Arjarn Nick Hewitson is from the Petchyindee Muay Thai Boxing Camp International
Running: Running plays a great part in Thai boxing training, however its benefits are gained though an array of different running methods in order to develop leg strength, speed, endurance, stamina and develop good cardiovascular health.
Within this article I will cover the different routines that my students and I have used over the years to develop the added performance enhancing benefits of the different methods.
It should be noted from the start that running has an immense variation within it; it is a combination of lots of different factors, which can be manipulated to give very different results. Probably the most important of all of these is breathing (something so simple that our body does it unconciously), however it is the knowledge of this simple process that can make or break an individual.
Breathing is different for every type of run, though usually determined by pace. It is important to realize exactly what your body is doing during the run. The faster your leg muscles (predominantly) are working or the harder the effort focused on them alone, the greater the volume of oxygen required to maintain their performance. If insufficient oxygen is reaching them, the body then starts to release lactic acid into the muscle to relax it so as to stop it overworking and injuring itself, therefore it is critical to train your breathing to work appropriately to the level of exercise you are performing.
When sprinting, your breathing pattern should be rapid and deep so getting large volumes of oxygen into the lungs and the carbon dioxide, that causes the lactic acid to be produced, out. With this type of running you are also defining the type of muscle being produced (i.e.) Twitch muscle, this is long thin muscle fibres which are highly elastic therefore giving greater speed through rapid elongation and contraction, however this type of muscle doesn't have a very great oxygen carrying capacity therefore relying heavily on the oxygen transfer from the lungs.
Whereas when doing endurance or long distance running the breathing pattern is much slower and regulated (much like a metronome) as the slightly denser muscle has a slower transfer or oxygen burn and although the lactic acid is developed in the same way in the muscle the oxygen replacement can take place a good deal quicker just by stopping and taking a few deep breaths. It is for this very reason that military forces use a principle of run, jog, and walk, to cover large distances more easily, without the need for prolonged or extensive long distance running training. What they do is simply cover as much distance as quickly as possible. As their legs start to suffer fatigue they reduce the pace down to a jog and in so doing reduce and regulate their breathing (breathing less hard), then after a prolonged period that too becomes harder, they then transfer down again this time to a walk. The walking allows them to continue to cover distance whilst increasing the volume of air required for the activity. This additional oxygen that the lungs are then taking on board will re-energize the muscles of lactic induced fatigue both in the leg muscles and also usually in the lungs themselves. Once the legs feel recovered the process is repeated.
Types of runs and the benefits they bring to training
Sprinting: as discussed above generally develops explosive speed, it produces fast twitch muscle, which is good for executing fast kicks, though the duration of this activity is somewhat limited. (pace generally 15 m.p.h)
Jogging: this is generally a slower pace but can be maintained for a much longer duration. This exercise should be done in a relaxed state, where the breathing is forced, however much less than with a sprint, in order to maximize the amount of effort exerted. The more relaxed you can make your body, particularly your arms, the greater the efficiency you gain. (pace generally 10 m.p.h.)
Hill running: this type of run is used not only to strengthen the legs but to give particular emphasis to the quads and calves. The intensity of this exercise can be increased in a number of ways from the slope of the hill, the stride distance (smaller stride puts more emphasis on the calf muscle, longer stride puts more emphasis on the quad)
Wind running: this is where a group of people are running. This is used to develop explosive bursts of power whilst maintaining an increased pace. The basic premise is that the group run in a snaking arrangement, the runner at the rear then sprints up to the front of the line and then continues to sprint ahead, the runner at the rear then does likewise sprinting up past everyone else until they are at the head of the line and so on.
Shuttle runs: this is used to develop explosive leg power and lung capacity. This is best done on a car park where you and your training partners can compete against each other. Besides the physical benefits of this exercise, you also have psychological benefits as peer group pressure and natural competitive spirit is boosted. The basic premise is that you start at one line, you then sprint up to the next line and back as quickly as you can, you then sprint up to the second furthest line and back as quickly as you can and so on, usually you would be aiming for betweeen 5 – 10 lines, however if space is limited you can do just as well using only three car park spaces but running 1 to 1, 1 to 2, 1 to 3, 1 to 2, 1 to 1, 1 to 2, 1 to 3, 1 to 2, and back to 1 to 1. With the further distances your pace slows and it pushes your lungs slightly less hard the short 1,2, 3 runs are just too short to give your lungs time to compensate and therefore work at 100% throughout the exercise.
Staggered running: this is similar to the shuttle runs but is used only to develop explosive acceleration and strength around the knee joint. Once again you position yourself between two car park spaces you then run as quickly and as low to the ground as you can between the two outer lines, this tends to produce a speed skater like movement as you turn and drop to maximise the length of your leg to touch the outer line before the changing legs for the other side. The dropping and turning helps to strengthen the knees and hip joints whilst helping with the flexibility of the quads.
Step running: this is a excellent way to develop stamina and co-ordination as dependant on the size of the steps used you can get the same benefits of the hill running whilst maintaining an even pace as the uniform step heights means that the variation that is present on a hill is taken away, also when running the steps, the movement tends to be so small that you tend more to use spring from you running on your toes rather than trying to push off against the surface as you might with the shuttle runs.
With regard to distance, durations with regard to fight training or roadwork as it is more commonly known, a general rule of thumb is 2 – 3 miles per round of the fight. The greater the duration of distance covered during the run the greater the stamina and endurance you will develop, however if this larger distance runs are taking place daily then additional speed runs (sprints, shttle runs, etc) will be required at least twice a week to maintain speed and development of some degree of twitch muscle.
With regard to an endurance or stamina running routine for a fight it is wise to start this program of running 8 to 12 weeks before the proposed fight. In a general maintenance phase I would expect people to be running at least two miles every day, if only to maintain cardiovascular fitness.
For more information on our unique Muay Thai training methods visit our web-site petchyindee.com or e-mail [email protected]
