On Hitting Pads and Muay Thai

Finally, the other week I was able to hit pads again—something I’d been wanting and intending to do since the beginning of the year.

Ten years ago (give or take a few days), my friend Chris Lopez and I had our first Muay Thai session together. A decade later, he’s back at it, training almost four times a week. That’s an accomplishment in itself. I’m proud of him. It isn’t easy for 44-year-old guys to train that often. The body doesn’t recover the way it once did, but he’s stayed consistent.

It felt fantastic to hit pads again. I still have the snap in my kicks and punches. I can still hold pads, too. Chris is 6’6” and kicks like a mule. Some of the people he trains with now have a hard time holding pads for him, but for years, that was simply my normal. It felt good to meet his strikes and hear that unmistakable pop echo through the gym. There’s something deeply satisfying about that sound.

All the running I’ve been doing has definitely helped my cardio, but my shoulders were the first to give out. I couldn’t keep my hands up the entire session. Some of my joints also weren’t as well lubricated as they used to be, especially my hips. That’s something I’ll need to work on if I want to be fight fit by fifty.

It was great to be back. As with kendo, once I start training again, it’s as if I never left. The movements return, the timing comes back, and the body remembers. Hopefully, I can get in one more session before going back to work.