Common Muay Thai Injuries.

I'm a strong believer that Muay Thai has something to offer for everyone, however people get so strung up on what might happen, they talk themselves out of training before even starting. 

At some point irrespective of how cautious you train or how good your club is your going to pick up an injury, accidents happen, we accept this in everyday life so why wouldn't it apply to a full contact Martial Art?

When I'm talking injures I'm talking about common injuries like blisters or black eyes, its very unlikely that you will have more serious injuries like broken legs so I've chosen to omit them from this article.

Most injuries will not prevent you from training, a good gym will allow its members to be flexible in return for attending class, for example if you sprain your wrist you simple punch more with the other hand.

7 Most Common Muay Thai Injuries And Remedies

1. Shin Splints

You'll recognise shin splints though the pain on your lower legs. In short its a horrendous condition commonly caused by compounding activities like running or skipping.  Shin Splints are when the tissues that attach your muscle to the bone become inflamed though the swelling of the calf muscle putting pressure on the bone or by small stress fractures caused by landing heavily when you run. 

Treatment: The doctor told me to rest instead of looking at what caused the problem. In my case i was over pronating (landing on the outside of my foot and rolling to the inside) caused by crap footwear. Hot and cold compression packs and anti inflammatory cream help but def invest in a good pair of shoes - I was told by pediatrist to avoid Nike, Addidas etc and go for New balance or Asics. He suggested that Hitec Silver Shadows (Army Issue) are the best.

2. Sprained Wrists

Cause: Usually sprained wrists stem from poor punching technique or not having your hands wrapped properly, or poor padman techniques. 

Treatment: Learn how to punch correctly, always wrap your hands and make sure the gloves your using have sufficient wrist support.

3. Bruised Ribs

Caused by getting smacked a few times in the ribs! 

To treat bruised ribs you need to firstly need to understand why and adapt your stance, guard etc to try and minimise impact. One of the main concerns is whats happened underneath i.e. cracked ribs. Rest is the treatment, Thai Oil will help alleviate the pain.

4. Blisters On the bottom of your feet

Cause: If you are training a surface that generates friction your likely to get blisters as you turn on the soles of your feet. 

The treatment is simple, if the blister hasn't burst its best to drain and then securely bandage to prevent contact with the floor. If the blister has popped its likely that your skin has also torn, this could take more time to heal while you wait for new skin to form underneath - just add sufficient packing to prevent additional damage - even ask your instructor if its ok to wear a sock for a few lessons. (he prop won't want blood and puss all over his mats)

5. Beat Up Shins

Caused by kicking hard pads, heavy bags or clashing shins with your sparring partner - relax this happens.

The bruising will fade over a few days, the indentation in the gristle under the skin needs flattening out to prevent calcification. Thai Oil will speed up the process and dull the pain. You can always wear shin pads during the healing process.

6. Foot Bruising / Broken Toes.

Usually caused by kicking your partners elbow or catching the edge of the pads. 

Treatment - RICE (Rest, ice, Compression, Elevation) Dont waste the A&E departments time, even if you've broken your toes the hospital won't do anything - apart from strapping a couple of toes together..

7) Bruised thighs

Cause - Low kicks

Treatment - relax hospital botherer this is normal, in order to progress your legs need to get tougher - surprisingly this level of bruising is not necessarily caused by several "Big" kick but many lighter kicks - Thai Oil and a can of "Man up" will do the trick.

Lose 5kg (11lbs) in 24hrs

This plan is simple but not easy. There is a difference between losing weight and cutting weight. When you lose weight, it pertains to the process of removing bodyfat over a longer period of time. 1 kg or 2lbs of fat is a good amount to target per week. However cutting weight is all about losing a larger amount of total body weight, over a short period of time (5 kgs or 12 lbs in 24hrs). This is a 5 day-4 step program to cut a minimum of 5kgs or 11lbs of body-weight.

Safety Warning:

This is an advanced level dehydration technique. It is intended to be used to make a specific weight for a competition and rehydrate after the weight is made. Please limit the amount of weight cut during the final 24 hrs to 8kgs or 17.5 lbs. You need to follow a strict diet in the months that precede the cut. Eat lean proteins, fruits and vegetables for months leading up to the weigh in.

Visit the below link to find out how the remove 20lbs of fat from your body before the cut.

http://fightshape.co/2014/09/08/lose-20lbs-of-fat-in-only-4-weeks/

STEP 1:

Begin 5 days before the weigh in. Increase your water consumption to 7.5L or 2 gallons of distilled water per day for 3 days (distilled water has been shown to help eliminate toxics and pull excess nutrients out of the body making the weight cut easier). On the 4th day, drop to 3.75L or 1 gallon of distilled water. During these four days eliminate starches for your diet. Focus on lean proteins such as fish, chicken, lean red meat with green vegetables.

STEP 2:

24hrs before the weigh in is when you stop all consumption of food and water. Your body will begin to flush itself out. You have fully hydrated yourself and now your body will continue to rid itself of water.

STEP 3:

Now the morning of the weigh in check your weight. If you still have not made weight, it is time to hit the sauna or hot bath. Before the cardio apply Albolene (a make up remover, which will open up your pores for a better sweat) and put on a plastic suit or sweat pants and a hoodie sweater. Do about 10-15 minutes of light cardio before the sauna, just enough to work up a light sweat and increase your body temperature. After you’ve done this, you’re now prepared to sit in the sauna.

Another option is the hot salt bath. The salt bath is faster method of pulling water out of the body. It is slightly more painful, but in my opinion is more effective and less taxing on the body.

Preparing the hot salt bath:

1. Begin by filling a bathtub with hot water.

2. The water should be hot but not scalding. It should be tolerable to the touch.

3. Add 250 grams of Epsom salt into the water. Epsom salt will help open your skin pores to increase the ability to sweat. (Continuing adding salt and hot water to the bath water to maintain the temperature of the bath)

4. Ease your way into the water and begin with 8 minute in the bath. Get out after 8 minutes and wrap yourself in towels to keep your body warm.

5. Rest for a maximum of 2 minutes and repeat the 8 minute cycle. Weigh yourself after a few rounds and repeat until you reach your target weight.

This is the tough. When you have no food or water in your system, losing the last few pounds or kilos is very hard. This process takes a high level of mental toughness to get to your goal weight. Going through a weight cut is difficult but it will make you mentally strong and help you condition your mind for enduring pain.

STEP 4:

Now that you have made weight, you need to begin the rehydration process. This is where many athletes make massive mistakes. Your stomach has been through months of limited food and is very sensitive. I know it’s gonna be tempting to eat all of your favorite foods in one sitting. But don’t do it. The hard part is done however you still need to compete the very next day, and how you re-fuel your body will affect your performance. Remember that.

Begin with small amounts of water and a electrolyte rich carbohydrate drink.
It would be best to have a medical professional to administer the IV procedure, however it is often difficult to find one. Self administration is an option, however not recommended. Find a qualified medical professional to help with the process. If you’re overseas, the internet is a good place to look up medical professionals. Use an IV solution with electrolytes, vitamins and saline- not just saline. It will help with the recovery. If no IV is available, it’s ok to hydrate without one but it will not be as effective.

After hydrating for an hour, slowly begin to eat high quality food. The food should be similar to the diet you have been following but just add high fiber carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, oats and fruits. Eating foods high in sugar and white flour will upset your stomach and prevent proper rehydration. The last thing you need is to have an upset stomach on one of the biggest days in your life.

Carb loading is not needed. Many think they need to carb load to maximize performance. However carb loading is used for endurance sports, where the event duration can last for many hours. The typical combat event lasts for 15-25 minutes.
Eat foods that make you feel good and perform to the best of your ability. There will be plenty of time after the competition to indulge. Remember, you are fueling your body for battle. Give yourself the best fuel possible, do your best and good luck.

ADDITIONAL TIPS:

The use of a natural laxative is not recommended but it can help in clearing extra waste out of the intestinal tract. Senna is a natural laxative and can help excreting an extra kilo (a few pounds or so). Take the laxative the 2 days before the weigh.

The colonic is used to clear waste out of your excretory system. It involves flushing water or organic coffee into the rectum using special equipment. This equipment can be purchased in health food store and also online.

Colon therapy has been used for centuries to treat illness, rid toxins and parasites. There is no scientific research to prove the benefits of colonics. However, expelling any kind waste and toxin from your body will still result to a more effective digestive system and lower body weight.

How to perform a self-administered colonic:

1. Acquire proper equipment. Get it here http://amzn.to/1rIwwHE

2. Begin on the evening of Day 3 during the 5 day weight cutting process.

3. Fill the colonic container with 1-Liter of freshly brewed organic coffee.

4. Insert plastic tubing into rectum

5. Release the valve, emptying contents of the colonic container into rectum. (Once the liquid begins to enter, you will feel pressure and discomfort.

6) Relax as much as possible during the release. Once all the liquid has entered your body, close the valve and remove the tube.

7) Roll onto your right side and breathe. Hold for 10-30 minutes and relieve yourself. Eliminated the waste and repeat if necessary.

This 5 day program will prepare your body for the cut and remove all the excess waste from your digestive tract. During the last 24 hrs you will remove excess water from your body.

Stay tuned.. FightShape.co will detail out a diet program soon.

PS. It’s a good idea to get checked out by a doctor before beginning this plan. My team and I undergo in depth medical checks to make sure our bodies operate at a professional athletic level. Also when cutting weight, it is a good idea to have someone with you. Having a coach, training partner or friend will not only make it safer but it will also be someone to keep you company.

BY  FIGHTSHAPE.CO

Don Heatrick's Carbs for Muay Thai

This is one of the most factual documents I've ever read, to see the full article with illustrations please visit the author Don Heatrick's website http://heatrick.com/

Carbohydrates for Muay Thai

Are carbohydrates important for Muay Thai? For those that like a direct answer... YES! For a Thai boxer, carbohydrates play a major role in the following:
1. fat loss or gain
2. energy crashes during training and fights
3. fuelling for training sessions over an hour long
4. refuelling for multiple training sessions in one day 5. weight cutting for fights
Protein gets all the “airtime” (because there's more money in it!), and although protein is important, in my experience, sorting out your carbohydrate consumption will dramatically improve your physical performance and body composition – and is where most fighters go wrong.

Fat Loss or Gain
Carbohydrate is the body's primary energy source, but any surplus calories will be stored as fat. All carbohydrate foods have a glycemic index (or GI value) which indicates how fast the sugars absorb through your stomach and enter your bloodstream. High GI foods cause you blood-sugar levels to sky-rocket (the red line on the graph), forcing the release of insulin to bring it back down again. Insulin also causes surplus calories you've eaten to be stored as fat, and makes your body hold onto stored body fat reserves rather than burning them for fuel. Not good news if you're trying to lose fat.

Energy Levels
Also, when insulin is dumped into your bloodstream, it causes a rapid fall in blood-sugar below your resting level – this energy crash causes cravings for more high GI foods (to rapidly bring blood-sugar back up again). If you give in to the high GI cravings, this blood-sugar “see- sawing” continues, not only topping up fat reserves but also spiking and crashing your energy levels. Eating low and medium GI food (the green line on the previous graph) stabilises your blood sugar and energy levels, and your body will freely burn body-fat in the absence of extreme insulin release.
Carb Timing
The timing of your meals will also drastically effect your blood-sugar and energy levels throughout the day. Eat every 3-4 hours to keep things stable — going too long between meals causes blood-sugar to drop, only to spike when you eventually eat. So eat three main meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner – and have a small snack between them too. Just distribute your daily calories evenly though out the day rather than starving all day and then pigging out in the evening. Eat little and often.

Fight Day Considerations

It's especially important to consider the carbs in pre-fight meals, to avoid an energy crash in the ring. Despite what you may have heard, necking a Red Bull before a fight really isn't the best strategy.
Don't eat anything within an hour of your fight to ensure it's properly digested – I've personally always felt I've fought best when I've just started to feel a little hungry before getting in the ring.
The meal should also be a tried and tested one that doesn't upset your stomach – fight day is no time to experiment (try meals out before training and monitor how you feel).
A meal with low to medium GI
carbohydrate and a little protein is by far
the best option. Too much protein will
slow digestion and can sit heavy in your stomach.
My personal favourite pre-fight meal is whole-wheat pasta with tuna, sweetcorn an a little salad cream. It fuels you up nicely, is easily stored in a plastic container, and above all is within my limited cooking capability!

Carbs For Fuel
So we've discussed how carbohydrates affect fat storage, and how to stabilise your energy levels to avoid crashing in the ring. Now we'll turn our attention to the stored carbohydrate (glycogen) in your body, and fuelling physical performance during longer duration training sessions between 1 and 2 hours, and multiple training sessions in one day.
Unlike fat storage, your body can store only a limited amount of carbohydrate in both the muscles and the liver – only enough to fuel approximately 60-90 minutes of high intensity Muay Thai training. Therefore, although carbohydrate intake isn’t necessary for short duration training sessions or events lasting 60-minutes or less, if you’re training for extended periods or using intermittent, high-intensity exercise like pad rounds, then you must take on some carbs during training. Running out of stored muscle glycogen results in premature fatigue and increased perceived effort, and a less than productive training session.

The glycogen stored in individual muscles can only be used to fuel that muscle, it can’t be shared with any other muscles. For example, if you’ve thrown lots of round kicks in the first 90 mins of training, your calves could be depleted of glycogen (energy), and they can’t borrow from the spare glycogen remaining in your chest.
Although your liver’s glycogen store can supply on demand via the bloodstream to any muscle in the body, its main function is to ensure your brain isn’t starved of fuel. The most effective way to re-stock your calves is to consume additional carbohydrate, which is transported via your bloodstream to your empty calves.

Training between 1 and 2 hours
Evidence shows that during medium duration training of up to 2-hours, extra carbohydrate intake will delay fatigue. It’s recommended that 60g of carbohydrate per hour in the form of glucose or maltodextrin is ingested. This can be consumed in any form – solid, liquid or gels, entirely dependant on personal preference.
I personally prefer drinks, as the liquid carbohydrate has the added advantage of preventing dehydration – and I sweat like a pig. Drinks alone can make some feel nauseous. If this is you, try some high GI carbohydrate foods such as cereal bars or white bread sandwiches. Check out the GI table of various foods on the previous page to find some other quick snacks.
My favourite training drink is pure orange juice (not from concentrate) diluted 50:50 with water. This tops up my glycogen stores and is an isotonic dehydration preventer. Particularly important when training in hot, humid climates like Thailand!

Training over 2 hours

If you’re training for longer than 2-hours it’s recommended you consume 90g of high glycemic index carbohydrate per hour. To
achieve this I top up my orange juice/water
drink with high glycemic index foods like
cereal bars.

Multiple training sessions in one day
In Thailand, it’s common to train in the morning and the afternoon. To get the best out of these sessions you should optimise your short-term recovery and begin taking on carbs as soon as possible after training.
Research shows that if carbohydrate alone is
being used, then supplementation should be
very frequent, such as every 30 minutes 1.2 to 1.5g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight should be consumed for up to 4-hours.
Studies have also shown that combining carbohydrate with protein increases the rate of glycogen storage. If this post training refuelling method is used, the recommendation is that 0.8g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight plus 0.2g of protein per kg of body weight (4:1 carb/protein) be consumed immediately and 2-hours after exercise during a 4-hour recovery period. This carb/protein method of replacing muscle glycogen also has the added advantage of promoting repair of damaged muscle tissue.
Research also recommends that during intense training periods, a daily total carbohydrate intake of 6-8g per kg of body mass is consumed to keep pace with energy demands. If you want to get your calculator out, then go for it (I must admit, I do). But the take-home point is get some carbs down you ASAP after training – it’s more important than protein (although some protein is a great idea). Carbohydrates spare the use of protein, meaning you're not wasting your relatively expensive protein fuelling movement rather than building and repairing muscle. The only time to watch your carbohydrate intake is when cutting body fat, since access calories will be stored as fat.
All of these refuelling strategies have a significant impact on subsequent physical performance and training quality, and play an important part in a Thai boxer (of any level) achieving their personal best.

Carbs and making weight for a fight

Let's now look at how carbohydrates affect your weight cut the final week before a fight. Your body composition should already be on point (less than 10% body fat) by managing your calorie intake (especially carbs) for the previous 4-weeks or so.
Previously I said, “Unlike fat storage, your body can store only a limited amount of carbohydrate in both the muscles and the liver.”
This equates to approximately 300-700g of muscle glycogen (carbohydrate) and 80-110g of glycogen in the liver, providing a storage capacity 400-800g. But this is only a portion of the associated weight resulting from stored carbohydrate or glycogen.
For every 1g of stored glycogen, your body also stores about 3-4g of water, which makes a big difference to your body weight. Glycogen and associated water stores could be adding between 1-3kg to your weight; and that’s without reducing water intake and dehydrating in any way, just running down your muscle glycogen stores.

It takes at least 20-hours to fully restore muscle glycogen (provided sufficient carbohydrate is consumed in that period), so this method of weight reduction is not for fights with the weigh- in on the same day. Your performance will be greatly reduced if you compete with low glycogen levels. Only consider running down muscle glycogen if your weigh-in is the day before the fight.
Larger, more muscular fighters have a greater muscle mass and therefore a greater capacity for muscle glycogen storage, and can drop more weight using this method. This final cut is a temporary glycogen and water weight dumping process. If done correctly, you’ll have regained your full weight again by fight time.
Minimising your carbohydrate intake in the final week of training will run down your glycogen stores quickly and strip off the weight. Bare in mind that toward the end of the week, when your glycogen stores are virtually depleted, training is going to be very tough. It’s important that you don’t train for too long. Your training programme should be periodised for short, high-intensity sessions in this last week to provide optimum peaking for the fight; this also allows you to train effectively despite running low on glycogen.
Glycogen depletion, combined with controlled dehydration through water loading is the most effective way to temporarily drop weight the day before the fight. Getting the weight off is only half the job. It’s crucial that you understand how to pack back on all that temporarily lost body weight before stepping into the ring, or you’ll squander your advantage.

Carbs ARE important in Muay Thai

I hope you can see why the quality, quantity and timing of your carbohydrate intake should be considered to maximise your Muay Thai training and fight performance – and this brief review has made you think a bit more about the carbohydrates that you eat. A better applied understanding will drastically affect your body composition, fight weight and energy levels both in training and during fights. It's important you balance your training, rest and nutrition – don't waste all your hard work with poor nutritional choices!
If you want more, please have a good look around my Strength & Conditioning for Muay Thai website – http://heatrick.com/ – there's plenty more nutritional, mindset, and strength and conditioning training info there for you.
I'd love to help you achieve your goals in the future, please stay in touch. Best of luck with your training, keep learning and smash it in the ring!

Kind regards,

Don Heatrick
Respecting the traditional, embracing the new.

Buying Gloves by Lauren Evans

I often hear people asking about gloves, With questions such as 'what are the best brands of gloves to buy?' Or ' whats a reasonable price to pay on gloves?' Or 'how much will i need to pay for a decent pair of gloves to last?' So im going to tell you what the best brands are out there and what ones to avoid.

When buying gloves always avoid mma brands such as tap out etc..  These are the worst types of gloves you could buy they come across very cheap but don't last long they can last from either one thai class up to 3 months maximum. 

Budget with bad brands will always make you think that they are good. You can get average gloves at around twenty pounds but they will not last long.

The best brands for muay thai gloves are the real thai brands such as;

Fairtex

Sandee

Twins

Windy

Boon

Raja

Yokkoa

They are the best brands that you could have if wanting a decent pair of muay thai gloves the budgeting costs between 45-100+ pounds at retail price.  That sounds a lot but even for £45 the gloves will last upto 10+ years and the most damage that will happen is the padding will slowly wear away. 

You can buy these products from everywhere,there are many shops all over the internet that sell them and they range from all different styles and colours.

For +15yrs If you are looking to compete in the sport and you start doing interclub or novice bouts you have to wear 16oz gloves as rules. But as the higher class you fight the smaller oz gloves you have to wear.

For 14-yrs if you are looking to compete you have to wear 10 oz gloves for under 50kg and 16oz gloves for over 50kg that goes for all class of fights.

But if you are just using them for training and want a decent pair of gloves you should go for 12-14oz as they wont be to heavy but will add more to a decent arm workout and will last long for a good budget.

Lauren Evans

Junior instructor

9th Khan

Thai Boxing & Bullies.

A Great little documentary by a kid who suffers at the hands of cowardly bullies..