Muay Thai drills: heavy bag drills and Thai pad drills

Muay Thai drills are an integral part of proper Thai boxing training. Heavy bag drills are great for stamina and physical conditioning and Thai pad drills are perfect for practicing combinations.



You can complete heavy bag drills on your own. You will, however, need a sparring partner for Thai pad drills.

Muay Thai heavy bag drills:

It is recommended to time your bag drill to five 3 minute rounds with a 1-minute break. This way you will condition your body for a regular sparring session and a regular fight. It is also good to let your muscles breathe and replenish themselves with the oxygen.



Don't stay in one place but move around and strike from different angles. Don't forget to change your pace. Mix up fast combinations of kick and punches with slow jabs to control the range of a fight. Pay attention to your footwork.



Start with a basic Jab + Jab and Jab + Cross combo while moving around the bag. You can also mix it up with round kicks and elbow strikes. Grab the bag with both hands and hit it with your knees. Deliver a front knee and side knee strikes.





Once you are warmed up do a more advanced combinations, like:



[left] Jab + [right] Cross + Left knee + Right elbow This one is good for a bag drill and no so much for a Thai pad drill - right after that left knee the pad holder would catch an elbow in his face.



[Left] Jab + [Right] Cross + Right switch kick



[Right] Cross + [Left] Hook + Right low kick





In general leg kick combinations are practiced with a heavy bag and banana bag, not with Thai pads. The reason is that you don't catch them - you either evade them or block them by raising your leg.



Find more effective combinations for training under this link: Muay Thai combinations

Muay Thai drills for Thai pads:

The classic drill consists of x10 - or x100 if you are much more advanced - fast straight kicks for each leg and Jab + Cross boxing combinations.



But there is much more to do and you are only limited by your stamina and your body coordination and the experience of the pad holder. You can mix up various combinations and evasive moves.



When you practice elbow combos be sure to wear elbow pads. Let's start building muscle memory:

[Left] Jab + [Right] Cross + Left hook + [Right] Cross



[Right] Cross + [Left]Hook + [Right] Cross + [Left] Jab + [Right] Cross + [Left] Uppercut + [Right] Cross



[Right] Cross to body + [Left] Hook + [Right] Uppercut elbow



It may be also used to practice with focus mitts. Focus mitts have one significant advantage over Thai pads. Mitts holders can also strike to give you an opportunity to practice head movement and evasion.



Find more combinations for training read: Basic Muay Thai combinations

Muay Thai drills for agility:

Ladder drills are a great exercise to improve your agility and footwork. It will improve your movement accuracy and teach you proper footwork patterns.



Once you program your body to react in a certain way it will move almost effortlessly during the fight.



These exercises condition your body by repetition to act in the desired way. The goal is to not think about every single move during a fight and let your body react on its own.





Also take a look at: Fight tips for Muay Thai Muay Thai sparring tips and strategies Basic Muay Thai techniques Effective Muay Thai training routines and workout plans

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