Anybody here Thai Box and Conventional Box?

I'm back in training...it's been a while since I've been around this side of the forum.

I had to leave my old gym due to scheduling conflicts, and I thought I was done boxing, so I join up with my old fitness gym. To my luck, since I left that old gym, a Muay Thai, MMA, BJJ school has opened in in the back of the gym and gym members get a huge discount. They have pretty much everything you need...a ring, mats, 6 bags, and a pretty good team of instructors.

I took a Muay Thai class today and stuck around to do some heavybag work. Luckily, they've brought in an boxing trainer and I was able to do some pad work with him. He works with the MMA guys on there standup game, as well as helping the Muay Thai folks with hand. It was little confusing to go back and forth between styles, but I think it's my only option. They told me that they wouldn't have problem with having me spar the Muay Thai guys hands-only from time to time (once I get my fat ass back into shape!). At 36 I'm not that interested in beating up my knees and shins trying to spar kickboxing, but the class was pretty fun and the conditioning was excellent.

So...does anybody else mix kickboxing into there program or alternates between both styles? Part of me says that if I'm taking the Muay Thai classes, I should just commit to adopting the style. I'm not in this for anything more than fitness and the challenge of sparring. But the other part of me think that I better stick to hands only, it just seems easier on the body and regular boxing is my real love. Thoughts?

Do what you enjoy.
What are your goals? Just fitness? Why not do both. Just watch when you box and the guy dips low you don't knee him in the face, I nearly did that once :-X it's a reflex action;D

Muay Thai gyms are usually scarily into fitness.
Largely because of their technical deficiencies.

I often trained at a Muay Thai gym and sparred too.
In sparring I felt like Roy Jones, my defense was in a different league, but they're so fit and aggresive, they keep you threatened.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hitmandonny

Muay Thai gyms are usually scarily into fitness.
Largely because of their technical deficiencies.

I often trained at a Muay Thai gym and sparred too.
In sparring I felt like Roy Jones, my defense was in a different league, but they're so fit and aggresive, they keep you threatened.

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Maybe its because I trained martial arts as well,and this is a distinct possibility,a straight line boxer who was willing to stick to his craft has allways been my biggest pain in the ass.
Maybe its because I also have a martial arts backround and am looking for where theyre going to screw up,but I usually only have a problem with straight line boxers

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Missy

Do what you enjoy.
What are your goals? Just fitness? Why not do both. Just watch when you box and the guy dips low you don't knee him in the face, I nearly did that once :-X it's a reflex action;D

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The gym I used to belong to was primarily a Muay Thai gym. Yes, they were pychotically into fitness. I did at least half my sparring with Muay Thai guys. A few of them had started out as conventional boxing and had good handgame, but the ones who had only done Muay Thai were feather-fisted and incredibly open to the jab. They also weren't used to body punches, which seem to be risky and seldom used in Muay Thai. I generally had good luck popping them my jab, slapping away their weak jabs, sliping rights and hooking the the body. You couldn't practice infighting with them because they would instictively put you in the clinch and without that fundamental technique to use (and knees and elbows), they were pretty lost unless they had conventional training (as I would be if they were allowed to put me in the clinch and rip me with knees and elbows).

My goals are fitness and the challenge of sparring. Sparring regularly gives me the motivate to keep up the fitness and gives me goals to work on.

I think my only choice it to take the Muay Thai classes for fitness and use the open gym time to spar with the MMA guys who want to work on there boxing. Luckily, they have a boxing coach around, but he's not running classes. The place is set up more like martial arts gym than a traditional boxing gym. I just hope doing Muay Thai doesn't mess with my boxing footwork and vice versa.

First things first, I gotta get back into shape. I don't think I could go more than a round right now.