Page 79 - Muay Thai Training Exercises

sand. Students had to punch, push, and kick the tree
on both sides, if possible, until the tree broke
through. They trained their muscles on a coconut
tree, climbing up by holding on to the tree with
outstretched arms. In this way they developed their
arm, shoulder, back, and leg muscles. The sea, lakes,
and rivers were also used for training. Swimming
and jogging in knee-deep water strengthened the
muscles and improved stamina. Another training
method was to perform punches and elbow kicks
with the water at chest height, hitting the water from
above. In the process, students tried to avoid
blinking, and they practiced defense techniques
against the splashing water. They would also put a
coconut into the water and follow it with punches
and elbow kicks until holes appeared in it, water
owed in, and it eventually sank. This was initially
done with bandaged hands, while advanced students
used their bare hands. Lemons were also used for
training, hung at neck height on strings. Students
moved along the row of lemons delivering punches,
elbow thrusts, and defense and counter techniques
in a training method that taught timing and vision,
and the trainer was able to ascertain whether
students were instinctively able to defend
themselves correctly. One method they used to learn
how to fall was that the trainer, holding a stick in
each hand, hit the student on one side, where the