Muay Thai Strength And Conditioning…Training For A Mule Kick!!!
The older I get the more I realize just how truly incredible the power of language can be. That’s right, I said language. The ability of being able to communicate a message to one another is a very powerful and essential thing. I may be sounding like Captain Obvious (Using the Captain Obvious Reference again ;-))here, however even though we may be capable of communicating a message to one another sometimes the receiver of that message may not always interpret our message the way we intended it to be communicated. Let that sink in for a second. Hopefully you are interpreting this message the way I intended it to be. So where am I going with this? Just keep reading Grasshopper!
Mule Kicking Ability…
Teaching your body the language of power is the key to getting you to kick like a mule. Muay Thai is no doubt known for teaching the art of striking, but to elevate this the art of Muay Thai strength and conditioning is what separates hard kickers from the Oh Sh#T Take Me To The ER level of Muay Thai kickers! You see when it comes to movement the makeup of your body is set up with a bunch of neural pathways that run from your brain all the way out to the muscles in which those nerves innervate. This is how the message from your brain is sent to your foot to insert it in your opponent’s rear end if necessary. Now that’s the kind of language I’m speaking!
In short, the language that I’m referring to is the language of your nervous system. It is the clear communication of the message from your brain to the nerves and muscles that is essential in your ability to kick like a mule! Not to mention that even though the message is sent, you also want to be sure that the message is interpreted the way you intended it to be. In the case of being able to throw a kick in order to dismantle your opponent in the ring this message should be carried out so that your opponent regrets ever wishing he or she knew what you were thinking at the point and time you were thinking it! 😉 I think you get what I’m saying.
Nonetheless, the only way to ensure that the message from your brain to your foot is carried out in the most efficient manner is by making sure that you have a smart Muay Thai strength and conditioning plan in order to build on the strength and power of your kicks. You see building on the system of your functional strength is the great communicator in terms of your athletic performance. Developing both the quick acting neuromuscular makeup and the power to go with it equals out to a pretty good combination for giving your Muay Thai strength and conditioning program a clear communication for knocking someone out when your brain tells your leg to do so! As you can see below my good friend (and student) and Muay Thai coach Jeff Perry has no language barriers between his brain and foot!
By the way I’ve got that skinny guy (6’1″ 165lbs.) dead lifting close to 400 lbs right now. I believe in dead lifts, kettlebell swings, hang cleans, and front squats as some of the ingredients for a smart Muay Thai strength and conditioning recipe! These are all instrumental in helping to develop both the necessary core strength for kicking and the hip drive to go along with it. I enjoy helping my students, but I enjoy it more knowing that when they step into the ring that they are going to be at their physical peak.
The bottom line is that if you want to kick like a mule you’ve got to be practiced in technique, but you’ve got to make your technique better by working on building the strength and stability of your core, as well as, focusing in on the overall development of your power and speed. This can only come through lifts that engage your hip drive. This is why the lifts I mentioned have proven to be very effective in helping with kicking power. Like I said earlier Muay Thai strength and conditioning is an art form all by itself. As a strength and conditioning coach I’m always looking to make sure the body has a clear level of communication with itself. Those neural pathways that I mentioned are like a bunch of power lines running from the main base (being your brain) all the way out to your extremities. I want to make sure that when the message is sent that it will be communicated clearly if you know what I mean and I’m pretty sure you do.
If you are wanting extra help on your Muay Thai strength and conditioning program or just to enhance your strength and conditioning program for any sport for that matter I can help you out right away. All you have to do is sign up right here to join my emailing list and if you don’t I’m going to send my own Chuck Norris super kick right to your computer! I’m joking of course, well maybe not. Just sign up and you’ll get a lot of cool stuff for doing so. Remember that most anyone can train hard, but only the best train smart my friend.
