Here are 5 simple but very effective muay thai drills you can do at home to help you improve quickly.
Do these muay thai drills at home outside of the gym and over time you are guranteed to see excellent benefits in your technique.
Best of all, these drills can be done with zero or very minimum equipment and will allow for a lot of extra repetitions to really perfect a technique.
Benefits of Doing Muay Thai Drills at Home
Before we get into the specifics of the drills its good to understand how these drills help you improve even though they seem quite simple.
First they can be done almost anywhere and anytime when you have some free time – why not practice?
Apart from the last drill #5 all the other 4 drills require no equipment and can be done alone which is very convenienet.
Second they will improve your technique and balance. As you can perform these drills as stand alone exercises, they can be done when your body is fresh and the focus is on technique.
Rather than at the end of training when you are tired and technique falters but you push through to bang out the reps.
With solo muay thai drills at home – technique is the main focus.
And thirdly they are very versatile drills. They can be performed as part of a bigger more complete routine or as stand alone training exercises.
1. Teep drill against the wall
For this drill all you require is a wall and a chair.
I got this drill from Duke Roufus who is a legendary American world champion kickboxers and current UFC coach.
I learnt this drill off his online Duke Roufus Striking University page. Check out this post here to learn more about the Online Striking University by Duke Roufus.
Set up is as follows:
- Place the chair with the back of the chair against the wall. Ideally the top of the back of the chair should be at about abdomen level, which the target for the teep.
- Stand facing the chair in good stance and perform teeps against the wall making sure not to touch the top of the chairs back.
This will help your pick up you knee and teep with your hip.
The placement of the chair will also help in practicing withdrawing the leg stright back with the hip.
This action is good to practice for pulling your teep back if it gets caught by your opponent.
The video below is not the best demo of the drill I am talking about but you get the idea.
2. Hands & Footwork Drill
This is a drill I got from the Bang Muay Thai system taught by Duane Ludwig.
Ludwig is a former K-1 champion, UFC fighter and current UFC coach.
The Hands & Footwork Drill is a very basic drill but one that beginners may find difficulty in performing perfectly.
However over time in mastering this drill, you will be able to strike and move at the same time with good striking techniue and balance.
Developing the ability to strike and move will greatly improve your muay thai striking.
You can perform the drill with a partner but also alone which is just as effective.
Basically the intended action is to strike and step at the same time in a fluid motion in the intended direction.
The directions are :
FORWARD – BACK – LEAD SIDE- REAR SIDE
Two steps in each direciton (one step for each foot)
One step and one punch should land at the same time.
FORWARD – Lead foot step and Jab; Rear Foot step and Cross
BACK – Rear foot steps back and Cross is thrown; Lead foot steps back and lead hook is thrown.
LEAD – Lead hook is thrown stepping to the lead side (lateral/sideways movement); Rear foot steps laterally to lead side with rear cross thrown
REAR – rear cross together with rear foot moving sideways; lead foot steps and lead hook thrown
The video below is from Bang Muay Thai HQ in Colorado and shows the Hands & Footwork drill which you can also perform as a solo muay thai drills at home.
3. Core Twist Drill
This drill was developed by Bas Ruten who is the inspirtation behind the Bang Muay Thai system.
Bas is one of Duane Ludwigs main striking and MMA coaches.
The drill involves crossing your arms over your shoulders. Right arm over left shoulder and vice versa.
Then with the hands in place you are to twist and rotate your core and your shoulders continuously with good control but with speed – for a set amount of time.
Say 30secs to 1 minute.
Check out Bas teaching the drill to students below.
This drill will develop your punching power through good rotation in the core.
You can perform this drill at the end of group class or as a solo muay thai drill at home.
4. Hip rotation drill for kicks
The drill below is for developing hip mobility and the hip rotation in your kicks.
This is the classic rotation that is taught in muay thai.
Turning over the hip or ‘closing the hip’ allows for the shin to turn over and into the target for an effective and powerful kick.
This drill can be done basically anywhere with an elevated place you can place your leg upon.
I got this technique from Sylvie Von Douglas-Ittu from 8limbs.us, who is one of the top female muay thai fighters in the world.
Watch her perform it below.
5. Roundhouse Kick Drill
This drill is great for repetitive kicking action and getting the proper height and rotation on your kicks.
I saw this on the Santai Muay Thai website and have incorporated this into my solo muay thai drills at home.
Be sure to start off with a lower height on the vertical stick and build it up over time.
Take your time and try to get as close to perfect technique as you can.
Ensure that you kick up and over the vertical stick and rotate around completely and land in a good stance.
Then repeat the drill on the other side.
5 Best Muay Thai Drills at Home – Summary
So these 5 drills are ones that I use a lot in my own home and solo training because they are simple to perform and require none of little equipment.
All the drills except the last drill require no equipment apart from a wall.
So they can really be done anywhere and when you have free time.
These drills are not strenuous so dont require a major warm up or cool down after performing them.
They can be done as part of a larger routine or as stand alone training exercises.
They can be done in a relaxed manner but with focus on technique and good movement.
Over time although these drills may seem simple, they will have a great impact in your improvement of technique in muay thai.
