5 Ways Muay Thai Will Change Your Life
Muay Thai is one of the most effective martial arts practiced by millions of people all around the world. It has also become very popular in the western world mainly thanks to the rise of modern MMA.
People of all ages train in Thai boxing to learn how to fight or get in top shape. But apart from vicious skills, Muay Thai has plenty of other benefits that will literally change your life.
Yes, Muay Thai visually looks brutal, it is hard on your body, and the classes are as intense as it gets. But if you manage to go through the opening months, which is crucial, it is very likely that you will stick with it until the rest of your life. It truly is a life-changing experience that will make you a better person, and of course a skilled fighter.
Here is a short list of the key Muay Thai benefits that will change your life for the better.
Improves flexibility and range of motion
In Muay Thai, the key is to learn how to use all limbs to strike with kicks, punches, knees, and elbows. Though these techniques are direct and simple, you need to be flexible and agile to perform the right way. As a result, most students spend a lot of time stretching before and after each workout. In fact, some who want to speed up the process might also do it every morning and evening.
Stretching makes you flexible and improves the range of motion, and balance. This allows you to throw kicks without losing your balance, and with high precision and power. Being flexible also improves your ability to slip/dodge punches, and put the body in awkward positions such as in the clinch. But above, stretching relaxes the mind and body and prevents many injuries.
In this day and age, more and more people have problems with tight muscles, poor range of motion, and back problems due to long sitting. That’s why it is crucial for people to stay active, be on the move, and enroll in an activity that will activate and improve these specific muscle groups, and Thai boxing might be an ideal choice. Just a couple of months of consistent training is more than enough to experience the benefits.
Benefits of Muay Thai For Women (Top 5)
In recent years, we can see Muay Thai rising really fast in just about every part of the world. This is mainly because…medium.com
Builds strong mental resistance
Muay Thai training is intense, hard on your body, and will push your mind over the limits on a daily basis. In each class, students do a lot of grueling cardio workouts, with very little rest, and various strength exercises. On top of that, expect to throw hundreds of kicks, twice as many punches, elbow, and knee strikes, and of course, spar and do various live drills against the partner. Sounds a bit scary, right? Maybe impossible in your eyes? Well, to be honest, it is.
However, bear in mind that this is all normal. Do not think that you can get off the couch and just walk through the training session like it’s nothing. It takes time for your body and mind to get stronger, more flexible, and agile, and to develop top conditioning. Until then, you must believe in the learning process, stay motivated and go through grueling sessions, even leaving the gym on all fours at times. Yes, this does not sound nice, but guess what, it’s going to change you as a person.
In the long run, training hard and pushing your mind over the limits allows you to build strong mental resistance. In fact, this is probably the only way you can achieve this. No matter what happens at work, in relationships, or in all other aspects of daily life, you will have the mental capacity to deal with it simply because you got “used” to it in training.
Improves Confidence and self-esteem
The lack of confidence hurts and impacts every aspect of your life. It stops you from living the life you are dreaming of, feeling good in your own skin, and overall, moving forward. Every human being has been there and the key thing to getting your confidence back is to be on the move and make changes. And one of the best decisions you can is to enroll in Muay Thai, it will boost your confidence like nothing else.
First, it will teach you how to go through all the struggles and obstacles, and never give up on your dream. Intense training and pushing yourself over the limits will hurt, but on the other side, make you proud of yourself.
As you are becoming more skillful and physically stronger, you will feel more comfortable in your own skin. From the way you walk, and talk with other people, to the way you approach the problems outside the gym, everything about your mindset will change for the better.
Reduces stress and anxiety
Everyday life is full of stress, and anxiety has become an integral part of modern-day lifestyle. All of us have less and less time for ourselves, to spend some time alone with our thoughts, and above all, to get rid of the accumulated stress. Signing up for Muay Thai classes is a life-changing opportunity when it comes to mental health as it allows you to reduce stress and anxiety levels almost instantly.
There is a famous myth saying that training in martial arts makes you more aggressive, which couldn’t be further from the truth. What’s more, it is the total opposite of that. Engaging in intense physical activity will trigger the mind to release various chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin that will make you feel better. Despite lying exhausted on the mats without the ability to move, you will have a huge smile on your face, and feel happy and relaxed the next day at work or while resting at home.
Going through a stressful period and doing nothing about it is how the stress gets accumulated in our bodies. Sitting at home and watching TV every evening is not the right way you deal with stress. No, instead of sitting on the couch, put on the boxing gloves and punch and kick the hell out of all the problems in a Muay Thai gym.
Allows you to take control of your life
Muay Thai training and fights might look wild and extreme. But, the key skill that you are going to develop is emotional stability and how to perform under pressure. Over time, you will learn how to control your emotions and fears while the fists are flying. Having a calm mind is the only way you can make rational decisions, and apply techniques in a real fight.
Now imagine how this ability to perform under such intense pressure transfers to your life outside the gym. No matter what happens at work or your home, you will be emotionally stable to deal with it.
You will face many struggles and downs on your journey and have days when you will doubt yourself. But over time, your mind will develop a mechanism, a pattern on how to deal with these situations and continue moving forward.
Above all, Muay Thai forces YOU to deal with YOUR own problems, not put the blame on others for your failures. So being emotionally stable and realizing that you are the only one in charge of your life will help you “regain” control of your life in the long run.
It literally changes your body
Muay Thai is a full-body workout that evenly improves both the upper and lower body strength. Each class is a mix of different aerobic and anaerobic workouts that will activate every single muscle group in your body, and above all, burn a lot of calories. In fact, studies have shown that a single class burns up to 900 calories, which is the same as over 1 hour of running. With a bit of consistency, you may lose weight and get in top shape in a very, very short time span.
- Long runs, sprints, hill sprints
- Push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups
- Endless rope jumping
- Various other HIIT exercises
- Intense workouts on the heavy bag and pads
- Hard sparring
Due to its incredible fitness benefits, Muay Thai has become very popular among people who are looking to get in shape. Unlike in a fitness gym, training is dynamic as you are always learning something new. On top of that, let’s not forget that we are talking about, probably the most effective striking system. Or in other words, even if you sign up for the classes just to get in shape, students still develop valuable fighting skills. You never know when you are going to need them.
