My Experiences with the Different Types of Muay Thai Instructor

To be fair, it is probably a bit premature for me to be comparing the different types of Muay Thai instructor – my aim here is something bit more modest. I’ve only been training for a couple of months and my experience only extends to two teachers so I’ll focus on them. I have noticed that there is a huge difference in the way these two instructors deal with me; they are both good but each provides a unique training atmosphere. I just thought I’d share my experience even though I’m still new to this martial art.

The Disadvantages of Only Attending Muay Thai Classes Once a Week

At the moment I am only able to fit in one training session per week. I would love to do more but I just don’t have the time; maybe at a later date I’ll be able to increase my participation. Years ago I studied Kung Fu along with my father. He was only able to attend classes once a week while I was attending classes most days – the difference between our skill levels was very noticeable. One class a week is not really enough but I’m reasoning that it is better than nothing.

Another problem is that I feel it would be so much better if I could attend a regular session with other students, but at the moment I’m just doing private lessons – I’m almost certainly missing out. I try to practice every day at home and I suppose that helps. Before beginning Muay Thai I worried that the fact that I had hit forty would make things difficult. What I’m finding though is that my age isn’t really holding me back too much; it is my lack of time that is the problem.

Every Saturday morning I now hop in the car and drive to my nearest Muay Thai gym; or at least the nearest one I can find. This gym isn’t actually that far away but the Bangkok traffic means that it can take anything up to an hour to make the trip; on a good day I can do it in about twenty-five minutes.

The Different Types of Muay Thai Instructor

Since beginning my training there have been two instructors; I never know which one is going to be waiting for me until I get there. The session starts with twenty minutes on an exercise bike; sometimes followed by running around the boxing rings. After this we normally do five or six rounds of five minute sessions focusing mostly on pad work inside the ring. After this it is usually a bit of conditioning on the weights and finishing off with some stretching.

One of the instructors is quite young but obviously highly skilled. He likes me to execute each technique perfectly and will correct me a lot of the time. I really do feel that my moves are getting better because of this close attention. I also like the fact that I can slow the round down by asking questions; if I really get desperate for a break I can do the move wrong and catch my breath as he corrects me. I will admit that the lazy part of my personality likes to train with this instructor, but he is definitely improving my skill level as well.

The other instructor is a bit older and a lot more experienced. He is less interested that I get every move correct and more concerned that I put all my heart into every move. He has no interest in stopping to answer questions and when the bell goes off at the end of each round I feel like I’m about to die. He also has plenty of tricks up his sleeve to ensure that he gets every ounce of energy out of me; he will tell me to speed kick with all my power for ten times but when we hit ten he will continue up to twenty. He will say we are doing five rounds and then he adds another round on at the end.

The other big difference between the two instructors is the amount of time the lesson will last. With the youngest instructor it rarely goes too far past the hour but with the more experienced guy I’m never sure about when it is going to end – although it is always well past the hour. Last week he went for almost one hour and forty minutes and I thought it would never stop. Throughout the whole session his most frequent comment is ‘more power’. He is also likes the conditioning and insists on a hundred bench sit ups and lots of weights at the end. He seems determined to get my stomach flat even if it kills me.

Out of the two instructors it is the older one who definitely gets the most out of me. When I leave the gym I can feel it in every part of my body but there is also a great sense of achievement. This is not meant as any criticism to the other instructor because he also benefits me greatly but in a different way. In fact I think the two of them are a great combination. Sometime I arrive at the gym tired and stressed from the traffic. I inwardly grown if I see that it is the older instructor because I know he is going to have me working hard; I’m always grateful afterwards though.

Don’t Forget to Visit the Middle Aged Muay Thai Website (just click on the highlighted text and you will be taken right there)