Muay Thai - Intermediate

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The Intermediate Training Sessions Report

Having managed to weather the storm of heavy cardio conditioning, pass the scrutiny of basic technique, and recover from the mainly self-inflicted injuries, all falling under the umbrella of “beginners training,” I had graduated to the intermediate class.

Many of the faces I had seen before, and indeed learned from, when I had first joined the beginners’ class. They had served their time before me, (and usually with longer sentences than the two weeks I had taken...he says big-upping himself) and now with their superior experience in the intermediate class as well, served as a source of what I was to expect. The general gist when I asked these friends for a run-down comparing intermediate with beginners’ classes was that there was less cardio and more technique training in the intermediate classes. I can tell you now that I agree with the statement in general, but what it fails to stipulate are the relative degrees of change. Each intermediate class certainly focused on specific techniques and combinations of the various aspects of Muay Thai (i.e. kicking and knees, punching and elbows, clinching etc.) rather than a general overview of everything each time, but the reduction in cardio turned out to be a lot less of a decrease than the increase in technique focus. Although this sounds like the trainers turning the screws on physical capability, the difference at this point was that I was Muay Thai fit. I think everyone’s selling the intermediate classes as having far less cardio training was more to do with their fitness levels than an actual relaxing of the physical workouts.

Having said that, there was one discipline that I was not as Muay Thai fit for as I had first thought. The cardio sessions I managed, sometimes even with excitement and at other times, surprising vigour. The technique instruction was fairly light, working on accuracy of movement and balance rather than power, which was fun, but not straining. The padwork sessions, however, for some ungodly reason had now switched from intense into severe. The ungodly reason, I quickly discovered, was a 5’8’’ Thai fighter known as “Miniman.” I understand that it makes practical sense to package dynamite in a petite vessel, but Miniman was sixty kilograms of grade A plutonium. Each time he was finished with me, I felt like nuclear fallout would have been preferable. Like the roaches of Hiroshima (sorry very un-PC I know, but I’m trying to continue the metaphor), I bounced back each time. Normally the students switch between trainers when it comes to pad work, but the Muay Thai gods determined that I be matched with him for most sessions. It probably had something to do with my lack of correct technique, but I continue to tell myself that it was because the main trainer saw that I was sh*t hot...

The pad work sessions are always three rounds of three minutes. It doesn’t sound like much, but having experienced it, I now understand that a minute can feel like an hour. The first round Miniman and I would start with punching only, using the precision pads. The punching round would involve fine tuning my stance, as well as technique for cross punches, hooks and uppercuts. For the second round, Miniman put on the large pads and seemed to stress the need for “more power!” at regular intervals. If I obliged to his satisfaction, “Ayey!” would be the response. What I enjoyed most about these second rounds was that he particularly enjoyed my right elbow, and wasn’t scared to ask for a running / jumping elbow. Superman didn’t experience the same enjoyment flying over Metropolis as I did running across the mat, launching myself into the air, raising my right elbow and smashing it into Miniman’s (slightly retreating - bigging up myself again) waiting pad as I touched down again. “Ayey!” from Miniman met my Cheshire cat smile. For the third round of our pad work encounters, the focus would be on the knees and kicks. The completely one-sided dialogue would go a little something like this:

“Right kick.”

Right kick from Murray.

“More tvist!”

Right kick, now with more “tvist.” The twisting of the hips is where the power comes from.

“More tvist!!!”

Right kick, now with even more “tvist.”

“Ahyey!”

Murray is proud.

“Ten!” (right kicks in a row).

Murray is knackered.

“Running punch!”

Murray, rejuvenated, launches himself anew at the braced pad of Miniman.

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Comments

[Papi]

News
Great to get news thanks. Love to Miniman.