Do You Know What Day It Is??

It's Thursday, which means (just like Tuesday), you get PC David running his bootcamp at 6:30!

It's Kru Cam here, telling you a little more about the BC class...

Originally, the bootcamp was a great way to round out the gym schedule by giving students a chance to blast out their cardio and endurance in 1 hour: with exercise, pads and bag work. It evolved into something much more. Some days you can't stay at the gym for too long and need to get in and out...this was one of the purposes the class fulfilled.

Since then, bootcamp has also attracted some super hard core students who are looking to add extra conditioning to their regimen, by doing the bootcamp first before the mixed levels Muay Thai at 7:30. It's become a haven for casual and hardcore enthusiasts alike to utilize the hour.

The preparation to the workouts have also evolved. You can see PC Dave frequently working on his clip board or carrying it around. He meticulously plans every work out, with elements and structure he has been learning from Strength coach/guru Grant Turner, to maximize the effectiveness and safety of the work out. As "balls to the wall" as it gets in bootcamp, you're never doing something random. While it is not a full instructional Muay Thai class, the emphasis on form is still applied to the exercises and bag work to ensure the students are sweating the most without hurting themselves in the long run.

Lastly, the biggest draw here is PC David. He is at once the scariest and sweetest coach in the world. He expects nothing less than your best, pushes you to your limit, but always reminds you that he's on your side. Very few people have his ability to be so strict and loving at the same time. If you ever work out next to him, you'll hear that he actually yells the same stuff at himself that he yells at his students: positive motivation. It still amazes me how driven he is as an individual, and how well he is able to spread that spirit to his students.

Aaaaand don't forget to stay for PC Construction's class at 7:30!  We are lucky to have him!  He is an eternal student of the art of Muay Thai, which means he has an ever growing pool of knowledge to draw from. We are a Muay Thai school after all, and he's one of the best at helping students refine their techniques and strategies. It's worth sticking around to hear some of his stories too. Don't miss it!

Kru Jen and myself will be back at the gym as soon as we are both healed up!

All in the Family

Just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the father/son teams at YMT! Not easy to get into a martial art, but never too late! Even better when your son is right there beside you!

Terry, Sasha and Pat all started Muay Thai after seeing their sons train. All three have been working incredibly hard. Terry frequently spars with the fighters, Sasha clinches with any and everyone, and Pat has just begun his journey by doing every class he can afford to make it to (also bringing his son to smash him with a focus mitt during abs exercises). Truly inspiring stuff. 

Building families at York Muay Thai

Elbow Month almost Over

(York Muay Thai Receptionist) Michelle is a beginner in Muay Thai, but quickly learning the basics with Ann Lu 

Muay Thai is known for it's emphasis on damage and effectiveness. The techniques by design are understood as "weapons." Very few people understand this until they see the elbows. Since punching and kicking are normally allowed in other combat sports, elbows tend to be seen as viscous and deadly...so much so that amateur competition usually bans them or limits them to being used with elbow pads. Professional competition in some countries like France also limit them with pads as well, while others limit the style of elbow (12-6 is the most notorious). Elbows among the hardest points of contact in the human body which make them a strong concussive weapon... but they are also incredibly sharp and can cause large gashes on the face.

However, elbows are not always easy to place. The range for them is very specific, as evidenced by the amount of elbows that completely miss the target or land with the forearm (even in professional level Muay Thai). They change the game quite a bit for the competitor not used to throwing them as well. Positions and ranges where one normally feels safe no longer become safe when fighting an opponent who can and will use their elbows. Positioning of the arms and head in clinching changes as well, as many fighters unaccustomed to elbows are used to lifting their head high and not guarding the opponent's biceps.

Lastly, elbows take finesse. Since the arm must be bent in throwing them, you won't generate devastating power from the might of your arm alone. Technique is the king, and must utilize the shoulder and hip correctly to land with power. The power angle of the forearm to bicep will also help create the sharp edge. There are many other small details to pay attention to, which will become natural with repeated, conscious practice.

Come to YMT to learn more on how to use different elbows, both as an attack and as a reversal in these last couple weeks of April!!

Power vs TechniqueSimon ''Bad Bwoy'' Marcus speaks on Thai vs Foreigner training style. Short clip from a mini documentary coming soon!!!!#infightstyle #muaythai #badbwoy #siamno1
Posted by In Fight Style on Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Counter Elbows at the Highest Level

Kaopon Lek, former Thailand Fighter of the Year, pulling off a dirrrrty elbow counter off of Mehdi Zatout's switch uppercut. Enjoy!!

Hand Wraps Deal at York Muay Thai

Always short on clean wraps? Buy 2 pairs of handwraps and get the 3rd at half price! We got every colour you need at York Muay Thai!

Happy Songkran!

Belated Thai New year (Songkran) wishes from York Muay Thai!  In Thailand, they celebrate with water guns and balloons in all the streets! In the past, we have celebrated with water balloon fight work outs...this year, PC David decided to use his water gun to squirt students who needed to work out harder :)

Technique first.

Sharpening nature's knife with Kru Jen and PC Constantine this week! Basics win fights...