Just to update you all on my current where a bouts, I have arrived at a Muay Thai training camp in Thailand. Tiger Muay Thai, you have probably come across that name if you are into Muay Thai as it is the most popular training camp with westerners. I start training tomorrow which I am slightly scared about for a few reasons.

The heat is astonishing, I don’t know how you can get enough water into you to compensate the sweating. The classes are long, 2.5 hours I will be doing in the morning and the same in the afternoon. Thats if I make it too the afternoon.

I have spent the last 10days having a great holiday around Thailand. I did this partially because I wanted a break and because I got shin splints and needed complete rest from anything active. Although this has meant any fitness i built up before I came away has been lost.

This week is going to be very interesting and a test mentally as well as physically. I hope I enjoy it and meet lots of great people. I hope I don’t get injured and that I find a greater love for Muay Thai. Off to buy some Thai boxing shorts  now ready for tomorrow, update soon.

If you ever train in Thailand they strongly believe in running to help you get fit. This will include uphill sprints, running on the beach and long 10km runs every morning.

Many camps now incorporate more western techniques to help you build up fitness. For example, you will have an hour of boot camp fitness which will include conditioning techniques such as, kettlebells, circuits, resistance training etc. Then you will have an hour of cardio where your running will come in, then you will have muay thai for the remaining hour of your first session on the day.

Fitness takes over the sessions mainly when you are a beginner as there is no point trying to learn Mauy  Thai technique when you can not keep up the pace.

When you first start Muay Thai it is a good idea that you do some exercise in your own time to compliment the work you are doing in class. You may find that your joints, muscles, ligaments etc can not do much more exercise to being with while your body is adjusting to the new movements. But if you can stand it do some extra cardio work to help speed things up a bit.

One of the favourite and beneficial exercise to do is skipping. This is because not only does it improve your cardio but it also keeps you on the balls of your feet which is the Muay Thai fighting stance. The best skipping ropes to get are Taurus as they are super fast and will improve your skipping technique in no time.

When you first start spending a lot of time on the balls of your feet, you will find you may get very achy leg muscles and joint pain. So take it easy, it won’t be long till you can feel your calf muscles change and you feel a lot more springy. Then you will be wearing some sexy Thai Boxing Shorts in no time to show off your newly toned legs.

Well it is actually a very clever way of getting the sizes across to all nationalities so mistakes in ordering are limited. Generally people of around the same weight are going to be the same size and shape around the hips for shorts to fit properly. For example if a Medium size short fits a 58kg to 65kg then everyone within that weight range will fit into the medium size shorts.

For your first shorts though it is a better if you can try on some shorts. If you are at the point where you are looking to buy then you should be in the position where you know someone to try and theirs. Even if they are not what you think your size is, you will get a feel for the sizing, shape, comfort and the fabric.

Most shorts are made out of silk but some people do not like the feel of that on their legs. So there are alternative shorts that are made out of nylon and polyester.

When thinking of the design and colours, this purely comes down to personal taste. Many people for their first shorts will not go too crazy with the colour and design, where other people will try and get the loudest colours possible. Many girls like to coordinate their outfits so will get universal colour shorts. Many companys can do bespoke design and have your name printed into your thai boxing shorts making them unique.

The first protective wear you should consider getting is thai boxing gloves as these will be the things you will use the most. There are many designs, colours and makes out there, so it is down to personal choice and how much money you wish to spend. The main makes of Muay Thai gloves are Twins, Kings, Raja and Windy.

You may need to purchase some hand wraps, as these will help support your wrist and hand when you begin to punch hard. If you are confused on how to put these on your hands, then there are lots of great videos on the Internet that will teach you. Somebody in your gym will be willing to show you too, so do not be shy to ask.

Shin guards will be the next piece of thai boxing equipment that you may wish to invest in as you will be using these quite a bit. Just like the gloves, these range in price and quality, so it just depends on your budget and needs. The main makes are Twins, Kings, Raja and Windy, these have different thicknesses and sizes. For sparring and general use I would advise to to get the thickest ones to begin with.

Last on your list to get is a gum shield. It is advisable that you order one of these quite quickly though as you will soon be holding pads for other people, so it is rather to be safe than knocked out. There are many options to choose from, but I would advise to spend some money on this as the more expensive ones are better quality.

The whole short can usually be designed to your specifications. This means the fabric, the design, the choose and colours and where and any writing your want on it. The standard shorts usually have two different colours and ‘Mauy Thai’ written in Thai on the back.

There are many designs already offered by the leading manufacturers, such as King, Twins and Raja. You really shouldn’t have a problem finding a design that you would already by happy with. Or if you go to a club anywhere in the world they normally have a contact who makes shorts designed for the club, so you could order ones too with maybe your name on.

Club shorts usually have specific colours and have the traditional ‘Muay Thai’ written on the back, with the name of the club on one of the legs at the front with your name on the other. To do this shouldn’t be too expensive, but will be more expensive than having the standard design ones from the manufacturers.

When you find somewhere that can do you unique designs, you will have the choice of design, such as fire, claws, strips etc. You can then choose the colours you so wish, usually two is standard. You can then stick to the traditional ‘Muay Thai’ written on the back and have your name on the front. The material usually used is silk, although you may wish to choose nylon or polyester blend if you do not like the feeling of silk on the skin.

Ordering Custom Mauy Thai shorts are simple and straight forward using the many websites out there.