surviving the thigh kick

[davidlordan]

was at MT last night and doing some thai pad work with a big guerilla at my gym. basiclly he cut through my thigh with his kick, even though i was holding a thai pad and it hurt so much that i had to whimp out and tell him to go easy...........and it kills today!!!
my questions are
does this improve with time and practise and is there a way of making it less painful during drills?
and is there a way of conditioning your thigh?
any good recovery tips i did ice it last night and was thinking of light cardio and swimming today? and maybe lay of the muay thai

 

[Dominic Kihlstrand]

When it comes to taking kicks to the thigh, there is really no conditioning, because it is nerves on a muscle. When its a drill, dig your foot into the ground, or if it hurts that bad, keep your leg light, and when he hits the pad go with the momentum and move with his force. Hope this helps you.

 

[krellik]

Bas Rutten has a drill in his big dvd, where he and his partner basicly took turns on kicking eachother with the shin on their thighs. The trick apeareantly was to stop before you bruised and build it up slowly.

Havent tried it myself but perhaps I should because I hate taking lowkicks. Especially from the big giant who kicks like a mule that im normaly is thai sparring with..

 

[davidlordan]

you would need a really trusting partner to try that building up routine....
and i will try keeping my leg light although i don't want it to seem like im crying off!!!
but my legs feels like crap and feel like i cant train and that really isnt helping
any good recovery tips?

 

[Elpresidente]

was at MT last night and doing some thai pad work with a big guerilla at my gym. basiclly he cut through my thigh with his kick, even though i was holding a thai pad and it hurt so much that i had to whimp out and tell him to go easy...........and it kills today!!!
my questions are
does this improve with time and practise and is there a way of making it less painful during drills?
and is there a way of conditioning your thigh?
any good recovery tips i did ice it last night and was thinking of light cardio and swimming today? and maybe lay of the muay thai

You will get used to dealing with the pain. Think of it as when you were a kid and recieving a dead arm (ie someone punching you hard on the arm a few times), the first few times someone does it to you you will barely be able to move your arm, after a while they can do it and while it will still hurt your, arm will still function.

Also it is adviseable to train with someone approximately your own size. If you train with someone significantly smaller watch your power and focus on technique, if someone significantly bigger trains with you then tell them to do likewise (although most heavyweights should know this if they have a brain.)

 

[Michael Wanaka]

Yeah, dig your foot into the ground and tense your leg up if you absolutely have to take it (since you do, it's a drill). Otherwise, you'll get used to it.

 

[Rudy Richter]

Yeah, dig your foot into the ground and tense your leg up if you absolutely have to take it (since you do, it's a drill). Otherwise, you'll get used to it.

Good advice.. the best thing to do is contract the muscle(make it as hard as you can) if you can't check the kick.

 

[ThaiBoxer80]

The more you spar and train the more you get used to it, it just takes time. What helps out a lot is turning your leg out slightly so you're getting kicked more on the front across your leg. If I cant avoid the kick Ill turn it out a little and flex it hard right before impact.

 

[davidlordan]

i had a feeling it was as much about technique as it is about conditioning! ill give all that a go!