Hey all, I've been taking Muay Thai classes for about 2 months now, 3 times a week, and my fitness is coming on a huge amount but I'm still very bad technique wise. The problem is, I do stupid things like forget which hand to hold up (or which side the kick is) during more complicated combos which can mess things up for my partners. I've never been very sporty but I love Muay Thai and want to get good at it, but I have no doubt someone naturally athletic would have grasped this sort of stuff on day one. Is this fairly common for beginners that have been doing it a few months? I'm not a bumbling fool, but I could and should definitely be better with these basics by now. I think maybe shadow boxing on my own at home will help a lot, but was wondering if anyone had any shared experiences? I am guessing if I stick at it then in a years time I'll be decent enough to not be embarrassing in class..!
There is a theory that it takes 10000 hours of mindful practice to master something. You've done maybe... 40-50 hours? What you are describing is most certainly normal. Give it time, and keep at it. I'll bet you're better now that you were in your first ever class. Don't focus just on what you are doing wrong, remember what you are improving too.
No. Everybody who started Muay Thai sucks still to this day! Just kidding man. Everyone feels like you do now. You've put in a lot of effort and still aren't seeing the improvement. What you forget quite easily is that perhaps 2 months ago you had never thrown a punch in your life! Now you can hit a pad most times with the correct hand. I'll bet you've already progressed and you just don't realise it. It's like growing up. One day you're small, and you get a little taller everyday, getting by with life eating food with no intentions of getting tall, until one day you're 5 ft10" and still growing! I'd say that perseverance is key to martial arts. Stick with it and it will happen, I promise.
And try not to compare yourself with others, that won't do any good. If you could do everything right away, you (or anyone) would not need an instructor/ teacher and they'd be out of a job
Prizewriter got it in one, No one starts a martial art being able to correctly form the movements from the get go as the do not have the muscle memory engrained. These are not movements you use in your normal day to day life. Just keep practising and also as importantly visualising the movements, a lot of people I have trained with in the past did not do enough practice outside of the gym and they struggled with the movements. so practice, visualise and immerse yourself as much as possible in your training. You will get it in time! everyone is the own worse critic. Good luck.
Thanks for the replies guys it's really encouraging to hear experienced martial artists saying it's all normal. I guess I made this post because I usually walk out of class full of endorphins but yesterday I came out feeling pretty humbled and like I was really lacking. I know deep down that days like this are required and it motivates me to get back back to the gym asap and continue improving. You're definitely right, I've come on a long way when I think about it! On another note basically at the moment I can't kick well at all, I flail and can lose balance if I don't make pad contact. My instructor said it's because my hip flexibility and lower back is very under developed at the moment. I've found a few youtube vids for stretches which I'll practice every night, but could any of you suggest anything else to improve hip flexibility and generally aid my body with kicks? If I can just get the most basic form of kicks down I'll have a much more solid basis I think. Thank you again
Deep squats are your friend with regards to hip flexibility alongside your stretches, Redcoat Ninja posted an excellent guide to stretching on this forum as well and well worth a read.
Aha thank you - I'll check that out now! (I've just had a search for it but can't find it! If anyone has it favourited please could they link? No probs if not I'll keep searching )
It will get easier with time. You've only been at it two months, which is a really short amount of time. When I first started MA, I would nearly fall over any time I tried to throw a kick. With time, effort, and countless repetitions, it got better.
