What Muay Thai Taught Me
Muay Thai has been a gift to me. It has affected every aspect of my life in more ways than I ever could have imagined.
Muay Thai has been a gift to me. It has affected every aspect of my life in more ways than I ever could have imagined. There are many more than five things that Muay Thai has taught me, but here are the top characteristics that I discovered about myself by training and fighting Muay Thai [Related: Muay Thai Training Classes]:
- Strength
I learned how much physical strength I truly possess. I never imagined that I could throw a man almost twice my size. Nor did I ever think I’d be able to handle the “active rest,” which is just a kind way of saying torturous interval exercises between rounds of boxing. I accomplished physical feats I never thought were possible. And that is because of Muay Thai, my coaches, and my teammates demanded my performance.
- Resilience
Muay Thai taught me to get up even (and especially) when I’m face-down on the floor and I do not think I can move anymore. There were frustrating days when the technique of a combination eluded me or when the conditioning reached peak intensity. So, I had to channel Muay Thai resilience to pick myself up and keep pushing forward.
- Confidence
Once I began training Muay Thai, my confidence exploded. Not only did I feel like I could defend myself physically, but I felt much more confident handling myself in a variety of other difficult situations. Muay Thai is also a great conversation starter. I found that it was easier to talk to people when explaining what I do in the gym and in the ring (plus, people seem genuinely fascinated by it).
- Discipline
This is one the biggest points. I never imagined that I could maintain a rigorous (at times daily) gym and workout schedule. Muay Thai taught me that, even when I am physically and mentally exhausted, I need to get my work done so that I can improve. Additionally, Muay Thai also taught me (through brutal example) the importance of a good diet. I went off all junk food, unnecessary carbs, processed foods and sugars cold turkey when I was training for the WKA World Championships. If not for Muay Thai discipline, none of that would have lasted a week.
- Who I Am
I really found myself and came into my own at the gym. This may in part be due to my age when I began. I started at the age of 16 and I was the definition of a wallflower. Now I just celebrated my third anniversary at TAG and I have come out of my shell. I met some of my closest friends and some of the most amazing people who have helped me grow and develop as a person more than I possibly could have if I had the typical high school experience.
—Check out our YouTube channel to watch a breakdown of top Muay Thai techniques by the country’s best Ajarns and Krus. Local to Northern Virginia? Stop by T.A.G. Muay Thai for a 14-Day FREE Trial!