After a Muay Thai training session, I recorded a few notes while the corrections were still fresh. They were specific: how I enter a jab, how my body contributes to a punch, what happens to my hands before an uppercut, and how I turn into a round kick.
I wanted to write them down because understanding a correction during practice and remembering it in the next combination are two different things. These are reminders for my own developing technique.
Let the jab leave from a balanced position
The first reminder was to stop reaching my body forward into every jab. In the stationary drill, I needed to stay in position and let the punch extend from there. The hand could travel without my whole posture following it towards the target.
That became a useful distinction in my notes: extending the punch and moving into range are separate decisions. When the drill calls for a stationary jab, I want to finish with my balance still available.
Bring the body into the jab and cross
At the same time, staying balanced does not mean keeping the body passive. Both the jab and the cross needed more contribution from my body. My recording describes a small movement into the punch—the sense that the action comes through the body instead of being produced by the arm alone.
I want to hold those two cues together: keep my position under control, and let the body participate. The correction is about coordination.
Use the jab to think about distance
The jab also gave me two ways to manage space. I could use it while moving in, or use it to maintain distance when an opponent was coming towards me. The same punch served different purposes.
One combination I wanted to remember was jab, jab, round kick. It linked the punches to the kick and made me think about how one action sets up the next.
Keep the uppercut compact
For the uppercut, the clearest correction was to avoid dropping my hands first. I needed to find the punch from a compact position, keeping the movement connected to the rest of the sequence.
The sequence in my notes was simple: jab, move in a little, uppercut, then come back. I want to remember the return as clearly as the entry. Completing the punch is only part of completing the movement.
Let the hip lead the round kick
The round kick took up the largest part of my recording. I kept returning to the same cue: the power should come through the hip. I was trying to avoid making the kick a movement driven mainly by bending and extending the knee.
For the kick we were practising, my left foot was the supporting foot. I needed a stable base, a pivot through that foot, and a turn of the body that allowed the hip to carry the kick. When I said “anchor” in my notes, the useful idea was balance through the turn, with the supporting foot able to pivot.
I also wanted to bring the kick higher through a fuller hip turn, while keeping the movement controlled. Simply lifting the leg and then trying to turn had felt awkward around my knee. Coordinating the base and the turn felt like a better approach.
My shorthand was “from the hip, not the knee.” I want to remember it as a cue about where the movement comes from, rather than an instruction to keep the knee rigid or force extra height.
Give the left hook its shape
The last technical reminder concerned the left hook. For the version we practised, I needed to keep the forearm roughly horizontal and the elbow bent. I had to resist extending the arm fully as though I were throwing another straight punch.
It was a small correction, but an easy one to carry into the next session: remember the shape of the hook before adding more effort.
What I want to take into the next session
Balance for the jab. Body behind the punches. Hands ready for the uppercut. Hip and pivot together for the round kick. A bent arm for the hook.
There is plenty to practise within those few lines. Writing them down gives me something concrete to return to, one correction at a time.
Continue the series: Musings of Muay Thai - Building a Strong Core and a Stable Body brings together the strength, core and stability work that can support this practice.
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