Muay Thai

Muay Thai Mistakes Beginners Make (and How to Fix Them) — October 2026

3 min read ARC MMA Coaching Team

The mistakes almost every Muay Thai beginner makes in the first few months, and the simple fixes our coaches give in class at ARC MMA in Toronto.

Muay Thai Mistakes Beginners Make (and How to Fix Them) — October 2026

Everyone makes the same handful of mistakes in their first few months of Muay Thai. Knowing them ahead of time saves you weeks of confusion.

None of these are reasons to feel bad. They are just the usual bumps.

The usual suspects

If you recognise yourself in two or three of these, you are exactly where a beginner should be.

  • Kicking with the leg, not the hip. Kicks come from rotation. If your hip does not turn, your shin will do all the work — and it will let you know.
  • Dropping the hands when kicking. A kick is a trade. Leave the guard up or you will get countered in sparring.
  • Ignoring the teep. It is the simplest, most useful technique in the sport. Beginners skip it because it looks basic.
  • Death-gripping the pads. Hold your hands up and let the pad absorb the shot.
  • Skipping shin conditioning. You build tolerance gradually on the bag. Do not try to fast-track it.

The one that matters most

Compare yourself to the version of you from last month, not to the person next to you. Progress in Muay Thai is uneven: weeks of nothing, then a jump. The people who stick around are the ones who stop keeping score every session.

Fall training notes

Fall is the busiest season for new members — schools restart, work routines settle and people finally book the class they have been thinking about all summer.

  • Book your classes for the week on Sunday night, not on the day.
  • Warm up for two extra minutes if you have been sitting at a desk all day.
  • Keep one rest day after your hardest session — recovery is part of the programme.

Common mistakes we see every week

  • Kicking with the leg, not the hip. Kicks come from rotation. If your hip does not turn, your shin will do all the work — and it will let you know.
  • Dropping the hands when kicking. A kick is a trade. Leave the guard up or you will get countered in sparring.
  • Ignoring the teep. It is the simplest, most useful technique in the sport. Beginners skip it because it looks basic.
  • Death-gripping the pads. Hold your hands up and let the pad absorb the shot.

A drill you can try between classes

Fifty-teep finisher. You do not need a partner or a bag for most of this, and it takes about fifteen minutes:

  • Ten teeps on each leg, focusing on the hip turn.
  • Twenty roundhouses on the bag at 60% power, ten each side.
  • Ten slow checked kicks, alternating sides.
  • Finish with one minute of shadow boxing, hands up the whole time.

Training at ARC MMA in Toronto

We run Muay Thai classes at 382 Yonge St in downtown Toronto, two minutes from College Station. Classes are capped at 20 people, coached from start to finish, and open to complete beginners. If you want to see whether it fits, book a free 1-on-1 trial — you will get a coach, a pair of loaner gloves and no sales pitch.

You can see the full timetable on the classes and pricing page, meet the coaches on the trainers page, and check upcoming seminars on the events page.

Frequently asked questions

Is it normal to forget techniques?

Completely. Your body learns slower than your head. Repetition fixes it.

Should I train through soreness?

Muscle soreness, yes — sharp joint pain, no. Tell a coach either way.

How do I stop feeling awkward?

You do not, at first. The awkwardness fades somewhere around week six.

Written by the coaching team at ARC MMA. Questions about this guide? Send us a message or call (416) 450-8020.

Where to go next

Have a look at classes and pricing or book a free trial if you want to try a session. For a wider view of the discipline, ONE Championship is worth following: ONE Championship.

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