Heatrick Heavy Hitters – Muay Thai Performance

Fighter mental strength training isn't only about what happens on the pads or in sparring. Mental strength is built over the long-term from the habits you repeat each day. In reality, everything you do is an opportunity to either cement the identity of someone who either: 1. Avoids challenging situations or circumstances or gives up before finding their true limit, or, 2. Meets challenges head-on...

Both barbells and dumbbells have their place in a fighters program for exercises like the shoulder press... Either to target specific qualities in different blocks of training, to accommodate shoulder mobility or injury, or simply because of the limited availability of one or the other in your gym! In this episode all is explained, while I share part of a discussion from a video call with one of m...

Discipline is needed when your motivation has run dry, and it’s exponentially more important! Fighters must build real discipline in order to become the best they can be. In the last episode, I explained that consistent effort over the long-term makes the biggest difference to your performance. To achieve that, there’s a common denominator – DISCIPLINE. Discipline comes from caring enough about ac...

Do you know the difference between optimal and peak performance for fighters? Too many fighters don’t, and it’s costing them!  I see many pro and hobbyist fighters alike, rightly working incredibly hard in their training, but mistakenly believing that every session must push them harder than the last. “Go hard or go home” has its place. However, this attitude is regularly misplaced and over s...

Fighters instinctively feel hill sprints boost their fight performance. But, are there alternatives to hill sprints without a hill? Mixing these High Resistance Intervals amongst your “roadwork” develops your endurance in a way steady state running can’t... And in this episode I’ll break down exactly what hill sprints do for your endurance, how to program them in your training, how steep that hill...

For fighters, strong doesn't mean fast. Although strength is the foundation of speed, the human body responds differently to various weight training loads & speeds. Yes, to become a faster, more explosive fighter you must first become stronger – produce more force... If you can create more force, you can accelerate quicker, hit at higher velocity and do more damage. That’s the mechanics, but w...

To become a stronger fighter, you must use resistance training correctly... Historically, old-school fight coaches claimed that weight training makes fighters big and slow. But that’s only true if you use resistance training poorly. When used in the right way, weight training can either make you much stronger WITHOUT getting any bigger, or both bigger and stronger together, meaning you get FASTER,...

Understanding exactly why a big fighter isn’t always stronger is crucial for fight performance. It explains why some fighters perform well in their weight class and others don’t, and informs how you can best train to dominate your weight class too. As we’ve seen in the previous two videos, it’s speed that kills! However, the ability to generate the highest possible striking velocity is first depen...

Continuing our look at who hits harder, now we consider fighters in different weight classes and the effect this has on the physics of striking! The last episode, “Fat Loss: Who Hits Harder, Big Or Fast?” created some fantastic points of discussion. And shone a light on some areas of confusion too. In this episode, I’ll take key elements from Adam’s comment to focus on one area of confusion right...

When it comes to fat loss, ever wondered who hits harder, BIG or FAST? Toni did when he asked… “I have a question regarding weight loss and punching power. Let’s imagine we have 2 genetically identical fighters…Muay thai fighter 1 weighs 90 kg but is physically less muscular and fat .Muay Thai fighter 2 weighs 78kg but is physically fitter , has more muscle mass through maximum strength, expl...

Fighters burnout all the time. And to optimise both long term fight performance and health, and to peak on fight night, hobbyists, amateurs, and pros alike must learn how to balance high intensity fight training with adequate recovery...  We all have a training “Goldilocks zone” that boosts our performance without sending us into either overtraining burnout, or injury blowout. Spoiler alert,...

Combat sports have so many athletic qualities and technical and tactical skills demanding attention, that training opportunities are inexhaustible! But is fighter performance training healthy? In truth, the objectives are different when either training for optimal health or training for peak fighter performance – even if both walk hand-in-hand for part of the journey. There's a tipping point, lead...

Fighter training and work life balance is one of, if not THE biggest struggle for fighters living and training outside of Thailand. It's also a struggle for western fighters training long-term in Thailand too, and affects hobbyists and pro fighters alike, regardless of location. In this episode, Iman Barlow, winner of 19 world titles, shares what she describes as her biggest challenges. Fighter tr...

Even many pro fighters don’t understand the real secret of how to use the hips in punching technique – because it can seem counter intuitive. But grasp this and your punch power will sky rocket. Once you understand how the correct hip mechanics can transfer maximum force to your rear hand punching technique, you’ll win by KO far more often! Video version, further notes and resources at https://hea...

One thing’s for sure, fighters training with sore muscles is part of Muay Thai – especially when you head out to Thailand to train! But… Is muscle soreness the sign of a good training session? How can you avoid being too sore? Should you train if you’re really sore? How can you reduce muscle soreness the quickest? There’s quite a bit to unpack on this subject, so let’s get started! In this episode...

Why a lower body activation exercise for strength and conditioning for fighters? Activating the right muscles to efficiently create movement patterns in both strength and conditioning, and a fighter’s technical skill training makes a huge difference to your movement economy and ultimate strength and power levels. And many fighters struggle to “feel” the difference between knee and hip dominant pat...

There are a ton of different reaction training methods and an ever-increasing crop of reaction training devices…  And for fighters, they’re NOT all created equal. Some methods really only function as warm-up or movement activities, whereas others can develop Saenchai-like reflexes in the ring! In this episode… which reaction training methods will make you a better fighter the quickest, and WH...

It's critical a fighter's corner team understands how to coach fighters between rounds... It not only makes the difference between winning or losing a closely fought fight, but can make or break a fighter's performance entirely. Although there are certainly best practices, such as keeping your instructions to the bare minimum and focusing only on the priority information to avoid information overl...

Many fighters and coaches misunderstand just how much Muay Thai training is really needed to achieve the best performance possible. Generally, Thais don’t understand how to program progressive training. They throw everyone into largely the same regimen, regardless if they’re beginners or seasoned pros.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣And those that can’t keep up, or become injured as a result are deemed “lazy”.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣Even...

Why is there typically more shouting during strikes in Muay Thai TRAINING than in fighting? In this episode, I’ll share my thoughts on this specifically, and on breathing during Muay Thai in general...  Full show notes including links to downloads and further resources here: https://heatrick.com/2022/02/06/why-more-shouting-in-muay-thai-training-than-in-fighting/

Many fighters struggle to adapt their training program to suit their personal weekly schedule...  A schedule that’s VASTLY different to a full time fighter out in Thailand. In this short podcast, I explain more by way of a worked example from Jamie.  Podcast episode show notes and further resources at https://heatrick.com/2022/01/20/for-fighters-is-one-run-enough/

Sundays tend to be a reflective day for me, and my Sunday posts therefore share more personal insight… Both of my own thoughts and feelings, and a personal look behind the scenes of my own life too (in case you’re interested). This morning, while out exercising my dog Logan, I found myself considering a post from a fighter I’ve worked with online, and our subsequent (message) conversation. The shi...

Overcoming pre-fight fear, how introverts can shift state to fight at their best, and why it takes more than a solid S&C program to become a champion! Full video, show notes and further resources available at https://heatrick.com/2021/12/23/pre-fight-fear-introverts-shifting-state-champs-need-more-than-sc/

Sports science is often shot down by elite fighters… Fighters that offer themselves as world class performers, who don’t follow a scientific approach to their training, and that often criticise the performance of others that do. And it’s an understandable mindset when that’s appeared to be the reality for you personally. But this thinking is flawed... Full video, show notes and further resources a...

Consider this… Accepted ‘best practice’ is only the ‘best so far’. In his book Rebel Ideas, Matthew Syed discusses what we accept as ‘best practice’... It makes sense that if there’s a way of doing things that proves superior, that everyone should adopt it. But it's important to also realise that the accepted best practice is only the ‘best so far’. If an alternative method is proven to deliver su...