Advice on trainin on my own

[muaythaidm]

I have been training in Muay Thai for a total of about 6 monthes (3 last year and 3 this year). But for about for the next four monthes I will have to be training on my own. I have a wavemaster(kicking bag) in my room. Does anyone have any advice on what I can do to keep up? Will books or movies be of any help? Please post your advice! Thanks in advance.

[thaiboxerken]

To train alone will be very hard indeed. It will be a challenge, but you can do it!! You have the basics, and that's all you need. Write down all of the goals of your body mechanics and work on them often. Don't worry so much about power, but work on hip movement. Set goals, number goals are best when training yourself. Kick the heavy bag 150 times in 2 minutes, for instance. Shadow-box, and if you can, do it in front of a mirror sometimes, so you can check your own form. Heck, if you have access to video equipment, video-tape your sessions.

 

A good thing to do might be to find a partner to train. Sometimes it might be someone that you'll have to teach the basics to also. But teaching, in itself, is a very good training method.

 

Good luck!!

 

 

[Slim]

I would suggest you make a set program as you would if you were doing weights.

 

it could go something like this:

 

Warm up: 10-20 min skipping, jogging etc.

 

Stretching: 10 min.

 

Shadowbox: Punch/Kick combinations, 3 min. rounds,

 

Then bagwork combinations, 3 minute rounds.

 

Change it round to keep it interesting, I like it when in class we get told "ok now make it up" when shadawboxing.

 

If you are away from formal training for a while it may be a good time to work on upper boby strength, if you have no weights do pressups with your hands raised on books or something, chinups and dips on anything like parallel bars you can find. If you write everything down and modify things as you go, it wont be long before you have a routine thats targets the areas you are wanting to improve.

 

I agree with Ken, use a mirror.

 

150 kicks in two minutes!!! That would be something you could work towards.

 

 

[kicker]

well since you have been in class do about the same thing you did for the warm up and for the stretches then maybe practise on you moves you already know then after maybe buy book about Muay Thai and see what other moves you havent learn or even on the net look for something and then try to learn the easyier ones then harder and like slim and ken said do that also

 

Hope it helps!

[Slim]

Has anyone seen those training videos advertised around the Muay Thai sites? It would rock to see some of those fighting-since-ten-years-old Thai guys giving tips, even just to see their form. Can anyone recommend good or bad ones, and reliable mail order companys?

 

(Please, no "no I havnt seen them but would like to" replys, if that is the case watch the posts instead, thanks)

[Angus]

The key to training on your own is consistency. Since i moved to a farm from a major city (Sydney), i have basically been training on my own, and it is SOOOOO hard to keep a focus and to keep motivated. Some people can stick to a set routine, doing even something different every day of the week but doing it week in and week out.

 

I can't do this.

 

I do whatever i want, whenever i want - but i am consistant in my exercises. I do bagwork, weights, running, skipping, calisthenics (including my patented microwave warmups), i do plyometric workouts (with weights and clap-pushups) etc...

 

Plyometrics, for those who don't know their Greek, trainslates into explosion/power time. They help develop explosive power in your muscles.

 

Whatever you do, make sure you aren't bored. You need to keep entertained otherwise your workout just won't work for you. I like the old saying: anything physical is 90% mental.

 

Remember to try and keep a focus, watch the odd martial arts movie to get yourself pumped up...

 

In all honesty though mate, nothing beats training with a partner. Catchya later.

 

Angus

 

 

[taezee]

you gotta have a support system...unfortunately i feel martial arts is not something you can just learn alone..out of a book or whatever..you must have people you can train and spar with otherwise how will you know what will work in combat and what will not..the way ive always improved in fighting is to seek out whos the best fighter and spar with that person until i could surpass his/ her skill...thats the best method of becoming a seasoned fighter..still to this day i follow that....theres always someone out there that is stronger...faster..tougher then me and thats what i look foward to....otherwise how will you ever know...if what im doing is mere shadow boxing or actual combat training..like i have said many times before why train in martial arts if not for becoming a fighter??? thats bottom line.... spare me the philisophical..improving ones mind or discipline or whatever other excuse this is truth..we study martial arts to be able to fight...everything else is secondary and if you believe otherwise i have a bridge in brooklyn that i can sell you stock in...why did i start martial arts???..i wanted to make sure if i got into a fight i would be ables to kick the sh#@t out of the person who was trying to harm me period ...no romantic guestures about being like cain from kung fu and what not.."picking the pebble from my masters palm"..please!! if you want to be a "complete martial artist" you must mix it up with the "best of the best" otherwise just watch some taebo tapes and claim to be a martial artist becuase you can throw some kicks..can i learn to dance without a partner? can i learn to make music without a chorus??..can i cook a meal with only one ingredient?? can i make a beautiful painting with only three colors...nooooooo!!!! besides all that whos gonna be there to push your limit..to give you the edge..to test your skills..the mirror??you got to have that structure of support..of goals to become a martial artist..otherwise what is the point??and in finishing the wavemater bag i hate it..no comparison to a good old traditional bag full of sand..every time i kick a wavemaster i wind up breaking it..water all over the place..its like kicking a pillow....no disrespect intended i admire your enthusiasim to train alone..its just not pratical...humbly.....taezee

 

 

[SaiFightsMS]

Training solo is difficult. With transportation difficulties I too train solo much of the time. I am fortunate in that I have acces to an excellant gym with with really great strenth and aerobic training equipment. I have my own heavy bag.

 

It does help when working on forms or kicks to begin with a routine similar to the one you are used to in class.

 

Mental preparation is also crucial. The frame of mind we are in has a lot to do with the quality of the training. Or even wether or not we continue to train.

[Singularity]

I do agree on the whole that training solo can be difficult. But it is no where near impossible. I have to train solo, that's just how it works out monetary-wise, as well as solitude being a preference of mine. No, you can't bounce your ideas off of other people. No, you can't spar or have a support system. But, you can get into a solid, focused environment. Just you and the bag. The bag is the biggest baddest fighter you've ever met. You own him. Nobody judges you, just your own focus. Granted you are missing some things you couldn't get in a more standard environment, but you can get much more in other areas.

[MuayTB1]

post some saying on your walls "no pain no gain", and "its not the the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog"

 

bla bla, its dumb but keeps me working.