Check Block to Same Side Kick 50x on both legs, followed by 100 skip knees.
In the limited time you may have at the academy, we want to fill that time with as much Muay Thai specific knowledge and experience as possible. The coaches will first wake up as many movements we may be using throughout the curriculum of the day, so that the proper muscles are activated to safely engage and perform.
After a short shake out and stretch, we all head to the heavy bags for our daily warmup. A staple made by our Coach Aaron, “50-50-100”, each practitioner will perform a leg check and immediately return with a round kick from the same leg. This process then repeats itself for 50 reps in a cadence, building smoothness and speed as you get better. Do this on both left and right legs, and then you finish with 100 skip knees. “50-50-100” you’ll hear the coaches state!
Standing in your Muay Thai stance at mid to long range to the heavy bag, start with a leg check. Point that shin outwards, opening your hips as much as they can go. Without, leaning back nor crunching your body too much, bring the knee up to the elbow, placing the elbow on the outside of the knee.
Once completed, put your foot back down to starting position and immediately bounce off the ground and perform the round kick, swinging the corresponding arm to help thrust your kick. Once contact is made on the bag return your foot to the starting position again and repeat for 50 reps. Complete all 50 on one leg first, then perform 50 on the other.
Begin your skip knees by clinching the heavy bag.
Deliver a knee strike. Then after good contact is made, place the foot down, and like you’re kicking the other foot back and up, start the other leg to the same strike.
Repeat in cadence for 100 knees in all.
We use this as a warm up, and as well to get us into the character and posture we’ll be utilizing for our practice. To complete it efficiently requires everyone to practice with good stance, maintain balance and at a pace they can sustain ie. A rhythm. It’s a great hip opener, as most maneuvers in Muay Thai uses the hips to generate power and efficiency. As an added bonus, one gets to get their plyometric training in for the day!