Muay Thai Must-Haves

What can you not train without? Here’s a list of our must haves – let us know yours!

Towel 
The average person sweats 1.5 litres during an hour of high-intensity exercise, and some guys lose up to three litres (!!!) And as we know, Muay Thai is pretty intense. We’ve seen it all. People dislocating their knee after slipping in a pool of their own sweat, beads of sweat flying into the mouth of their pad holder and boxing rings which resemble paddling pools after training. Solve this by using a towel – super-sized if necessary. No, using your singlet doesn’t cut it. The only exception to this would be a few of those members who simply don’t sweat – yes, there are some among you!

Water!
Sweating 5% of your bodyweight can result in a decrease of 30% in sporting performance. (see above) 30% of 500 kicks is 150, which may help to explain why you were suffering during the last 20 minutes of your last session.

Hair-tie/s
Long-haired lads and lasses know that there’s nothing worse than sweat in your eyes, than strands in your face. You can’t really see what you’re hitting, and often the hair seem to have a magnet pulling them into your mouth – eww. Pig tails, pony tails, whatever takes your fancy.

Hand Wraps
I don’t know about you, but the one time I didn’t wear wraps, I sprained my wrist so badly I couldn’t punch for a month. (Thank god for elbows!) Whatever way you like putting them on, (more around the wrist, thumb or knuckles), they protect you and prevent your knuckle from blistering (hello heavy hitters!). Plus they add a little bit of colour even if you’re wearing the most basic gloves – have you checked out our new rainbow wraps! Optional – not really essential, but nice to have Heart rate monitor If keeping track of your daily calories/reps helps motivate you to work harder, do it!

Water!
Sweating 5% of your bodyweight can result in a decrease of 30% in sporting performance. (see above) 30% of 500 kicks is 150, which may help to explain why you were suffering during the last 20 minutes of your last session. Hair-tie Long-haired lads and lasses know that there’s nothing worse than sweat in your eyes, than strands in your face. You can’t really see what you’re hitting, and often the hair seem to have a magnet pulling them into your mouth – eww. Pig tails, pony tails, whatever takes your fancy.

Sports Bra / sports jocks
Be like Mohamed Ali and float, not bounce…‘nuff said.

Loose and baggy or tight and stretchy bottoms
Those high-waisted colourful Muay Thai shorts may not be your idea of fashionable activewear, but they are designed for the job! From the light-as-air nylon/silk fabric to the side slits for hamper-free checks and high kicks and the wide leg design – so it feels like you’ve got nothing on. If you’re still not sold, sports tights or running shorts also offer similar qualities, but stay away from denim and anything low waisted and non-stretchy around the butt area (rip city).

Gloves
Sure, you could use the communal gloves – but why would you? Other than the obvious (personal gloves don’t smell!), everyone’s got their own preference in weight, brand and colour – yes we like pink don’t judge hey! Wraps I don’t know about you, but the one time I didn’t wear wraps, I sprained my wrist so badly I couldn’t punch for a month. (Thank god for elbows!) Whatever way you like putting them on, (more around the wrist, thumb or knuckles), they protect you and prevent your knuckle from blistering (hello heavy hitters!). Plus they add a little bit of colour even if you’re wearing the most basic gloves – have you checked out our new rainbow wraps!

Optional – not really essential, but nice to have

Awesome training partner
BYO or find one there

Heart rate monitor
If keeping track of your daily calories/reps helps motivate you to work harder, do it!

Sweat band
Jane Fonda did it for fashion, you could do it for performance. If you’ve got a sweaty head, stopping to mop your brow every few kicks may not be an option

Ankle guard
Whether you’ve got a dodgy ankle, or think it looks cool, we don’t care, as long as it makes you kick harder! Thai oil From increasing the power in your kicks, improving your flexibility and even feeling no pain in your shins – this legend is the stuff of fables.

Compression gear
Heavy sweaters swear this is the best way to keep sweat encased

Thai oil
From increasing the power in your kicks, improving your flexibility and even feeling no pain in your shins – this legend is the stuff of fables.