reps rule" is my motto. :)

My teeps are pretty useless. They are slow, weak and it seems like I am always at a wrong distance or position to land them. Because of that I almost never use them in sparring. This is probably the result of bad technique. The problem is I don't know what I am doing wrong or what to look for when I practice teeps on the bag or in shadow. To give an example , when I practice midkicks, I check that I go up on the ball of the standing foot, I rotate the hips so the kick connects on the downward side of the arc, that I am looking at what I kick , and that one hand stays by my face throughout the whole movement. Any similar tips for teep technique? Drills or excercises advice also appreciated.

I had LASIC almost two years ago. I've started training about two months after having it. I told my sparring partners that I had eye surgery and wore head gear for added protection (it had padding around the eyes and cheek bones, so made it more difficult to get hit directly in the eye). I stopped wearing head gear three months after the surgery. I have been hit in the eyes a few times since then but never particularly hard (not even a black eye). According to my doctor after one year mark, things that can harm an operated eye will also damage an unoperated eye, so I don't worry about it much. I am really happy with the results of that surgery. The only thing I regret is that I haven't done it earlier.