Muay Thai

Monday & Wednesday - 7.00 - 8.30pm

What is Muay Thai?

Muay Thai / Kickboxing is an exciting and powerful martial arts/sport that is taking the world by storm. Soon to be an Olympic sport, Muay Thai is a combat sport that allows combatants to strike with fists, feet, knees and elbows in full contact competition and is widely regarded as one of the most effective ways to strike and defend while standing available. Muay Thai is considered the national sport of Thailand, and just like Australia has a football and cricket ground in every town, Thailand has Thaiboxing (Muay Thai) stadiums in every town, sometimes more than one. Muay Thai is a truly ancient art that has developed into an exciting and challenging sport that still retains it's mystical origins, full of superstitions and rituals, making it not only a modern and scientific sport, but also a fascinating art deep in history and tradition.

Muay Thai for YOU...

BJC Muay Thai is taught and trained in a way that allows you to feel all the benefits of this style of training without having to compete yourself. All training is done in a positive, fun and above all - SAFE way. Your training will include conditioning and fitness exercises, punching, kicking, knees and elbows on pads and bags as well as skill-developing partner drills to get you in great shape - looking and moving like a real fighter - without ever having to compete. We have students from age 13 to 50, male and female, of all levels of physical ability and fitness. Our instructors allow you to work at your own pace and guide you onto higher levels of skills and fitness. You will build in confidence go on to learn new and exciting techniques.  On top of all that, our system of Muay Thai is fully structured, graded and certified ensuring that you will get the most out of your training and have skills for life.

The History of Muay Thai

Muay Thai's Early Rise
The old Kingdom of Siam, as Thailand was once known, has from ancient times always seen trouble from its neighbours. Occupying the Southeast Asia peninsula, it has Burma on the west, Laos on the north and east, Cambodia to the southeast, and the Gulf of Siam and Malaysia on the south. Yet amazingly this "Land of the Free" has resisted all attempts to conquer it. One can only put this down to the fierce fighting spirit of the people. Muay Thai techniques were part of the military training system, which was greatly influenced by Chinese fighting methods in the beginning. It later underwent a marked change and developed independently, losing many of the Chinese boxing methods along the way. It is somewhat of a mystery how and why this happened, and for that matter why many of Muay Thai's special fighting techniques are not seen anywhere else outside Thailand.

The Tiger King
Because the Siamese people were combative by nature, the common folk picked up the military unarmed fighting methods and developed them into a sport, but they still retained all the lethal blows. Further skills were developed during the reign of king Pra Chao Sua, who was known as the Tiger King. Every village staged its prize fights, with young and old, rich and poor all taking part. The King himself was a high skilled boxer and was reputed to have trained with his soldiers six hours a day. He would often leave his palace disguised as a wandering peasant and enter boxing events, always defeating the local champions. The King would spend hours alone in his palace perfecting certain techniques, and then try them out in local contests. So skilled were some of his boxing strategies that even today they are still used and known as the Tiger King Style.

The Greatest Fighter of Them All
Perhaps the most famous of all Siamese fighters was Nai Khanom Tom. He was a brilliant athlete and a strong courageous man, holding the title of the best fighter in all Siam. During the many wars that Siam had with her neighbour Burma, Nai Khanom Tom was captured by Burmese soldiers. They had heard of his great fighting ability so they decided to pit him against 12 of Burma's top bando fighters (Bando is a martial art of Burma and similar to Thai Boxing), and if he could defeat all 12, Nai Khanom Tom would be allowed to go free. So the next day in a stadium packed with thousands of people, Nai Khanom Tom prepared to fight bare handed against the cream of Burma's top fighters. One by one they came at him, all out to hurt him and become heroes themselves for defeating the greatest martial artist in Siam. As each fighter pitted his skills against the great Nai Khanom Tom, they were dispatched with lighting elbow strikes and murderous knee blows. As the day wore on, the great Siamese champion had defeated all of his opponents. The spectators, who had been cheering fort their own men, suddenly began to cheer for this magnificent fighter from Siam. They were full of admiration for the prisoner who had fought and defeated several men without rest or being wounded himself. The King of Burma had no alternative but to let him go free.

What You will Learn

• POSTURE & FOOTWORK: Fighting Stance, Step & Slides, Switch, Blitz, Back Step and More ...
  
• PUNCHES & DEFENCES: Jab, Cross, Hooks, Uppercuts, Overhands, Covers, Slips & Weaves and More ...
  
• KICKS AND DEFENCES: Teeps (push kicks), Round Kicks, Blocks, Parries, Catches, Evasions and More ...
  
• ELBOWS: Round, Over, Uppercut, Jumping, Spinning and More ...
  
• KNEES: Straight, Round, Jumping, from the Clinch and More ...
  
• CLINCHING: Standing Grappling, Snaking, Head Control, Arm Control, Takedowns and More ...
  
• TRADITIONS: Wai Kru and Ram Muay Rituals

A Typical Class Would Be

• Joint Warm Up
  
• Skipping
  
• Gladiators Conditioning Routine
  
• Solo Skill Drills and/or Partner Skill Drills
  
• Shadow Sparring Practicing Skills To Be Done On Pads
  
• Pad Work to Develop Power and Skills (on hand, kick or forearm pads)
  
• Partner Defensive Skill Drilling
  
• Sparring or Clinch Sparring
  
• Wai Kru - Ram Muay to Warm Down
  

BJC Muay Thai Level Progression

The BJC Muay Thai system is a totally systemised, tested and certified class with international levels of standard.  Each level requires a minimum amount of time, a minimum number of classes as well as a formal skill testing process before a student is allowed to proceed to their next goal (which is a coloured singlet or prajioud).  Examinations are held 4 times a year but only people meeting the requirments are eligble to attempt them.  Testing for the next level Singlet require a fee, but all "prajioud" testing is free.  Prajioud's are given to the student from the gym, but after it is presented, each student is encouraged to make their own using their favourite colours using individual expression.

BJC Muay Thai Grading Requirements

Yellow Singlet (and also prajioud gradings)
Joint Warm Up
Solo Drills and Partner Drills
Gladatiors Routine (3 min)
1 x 1 min rounds skipping
1 x 2 min rounds shadow sparring
1 x 2 min rounds focus mitts
1 x 2 min rounds kick pads
1 x 2 min rounds thai pads
1 x 2 min grapple (clinch sparring)
1 x 2 min rounds sparring

Orange Singlet (and also prajioud gradings)
Joint Warm Up
Solo Drills and Partner Drills
Gladatiors Routine (3 min)
1 x 2 min rounds skipping
1 x 2 min rounds shadow sparring
1 x 2 min rounds focus mitts
1 x 2 min rounds kick pads
1 x 2 min rounds thai pads
1 x 2 min grapple (clinch sparring)
1 x 2 min rounds sparring

Blue Singlet (and also prajioud gradings)
Joint Warm Up
Solo Drills and Partner Drills
Gladatiors Routine (3 min)
1 x 3 min rounds skipping
2 x 2 min rounds shadow sparring 
1 x 2 min rounds focus mitts 
1 x 2 min rounds kick pads
1 x 2 min rounds thai pads
2 x 2 min grapple (clinch sparring)
2 x 2 min rounds sparring
 
Green Singlet (and also prajioud gradings)
Joint Warm Up
Solo Drills and Partner Drills
Gladatiors Routine (6 min)
1 x 4 min rounds skipping
3 x 2 min rounds shadow sparring 
1 x 2 min rounds focus mitts 
1 x 2 min rounds kick pads
1 x 2 min rounds thai pads
3 x 2 min grapple (clinch sparring)
3 x 2 min rounds sparring 

Brown Singlet (and also prajioud gradings)
Joint Warm Up
Solo Drills and Partner Drills
Gladatiors Routine (9 min)
1 x 5 min rounds skipping
3 x 2 min rounds shadow sparring 
2 x 2 min rounds focus mitts 
2 x 2 min rounds kick pads
2 x 2 min rounds thai pads
4 x 2 min grapple (clinch sparring)
4 x 2 min rounds sparring  

Black Singlet White Logo
Joint Warm Up
Solo Drills and Partner Drills
Gladatiors Routine (9 min)
1 x 10 min rounds skipping
3 x 2 min rounds shadow sparring 
3 x 2 min rounds focus mitts 
3 x 2 min rounds kick pads
3 x 2 min rounds thai pads
5 x 2 min grapple (clinch sparring)
5 x 2 min rounds sparring

Black Singlet Red Logo
Joint Warm Up
Gladatiors Routine (12 min)
1 x 10 min rounds skipping
3 x 3 min rounds shadow sparring 
3 x 3 min rounds focus mitts 
3 x 3 min rounds kick pads
3 x 3 min rounds thai pads
5 x 3 min grapple (clinch sparring)
5 x 3 min rounds sparring

Red Singlet, White-Red Singlet & Red-White Singlet
Joint Warm Up
Hold Focus Mitts 3 x 3 min rounds
Hold Kick Shield 3 x 3 min rounds
Hold Thai Pads 3 x 3 min rounds
"Corner" for Grapple Sparring 5 x 3 min rounds
"Corner" for Sparring 5 x 3 min rounds