How To Do A Thai Boxing Stance

Video Transcript

"So prior to all the stretching what I usually do is a light cardio warm up about three to five minutes of jump roping or a light run, a half a mile to a mile, to get the blood flowing and then you do light stretching. Contrary to popular belief you don't want to stretch when your muscles are cold like back in the 60's or 70's. It's now warm up the body and then do a light stretch. The first thing I am going to show is a Mau Thai stance. As a right handed person and a right legged person meaning if I wanted to kick a ball or play kick ball as a kid I would kick with my right leg, the right leg being dominate. I'm going to put my power hand and power leg back. My left foot is going to remain pointing straight towards you. If I were doing it in a mirror or whatever I would think of a clock and the numbers on the clock would be twelve o'clock. Now what I am going to do again is put my right leg back and my left foot straight ahead. My right foot is going to be about even and my toes are about even with my left heel a little bit behind that. O'kay, a little bit wider with shoulder width apart and my right foot is going to be point at about two o'clock on the clock. As far as my hand position, I want to pretend I am holding an imaginary stick or bar in front of my eyes and I'm going to put my arms about eight to twelve inches from my face, not here, and not here, but right here. This is my stance my elbows are in. From here on in I'm going to suck my abs in, my stomach, so I'm not like this, I'm not erect and straight. I am sucking my abs in and from a profile I am rolling my upper back. This is a good defensive posture whereas if I get hit I am still kind of tucked and compact whereas if I were straight I would have more of a tendency to go back if I were hit. O'kay my chin is down now. A good way to practice this as far as keeping your chin down there is a lot of beginners have a bad habit when they get hit of keeping that chin up. So to concentrate you want to put a tennis ball under your chin and you would hold it for 3 - two minute rounds so to speak or whatever, however long you want to do it but that is the standard."