Muay Thai (7)

A first Muay Thai session usually includes a warm-up, learning the basic stance and footwork, and simple punches and kicks. After that you practise in pairs on focus mitts or on the bag and learn the clinch, a close-range hold on the opponent.

A Muay Thai coach, also known as Thai boxing or taipoks, offers recreational athletes a fitness track with the emphasis on technique, endurance and coordination, and competitors preparation for sparring and bouts. Talk to the coach beforehand about how much contact to expect in your sessions.

When choosing a Muay Thai club, look for a separate beginners' group, whether equipment can be borrowed for a trial session and how the coach supervises sparring. A Muay Thai coach helps you pick a location you can reach regularly, because technique develops through repetition.