It’s too late. By the time you even attempted to react you’ve already been attacked. The damage has been done. By now, you’ll be lucky to still make it out in one piece.
They’re fast, ferocious, and attack in the blink of the eye. They show no compassion or sympathy, and won’t let up until you’re begging for mercy.
No, it isn’t that beastly great white shark that just blasted an unsuspecting seal on your big screen as you lay on your couch diving head first into the Discovery Channel. But since it is Shark Week (one of our favorite weeks of the year) after all, we wanted to pay homage to something that can be just as destructive. That is, if you train for it…
The Muay Thai Roundhouse Leg.
Sean Hinds…Very Mean Man.
With the capability to end a fight in one single blow, it is for sure one of the deadliest strikes in the arsenal of a Thai fighter.
Fast and quick, yet heavy and unforgiving. The perfect combination of thunder and lighting that resembles the likes of Jaws.
So how can you harness the power to mow down trees like Buakaw? Start by incorporating these 6 movements and strategies in your movement prep and strength sessions.
1. Stretch like Jean Claude Van Damme…well, sorta.
Ok, so we wont be tying your legs to trees or moving Volvo trucks. But the frog squat is an effective way to increase mobility of the hips and add length to the adductor musculature. Add in some alternating rotations to trick the nervous system into increasing the stretch.
2. Leg Separation like Smarth
A strong kick needs a solid foundation to support it. That means a body that moves well, is resilient to injury, and is ultimately “firing” and “stabilizing” in all the right places (Woah. Fitness buzzword. You better watch out, SOS is throwing down science.) But, don’t take our word, just ask Stephane Smarth (two-time amateur Thai Champion) who started laying down the law as soon as we improved his active straight leg raise and nothing more.
3. Bruce, Chum, & Anchor Down
Yes, we just referenced the sharks from Finding Nemo. Well we found him and now, let’s find some hip stability with the Half Kneeling Lift. In this movement, you will need hip stability of your down leg and mobility of the thoracic spine and shoulders. Exactly what the Sons of Strength ordered for more power in your kicks.
4. Snap like Jaws
With a functional and smooth foundation, it’s time to get strong, produce force, and bring your game to the next level. A HEAVY kettlebell swing, either with 2 hands on the ‘bell or one in each hand, will teach you how to grind into the floor by dialing the feet in. From here, we can use the power generated from the floor and transfer the energy from our feet to our hips and eventually to the kettlebell.
The kick starts in the same fashion. You want to use the energy produced from the ground, transfer it to the hips, and eventually into your opponent.
5. The Big Slammu
And the rest of the Street Shark gang of Ripster, Jab, and Streex are going to help you get strong enough to kick down trees. However, we just have some different names for them. The bulk of your strength program should include deadlifts, bulgarian split squats, lateral lunges, and pistol squats. These are your staples. Get STRONG at them.
6. Hop to Attack
You should be able to produce and absorb force on a single leg in multiple planes. The sixth and final installment to strike like a great white shark is the Hop Matrix. Here, you will load the hips, jump in the frontal, sagittal, and transverse planes, then stick the landing of each.
Try each mobility drill for 3 sets of 10 reps (or 60 seconds) per side, and for the strength and power work stick to 3 to 5 sets of 5-10 reps. Be consistent for 2-4 weeks and then witness the heavy bag and pad holders wince at your newfound leg power. Your new walk out name just might be Jaws, Megalodon, or Colossus.
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