Before You Start
Here's the thing about learning Muay Thai: everyone wants to skip to the flashy stuff. Head kicks. Spinning elbows. The knockout highlight reel moves. But every fighter you've ever watched started the same way you're about to. With stance. With basic footwork. With throwing a jab that doesn't look terrible.
This program is designed for people who've never thrown a punch in their life. If you've got some experience, you can move faster, but don't skip the fundamentals. The best fighters in the world still drill their basics constantly.
You'll need about 30-45 minutes per session, 4-5 days per week. Rest days matter. Your body needs time to adapt to new movement patterns. If you're sore, take an extra day off. This isn't a race.
Space
A 6x6 foot area minimum. Garage, living room, backyard. Anywhere you can move without breaking things.
Phone + Tripod
You need to see yourself. Prop your phone up at chest height, far enough to capture your whole body.
Hand Wraps
Even for shadow boxing. Build the habit now. Your wrists will thank you later.
Round Timer
Any free app works. Set it for 3-minute rounds with 1-minute rest. This is the rhythm of training.
Week 1: Stance & Movement
No strikes this week. I know, it's boring. But your stance is the foundation of literally everything. A bad stance means bad balance, weak strikes, and getting knocked over when someone so much as looks at you.
Your Fighting Stance
Feet shoulder-width apart. Dominant foot back (if you're right-handed, right foot back). Weight distributed about 60/40 on your back foot. Knees slightly bent. Hands up by your cheekbones, elbows tucked to protect your ribs. Chin down.
Practice holding this stance for 2-minute rounds. Just standing there. Sounds easy until you try it. Your shoulders will burn. Your legs will shake. Good. That's what adaptation feels like.
Basic Footwork
The golden rule: never cross your feet. When you move forward, push off your back foot. When you move back, push off your front foot. Side to side, same principle. Step and slide.
Drill this in 3-minute rounds. Move around your space. Forward, back, left, right. Circles. Angles. Keep your stance intact the whole time. If your feet end up crossed or too close together, reset and start again.
Week 1 Daily Structure
- Warm-up: 5 minutes of jumping jacks, high knees, arm circles
- Stance holds: 3 x 2-minute rounds, 1-minute rest between
- Footwork drills: 3 x 3-minute rounds, 1-minute rest between
- Cool-down: 5 minutes of stretching (hips, shoulders, calves)
Week 1 Checkpoint
Record yourself moving around for a full 3-minute round. Watch it back. Are you maintaining your stance? Are your hands dropping? Are your feet crossing? Be honest with yourself.
Week 2: Jab & Cross
Now we start hitting things. Well, hitting air. Your straight punches are your most important weapons. They set up everything else.
The Jab
From your stance, extend your lead hand straight out. Rotate your fist so your palm faces down at full extension. Snap it back to your face immediately. The return is as important as the punch.
Common mistakes: reaching with your shoulder (keeps your hand out too long), dropping your other hand (you'll get hit), and not returning to guard fast enough.
The Cross
This is where your power comes from. Pivot on your back foot, rotate your hips, and let your rear hand follow that rotation. Your belly button should face your target at full extension. Snap back to guard.
The power doesn't come from your arm. It comes from your hips and the ground. If you're arm-punching, you'll feel it in your shoulder. If you're doing it right, you'll feel it in your legs and core.
The 1-2 Combination
Jab, cross. The bread and butter. Start slow. Really slow. Focus on returning to your guard between each punch. Speed comes later. Form comes first.
Week 2 Daily Structure
- Warm-up: 5 minutes including shadow footwork from Week 1
- Jab only: 2 x 2-minute rounds, focus on snap and return
- Cross only: 2 x 2-minute rounds, focus on hip rotation
- 1-2 combinations: 2 x 3-minute rounds
- Cool-down: 5 minutes stretching
Week 2 Checkpoint
Film your 1-2 combinations from a front angle. Check: Is your cross hand returning to guard? Are you pivoting on your back foot? Does your hip turn over on the cross?
Week 3: Teep & Low Kick
Welcome to what makes Muay Thai different from boxing. Legs. Your legs are longer and stronger than your arms. Time to use them.
The Teep (Push Kick)
Think of it as a jab with your foot. Lift your knee, then push through with your hip to extend your leg. Land with the ball of your foot. The power comes from your hip, not your knee.
Practice both legs. Your lead leg teep is faster. Your rear leg teep is more powerful. You need both.
Common mistakes: leaning way back (kills your balance), kicking with no hip extension (no power), and forgetting your hands (they should stay up the whole time).
The Low Kick
This is a leg kick to the thigh. It's not the full roundhouse yet, but it builds the same mechanics. Pivot on your support foot, turn your hip over, and swing your shin into the target.
Your shin is the weapon, not your foot. If you're hitting with your foot, you're doing kickboxing, not Muay Thai. And you'll break your toes eventually.
Start slow. Really focus on that hip rotation. Your belly button should point past the target when you kick.
Week 3 Daily Structure
- Warm-up: 5 minutes, include slow teeps to loosen hips
- Teep practice: 2 x 2-minute rounds each leg
- Low kick practice: 2 x 2-minute rounds each leg
- Combination work: Jab-cross-low kick, 2 x 3-minute rounds
- Cool-down: 5 minutes, extra focus on hip stretches
Week 3 Checkpoint
Film yourself from the side throwing low kicks. Check: Is your support foot pivoting? Is your hip turning over? Are your hands dropping when you kick? (They probably are. Everyone's do at first.)
Week 4: Putting It Together
You've got the pieces. Now we start combining them. This week is about flow, about moving from one technique to another without thinking about it.
Basic Combinations
Start with these and drill them until they're automatic:
- Jab - Cross - Low Kick: Your bread and butter. Hands set up the kick.
- Teep - Jab - Cross: Create distance, then close it with punches.
- Jab - Jab - Cross - Low Kick: Double jab to distract, then the power shots.
- Low Kick - Cross - Low Kick: Kick, punch, kick. Mixing levels.
Don't rush these. Quality over quantity. Ten perfect combinations beat a hundred sloppy ones.
Shadow Boxing Rounds
This is where it all comes together. Move around your space. Throw combinations. Defend imaginary attacks. Reset your stance. Repeat.
Good shadow boxing looks like a fight with an invisible opponent. Bad shadow boxing looks like someone flailing at nothing. Think about what you're doing. Visualize an opponent. React to them.
Defense Basics
Can't ignore this any longer. When you're not attacking, you need to be ready to defend.
- High guard: Hands up, elbows in. Absorbs punches.
- Check: Lift your knee to block incoming kicks with your shin.
- Lean back: For teeps and punches. Don't overdo it or you'll lose balance.
Week 4 Daily Structure
- Warm-up: 5 minutes, light shadow boxing
- Combination drilling: 3 x 3-minute rounds, pick 2-3 combos per round
- Shadow boxing: 3 x 3-minute rounds, everything goes
- Defense practice: 1 x 3-minute round, focus on checks and guard
- Cool-down: 5 minutes stretching
Week 4 Checkpoint
Film a full 3-minute shadow boxing round. Watch it like you're scouting an opponent. What habits do you have? Where do your hands go after combinations? How's your footwork between exchanges?
Using AI to Accelerate Your Progress
Here's the hard truth about training alone: you can't see your own mistakes. You think your hands are up. They're not. You think your hip is turning. It's barely moving. You think you're doing it right because it feels right. It doesn't feel right because you've never felt right.
That's why we built Muay Thai AI. Upload a clip of your technique, and it'll tell you specifically what needs work. Not generic advice, but feedback based on what you actually did in that video.
What to Upload Each Week
- Week 1: A full round of movement. The AI will check your stance and footwork.
- Week 2: Your jab-cross combinations. It'll check your return to guard and hip rotation.
- Week 3: Teeps and low kicks from the side angle. Hip extension and hand position get checked.
- Week 4: Full shadow boxing round. The AI will spot patterns you can't see yourself.
The feedback isn't meant to replace a coach. But if you're training at home, it's the next best thing to having someone watch every rep.
After 30 Days
If you've made it through this program with honest practice, you've got a foundation. You know how to stand. You can move without falling over. Your jab and cross don't look terrible. You can throw kicks without losing your balance.
That's more than most people who've been "training" for months but never focused on fundamentals.
From here, you can:
- Add techniques: Hooks, uppercuts, body kicks, knees, elbows
- Get a heavy bag: Time to hit something that hits back
- Find a gym: When you're ready for pads and sparring
- Keep drilling: These basics never stop being important
Whatever you do, don't stop recording yourself. Don't stop watching your footage. Don't stop being honest about what needs work. That's how you actually improve.