What’s better than training in one MMA discipline? Cross training two MMA disciplines, of course. It gives you the best of two worlds, makes you a well-rounded player in your original sport, and gives you a huge advantage over players who only practice one discipline.
When cross training BJJ with Muay Thay you should alway:
- Be patient
- Be ready to invest
- Learn both online and at the academy
- Seek similarities
- Avoid injuries
Muay Thai is a powerful sport where the player repeatedly attacks with fists, feet, elbows, and knees. Even with some grappling involved, it is still a whole different world from BJJ which is first and foremost a self defense discipline. So what should you be aware of when cross training BJJ with Muay Thai?
1- Be Patient
If you’re a novice to both BJJ and Muay Thai and your goal of cross training is to become the best you can be in both of them, you need to appreciate patience as a virtue. For one thing, BJJ needs about 10 years on average for you to reach the elite who wear black belts around their waist. That’s 10 years of continuous practice in just one discipline. So what happens when you try to divide your time between two sports?
Naturally, that period of time gets longer. Add in the complexity of Muay Thai and you can imagine how much longer it would be before you become proficient in both sports. But the idea is not to master those two disciplines as fast as you can. Rather, it’s to benefit from both of them and help yourself become a well-rounded player. It’s true sometimes you’ll find points of conflict.
The good news is, Muay Thai is the type of sport that you can learn at home on your own. So in a way that can help you cut the time needed to learn and improve. While BJJ is mainly a class-based practice where you need to go to the academy to learn the ins and outs of the sport, Muay Thai is different. You can watch Youtube videos and practice at home. How does that help?
For one thing, you can plant your time well. Set time aside to go to the academy to learn BJJ and at home you can practice Muay Thai for an hour or two every day. You read that right. You need to train every day to get better at Muay Thai. It’s that demanding.
2- Be Ready to Invest
Sooner or later, you’ll find that your solo Muay Thai training can only take you so far. Eventually, you’ll find that you need to find a trainer or tutor to take you to the next level. It’s easy to get stuck and need help. And as you might expect, trainers don’t come cheap. Whether you enlist in a school or training center, that too costs money. As for personal trainers, they’re notoriously expensive.
The same goes for BJJ. You have to join an academy, pay the annual fees, invest in a good Gi and other equipment. In short, learning one MMA discipline will set you back considerably. Learning too, will need a heavy investment on your part. But then again, if you take either or both disciplines seriously, then you’ll have to set aside a budget.
It’s not easy to estimate how much exactly learning both sports will cost you. But think of the gym, instructor, equipment, and accessories. They all cost money. You might manage to cut some corners and find a cheap instructor for Muay Thai. But BJJ is a rather expensive sport to learn and master. Not to mention that the time involved will come at a cost. So it’s easy to imagine that money-wise, you need to be prepared.
3- Learn Online and at the Academy
Because of time and money constraints, you will find yourself torn between following one sport at the cost of the other. That’s normal and it’s often a balancing act to manage two MMA disciplines while also having a life, a job or school, and other activities. There’s also the risk of burn out where you lose interest in either or both of the sports due to over training.
As we mentioned, it’s hard to run between the BJJ academy and the Muay Thai gym or the instructor’s center. So to save time and costs, you can supplement your training with online material. Luckily both BJJ and Muay Thai have lots of resources online that offer a lot of information, tips and advice that you get through the most technical aspects of each sport.
As your practice progresses, you’ll come across problems that you can’t find an answer for. Not even from your instructor or teacher. A certain technique is just too difficult to master, you keep making the same mistake over and over. You don’t have an answer. So would you stay stuck or leave the practice altogether? Neither actually.
These days, we all use the internet a lot more in our daily lives. From learning, to connecting to friends and family. So you can use it to find answers to your difficult practice questions. Not only are there thousands of videos online that focus on all aspects of the sports you are interested in, but they also offer great insights. The great thing about online tutorials and videos is that you can watch them over and over, pause, rewind, and learn more out of them.
Of course, watching videos and reading online forums alone are not the best way to improve your practice. Sooner or later, you’ll need to practice with someone and test your skills and abilities. You also need the insights and feedback of a real trainer. In a BJJ academy you get that kind of feedback as you interact with your classmates and teachers. At the end of the day, you’ll find that both sources, online and the academy, compliment each other and help you become the good player you aspire to be.
4- Seek Similarities
We mentioned that Muay Thai is all about fast and repeated attacks while BJJ is all about self defense. While at first glance the two sports seem to be on opposite ends of the spectrum, there are many similarities between them. Muay Thai for example also has grappling, called clinch, that is used to prepare you for your attack. Grappling is at the heart of the BJJ and is used to overpower and control the movement of the opponent.
But saying that BJJ is all about self defense sells it short. You can still go on the offensive in BJJ and there are many techniques that you can launch to win a submission. A well-rounded player is the one who got both their defense and offensive tactics down to an art. More focus on one over the other leads to a lopsided situation and leaves you vulnerable against a more skilled opponent. And that’s where Muay Thai and cross training come in.
It’s a balancing act not just in your time and resources, but also in your skills. One discipline teaches you to go on the offensive, attack, and look for vulnerabilities in your opponent. The other one teaches you to hold your ground, size up the opponent, and control their movement to render them harmless. Do you notice the points of similarity here?
As you cross train, you should always focus on the similar points that help you raise your game to the next level. There are of course contradictions and conflicts between both sports. If you are not careful, they could undermine each other. And rather than getting better at one sport or both, you find that you’re actually doing yourself a disservice.
5- Avoid Injuries
Easier said than done. Injuries are the number one enemy of players and athletes in any sport. However, the tip here is not just to avoid injuries but how each discipline can help you achieve that goal. Keep you healthy and make you stronger the more you practice.
Injuries are more common in Muay Thai than in BJJ. That’s due to the nature of the sport that is focussed on attack. However, BJJ too has its share of injuries. All the grappling and locks can lead to injuries especially if you’re up against a less skilled player who has more raw power than technique mastery. And that’s where cross training can be of help.
Muay Thai puts you through a rigorous regimen of training that builds up your core muscles and makes you physically stronger. This strength will come in handy when you’re grappling with an opponent on the BJJ mat. Muscles protect your bones and sinews against blunt force, falls, or excessive pressure.
As you work your way up both disciplines, try to work within your limits. Don’t push yourself too far since that leads to injuries and burn out. The key is to find that sweet spot which only you know about.