WNY MMA & Fitness: Eating to Recover.

For years the most important meal of the day has been said to be breakfast, but her at WNY MMA and Fitness believe that to be wrong. I suspect most of the readers here could agree that with all the effort you put into your training that your post-workout nutrition just may be more important to you than breakfast. In fact, I believe your post-workout meal is one of the most important meals you can have all day.

The reason I believe this is because in a hard workout, you can use up all your stored glycogen, easily sweat over two liters of water, and break down both muscle and red blood cells. This is why what you as an athlete consume in the minutes and hours after your training or competition is so crucial to both performance and recovery. This week I will look at nutrition recovery and explain it's importance and the best ways to use it to maximize your results.

Recovery is defined in the Webster dictionary as "the act of regaining or returning toward a normal or healthy state." In recovery nutrition the foods we choose to consume have been shown to positively affect recovery and an athlete's future performance.

The Goals and Timeframe of Post Exercise Nutrition

“Recovery” covers a range of processes that include:

• Replenishing the muscle and liver glycogen stores
• Consuming protein to assist with muscle repair
• Restoring fluid and electrolytes lost in sweat
• Supporting the immune system to handle the damage

It has been determined that the body's cells are most receptive to replenishment, particularly glycogen stores, within the first thirty minutes after intense training. Essentially the clock starts ticking for an athlete as soon as they enter their cool down. This is just one part of the equation as recovery nutrition can be broken into two stages - stage one occurs within thirty minutes of the workout and stage two occurs one to two hours after exercise.

Replenishing the Body's Glycogen Stores

Ingesting carbohydrates after training is critical in replenishing glycogen stores and initiating muscle glycogen synthesis. If we don't replenish these stores an athlete's training performance can be compromised in future sessions.

It is recommended that 1.2g per kilogram of bodyweight of carbohydrates be consumed post exercise. Sometimes it is not practical for an athlete to consume such a large quantity of carbohydrates straight after exercise, as they may have difficulties tolerating food or drink. There is a way to combat this, though. Research in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism has shown that ingesting protein (0.2-0.4g/kg) and a smaller amount of carbohydrates together (around 0.8g/kg) can result in a similar effect, stimulating an endogenous insulin release that actually replenishes glycogen stores at a similar rate as ingesting 1.2g/kg of bodyweight of carbohydrates does.

Building and Repairing Muscle

Muscle protein is broken down due to high intensity or prolonged exercise. This makes recovery nutrition important in helping to rebuild. Once the recovery phase begins the catabolic processes reduce while anabolic processes increase and continue on for at least 24 hours after training. The ingestion of essential amino acids from quality protein sources has been shown to help with the muscle-building process. Even though research continues into the type, amount, and timing of protein consumption to obtain the maximum results, most agree that athletes who do either endurance or resistance type training will get the desired benefit by consuming 20-30g of high quality protein within the first hour post exercise.

Rehydrating the Body

Most athletes will finish a competition or training session in some kind of fluid deficit. If this deficit is not corrected it can have a significant impact on future training sessions. In order to rectify this deficit an athlete should aim to consume 125-150% of the estimated fluid lost over a four to six hour period post exercise.

Including sodium into recovery fluid can assist in replacing the electrolytes lost through excessive sweating. Rather than just losing the fluid through excessive urination, the addition of electrolytes can help the body retain the water consumed. In order to rehydrate effectively, 50-80mmol of sodium should be added. This can be achieved by adding extra electrolytes to commercial sports drinks or consuming fluids created with this ratio. Another alternative is consuming foods that contain sodium along with recovery fluids to achieve this required amount.

Supporting the Immune System

Intensive training can suppress the immune system. This suppression occurs while training is in progress and can continue to affect the efficiency of the immune system for hours afterward.This is obviously a concern for athletes as these hours of decreased immune function could allow an athlete to pick up an infection. Vitamins C and E, zinc, glutamine, and probiotics have all been touted to aid in the protection and support of the immune system. None have been proven to provide a bulletproof defense. There has been research, though, stating that if adequate glycogen stores are maintained pre and post exercise that this can reduce the disturbance of immune system markers as the consumption of carbohydrates can help reduce the bodies stress hormone response to exercise.

Using Supplements or Whole Foods to Meet Your Goals

These days there is a supplement for everything and for some athletes this means that they can get lazy and become totally reliant on sports supplements to meet their recovery goals. Unfortunately this can mean that some athletes end up doubling up on specific nutrients. While inherently this not a bad thing, some minerals taken in excess can cause toxic symptoms, so an athlete needs to be aware of what is in his or her supplements.

Athletes are generally advised to obtain real food options to aid in recovery unless constrained for time. This is because it also allows an athlete to meet the daily nutritional needs of essential vitamins and minerals, and also stock up on much needed antioxidants like vitamins C and E that help reduce oxidization caused from the stress of exercise.

Practical considerations of recovery nutrition also need to be taken into account. Issues like a lack of appetite, unavailability of food, and being unprepared can all play a part in an athlete failing to meet recovery goals. With a little planning these challenges can be nothing more than bumps in the road. Once an athlete notices the benefits, these bumps should be even further minimized, making for a consistent and competitive athlete through something as simple as eating the right foods at the right time.

References:

1. M. Beelen, Burke, L.M., Gibala, M.J., and van Loon, L.J.C. Nutritional strategies to promote postexercise recovery. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2010; 20:515-532.

2. Hayes A and Cribb P. J. Effect of whey protein isolate on strength, body composition and muscle hypertrophy during resistance training. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care 2008, 11:40-44

3. Nieman DC. Influence of carbohydrate on the immune response to intensive, prolonged exercise. Exerc Immunol Rev. 1998;4:64-76.

4. "Recovery Nutrition." Sports Dieticians Australia. June 2012

WNY MMA & Fitness: Remember to do your push ups.

REMEMBER TO DO YOUR PUSH UPS!

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The pushup is one of the most basic and effective upper body exercises. Although it’s a fairly simple exercise, most people make a lot of mistakes. These five tips turn the standard push up from a chest/shoulders/triceps move into a full body exercise which means more muscle, increased strengthhttp://www.wnymma.com/ and faster results.

1. Brace Your Core
To avoid rounding your spine and doing “banana back” pushups, try squeezing or "bracing" your core. Imagine that you're going to get punched in the belly. Naturally, you’ll flex to guard. Bracing reduces the risk of injury by enforcing a neutral spine and engages your core, making the pushup of a full body exercise.

2. Squeeze Your Glutes
Your glutes are the one of biggest muscle groups in your body and often times the most inactive. By squeezing your glutes you will protect your lower back, improve posture, provide full body tension and help maintain a neutral spine.

3. Pack Your Elbows
A common tendency during pushups is to flare your elbows wide - a mistake and can lead to shoulder and rotator cuff issues. Instead, pack your elbows in towards your sides, trying to have less space between your armpits. “Stack” your joints, with your hands under your elbows, and your elbows under your shoulders. This will improve long-term shoulder health and recruit your triceps and lats more. Having joints in line also creates better range of motion in the shoulders and chest.

4. Grip The Floor
Instead of having your fingers together and pointing straight up, try this instead: Change your hand position so your thumbs are facing each other. Next open your fingers and grip the floor. This immediately creates more full body tension, tightens the lats and triceps and helps engage more upper back muscles.

5. Push The Ground Away From You
Instead of pushing yourself off the ground, think of pushing the floor away from you. This force production translates into full body tension and creates a bracing effect throughout the whole body. By pushing the ground away from you, you’ll use more muscles making the push up more of a full body exercise

source- Menshealth.com

WNY MMA & FITNESS- Losing Water Weight.

WNY MMA & FITNESS  - Losing Water Weight.

Our bodies don’t normally gain or lose significant amounts of fat or muscle overnight. Instead, when the scale shows a gain or loss of half pound or more from the previous day, the cause is instead likely to be the amount of water your body is retaining.

Is your weight gain fat or water? How to find out.

Figuring out whether your recent weight gain is fat or water can help you decide if you should cut down on calories, or focus on managing the amount of water your body is holding.

To find out, you can compare your current weight to your weight yesterday. More than half a pound gained since yesterday is probably water weight, and you can reduce it by cutting down on salt and increasing plain water consumption.

If you have kept track of your body fat percentage with a body fat monitor, you can   compare your current percentage to your results from a month ago. If the new measurement is greater than before, you’ve gained fat. If your body fat percentage has decreased but your weight has increased, the weight gain is not from added fat.

Check your extremities: are your hands, feet and ankles puffy? If yes, it is likely that your gain is water related. When you are retaining excess water, you might also notice imprints in your skin left by your socks, or your wedding ring may be tighter than usual.

Reasons for gaining water weight, and how to overcome them

Many possible causes exist for retaining water, including too much salt, sugar, dehydration, too much alcohol, dieting and women’s monthly cycle. Among other tips, if you are concerned about water weight, make an effort to drink more plain water. While it seems like the opposite of what you need to do, drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day will help flush sodium and excess fluid from your system. A well-hydrated body is healthier and is less likely to retain water.

Table salt is the most common cause of water retention. Excess sodium makes the body hold extra fluids in the cells. When you cut down salt and high sodium condiments like soy sauce, you can quickly lose water weight. 

Read labels of your foods and snacks and avoid those high in sodium. Anything canned or packaged probably has high sodium. Instead add fresh fruits and vegetables, especially potassium-rich foods that help your body balance its fluids. These foods include bananas, apricots, avocados and raisins. Other foods can help improve digestion and help fluids move through your body: yogurt, brown rice, cabbage and cranberry juice.

Sodium also leaves the body in your sweat during exercise, so be sure to exercise regularly, at least four times a week, to reduce water retention. 

Sugar is a culprit in water weight along with salt. Too much sugar raises insulin levels, which in turn lessens the body’s ability to expel sodium. Avoid high sugar foods and opt for fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats.

Alcohol acts as a diuretic, which can lead to dehydration that makes the body hold on to fluids. When having alcoholic drinks, balance them with water.

Dieting by eating less than 1,200 calories per day, can cause your body to retain water. When we restrict calories, especially carbohydrates, the body begins to break down its protein and carbohydrates stores that hold water. When eating returns to normal and the body starts to store protein and carbohydrates again instead of breaking them down, water weight increases. For real weight loss, you must gradually reduce calorie intake to a healthy level, with a balance of carbohydrates, healthy fats and proteins.

WNY MMA & Fitness- Float Like a Butterfly and Sting like a 20mm round fired from a M61A1!

Float Like a Butterfly and Sting Like a 20mm Round Fired From a M61A1!

Moving In

The mechanics of moving in:

1. From the boxing stance, the first action is a push from the back foot.
2. The front foot lifts very slightly from the floor, allowing the power generated from the push from the back foot to propel the body and therefore the front foot forward.
3. Allow the back foot to follow it’s course, catching up with the front foot.
4. The entire movement should be no more than 6 to 8 centimetres, and the boxer should retain the stance throughout.

Moving Out

The mechanics of moving out (unsurprisingly the exact opposite of moving forward!):

1. From the boxing stance, the first action is a push from the front foot.
2. The back foot lifts very slightly from the floor, allowing the power generated from the push from the front foot to propel the body and therefore the back foot backward.
3. Allow the front foot to follow it’s course, catching up with the back foot.
4. The entire movement should be no more than 6 to 8 centimetres, and the boxer should retain the stance throughout.

Common Faults When Moving In and Out

There are a number of common problems that can occur when developing the boxing footwork skills to move in and out:

1. Often, the boxer will ‘step and drag’.  For example, when moving forward, the front foot will step and the back foot will be dragged forward (vice versa when moving backward).  This method of movement does not allow the speed required for the purposes of not getting beaten up!
2. The distance between the two feet should remain roughly the same during the movement.  This is a further reason why aiming to move only 6 to 8 centimetres is desirable.  When the stance significantly narrows during movement, then the boxer is off-balance and less able to attack effectively or of more concern to defend effectively.
3. The boxer will flatten one or both feet, hindering the freedom of movement required for effective boxing.
4. The front foot will often point toward the opponent rather than retaining the 45 degree angle to the imaginary line, this cause problems with the balance.  This is common but should be identified and resolved without delay!
5. As covered when examining the boxing stance, it is during movement that the boxer may be likely to lose the line from the toe on the front foot to the heel on the back foot.  This again has the effect of taking the boxer off-balance.

As a next step, try mixing this boxing footwork with the jab.

WNY MMA& Fitness Tips for pre-fight nutrition.

WNY MMA& Fitness Tips for pre-fight nutrition. 

1. Carbo-load, don't fat-load.
Carbohydrate-rich foods include cereals, fruits, juices, breads, rice, plain baked potatoes and pasta with tomato sauce. Lower carbohydrate choices include donuts, cookies, buttery potatoes, ice cream, cheesy lasagna and pepperoni pizza. These fat-laden foods may taste great and fill your stomach, but fat does not get stored as muscle fuel.

2. No last-minute hard training.
By resting your muscles and doing very little exercise this pre-event week, your muscles will have the time they need to store the carbohydrates and become fully saturated with glycogen (carbohydrate). You can only fully carbo-load if you stop exercising hard! You can tell if your muscles are well-carbo-loaded if you have gained 2 to 4 pounds pre-event. Your muscles store 3 ounces of water along with each ounce of carbohydrate. (This water will be released during the event and be put to good use.)

3. No last-minute dieting.
You can't fully carbo-load your muscles if you are dieting and restricting your calories. You will have greater stamina and endurance if you are well-fueled, as compared to the dieter who may be a few pounds lighter but has muscles that are sub-optimally carbo-loaded. Remember: You are supposed to gain (water) weight pre-event!

4. Drink extra fluids.
You can tell if you are drinking enough fluids by monitoring your urine. You should be urinating frequently (every two to four hours); the urine should be clear-colored and significant in volume. Juices are a good fluid choice because they provide not only water and carbohydrates but also nutritional value. Save the sports drinks for during the event.

5. Eat tried-and-true foods.
If you drastically change your food choices (such as carbo-load by eating several extra bananas), you may end up with intestinal distress. Simply eat a comfortable portion of the tried-and-true carbohydrates you've enjoyed during training. You need not stuff yourself! If you will be traveling to a far-away event, plan ahead so you can maintain a familiar eating schedule despite a crazy travel schedule.

6. Eat a moderate amount of fiber.
If you stuff yourself with lots of white bread, bagels, crackers, pasta and other foods made with refined white flour, you may end up constipated. Include enough fiber to promote regular bowel movements — but not too much fiber or you'll have the opposite problem! Moderate amounts of whole-wheat bread, bran cereal, fruits and vegetables are generally good choices. (If you are concerned about diarrhea, limit your intake of high-fiber foods and instead consume more of the refined breads and pastas.)

7. Eat the morning of the endurance event.
You'll need this fuel to maintain a normal blood sugar level. Although your muscles are well-stocked from the foods you've eaten the past few days, your brain gets fuel only from the limited amount of sugar in your blood. When you nervously toss and turn the night before the event, you can deplete your blood sugar and, unless you eat carbs, you will start the event with low blood sugar. Your performance will go downhill from there.

Plan to replace the energy lost during the (sleepless) night with a light to moderate breakfast as tolerated. This will help you avoid hitting the wall. Stick with tried-and-true pre-exercise foods: cereal, bagels, toast, fruit, energy bars and/or juice. These carb-based foods invest in fueling the brain, as well as staving off hunger. If a pre-event breakfast will likely upset your system, eat extra food the night before. That is, eat your breakfast at 10 p.m.

8. Consume carbs during the event.
During endurance exercise, you'll have greater stamina if you consume not only water, but also some carbohydrates, such as sports drinks, gels, bananas or dried fruit. You should target about 100 to 250 calories/hour after the first hour to avoid hitting the wall. (For example, that's 16 to 32 ounces of sports drink/hour.)

The slower you move, the more you need to fuel yourself during the event. Some athletes boost their energy intake by drinking diluted juices or defizzed cola; others suck on hard candies or eat chunks of energy bar, animal crackers and other easily chewed and digested foods along the way. Your muscles welcome this food; it gets digested and used for fuel during the event. And hopefully, you will have experimented during training to learn what settles best.

WNY MMA & FITNESS. Improve your running technique.

Improve Your Form

This is to help fighters and fitness freaks here at WNY MMA & Fitness avoid injury by teaching efficient, low-impact running technique. Just like MMA, you take lessons to get the most out of it. Running is no different.  Whether you are just beginning to incorporate running into your workout or you have been reaping its benefits for a while, You can always improve to form to keep your body in a healthy condition. Stay injury free for MMA. 

BALANCED FORWARD POSTURE

• ‹ Stand tall, gaze forward
• ‹ Keep chest forward and shoulders back and relaxed
• ‹ Don't bend at the waist
• 
  

COMPACT ARMS

• ‹ Short, compact, relaxed arm movement
• ‹ Pump back and recover forward, don't sway side to side
• ‹ Elbows should not extend in front of the waist unless sprinting
•  

PROPER FOOT STRIKE

• ‹ Land softly underneath a bent knee
• ‹ Avoid overstriding and excessive heel striking
• 
  

HIGH CADENCE

• ‹ Maintain approximately 170-180 steps per minute
• ‹ Count 30 steps per leg in 20 seconds for a 180 cadence
• ‹ Light, soft & quick foot placement
• 
  

PROUD POSTURE

Stand tall, gaze forward

Keep chest forward and shoulders back and relaxed

Don't bend at the waist

Run tall, run proud! Straighten your back and push your chest and hips forward. This allows gravity to help ease you into your next step. Keep your shoulders back and relaxed and never bend at the waist. Lock your eyes on the horizon and avoid looking down at your feet or up into the sky.
Quick Tip: To reset your posture, quickly pump your arms forward and backward at a 45-degree angle. This brings your hips and chest forward and keeps your back straight.

COMPACT ARMS

Short, compact, relaxed arm movement

Pump back and recover forward, don't sway side to side

Elbows should not extend in front of the waist unless sprinting

Elite runners have very little arm movement when running. They quickly pop their elbows back and let them passively recover while the other elbow is popping back. They also keep their arms moving in a front-to-back motion instead of a side-to-side motion.

To increase efficiency, keep your arms compact and close to your chest at less than a 90-degree angle. Don't allow your elbows to come forward past your hips or your fists to cross the midline of your chest.

Quick Tip: Use heavyhands or 1–2 pound hand weights on easy runs to find your most efficient arm movement and angle.

LOW IMPACT LANDING

Land softly underneath a bent knee

Avoid overstriding and excessive heel striking

A proper, low-impact foot strike is the result of proud posture, compact arms, and quick steps. Thinking about your foot strike can cause lower leg fatigue, cramps, or other problems, and should be avoided. Each runner has their own unique foot strike, molded by genetics, running surface, and speed of running.

Most runners should land close to midfoot with their foot parallel to the ground. A slight heel landing or forefoot strike is acceptable as long as the foot hits the ground underneath your body. Overstriding, excessive heel striking and running on your toes should be avoided as they cause excessive stress and impact.

Quick Tip: As you run, consciously remember to slightly bend your knees and run a little bit quieter.

HIGH CADENCE

Maintain approximately 170–180 steps per minute

Count 30 steps per leg in 20 seconds for a 180 cadence

Light, soft and quick foot placement

Spend several weeks gradually increasing cadence

A high cadence, or quick steps, is proven to reduce impact and improve foot strike and running efficiency. Studies have shown that recreational, chronically injured runners run with a slow cadence, whereas elite and efficient runners have a cadence of above 170 steps per minute. Running barefoot can quickly improve cadence and help you master proper running technique. Start by increasing your cadence by 10–15 steps per minute (2–3 steps per leg in a 20 second period.) Once you've adapted to that, increase it again by another 10–15 steps per minute until you settle on a comfortable, efficient cadence between 170–180 steps per minute. Cadence changes very little with speed, so you can practice cadence on all types of workouts—even while running in place!

Quick Tip: Count the steps one foot takes in a twenty-second time period. An ideal cadence of 174–180 steps per minute consists of 29–30 steps in a twenty seconds.

Injury Prevention Tip:

Aim to run at least 1/3 of your mileage on natural or uneven surfaces such as grass, cobblestones, or dirt trails-this will balance your muscle structure & strengthen your stabilizing muscles. For more personal help, talk to Ted at the front desk.

WNY MMA: Check yo-self before you Wreck yo-self.

The first time you start sparring can be extremely intimidating if you don’t know what to expect. Most beginners think of sparring as one step away from being in an actual fight. The better you are at sparring, the more success you will have in preparing for a fight. If you are only training muay thai to burn calories and get a cardio workout then sparring is optional and you should continue to have fun and enjoy the sport of muay thai.

However, if you actually want to get better at muay thai, sparring should be added to your training regimen. Sparring is designed to practice new techniques and reinforce the basics. It is used to help develop timing and recognition, both of which help you use your weapons in a fight. When an opponent recognizes how to win, those win’s will keep on coming. In order to get the most out of your sparring and training, be sure to follow these tips.

Tip # 1

Don’t Go 100% – I do not think it is a good idea for beginners to spar very hard. If you have a fight coming up, hard sparring can be advantageous; however, as a beginner start slow. Usually it takes one person to kick or punch really hard, then both parties start elevating the pace. The easiest way to tell if someone is new is usually when the person is going 100% trying to KO their sparring partner. Remembering that you are sparring to improve your technique, not to KO your partner. Sparring is teamwork and neither should be going 100%.

Tip # 2

Lose the Ego – You will hit and get hit. Accept it and be ready for it. Get over your ego. People who feel that they are too good to get kicked or punched are not in touch with reality. You are training in a full contact sport and if you are new to sparring and worried about looking bad then you are in the wrong sport. The only way to get better at muay thai is to get your hands dirty. The only way you will learn to block and punch and kick is if you get kicked and punched. Eventually you will learn to block those kicks and protect yourself from those punches. Having an ego will only get in the way of becoming a better fighter. You don’t want to be “that guy” in the gym that everyone is talking about after training and at the end of the day no one even wants to spar and train with you. You can only get better with the help of others. Be sure to respect everyone at the gym and be humble.

Tip #3

Look for Openings/Timing is everything– Don’t kick for the sake of kicking! Look for an opening in your opponents guard and try to exploit it. Throw a right kick and see how your opponent responds. You need to test the waters to see if you can find any weaknesses. After all, everyone has a weakness and it is up to the opponent to identify it and maximize this to his/her advantage. The more you spar, the easier it becomes to identify weaknesses and different styles.

Tip #4

Use Combinations – Once you get used to sparring you should start to try and put together combinations. Instead of throwing a low kick, why not throw a jab-jab-low kick? Remember that putting combinations together is much more effective at landing shots than throwing single attacks. Use as many combinations as you can in order to be more effective. Focusing on using your hands and feet together in the combinations. For example, you might try a jab-jab-left hook-low kick. It is always good to try and end a combination with a kick as it scores more points.

Tip #5

Create a Game Plan – Before every sparing session you should have specific things that you want to improve on. “My goal this session is to…” Try and select a few key things that you will focus on during a sparring session. For example, you might want to enter a sparring session to try and work on setting up your low kicks. During the session, focus on throwing that low kick after every punch. This is a great way to improve your kicks. Realistically, in a fight, you’re not going to throw that low kick after every punch but at least your body is use to certain combinations and there is no hesitation when you want to execute it.

Tip #6

Knowledge is Power – Ask for advice! After sparring with someone, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Think of it as a partnership. Your sparring partner is your teammate and you will grow if you work together to improve your game. This goes both ways, so don’t hesitate to offer tips and advice if you see something that the person can improve on. The more knowledge you have during training, the closer you are to becoming a better fighter.

Tip #7

Change your Sparring Partners – Don’t be afraid to spar different people. Variety is essential! Everybody has their favorite combinations and their own style. Sparring with different people will enable you to react and respond faster and easier the more you do it. As a beginner you want to go outside your comfort zone. Practice and train your weaknesses. Whatever you feel least comfortable doing…train it, so that it becomes second nature!  Make your weaknesses your strengths. Don’t be afraid to spar someone that is better than you. Often you will learn the most from people who are at a higher level. It’s easier to pin point your weaknesses when your game is elevated. Those old habits your trainer was knit picky about will come out during uncomfortable sparring sessions. A good fighter is able to adapt and respond quickly in a fight to different styles and use it in a way that will win.

Tip #8

Look for Trends– When you begin sparring with someone you should try and look for specific patterns you notice about their style. If they are a southpaw you will want to adjust your game plan. If they have heavy hands, you will want to make sure your guard is strong and look for the leg kick opening. Use that first minute of sparring to your advantage and see what combinations they keep on throwing. Knowing their strengths and favourite combos will help you better prepare for it the next time they throw it.

Tip #9

Relax – In Thailand you’ll often here the trainers say “Sabai Sabai!” This is a tip useful to anyone and is often the most difficult  when you start sparring. Try to focus on slowing down your pace with calming breaths. The biggest challenge is when people aren’t relaxed the body tenses up. All of a sudden your punches and kicks are slower and it is easier for your opponent to hit you. Before you know it, you feel as if all technique and training is forgotten. You’re not alone! If you’re mindful and conscientious of being relaxed you can practice and train your body to do what you want.

Tip #10

Stay Balanced – Hold your ground! Balance is an essential component of muay thai. One thing that you will notice with muay thai compared to other martial arts is that after every punch or kick you are back to your neutral defensive stance. This will ensure that you will always be in a good position to block and counter any attacks that you might receive when you are sparring. It is important to focus on always trying to maintain strong balance to put you in a position to counter or attack. 

Tip #11

Imagine Sparring is a Game – When you spar, pretend you are playing a game. You want to score as many points as you can without your opponent scoring points on you. You should also remember that in traditional muay thai body kicks score the most points, then knees, low kicks and punches. When you pretend you are playing a game when you spar, it will help you relax and focus on trying to do the right things. Sometimes we need to “trick” our brain or breakdown a task, so that the mountain only looks like a small hill. It’s easy for one to say “relax”, but it is more difficult to understand how to get the mind and body there. 

Tip #12

Have Fun – Sparring should be fun. There is no winning or losing. Sparring is a great opportunity to learn and improve your muay thai game. Chalk it up to experience! No matter how hard you spar with someone, you should always respect them at the end of the round. Don’t ever forget that you are sparring to get better.

Remember that sparring is about improving your timing, technique and footwork to prepare you for a real fight. It is the best way to simulate a fight in muay thai. The more you can practice these tips, the more success you will have in becoming a better fighter.