Seven Benefits of Muay Thai Training – Muay Thai has quickly become one of the most popular forms of mixed martial arts in the world. However, this fighting style has many benefits that go beyond its use in sporting tournaments. Even if you’re not seriously considering competing in an MMA championship, there’s still a lot you can gain from Muay Thai that can be directly applied to your everyday life. Learning and practicing the Art of Eight Limbs can grant you many health benefits, a useful self-defense mechanism, as well as an opportunity to explore the colorful culture of mixed martial arts. Let’s find out more about the benefits of Muay Thai training.
Muay Thai Is Effective for Self-Defense
If you’ve ever had to walk alone down a dark street at night, then the fear of getting mugged, being harassed, or worse would’ve been present in your mind. Whether crime is prevalent in your city or not, and whether you’re a man or a woman, self-defense can go a long way to allay those fears. In a life-threatening situation, it’s important to be able to react quickly and evade your assailant in order to defend yourself or your loved ones long enough to reach safety.
In Muay Thai, you can learn basic defense by using your footwork to gain a better position over your assailant and to predict their next move in order to counter it. A push kick can be used to block an incoming attack, and a clinch can be used to pin down an attacker. An advantage that even a beginner has is the element of surprise to catch the assailant off guard, which could mean the difference between life and death. Even the most basic techniques can be used to train the average person to defend themselves in about 6 months. You may not win any matches, but self-defense will always be useful to you in life.
Muay Thai Is Great for Your Cardiovascular Health
One of the most important benefits of Muay Thai training is improved cardiovascular health. If you’ve ever run out of breath during a jog or had difficulty carrying out your daily tasks, then this is an area you can improve with Muay Thai. The intense nature of the workout means that your heart and lungs have to work overtime to keep up, leading to improved conditioning over time. This is how trained kickboxers manage to go multiple rounds without tiring.
Muay Thai exercises provide good aerobic workouts, which ensure your heart and lungs work efficiently. You’ll soon develop the stamina to have your body performing at peak levels whenever you need it. This means you’ll be able to perform any daily task without much difficulty, and in the long run, reduce the risk of heart problems and high blood pressure.
Muay Thai Helps You Get in Shape
With both aerobic and anaerobic workouts, including running and rope jumping exercises, you could burn over a thousand calories during a proper training session. Performing these workouts regularly could be a fun and healthy way to lose all the excess body fat you’ve been trying to get rid of. Read how effective Muay Thai can be in losing weight in our post here.
Another great benefit of Muay Thai is the fact that it can help you build strong, defined muscles. The constant movement and use of all major muscle groups during a typical training session means that you’ll see an increase in muscle mass and definition with regular practice. With so much kicking, clinching, and jabbing going on, your abdominal muscles in particular will develop quickly, leading to great looking abs in no time.
Muay Thai Improves Balance and Coordination
Some of the more advanced moves, like a roundhouse kick, require careful coordination between your legs, hips, and arms. Some striking techniques require you to learn combinations of moves and string them together in a sequence. The different parts of your body need to be properly coordinated to make the best use of these sequences.
The need to constantly adjust your footwork is also a big part of Muay Thai, as is maintaining your balance when going for a kick or knee strike. Learning and practicing these moves and combinations can help improve your balance and coordination.
Muay Thai Is a Stress Reliever
The intense workout of a Muay Thai training session can cause your body to release a chemical called endorphins. The purpose of this is to reduce pain during the workout, but endorphins also have additional benefits like reducing stress. They are also known to elevate your mood, act as a relaxant, and reduce depression. After a satisfying training session, you’ll be able to relax and sleep like a baby.
Muay Thai Boosts Your Confidence
Learning this mixed martial art can be a challenge, but by slowly improving your balance, coordination, strength, reflexes, and endurance in order to perfectly execute textbook moves, you can greatly improve your control over your body. You’ll gain self-awareness and the ability to quickly respond to any situation, including defending yourself or others from harm. You’ll be more confident in your own abilities and feel like you can overcome any challenge. You’ll also feel better about yourself, with reduced stress and a healthier body.
Experiencing the Unique Culture of Muay Thai
Muay Thai is not just the national sport of Thailand, but has its origins deeply embedded in centuries of Thai culture. Anyone who wishes to learn more than its technical moves has a lot to explore and enjoy. There are rituals like Wai Khru, where students express their gratitude to teachers and ancestors through a traditional dance. There is also the ritualistic clothing worn by the fighters, which has its own stories to tell. Here’s our post on origins and traditions of Muay Thai.
There are Sak Yant,, which are tattoos that are believed to provide protection and luck to fighters. These traditional tattoos are inked by monks using bamboo needles, indicating Muay Thai’s close connections to Buddhism. No matter where you turn, the world of Muay Thai has a rich culture that is well worth experiencing.
It’s Time to Start Training
Now that you’re aware of the benefits of Muay Thai training, including its many physical benefits, its mental benefits, its unique culture, and simply being a fun activity that provides much needed exercise, it’s now time to finally get in the ring and start training!
FAQs
Muay Thai is known as the “art of eight limbs’ using eight points of contact – the fists, elbows, knees and feet.
Muay Thai is a full body workout. It tones your entire body, defining the arms, legs and abdominal area proving as a great method to get in shape.
