How to Get Better at Muay Thai? (8 Easy Tips)

Have you ever wondered, “why’s my Muay Thai not progressing?” Well, you’re not alone. Many who came before you have asked that question too. Some may have started fast and stuck at intermediate, while others struggle from the get-go. So, how can you get better fast?

Improving Muay Thai skills requires only focus. While time and effort are paramount to progress. Practice sessions are nothing without concentration and discipline. Pay attention to detail and technique, like contact point and form. Or else improving power, speed, or precision will be laborious.

Now, that’s the general idea of getting better at Muay Thai. There’s no way around practice. But there are ways to train better. Read on and find 8 methods to improve your Muay in less time.

How to get better at Muay Thai fast

1. Go slow first

This might come to your surprise. Go slow to learn fast? That doesn’t make sense, right?

Well… Going slow might take longer initially, but it saves time in the long run. Why? Because you don’t have to revisit previous lessons and correct your mistakes.

Going slow allows you to focus on little details. Pay attention to the little things your teacher taught, like contact points, stances, and forms.

Make sure you get all that right before going full and fast. If you go fast first, you might miss the chance to shape up a proper form. Fixing it later will be a painful and tedious process.

2. Practice like a real fight

This will be the opposite of the previous item. Once you get the hang of your techniques, go full force. Don’t hold back. Don’t reserve your energy. Practice with all you’ve got.

Think of this as programming your brain. Get yourself used to “punch it like you mean it.” If you half-heartedly punch all the time during your practice, you won’t be ready for the real match.

Let’s say, in an actual fight, you decided to go easy during the first round, like when you practiced. It was warm-up time, right? There should be no problem with relaxing a bit.

Well… NO. Once the bell rings, it’s a real fight right away. Your opponent is ready to take you down instantly.

So, hard-wire your mind to hit the top note from the get-go. There’s no time to chill inside the ring.

3. Ask, don’t assume

Now. This one might be obvious. But you won’t believe how many practitioners fail to do this.

If you’re unsure of what you’re doing, don’t guess. Call your trainers/teachers and ask what to do.

Once you make an assumption, you risk getting it wrong. And once that happens, you’ll get into trouble. Your strikes might get weak. You might violate the rules. Or the worst case, you can even hurt yourself.

More importantly, old habits die hard. Once you start practicing it wrong, you’ll do it wrong forever. It’s like those mistakes now run in your veins. Needless to say, your opponent will punish you for it.

So before you jump the gun and say, “This is probably fine,” check with your teachers.

4. Don’t forget the basics

As you know, you can’t move to B without passing A.

So, make sure you get all the basics down before moving forward. And once you get it, keep coming back every so often. Don’t leave the old skills to rust. Practice them every week.

Basic techniques are simple. And that simplicity makes them flexible and dangerous. Your opponents know that you’re going to use a straight punch. After all, everyone uses it.

However, they don’t know how you’re going to use it. Like where you’ll aim or how many times you’ll strike.

And besides, all the advanced techniques are reinterpretations and derivations of the basics. A spinning kick is still a kick. So, master the kick before you spin.

5. Never skip studies

Sometimes, reading books can make you a better fighter, especially the rulebook.

A thorough insight into the Muay Thai rule can win you big points in a real match. How? Well… Do you know that kicks score higher than most punches? How many forms of throws are allowed? If you know these little things, you can use them to your advantage.

If you have watched enough Muay Thai, you might know that the unlikely-win situation is frequent. Like fighters who throw more punches end up losing, or the 2-down side scores higher than the 1-down.

These things might seem strange initially. But if you understand the ruleset, you’ll know what’s going on right away.

In short, take off the gloves and put on your glasses. It’s time to read.

6. Watch real matches

Watching as a study is among the best ways to learn, especially when you’re a visual learner.

Locking yourself in a gym may get you far, but seeing how to use the techniques in real fights can get you further.

Let’s say you want to know how to do a powerful roundhouse kick. Find a match with a great roundhouse kick fighter and book the ticket. The rest is to watch and focus.

Pay attention to how the kicks can be used as a response, combination, and initiation. Remember the details and try copying once you hit the gym.

Even though you couldn’t pick up anything, you still get to watch for entertainment and inspiration.

7. Join local tournaments

What’s a better way to improve than real experience?

Practicing. Watching. Usually, these two aren’t enough for you to improve your Muay Thai. So, it’s time for the real deal.

Fighting in the ring and practicing in the gym are two worlds apart. The pressure will be intense. Your heartbeat will be crazy fast. And of course, your opponent will do the unexpected.

Even if you can’t take all the differences at once, at least get used to them as soon as possible. Create that switch called “competitive mode.” Develop your fighting instinct. And before you even know it, your techniques will grow.

8. Go to Thailand

If you’re desperate to get better at Muay Thai, how about visiting the home of the martial art: Thailand.

And once you’re there, don’t let your time go to waste.

Find a gym nearby and attend their lessons. And since the gym is in Thailand, the training quality will be top-notch. Expect your teacher to be detail-oriented and intense. After all, they will want to know your worth as a foreigner.

In addition, the atmosphere will keep you focused. Again, you are in the home of Muay Thai, and you will feel the pressure to improve. And everyone around you, teachers or spar partners alike, expects the same result.

Still on the fence about training Muay Thai in Thailand?

Attention to details

Note that 6 out of 8 tips presented ask you to be detail-oriented. This is proof of how much little things matter. So go slow, ask questions, nail the basics, study rules, and watch matches.

When you’re ready to move on, give it all out and find a new experience. And if you want to go further, try flying to Thailand. Do all that, and you’ll be surprised with your progress.

Like always, if you want to discover more about Thailand, stay guided with ThaiGuider. You might learn something you never knew about this unique country.