Another review - the first of 2012. No groupon this time around. This time, it was partly, what kind of new activity do I want to bring to my (already crazy packed) schedule (what am I thinking?), and partly taking advantage of an intro deal to this conveniently located Muay Thai dojo. I am actually not sure we call them dojos in Muay Thai tradition but studio seems too yoga-esque and space too vague.
Located on Richmond between John and Duncan, this lower level dojo has padded flooring, punching bags, sparring equipment, warm up equipment and weights, and hand wraps. No frills changerooms and locker areas are in the back.
The classes include a 30 minute high intensity aerobic "warm-up" which is composed of stretching, lots of good ol' skip rope skipping, some push-ups and squats, a little intense core training, and interval cardio. After session one, my calves were so tight for 3 days afterwards from skipping, it was ridiculous. In a good way. Anything that makes MY body experience DOMS is awesome. My core was also really sore for a few days which was awesome.
From there, you move on to practicing Muay Thai techniques. For us "kindergarteners", that meant a pretty slow paced first class with mostly repetitive movements against heavy bags. Needed to be learned, obviously, but slower paced and not physically challenging. By class two, we were given the opportunity to wear pads and experiment with combos and by class three, there was some awesome sparring going on - with lots of shin banging bruising and knuckle cracking to boot.
The pros:
I concur with the website's claim that "the therapeutic benefits of punching and kicking out a day's frustration are measurable and immediate." Good stress reliever.
A really varied hour and a half workout - cardio, strength, stretch, coordination/balance and developing a "dance" with your sparring partner.
The owner and lead instructor James is a funny man who does great follow up with his students/clients to make sure they're progressing and enjoying their experience.
A good intro special of unlimited classes for $30. A great way to test this out without commitment.
The drawbacks:
With different levels in the class, it is difficult for the teacher (although they do a pretty good job) to ensure the advanced students are taken care of while not alienating the newbies and vice versa. But I could see how someone a little self-conscious or timid would not feel comfortable asking for help and might spend time feeling like they don't know what they're doing.
While a great all around workout, for a long distance runner, it is not the best cross training as it tightens similar muscles than running. However, the core work is really beneficial for us runners so that works in our favour.
It is definitely a more aggressive form of "martial arts" than what I'm used to taking. Not a negative, just a note.
Bottom line:
Check it out if you're interested in trying something new, aren't afraid of a few bruises and working hard, and / or if you're curious about doing a hard core workout barefoot (it was, let me tell you, totally liberating to be barefoot!)
http://www.oldschoolmuaythai.com/index.php
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