Sport and Fitness Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Below is a collection of answers to some Frequently Asked Questions about Muay Thai and other American Boxing classes. They attempt to collect much of the common wisdom useful for selecting the best fitness program for you, as well as providing some “food for thought” regarding why you might choose American Boxing.
Fortunately, most schools offer a trial class or short period to experience Muay Thai training and to meet other students of the school of interest. We have found that most people come out of class with an absolute love for what they just experienced. For us, these are people best suited for learning Muay Thai. If any the following are goals you have, Muay Thai may be a great training option for you:
- Self Defense
- Competition Sport
- Weight Loss
- Cardiovascular Conditioning
- Strength and Flexibility without Muscular Bulk
One of the biggest points to learning Muay Thai is time and commitment. If Rome wasn’t built in 1 day, your cardio, strength, endurance and technique needed to have proper Muay Thai basics isn’t going to happen overnight either. Even the most gifted athletes take up to a year of consistent training to develop a solid grasp of Muay Thai basics. If it took you 2 years to grow that gut, there is no exercise program for removing belly fat faster than Muay Thai… the best part is, there’s also nothing more fun!
Interested in Muay Thai? Then like Nike said, “Just do it!”
- Do the typical results from Muay Thai training align with my goals?
- Am I willing to be a student and athlete?
- As a student, you do not know. That is what we are for. Always be humble, show respect and listen.
- As an athlete or athlete to be :), you must be willing to be pushed. Slowly in the beginning but ALWAYS based of your level of fitness. You will be evaluated on an individual basis and pushed at times in an effort to raise your level of fitness and Muay Thai conditioning to your next level! This is a VERY GOOD THING!
- Patience!
- You may be good at 1 thing day 1 that someone else is poor at and on another day, they are technically better. Do not worry about things like this. In the end, everyone learns each technique at their own speed and everyone has different fitness levels. With consistency and PATIENCE, you will reach ALL OF YOUR GOALS! We promise 🙂
- Consistency
- If you are consistent with your training your results will be much faster! We recommend training no less than 3 days per week when possible.
Absolutely not, Muay Thai is a great way to start getting back in shape, however, there are a couple exceptions.
- If you are considered obese, we may suggest some of our private training accompanied by nutritional counseling to begin with.
- If you have recently had any type of joint injury, you will want to complete all prescribed physical therapy prior to beginning Muay Thai training. Please note that Muay Thai training is very safe and very easy on healthy joints.
However, a good test to determine if you are able to participate in a beginner Muay Thai class is a simple 2 minute jog. The catch… run it on the balls of your feet so that your heels do not touch the ground. Muay Thai is like any sport, balance, agility and coordination are developed over time and these things happen with practice drills you will do on the balls of your feet. (Don’t worry, balance, coordination and agility are not requirements… we can teach you that!)
Just like jogging or running, everyone gets to the finish line at a different time, because everyone’s fitness is the not the same. In your 2 minute jog you may get 100 yards, 500 yards or 1000 yards! It really doesn’t matter how far you get, just that you put in the effort to practice good technique… and the rest comes with time.
All you have to do is start and try your best and be patient! The rest will come with time! And the journey is a fun and educational one!
Kickboxing is a sport that reached its peak in popularity during the 80’s. You may have heard of one particularly famous kickboxer, Chuck Norris! This American style Kickboxing was a mix of western boxing with fast karate style snapping kicks above the waist and safety pads on the feet while wearing pants. The European and Japanese style kickboxing was similar in its karate roots however often without the extra foot padding. The hands and feet (4 weapons) are typically used in kickboxing.
Muay Thai is the national sport of Thailand and is a powerful yet beautiful and ancient martial art and an exciting full contact sport, which originated in Thailand centuries ago! Muay Thai uses the strongest bones of the human body: the fists, tips of the elbows, knees, and shins for defense and/or offense!
Often times when we tell people we kick with our shins, they often cringe at the thought of kicking that table, walking in the dark and falling to the ground in pain! Haha, We are happy to say, IT IS NOTHING LIKE THAI! After more than a decade of Muay Thai competition, I still cry when I hit my shin on my coffee table 🙂 However, when you strike an adversaries soft thigh, ribs or neck with your hard shin bone, it is them who feels the result of effective Muay Thai training!
Muay Thai kicks unlike kickboxing involve hip rotation similar to swinging a baseball bat, however the momentum of your swinging leg is stopped when you strike shields and soft leather pads and bags during training. This soft to skin impact and resistance creates quite a force or resistance for your body and ESPECIALLY your CORE!!! That’s right, If you have EVER seen a professional Muay Thai fighter with his/her shirt off, the first thing you notice is their 6 or even 8 pack abs! That’s Muay Thai for you 😉
Every class is different depending on the instructor and depending on who and how many students show up that day! Because we’re open every day and have multiple Muay Thai classes per day, we have an average of 6 to 8 students per class and each class is capped at 12 students to ensure the highest quality in training!
American Boxing offers both an authentic Muay Thai workout just like the professional camps in Thailand as well as a modern curriculum as is found commonly in the USA. Again, just depending on the number of students and the decision of the instructor.
A typical modern curriculum may include the following:
- Skipping rope, jogging or group calisthenics as a warm-up
- Stretching head to toes (a special Muay Thai stretching curriculum)
- Shadow boxing (freestyle or instructor led based on student experience)
- Pad, shield or bag work
- Core and abdominal exercises
- Partner technique drills with protective equipment (this is slow, technical and controlled…this is the fun part for everyone!)
- Light controlled sparring with Instructor (play sparring with Muay Thai World Champion Coach Dave Nielsen or one of his highly skilled and controlled instructors is a fun and educational experience for anyone!)
- Clinch work
- Cool down and some more stretching and additional conditioning
A Traditional Muay Thai workout (typically with 3 or fewer students in attendance)
- Warm-up
- Bagwork
- Students are called into the ring one at a time with instructor for Thai Pad and focus mitt work for 3-5 Rounds. Round time may be from 2-5 minutes. Rounds and round time is based on student fitness level.
- Clinch Work
- Abs and Stretching
It is IMPORTANT TO NOTE! There is no striking to the face nor open/free sparring in Muay Thai classes, so it is fun and safe for EVERYONE! If you are interested in sparring or competition, you must attend sparring classes that are inclusive with your membership.
If you attend regularly you will understand how things work and the process will become second nature in no time! We do recommend sparring for anyone interested in Muay Thai for sport or self defense since you simply “can not learn to swim practicing on dry land alone”.
Yes, it is true that long ago, fighters would kick young flexible banana trees to aid in the conditioning of their shins, but No it is not true that they go around kicking “trees”, banging bottles on their shins or any other crazy tales which are common myths.
The conditioning of all body parts is a long term process that if done properly is more or less painless since your tolerance is always adapting.
In Thailand, children start conditioning their fists, elbows, knees and feet (not only their shins) by working out regularly and mostly on heavy bags and Thai pads!
The conditioning that occurs in Muay Thai for the fists, shins, elbows, knees and feet is mostly a mental one. As a NakMuay or Muay Thai fighter, you will experience pain at some point, however, you are conditioned to deal with the pain and to understand the pain is not an injury that requires a stop in activity, but rather a motivator to move with more speed and efficiency, yes motivation… motivation to improve your body, technique and Thai Boxing as a whole.
Would you like to have the ability to tolerate pain better? OF COURSE! We are not saying you want to BE in pain, but rather when life presents back pain, a broken bone pain, labor pain or any other type of common pain, to have the ability to tolerate the pain and reduce the mental anguish caused by that pain, that is what Muay Thai offers the student… more control of their mind!
Thai Boxers feel pain too (they are only human) but their pain tolerance is much higher than that of most westerners.
Now, stop kicking that poor tree! Lol
The simple answer is No.
In Thailand, Thai is mostly a professional sport. There aren’t any levels or black belts like in other martial arts. The belt is in the ring and your fight experience is your rank.
IF any instructor offers you a ranking, please understand that it is to the instructor’s standards, not to an actual Thai standard. So, it is sad to say, that your ranking is simply a way for an instructor to earn more money from a student. With a very rare exception, such as with American Boxing.
American Boxing is a Muay Thai University Certified Thai Boxing Academy. To receive even the lowest rank (NOT a certification) it takes 1 year of regular training and testing provided by our head Coach, 5X Muay Thai Champion and IKF Muay Thai World Champion, Professional Muay Thai fighter Kru Dave Nielsen. This white belt or white prajaed rank IS EARNED by each student who receives it. This rank cannot be purchased and it IS NOT SOLD! Again, it must be earned. Each ranking is earned in a similar fashion, however the initial white rank is the only one that is time specific.
Train hard, love Muay Thai and pay no attention to ranking… it will all come in time!
TIME, CONSISTENCY AND PATIENCE. When you are ready, a good coach or Kru will tell you are ready.
It is the best interest of you and your coach that you are fully prepared before getting into the ring for your first Muay Thai fight, even if it is amateur with head gear and shin guards.
It is getting more and more common for students of instructors (with very little experience) to step in the ring and get carried out. Not to scare you, but Muay Thai is a very serious and beautifully violent sport. MUAY THAI vs. MUAY THAI is very safe and often comes down to who is better conditioned… so in this situation, very little harm if any comes to either competitor. However, MUAY THAI vs. TKD or Kickboxing or MUAY THAI vs. false Muay Thai, is how someone can become seriously injured! We have seen it and it is very sad. A confident student believing they are learning the true science of 8 limbs (Muay Thai) from a true Kru (teacher) and in actuality, the person was not a true Muay Thai teacher and the student learns the hard way.
If your Kru has a fight record ask to watch video of him or her fighting Muay Thai!
If your teacher, coach, instructor or Kru is a true Muay Thai teacher, THEY MUST HAVE A THAI TRAINER IN THEIR LINEAGE! Think about it, how could you have Muay Thai if no one in your lineage ever trained with a Thai person?? Confirm the Lineage through diligent research and PROOF! … it could mean your safety and well being, in the ring, street and life in general.
Any martial arts experience and experience with sports is good, however, it can be difficult to unlearn some things and to change from your present way of thinking and way of moving to your new Muay Thai way.
Not that it is impossible, but it will take time.
The best advice we can give you is SLOW DOWN! Many other striking arts focus on speed where as Muay Thai is power. If you slow down and listen to your instructor, you will let go of the old and let in the new at a much faster rate!
Simply put, even the most experienced fighter, kru and teacher does not know everything, so we all have the ability to learn from one another. Sometimes a student makes a mistake and as a teacher our minds run with it and we think of a new movement that we had never known before… so yes, even a beginner can teach a Kru!
Whatever the reason if you like Muay Thai and understand the true spirit of Muay Thai, you will respect all teachers, students and the other schools from Thai lineage, just like we do!
If you join our school however, you will follow our rules and our training method like every other person! Please do not expect any special treatment because you are a fighter or trained with Joe Blow or your last name is ________! We have had professional fighters with upwards of 30 pro fights visit us and go through the exact same class training we offer each student… they LOVED the training and found value in every aspect of how we do things. If a professional fighter can smile and sweat in our training and have nothing but kind words, then we are confident that with the right attitude, you will be too.
Many people come to our school saying they’ve done Muay Thai before… some have, but many simply have not, and sadly don’t even know it. They get frustrated when our methods suddenly differ from what they have been doing at their old school. Some of these people have received rankings and certificates from some instructor making claims that the student, being a good student, simply believed. Sometimes they even think we are not teaching Muay Thai!? What can we say? If you hand a piece of gold to a blind person all he feels is a cold stone!
Some also feel that their previous experience in martial arts and kickboxing is equivalent, therefore they feel bored when we asked them to practice some of the Muay Thai basics. Trust us when we say, your technique can ALWAYS be better and BASICS build CHAMPIONS!
On the other hand, if you really feel you have little or nothing to learn and your Thai Boxing is already perfect, then it is probably better you go somewhere else to train, or perhaps you start your own school… no problem, we look forward to meeting you and/or your students in the ring 🙂
The simple answer… Today!
You start the basic conditioning necessary to compete day 1 of training at American Boxing. Now be consistent, patient and respectful and with a little time, coach will let you know when you are ready to step into the ring!
The long answer: You’ll have to prove you deserve to represent school, you must earn our attention by coming often to classes and showing the correct attitude and eventually the proper level of skill and conditioning necessary!
We choose the best of our students to represent our school, just like any coach chooses his best players to make his team! Because when you fight Muay Thai style you don’t just fight for yourself and for your own ego, you compete for your school and for your teachers as well.
Please note: Once you decide to compete and enter a fight, tournament or event, it is not appropriate to go back on your word. Remember, you’re not in it alone! There are other people involved, your trainers, your teammates and sparring partners, the promoters, sponsors, the fans and more…people have spent time and money to prepare you… now have the respect to follow through with your word and trust that your teacher will make you prepared to represent him and his school.
You’ll also have to learn all or part of the American Boxing WAI KRU RAM MUAY (the traditional sacred dance of respect to teachers seen prior to the Thai Boxing match). As a novice you will perform only a small simple portion of the WaiKru. As you advance in Thai Boxing it will be appropriate for you to learn the entire WaiKru.
Finally, if a student is onto Team American Boxing he or she will be required to represent our school when requested if available, not only when he/she wishes to do so. Of course there are exceptions and time considerations however, we want a real Amateur and Professional Muay Thai Fight Team, with athletes ready to go from San Diego to New York, San Francisco or Bangkok within a month’s notice!
We don’t want to lose our time training someone who just wants to have “a Muay Thai fight” for the fun of it, then disappear for the rest of the year!
Either you are on the Team or you’re not. There is no 50/50! A Fight Team is a family that supports one another and competes towards state, national, international and World championships, and we are here for one another.
Muay Thai is a great sport for kids! Muay Thai is not violent! It is a martial art and sport capable of making a young man or woman more confident, fit and disciplined! Western Boxing is uncontrolled, aggressive repeated strikes to the head of “competitive” participants… Muay Thai does not spar in this manner. Muay Thai sparring is playful, technical and fun for men women and children of all ages! It is important for beginners to be carefully observed and taught to show them the proper way to play spar to ensure ego never plays a part in training 🙂
Now, having said that, Muay Thai is also a highly effective self defense system that can be used to defend oneself very effectively!
Therefore at American Boxing we are HIGHLY SELECTIVE of the students we teach our strong and proven Muay Thai to! We have no desire to build bullys, as a matter of fact we are Bully Busters 🙂
In Thailand children start Muay Thai at a young age, right around 8 or 10 years old. It’s part of their culture… just like hockey is in Canada, baseball in the USA or soccer is in Mexico. These Thai children are simply the nicest and most respectful kids you’ll ever meet, showing every adult respect with a Wai (a respectful bow with hands together which looks like a prayer).
The American Boxing curriculum of instruction for kids and teens teaches the aspects of Thai boxing kids should start learning first! The emphasis is on learning and developing physically and technically, get an appreciation for the art and love for the sport… and have some fun, learn some skills, make new friends, etc!
Again I repeat: Muay Thai is not an “extreme” or “ultimate” fight sport! There is no full contact fighting (or full sparring for kids) in our school without expressed parental consent! And even then, it is all in sport and fun.
Our Future Champions programs prepares children to be Champions in life, not just a ring!
Our Bully Busters Program focuses on developing self-confidence in the children by improving their physical ability to defend themselves. Often this ability and the perception that the child is no longer weak or feeble is adequate to deter bullies. We have had GREAT success in our Youth Kids Program!
The simple answer is yes, we do teach Muay Thai for MMA and our style is particularly effective since our head coach is also a Submission Wrestling Champion.
However, we whole-heartedly believe in the culture and respect associated with Muay Thai and we feel that is often lost in the large and popular MMA gyms that are popping up all over the USA. So, with that being said, if you have respect and are willing to put in the time, we are happy to teach you.
Additionally, learning some basics in Muay Thai does not make one a Muay Thai fighter, even if they use some “low kicks” or some “Thai knees” or “land an elbow”… most professional MMA people could not last a Muay Thai bout without being seriously injured since the defense and mental conditioning for Muay Thai is LONG TERM training! Learning a trick that may work against someone who does not know the trick IS FAR DIFFERENT from knowing all the tricks, their defense and being conditioned to execute, defend and counter at a true Thai Boxers level!
Most UFC and MMA fighters do not kick, knee, punch or elbow properly (according to pro Muay Thai physical and technical standards) whether they win or lose with a single technique claiming to be Muay Thai based.
If you want good Muay Thai, you must put in the same time as JiuJitsu or any other true art form… I could throw up an armbar in 3 months, but over the next 10 years I will get better and better at that some armbar…the same goes for each Muay Thai technique…techniques that most westerners have never even seen (there is so much more to the art than simply elbow, punch, knee, kick… but you will never know if you give too little time to practice).
The “Dutch style” of Muay Thai, is actually an approach to Thai striking based on the rules the Dutch often compete with. For example, K-1 tournaments do not allow elbows, so the punching defense is different since they (most larger European stand-up fighters, not just Dutch) typically fight without elbows. Also, the K-1 style which we feel is a more accurate depiction, does not allow for clinch work as it allows a fighter to rest and slows action by K-1 standards.
The Dutch, as with most Europeans are larger people… much larger than Thai’s, and therefore typically cannot compete against the Thais in a fair fight. The popular exception is of course the amazing Ramon Dekkers, whose smaller stature allowed him to compete against the Thais and did so at a high level. Some say the Dutch style is dominant in Boxing, that may be true, however, we feel that may be true only due to the necessary for added aggression in an attempt to overcome the typical western lack in elbow striking skills. Elbows of course are the skill that can end a fight very quickly with technical precision.
We and many before us have said the same thing based on thousands of students and many years of teaching, that to become proficient in the basic movements of Muay Thai, and to have a fluidity in those movements with balance and control, one can expect to train with consistency for approximately 1 year with a true Muay Thai instructor. Those skills and techniques will be polished throughout your lifetime and others will be added, making you a weapon that only another Thai Boxer will ever understand… unless someone makes you very angry 🙂
No you don’t! Full contact competition is not for everyone! And most people don’t want to be boxers or fighters! You can still workout and learn the Art of Muay Thai for fitness and fun!
You are encouraged to submit any questions on classes, personal training, fitness, or fight subjects. If you would like to submit an article to this FAQ, please feel free to call us at (858) 581-2694 and let us know something is missing from our FAQ page.