A lesser-known reason why Muay Thai is so cool . . .

Have limited time to train at your gym? Use shadowboxing to repeat the moves and strategies taught by your instructor. Your game will evolve drastically!

. . . is because you can train on your own, without any special equipment! With just a minimal amount of striking knowledge, you can sharpen and grow that knowledge on your own via shadowboxing. Now some people may feel self-conscious about punching and kicking the air, without equipment or a partner. But really, if you train alone, then nobody’s around to see you – and even if you shadow box in a gym setting, you’re not there for anyone’s approval or disapproval anyway. However, the one thing to keep in mind is that you should be repeating what you’ve learned from a seasoned instructor.

Solid instruction is indispensible, but let’s be honest – the time you spend in a martial arts class (typically an hour long) will turn out to be a very small portion of your overall life. So you will have workout downtime inside or outside of your gym or martial arts academy. During this time, it doesn’t necessarily matter if you have the best equipment in the world or no equipment at all. If you can move around and throw strikes, then you can get more out of Muay Thai than the person who just packs up and goes home after class. And during the times when you simply can’t make it to class, you can shadowbox just about any place you’re able to stand on your own two feet. When you rep techniques and combinations you’ve learned, you’ll be gradually reinforcing good muscle-memory. This is crucial to developing an overall flow and feel for any physical activity.

Shadowboxing is a basic workout that you can tweak in many ways to help you learn. Click here for a brief shadowboxing instructional from NJ United MMA Muay Thai instructor Danny Millet!

Moreover, shadowboxing doesn’t feel like a chore at all, and it gets better the more technique you know. If you take a week’s worth of Muay Thai classes, and if you do a solo shadowboxing session to test your basic jab-cross-hook combination, you’ll be amazed at the small flaws you’ll discover in your timing, positioning, and balance. But that’s a good thing, since streamlining your game is what many consider to be the main point of this exercise! And the more your mind is engaged this way, the less you’ll become distracted by how much time is left in your workout session.

So here’s the basics what’s so great about shadowboxing into your lifestyle:

• Don’t have a lot of time to take classes? Teach yourself by repeating what you learned in class earlier!
• You don’t need a gym to shadowbox. Just a floor!
• The best type of workout is when you aren’t overly conscious about working out. Strengthening and streamlining technique keeps your mind occupied while your body can work consistently.
• “Flow” and “feel” are earned through frequent repping (e.g. shadowboxing)!

JJ Mike

Come train at NJ United Mixed Martial Arts and take advantage of our 7-day free trial offer! Whether you’re an aspiring competitor or casual student, you will benefit from training in our friendly, professional, and ego-free environment. Call us at 973-638-1570 to schedule your first class, and visit us on the web at http://www.njunitedmma.com/ for more info.