Get out your boxing gear…
By FP contributor, Jules Boyd.
Ready for adventure? We are too. Follow along with the FP Movement team as we try new things, challenge ourselves, and get active.
I’ll be honest, if you had told me Tuesday morning that I would have been entering a boxing ring — fully clad in boxing shorts and hand wraps — learning the fundamentals of a combat sport, I would have laughed at you. So, when I did indeed walk through the doors of Burning Spirits Muay Thai, I was surprised to say the least.
Originating in Thailand and tracing as far back as the 16th century, muay Thai is a traditional form of boxing that incorporates kickboxing with full contact combat of the limbs. With most techniques using the entire body movement, it was first used as a practical fighting in warfare as well as martial art practice during peace-times before eventually becoming the commercialized sport that it is today
We did a quick, but intense, warm-up session that consisted of 10 Russian twists, 25 sit-ups, and 25 push-ups. Then, we were taught the proper muay Thai stance, which was standing with one foot angled behind the other, and with our hands at eye-level. We learned how to jab and cross, which is a punching motion, as well as properly kick. After pairing up, we had a session of jabbing, crossing, and kicking at our opponent’s kick pads. Eventually, we did a freestyle session where we focused on our individual form at the punching bags, incorporating more floor workouts such as push-ups and sit-ups throughout to really get our heart-rates up.
To learn more about Burning Spirits Muay Thai, visit them here.
Ready for adventure? We are too. Follow along with the FP Movement team as we try new things, challenge ourselves, and get active.
I’ll be honest, if you had told me Tuesday morning that I would have been entering a boxing ring — fully clad in boxing shorts and hand wraps — learning the fundamentals of a combat sport, I would have laughed at you. So, when I did indeed walk through the doors of Burning Spirits Muay Thai, I was surprised to say the least.
Originating in Thailand and tracing as far back as the 16th century, muay Thai is a traditional form of boxing that incorporates kickboxing with full contact combat of the limbs. With most techniques using the entire body movement, it was first used as a practical fighting in warfare as well as martial art practice during peace-times before eventually becoming the commercialized sport that it is today
Where We Went
Located in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Burning Spirits is a large boxing gym that features full-sized punching bags, an official boxing ring, as well as muay Thai memorabilia and traditional headwear throughout. Our instructors for the day, Coach Camilla and Coach Derek, greeted us and we began the warm-up process of our lesson.What We Did
Upon shuffling into the gym, we immediately took off our shoes and cleaned our feet before entering the mat. Our coaches gave us a brief history of muay Thai before showing us how to properly wrap and protect our hands with our Everlast Boxing Wraps. Coach Derek explained that in traditional muay Thai, contestants would wear a piece of rope that was blessed by a monk to ward off harmful spirits and bring them good luck. We each received our own paracord armband and proceeded to coach Camilla, where she tied them to our arms and said a traditional blessing. After this, we were ready to fight.We did a quick, but intense, warm-up session that consisted of 10 Russian twists, 25 sit-ups, and 25 push-ups. Then, we were taught the proper muay Thai stance, which was standing with one foot angled behind the other, and with our hands at eye-level. We learned how to jab and cross, which is a punching motion, as well as properly kick. After pairing up, we had a session of jabbing, crossing, and kicking at our opponent’s kick pads. Eventually, we did a freestyle session where we focused on our individual form at the punching bags, incorporating more floor workouts such as push-ups and sit-ups throughout to really get our heart-rates up.
What We Learned
Apart from the physical aspect of the sport, the history lesson and traditional spiritual component of muay Thai captivated all of us, especially since this was an introduction to it for everyone in the group. It was clear our coaches were very passionate and respectful of the sport, and wanted to ensure that everyone was practicing proper form. As we left, we all took much more away from the experience than just the lesson itself.What We Thought
Across the board, we were all pleasantly surprised by how much fun we had! It was an amazing stress-reliever, and we’ve never felt more powerful. Though it wasn’t something we would normally gravitate towards, the team was all so excited about coming back again on their own or signing up for classes.What We Wore
Of course, FP Movement has an amazing selection of boxing gear. We all wore a pair of the Long Shot Shorts mixed & matched with a selection of our favorite tops from the Good Karma Collection. The longer length of the shorts were helpful for the higher kicks, while our tops offered the perfect amount of compression for flexibility and mobility — and of course, it’s FP Movement, so we looked good doing it.To learn more about Burning Spirits Muay Thai, visit them here.
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