Labour Day Long Weekend Hours

Kru Jen and Matt Embree for Athlon Rub

Check out Kru Jen featured in the Athlon Rub (aka. Liniment) tutorial video! She shows how to properly warm up a fighter before the bout, with none other than Canadian Muay Thai champion: Matt Embree!

Sabai Sabai

Learn how to focus a fiery passion with a cool mind.
Train for the battles both in and out of the ring.

Keep Going Shan!

Congrats to Shan on his performance during his exhibition bout at Siam no 1 last night! Way to rep YMT with good technique, and showing so much growth from his training. #keepgoingshan !!

Thank you, Ajahn Suchart!

YMT was happy to have Ajahn Suchart come guest teach the advanced class last night. Kru Jen invited him to show some traditional techniques as a treat. We then ended the night in York Muay Thai style...push ups for Ajahn's belated birthday!

YMT at the Chinatown Festival!

We had a great time yesterday (August 20) and today (Aug 21) at the TD Chinatown festival!

Thank you again to the event coordinators for having us return, and to the crowd who came out and actually got to try hitting the pads. You were great!!

YMT at the Chinatown Festival THIS Weekend! Aug 21 and Aug 22

We will be showcasing Muay Thai to the masses at the Chinatown festival THIS Saturday August 21 at 2, and Sunday August 22 at 12pm!

We had a lot of fun last year giving the crowd a taste of what we do at YMT and are excited to do it again!  Come on by, watch for free and learn more ;)

A lesson for Every Martial Artist

Something to remember. When you commit to something, you are the most vulnerable...but if you do so with confidence and purposeful timing, commitment becomes your greatest strength. 

Muay Thai = love. 

Some Tuesday Pad work!

A video posted by York Muay Thai (@yorkmuaythai) on Aug 16, 2016 at 4:18pm PDT

Staying Connected to the Moment

When we become overwhelmed or put under pressure, it can be easy to freeze up. We either fall subject to our fears, or simply too much is happening for us to process. Some fighters have nick named a version of this- analysis paralysis. The situation often snowballs, as becoming frozen with fear or overwhelmed by volume leads to even more of the same. The present moment slips away from us. We become stuck in place while our challenges continue to grow.

Here are 3 small tips that can help you stay in the moment, and make it your own...whether you are in the ring, or another one of life's many battlefields:

1. Breathe  

Seems simple right? You would be surprised how often we forget to breathe when under stress. Especially in the ring, novice fighters find themselves standing with everything contracted and no oxygen intake for longer than usual. Breathing will help keep you focused, and also prevent you from burning up your energy reserves too quickly. These things will ultimately help you remain calm under pressure, and act when you would be too stressed to do so otherwise.

Even taking just one breath can get the ball rolling in the right direction for you to seize the opportunities in front of you.

This is one thing you may notice beginners tend to forget when training technique. They often hold their breath when executing new techniques, whereas advanced students tend to make a lot of noise through their exhalation. Whatever challenge comes your way, try reminding yourself to breathe every now and then.



2. Set your feet

When in doubt, reset your feet to your stance. You'd be surprised how often your feet move unnecessarily or become out of place without you realizing. Pressure will do that to you.

Simply standing properly will naturally give you all of your attack and defense options. Reaffirm your stance and remind your body of all it is capable of from the training you have done. You might be surprised at how much better it feels, and what you'll begin to do naturally. When coaches say, "trust in your training",  this is a part of it. Put yourself in the right position, and your preparation will take over.

Outside of the ring, you'll notice you may have "stress postures". Your body adopts certain positions when stressed, some of which put pressure on your back and neck. You might even start to develop pain or head aches, which further complicate your ability to deal with the challenges at hand. Whether you are delivering a presentation or trying to resolve a conflict with a loved one, take a moment to reset your body's alignment. Standing or sitting tall can do wonders for keeping your head clear, and give you one less thing to worry about as far as physical pain is concerned.



3. Have fun

Yes, HAVE FUN!  Do what you love, and love what you do. Fighting is a scary thing. Both the preparation and the experience itself are intense, and test your will in the toughest way possible.

BUT ultimately, you need to enjoy it to do it. When you remember to enjoy what you're doing, it isn't just work...it's exhilarating. When you are having fun, you'll notice the other two tips come naturally: breathing and being in position are things you begin to do without thinking.

So yes, anything you put 100% into will come with its fair share of challenges and stresses. These things may even make you contemplate quitting. However, reminding yourself of what you love and why you love it will help you overcome the hardship and capture the opportunities in front of you.

What's it Really Worth to You?

What did you sacrifice to get to where you are? What lessons did you learn from the experience?

With fighting, it's often easy to get caught up in the "win/lose" nature of it all.

To the initiated: number of wins, titles and total fights reign supreme. Anyone who has trained long enough knows that these things don't always tell the whole story.

PC Patrick, in his first tournament, was at the lower end of the B class division. He was put in there partly due to a couple boxing fights he had a few years prior. His first match was against an undefeated fighter who had reportedly KO'd 80 percent of his opponents. PC Patrick finished this fighter with knees in the first round. However, when fighting the rest of the tournament, he had much more challenging fights against others with less impressive looking records. In the end, PC came out with the gold... but it was proof that you can't judge the worth of a fighter based on wins alone.

We certainly train our fighters to win, but we also look beyond it. Letting them have tough matches where they must be pushed to unlock more of their potential is most important. Growth is the priority.

Take that in for a second. Do you really appreciate where you are right now? Did you put in real work to get that far? Win or lose...did you become better than before?

Whether you're jumping in the ring, the gym, or another arena that life throws you into, make your experience worth it.

Carmen's Demo Fight at Twin Dragon North

Fantastic job by Carmen in her exhibition bout today! She showed a lot of growth and good technique throughout against a skilled opponent. A good display of knees and some punching that she had been working on came through, and we are very proud of her progress.

Thanks to all of the team who came out to support! Wise enough to work together, strong enough to fight alone :)

Embrace the Experience

Have you ever considered your training to be like an RPG (that's Role Playing Game for non gamers)?

With each run, work out, round of pads, sparring or clinching, you gain experience points that help you level up in those respective areas. Collectively, all of these things should help you level up your overall health and fighting performance.

Life may not be a video game, but one thing that does translate is this: the more challenges you take on, the greater the potential for growth.

In other words, find whatever it is that scares you or pushes you, and embrace the opportunity to grow from it. The path to success is not a short one. It will often take many steps before a true challenge is conquered. There will undoubtedly be multiple failures, but each one will help mold you into someone stronger than before.

Whether you plan on getting in the ring or not, remember: No easy fights. No excuses.

Swing kick Month arrives!

Oooold fight, but a reminder of what month it is!