Structure & Variety

Training in Thailand

When you look at the basic training format of a muay thai camp, you might think it looks a little repetitive—a little same-same. The camps stick to a pretty standard daily routine that looks something like this . . .

• Run
• Skip
• Warm-up
• Bagwork
• Padwork
• Sparring or Grappling
• Bodyweight conditioning
• Cooldown

Tiger Muay Thai pretty much followed this routine. Despite the repetitive structure, the trainers were able to weave a surprising amount  of variety into the training sessions. The sessions were same-same—but different (gotta love those Thai expressions).

They varied the runs—with different routes (various city and bush tracks) and different intensities (slow long jogs, middle distance pace running, long sprints, short hill sprints, interval work and even a weekly 100 meter sprint comp) I never got bored.

They varied the warm-up—the head-trainer would get different trainers to take the daily warm-up. Each trainer had their own take on getting the body ready for action. I learned a shit-load of different stretches and warm-up exercises when I was over there. Some of moves weren't text book, some even looked a bit nasty, but that made them all the more interesting.

They varied the specific fight training—the head trainer had a monthly plan that he broke up into weekly themes. This really helped them avoid over-training and under-training any given aspect of muay thai. So I was always learning and trying new stuff, but at the same time, I had ample time to work on and consolidate the stuff I was having trouble with.

Variety enlivens structure. Doing the same old stuff at training is boring, counterproductive and ultimately destructive. Variety helps prevent overuse injuries, keeps the mind fresh and attentive, and ultimately  leads to continual improvements in conditioning, skills and performance.

Structure grounds variety. To improve you need a well thought out plan that's implemented within a stable structure. Structure promotes consistency, clarity and gives you a sense of flow or groove with your training. Focusing too much on variety can limit your progress. You training becomes a flurry of activity but you aren't able to consolidate any real gains.

There were some aspects of how the Thais train I didn't like (and never have) and I'll get around to discussing them in a future post. But in regards to structure and variety I think they've got the perfect balance (well, at Tiger Muay Thai they have, anyway).  Whilst I found the sessions very hard (and long!), the continual variety kept my mind focused whilst the planned structure gave me confidence that I'd have set time to go over the stuff I found challenging.