Things You'll Need:
- Fully Equipped Gym (including sparring ring)
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Step 1
Do strength training. Strength training is important in both your upper and lower body for a Muay Thai fighter. It is important for the blows you land to strike your opponent with as much force as possible. Having strong muscles makes this happen. Your strength training routine should involve a variety of freeweight exercises, and should be done 4-5 times a week. You should avoid lifting excessively heavy items that may pull a muscle. Instead, use lighter weights, but do a lot of repetitions.
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Step 2
Do endurance training. Sometimes a Muay Thai match will last a while, so it is important to have endurance and stamina so that you can remain fit and strong all the way through the match. The most time honored endurance training is to simply jump rope and jog, while wearing ankle weights. This should be done 5-6 times a week. Don’t be afraid to push yourself to keep going, because that is the whole point of the exercise. Make sure to slowly taper off and cool down rather than stopping abruptly, or you may find yourself with serious cramping.
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Step 3
Strengthen your abdomen. Most of the blows you absorb will probably be to the middle of your body, so it is important to strengthen those muscles so that they can handle the blows. Do a lot of sit ups, stomach crunches and other exercises that will strengthen your mid-section. If the equipment is available, also do medicine ball training.
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Step 4
Work on your form. Use the body bag in the gym to work on your punches, kicks and knees. This will not only strengthen your bone and skin in the areas that will issue the blow, but will make delivering blows in perfect form a matter of instinct. Doing this will allow you to instantly make a move during the Muay Thai match, without having to take time to think about it.
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Step 5
Spar against other opponents in the ring. Sparring is a great training method. It gets the Muay Thai fighter accustomed to the intricacies of the ring, and also teaches them to think quickly, since they have to react to unexpected moves made by the sparring partner. Just remember that sparring is essentially practice, so don’t try to take the other guy’s head off, just practice your action and reaction so that you can fine tune your instincts.
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Step 6
Study your opponent. There will be video footage available for many opponents. Watch this footage over and over. Become familiar with their style. Learn your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses, and think about how you should react if the same tactic is tried on you. If possible, try to see your opponent in a live match.
