Training in humidty

[Lei]

One thing I really struggled with when I went out to Thailand last month was keeping my footing on mats and canvas during pads or sparring (there's good reason Yokkao fights always seem to take place around the edges of the ring instead of the centre), and getting good solid purchase with teeps on heavy bags,that were slippery from the accumulation of sweat. Especially when it was humid during training.

 

Any advice on how I can try and prepare myself for this back home for when I return to Thailand for training again next year?

[Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu]

One thing I really struggled with when I went out to Thailand last month was keeping my footing on mats and canvas during pads or sparring (there's good reason Yokkao fights always seem to take place around the edges of the ring instead of the centre), and getting good solid purchase with teeps on heavy bags,that were slippery from the accumulation of sweat. Especially when it was humid during training.

 

Any advice on how I can try and prepare myself for this back home for when I return to Thailand for training again next year?

As westerners, we sweat a lot more than the Thais we train with, so this is a particularly annoying for us and not something that we can watch the Thais to figure out how to deal with. Mopping up the slippery mats is one option, you can towel off a bag, in the ring anything with a decal is just the worst (and the corners get all slippery from people going to the corner anyway). I feel you on this. 

While this isn't a cure-all, pouring some Redbull or any sugary soda on the ground and stepping in it to make your feet tacky is one option. Short-term solution, but it works. Good luck and please share any ideas that you find work for you!