[MuayThaiWAR]

Hello,

I have been training Muay Thai for about 5 months now here in Vegas. When kicking the bag I notice that I do not have the power that some other guys around my size have (150lbs). I have a few Questions for you guys.

1. When kicking the Thai pads or bag, should I focus on kicking them xtra hard every time, or should I kick so that I do not burn myself out so quick?

2. What are some machines in the gym that could help me increase my kicking power? I currently use the pulleys and tie them to my anckles (with about 35 punds of weight) and pretend im kicking with them.

Sorry for being such a newbie to this =).

[Soulfly]

I've seen footage of wanderlei silva and other chute boxe fighters using thick work out elastics around their anckles when doing kicks to add resistance.



Not like that exactly, but that kind of idea.

[VietMTwarrior]

KICK HARD EVERYTIME it doesnt matter how long you can last ,work your hardest on everything you do if you get tired quick your endruance will pick up !

[VietMTwarrior]

and for your second question do squats and lunges at the gym or you can just do body weight squats and lunges and if you want more of a challenge do jumping squats and jumping lunges

[Vovchanchyn Fan]

The best thing to improve your power, since you've only been training 5 months, is to continue to improve and refine your technique. That will let you better transfer your body weight into your kicks, as well as allow you to continue to kick repeatably with power for longer, since each kick will be more efficient and take less overall effort.

When I was in training, my trainer told me it takes about 1 year to get a foundation on MT kicks, and that is about the min you will need as well assuming you have very good instruction (I was training 5x week) and have a talent for striking.

Trying to kick the bag as hard as you can each time is a bit pointless until you have refined your technique - first get the technique perfected (focus on the feel, foot placement, opening your hips, etc) and the power will come as a result.

Hope that helps

[MT420MT]

you wanna strenghen your hips... squats and deadlifts

also, don't focus on kicking HARD focus on kicking FAST. You'll notice more snap and power when you do this.

Perfecting technique will also make you kick harder, make sure to step into each kick, get the full rotation in your hips and kick through the bag.

One thing that helped me is I pretend like my leg's asleep or not even there. Pretend like your legs a rope and you're trying to whip it through your opponent (or the bag).

I'm sure your coach has told you but i'll say it anyways... when you kick, bring your arm back (the one that's on the same side as the the leg you're kicking with) and bring your other arm up to block your head on that same side. Maybe someone else will be able to explain it better. This will help you get more rotation into your kicks.

Also, try to lean back as you kick, I don't know if this will necessarily make you kick harder but you'll be able to kick higher.

That was all for round house kicks. For push kicks try to lean back as you extend your foot forward and stay balanced. Try to raise your heel off the ground as you kick, this will add extra power to your kick.

Good luck.

[Bas Rutten Gear]

As Vovchanchyn Fan said, work on your technique. Prior to that first make sure your stance is good, then your balance, and THEN your technique. When kicking the bag, kick through the bag. Also, when you train, do everything 100% KO power. In time you will have unbelievably hard fucking kicks.

Another great thing, first, does your trainer have hard kicks? If so, do this. As he is showing you the next kicking technique you are going to do, watch him do it the first time. The second time he shows you, visualize in your head you doing it just as he does. If you can see it in your mind, you can see it in your life is what I like to say. Third, as he is showing it to you again, move your body as if you were actually doing the kick just like him. Fourth, go and do it just as you visualized and practiced. You will have a WAY higher learning curve and your kicks will look identical to what you saw.

[triplex429]

strengthen your hips/squats,deadlifts

achieve flexibility

kick the bag hard a lot. kick fast hard and high as possible

[Bas Rutten Gear]

MT420MT hit it right on the head.

[Bux]

i would say just work on your technique i've been training now for almost a year and though i have nice strong kicks there is always room to improve so just be patient, put in the hard hours at the gym and you will be rewarded