I know we're Muay Thai practitioners, but we're girls too! Keeping our body in shape is probably one of the reasons why some of us pursue Muay Thai as a long term hobby, other than, of course, we all love the sport! The twisting and turning in Muay Thai techniques help to burn a alot of calories and develop nice ab muscles. However, females tend to have a higher density of fats than men. When we're training, we're building muscles fast and because the training requires high power intensity, we tend to develop muscles in bulk, bulk up especially the upper part of our body. And this when accompanied with our high density of fats makes us heavier and bulkier.
I don't know about you guys but sometimes getting bigger kind of worries me. I build up muscles on the upper part of the body very fast and therefore, I make an effort in watching my diet and make it a point to do my long runs and intervals at least 2 to 3 times a week. I find that by doing this, I am maintaining my muscle density and losing the weight of my fats at the same time, keeping me in shape and not exactly bulking up too much.
I found the article below on the web:
Know this: If you’re convinced that you’re melting fat while exercising, you’ll make a mind-body connection that will actually help you lose fat faster, Dillinger explains. In a 2007 Harvard study, participants who believed they were getting a good workout showed greater reductions in body fat than subjects who performed the same activities but didn’t feel like they were really exercising.
Do this: The next time you do anything active, remind yourself every few minutes that you’re giving it your all. This little mental move may moti-vate you to push yourself harder, leading to even greater fat loss.
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Sunday, January 20, 2008
12 Scientifically-Proven Fitness Tricks to Up 'Burn Rate'
Friday, January 18, 2008
Working the bag
I remember coming across a video once before and it had some great bag work techniques. Most people would be bag work in this manner - 4rds x 2mins - and the instant the timer starts, you pump your muscles and exhaust yourself even before you get to the 3rd round.
This technique that I came across is not less exhausting. It can in fact be more exhausting on the body. This technique, however, propels your mind to think before executing your moves, slowing building up an instant effect of body and mind coordination. Here is the routine:
4 Rounds(8 sets) x 4 Mins
Each round constitutes 2 sets, 2 mins each set.
As soon as the timer starts, begin your first set by executing whatever moves that first comes into your mind. The first set is about power. Pump your muscles, throw your punches, master your roundhouse kicks. Sweat the first set out. Stop at 2 mins.
The second set is a slow set. As soon as the timer starts, think through your combinations before executing them. The second set is about technique, about combination, about anticipating your opponent's move even if you are just really punching a dummy bag. Go slow for this first round. Stop at 2 mins.
Set the timer at 30seconds. At the end of each round, it is good to work on some cardio. For the end of the first round, do a 30-second speed punch.
Rest for one min.
Repeat the two sets for each round till you reach the fourth round. As each round progresses, your second sets should go faster. You should develop clearer combar mentality. You should slowly see your techniques forming up in successive first sets. End the second round with 30 seconds of knee, the third round with 30 seconds of push kicks, alternating legs, and the last round with 30 seconds of roundhouse, alternating legs.
This bag work technique is good for getting your body and mentality used to throwing certain combinations such that when your body is tired out in the middle of a bout, your mind has pre-programmed combinations that your body can use.
The Contender Asia and updates
Sorry guys, I know I haven't been updating for a bit. I've just recently set up another two blogs:
http://www.contender-asia.blogspot.com
I have uploaded as-it-happens Contender Asia updates on this blog.
http://www.muaythai-videos.blogspot.com
This site is a central for all Muay Thai videos, be it for female or male NakMuays. I will post any great videos I find on the net on this blog.
In the meantime, here is a video on Muay Thai's Best Female Fighters - Stephynee Bouquet V Shahan Beaver:
The two world champions Stephynee Bouquet (AUS) & Shahan Beaver (AUS) go head to head to qualify for a shot at the WBC Muay Thai Women's ... all » World Title to be held in the near future. This was the main event of The WBC WOrld Muay Thai Super Fights June 24, 2006. Presented by Phon's Thai Martial Arts & Australian Muay Thai Promotions.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Proper Shin Conditioning - DON'T KILL YOUR NERVES!
When I first started Muay Thai about a year ago, my coach introduced himself by knocking his knuckles on his shins. This knock produced a hollow sound followed by a gasp amongst the class and him jokingly saying, "These nerves are dead."
After that, this idea of shin conditioning was rooted in my head - shin conditioning was killing your nerves. Subsequently during classes, I witnessed some of the seniors rolling bamboo sticks on their shins, applying pressure as they did. Some of them even tied a couple of thin sticks (the kind you used to make cane) into a bundle and began hitting their shins with it.
As much as I wanted to have shins with extreme immunity to pain, I never dared to venture that far. At first I was afraid of the pain and then, I began researching on shin conditioning and I realised that shin conditioning in these methods kills the nerves in your shins! What is wrong with killing the nerves in your shins? What are the consequences?
Your Nerves are Damaged for Life!
Nerve's are your body's form of communication. The nerves are free ended in a deep layer of the skin called the dermis; they pick up any pain or other senses from the environment and send these messages to the brain (via other nerves), which in turn reacts to the stimuli in an appropriate manner. Nerve damage are usually accompanied by pain, numbness, weakness or paralysis. Some me may feel these symptoms in areas far from the site of damage (referred pain) and this occurs because signaling is defective from all parts of the area which the nerve receives input, not just the site of the damage.
Proper Conditioning of Shins
I would say proper conditioning of shins should come in the following methods:
- Kick heaving bags and / or Thai pads at least 100 times a day and gradually increase the number of times as your shins get used to the impact. Start by kicking the bag lightly and then slowly increasing the impact as you go along.
- Stop every so often and massage your shins vigorously, allowing the circulation of blood to return to normal. This promotes faster healing of any damage to the flesh or bone. Remember, if you have a nasty bruise on your shin, stop for a while and waiting for it to heal.
- DO NOT "beat" or "tap" your legs with sticks, boards, metal, ironing boards, baseball bats whatever. Worst still, DO NOT try kicking bamboo or coconut trees. Even the Thais don't do that. They kick baby coconut trees that have soft trunks. These will cause bruises, knots, bone damage to your shins and will stick with you for a long time.
- Optionally, you can use soft plastic bottles or rolling pin and toll it up and down the length of your shin lightly. Do this for maybe 15 mins per shin.
One of the more traditional methods still in practice is hitting your shin with a wet cloth. I suppose this will not have that great a damage on your shins as the material is soft. Kicking pads and heavy bags will as well do some damage to your nerves but they repair themself after some time. So instead of working towards creating dead nerves, you are conditioning your shins to take impact.
Shin conditioning is a gradual process, you cannot rush it. The above idea of proper shin conditioning are just my thoughts on the matter. Of course, some Muay Thai practitioners find it better to kill the nerves, especially female fighters as they're shins are less hardy than guys. I personally feel that dead shins are just empty shells attached to the body.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Female Muay Thai Legend - Naoko Kumagai
Biography
Fight Wt.: 115 lbs
Height: 5'2"
Fight Record
31 wins
4 losses
1 draw (Holly Ferneley)
27 KOs
Often compared to Lucia Rijker because of her powerful knock-out punches, Kumagai is a three-time World Champion in three different weight categories. Some of the World Champions she defeated:
Kim Messer - Five rd Muay Thai fight in Tokyo Dome
Amanda Buchanan - 4th rd K-O
Regina Halmich - 1st rd K-O
Lisa Smith - 1st rd K-O
Lisa Howarth - 1st rd K-O
Kumagai also won a K-O victory over a male US Marine in a modified Muay Thai fight in Okinawa. She was only 19 then.
Kumagai switched to professional boxing after 12 years of Muay Thai. She, however, did not have much success in boxing with only winning one amateur fight against
Russian Elaina Karpacheva.
Here are some videos:
Naoko Kumagai VS Lisa Howarth - First Round K-O
Naoko Kumagai VS Regina Halmich
(Halmich held an impressive record of 20 wins, 2 losses)
Approximately one minute into the fight, Kumagai landed a roundhouse kick into the midsection followed by a punch to the liver. This will followed by a knock-out at approximately one minute and eight seconds when she delivered a high roundhouse kick into Halmich's face.
The Tao of Muay Thai
It is common knowledge that Muay Thai training is one of the toughest in the world of sport. Some sports physiologists even feel that it is too stressful for the nervous system to go through two sessions of anaerobic training a day like Muay Thai practitioners do.
I believe that it is not the physical alone that makes Muay Thai such a formidable art. Muay Thai’s prowess lies in the unique combination of physical strength and mental power. Most people and even the athletes themselves often overlook the mental training or psychological aspect of Muay Thai.
Muay Thai has a long history and is an integral part of Thai culture. Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam have influenced the rituals and traditions of Muay Thai. From the Mong Kon, Ram Muay and Wai Kru to the recitations before the fight, there is a very spiritual element to this sport. During my training and study of Muay Thai in Thailand, I noticed that many elements of these traditional practices actually mirrors closely with modern sports psychology, especially in the theory of optimum arousal and visualization.
Arousal is closely related to anxiety, attention and stress. One finding with respect to arousal is the Yerkes-Dodson law, which predicts an inverted U-shaped function between arousal and performance.
A certain amount of arousal is necessary in order to perform at your best. But too much or too little would most certainly work against you. In sports, a player who is playing great is at the optimum arousal point and is said to be "in the zone."
Many inexperienced fighters may suffer from pre-fight jitters causing their anxiety to increase. Instead of bringing down their arousal level in order to control anxiety, they get even more aroused by psyching themselves up with some sort of aggressive ritual such as slapping their own faces and shouting out loud. These fighters usually allow anxiety to get the better of them resulting in silly mistakes and tiring easily.
I remember my first fight in Thailand. Physically, I was at my peak. I trained twice a day for almost six weeks. All the physical conditioning came to nothing when I allowed adrenalin to take over. By the end of the second round, I was too exhausted to even lift my hands up! Sure enough, I lost my fight.
I observed that many of the more experienced fighters seemed to be in a meditative state when they are fighting. They seemed to have so much time to react to almost anything that their opponents threw at them. Fighting in the ring seemed almost like a walk in the park.
Ring experience definitely contributes to their mastery but when I began paying more attention to the rituals and practices associated with the sport, I came to realize that mental training plays an equally important role as well.
Note: There are also fighters who need to have a higher arousal level to perform well. So this arousal level actually differs in every athlete. Ultimately, the athlete has to find his/her own “magic number” – optimum arousal level.
Meditation is often defined as “a state of relaxed concentration on the reality of the present moment.” Many Muay Thai fighters meditate regularly and some even go on temple retreats where they shave their heads and eyebrows and spend their days meditating and doing mundane chores. They hardly speak to each other and are discouraged from making eye contact. Apparently, these practices help them to cultivate their minds and spirits.
It is indeed a challenge to remain alert and relaxed during a fight. You are put in situation of real threat where you could be injured or knocked out anytime, yet you have to remain calm and composed. Meditation actually increases alpha wave activity in the brain, which is responsible for a calm and relaxed state of mind. This in turn helps one to bring down the heightened arousal levels during a fight to the optimum level.
Professional Muay Thai boxers typically run an average of twelve to fifteen kilometers everyday. Long distance running and other repetitive and rhythmic exercises such as swimming and rowing increases alpha-wave activity in the brain as well.
A dance-like routine performed by the boxer before the fight, the Wai Kru’s movements are slow, focused and controlled. (Almost like a form of Taiji) It is performed to the almost meditative and trance-like sounding music from traditional Thai pipes and drums. Not only does the Wai Kru serves as a warm up, I believe it helps to control the boxer’s arousal levels and gives him some “private space and time” to focus before the fight begins.VISUALIZATION
Visualization involves the training of the right brain, which is closely linked to athletic ability, creativity and relaxation. The right hemisphere is also associated with emotional and subconscious learning. In other words, visualization helps to train the subconscious which has been repeatedly proven to be an effective and powerful strategy for athletes seeking to improve their sporting performances.
The power of visualization can be best illustrated by a famous and well-documented experiment conducted by an American psychologist, Dr. Alan Richardson.
Dr. Richardson divided a team of basketball players into three groups. They were tested on their accuracy in free throws, and each group’s results were recorded. The first group practiced free throws in the courts everyday. The second group skipped training altogether and the last group stayed in their rooms and mentally “saw” themselves taking free throws.
After a month, the three groups were tested again and the results were astonishing. The second group’s (They did not practice at all) results did not improve at all while the third group who had only practiced in their minds improved as much as the first group. (Practiced shooting everyday)
Two keys to successful visualization are to practice regularly and to practice it as if it is in the “now.” Shadow boxing is actually a form of “active” visualization. When shadow boxing, we should behave as if we are in a real-time “now” event. Be focused and relaxed- exactly how you want to feel during a real fight. Imagine yourself actually sparring with a real opponent-you lean back to avoid a punch and counter with a combination of your own. You see an opening and throw a big elbow at your opponent!
Also, put lots of feelings and details into the practice. For example, actually feel your gloves knocking back an opponents head as you deliver a knockout punch and literally feel your opponent fall onto the canvas as you are sweeping him off his feet with a low kick!
Shadow sparring is an integral part of Muay Thai training but many boxers do not seem to take it seriously. It is more than just a way to warm up; it is an awesome form of mental training. Each time you practice, you are programming your subconscious and the images become clearer and more potent. Eventually, these images and actions will be internalized and you will react instinctively during a real fight.
In addition to shadow sparring, we should also practice “passive” visualization at least once a day. See your thoughts and actions being put into practice at night or when you wake up in the morning.
Many non-practitioners of the sport perceive Muay Thai to be purely aggressive and a no-brainer. We cannot blame them for having such perceptions as aggression is more blatantly displayed in this sport as compared to say Table Tennis for example.
However, I reckon most practitioners of the sport will agree with me that Muay Thai is not purely about aggression. It is about controlled aggression and patience. You hardly see any boxers chasing and brawling at his opponent when his initial strikes fail to find the target. He will most probably go back to his fighting stance and wait for another opportunity to strike.
I believe that the practice of Muay Thai helps to simultaneously refine one’s mind, body and spirit, which I personally refer to as The Tao of Muay Thai.
Written by Hansen Bay with Grace Yip, Sports Psychologist
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