What is the fitness/technique training ratio in your gym?

[Lea]

Hi

 

I currently arrived back in Thailand and started to train in a gym after a break of some years.

 

I went to the same gym, I trained at earlier, because I just loved it there in the past, but one week in, I am now very much unhappy.

 

Though the gym is supercrowded and everyone seems generally very happy, I feel like we are doing "just" fitness most of the time. I understand, that it is important to have a good cardio and strength and that if you have your first fight its usually one of the determining factors in who wins. But to be honest, I feel like I could as well have gone to a fitness gym back home and that I do not really learn a lot about Muay Thai.

 

eg my last class was:

- 15 min skipping

- stretching 

- 3*5 min pads

- pushups/situps in all different variations and stuff like that

- bag work (1 min left kick / 1 min right kick, 1 combo, 50 fast sidekicks each side, 100 knees, 100 push kicks)

- pushup/situps/planks and stuff like that

- stretching

(no clinch at all)

 

There has never been clinch the whole week. One day it was all fitness except for 15 min pads, the other days it was at least 50% fitness (the rest being usually sidekicks on the bag, only one day we did train combo/technique with a partner, but then that day we didnt do bagwork anymore.) 2*/week its sparring (then no pads, etc)

So I was wondering, how much of fitness and how much of pads/bagwork/technique do you usually do in your training?

I had hoped to learn about / improve my stepwork, understand and master techniques better, improve my reflexes, so I "dont get hit" and learn to free that part of my "fighting spirit" that I feel has never really been freed, as I am so accustomed to "being nice".

But at the moment I dont see, how I could improve in those aspects with the training given, but it feels like I will instead get good cardio and a "ripped body". (dont misunderstand me, those two are really great and important, but its not what I came for).

 

So I dont know, how does the training in your gyms look like and do you think I just have a wrong perspective and that training is indeed leading me in the right direction? I never have trained Muay Thai elsewhere and alltogether quite short, so I dont quite have a comparison. I also already paid for 1 month and there are not really other options, where I live.

 

I dont know. Do you think, it would help to speak with the headtrainer or would it make things rather worse?

 

 

 

(When I was there in the past, classes were something like:

 

- 15 min skipping

- stretching

- 3-5*5 min Pad Work with trainer

- training combos with partner

- work at boxing bags

- clinching

- 100 fast kicks on pads

- strength training and stretching

 

So like 70-80% Muay Thai related and it felt like I learn every day so much)

[Daniel]

Hey,

This was definitely my biggest fear when I was picking gyms to stay at last year (them being  fitness centered).

Our training usually looked liked this:

- running / warm-up / shadow-boxing + stretch

- partner drills 3-5 rounds

- pads 3 rounds

- Heavy bag 3-5 rounds

- clinch / Sparring

We would do the fitness exercises in between rounds or as part of warm-up or in the end. So it was definitely always part of it.

In my opinion pad work is the most important part. You have the attention of your trainer, he can correct you, see how you move and have you work on certain aspects - for me that's where I always got the most pointers for my technique and learned a lot.

Sparring is then "just" testing all the things out.

If you have the opportunity to talk to your coach before or after class about what you want to achieve, I am sure they will help you. Same with clinching, tell them you would love to learn how to clinch.

Working hard, being interested and willing to learn is usually met well when approaching the coaches respectfully (at least in my experience).

So don't get discouraged! And good luck with your training.