Regardless of who you are and how intense your training is, what’s sure to happen is you hitting a plateau. It may happen after a few months, or a few years, but you’re going to hit that limit and when that happens, you either have a choice – to keep on doing what you’re doing and accept that you’ve hit your limit or find a way to break through that wall.Most people are content in just letting themselves stay on that plateau. But, if you’re someone who wants to constantly improve, you’ll have to overcome that limit at all costs. And, when it comes to Muay Thai, training in boxing may just be the way.
While you may say that boxing is of no help to you, truth is, it is and if in any case you need a solid reason to actually to up boxing when you’re already training in Muay Thai, here are four good ones.
- Better Footwork. Footwork is an integral part of both Muay Thai and Boxing. Unfortunately, of the two, boxing is the sport that requires much faster foot movement. After all, it’s a sport where fighters have to constantly move, often waiting for an opening before they strike. Thus, by practicing boxing, you’ll develop better footwork and this will help in you becoming a better Muay Thai fighter, especially when fighting against aggressive opponents.
- Proper Angling. Knowing how to properly angle the body for the right strikes at the right time is usually what separates the good fighters from the great ones. By learning how to box, you’ll learn how to change body position to counter your opponent. And, since boxing is limited only to your hands, you’ll learn how to find the right angles to get through your opponent’s guard.
- The best boxers know how to mask their movements and hide the intentions of their strikes. What seems like a normal jab may actually be a powerful straight, or the other way around. More often than not, the winner of a boxing match is often the one who deceived the other the most. And, in Muay Thai, if you can always keep your opponent guessing and on his or her toes, then a win is almost guaranteed.
- The Right Timing. Because boxing is a two-strike sport, timing is key to landing the right punch. You’ll have to figure out your opponent’s habits, their punches, their body movement, their footwork and every bit there is to their fighting style. Or, in short, you’re always going to have to figure out the right counter tactic. If you adapt this to your Muay Thai strikes, figuring out the flow of your opponent and timing your strikes just right is going to be a whole lot easier.