How do you think about Muay Thai?
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How do you think about Muay Thai?
With my brain ;D
It's a good tough system but like anything else only as good as the person doing it. ;)
Ive been doing muay thai for a while and i train with about 6-10 guys who each train different styles and the muay thai leg kicks drive them nuts. also, its very easy to pick up if you already box western style. you use mostly the same puches so all you have to do is learn to kick, clinch, and fight with a little different style...upright and lean back to avioid leg kicks, don't get low ect. oh yeah the clinching is bad ass too. especially if you learn a few throws so you can set up strikes and throw/takedown applications from the same type of clinch. its very cool
I've done some Muay Thai as well, it's really fun and an incredible workout.
Muay Thai is a very simple and deadly system ant thats the beauty Thai leg kicks will stop just about any one in there tracks not to mention knee strikes elbows and the shin hardening routine is intense it is a staple of my Jeet Kune Do as well as my MMA training
if I was going to suggest just one striking discipline for someone to study it would be Muay Thai
I agree from the martial arts perspective it is the hardest full contact there is.
Over all and on average it breeds the toughest fighters because of it.
We went to Krabi in the early 80's for a tournament and Im not sure if things have changed in Thialand or not but although they are allowed to elbow and also are allowed to hold ,they dont combine the two and for instance: say ,,punch,slip around the head,grab the back of the head and elbow with the other arm as you pull the head into it.
They laughed and just nodded when I suggested it to them ???
i never knew they used to not incorporate the clinching and elbos, but i can tell you we do it all the time. as a matter of fact, i've seen older pictures of thai boxers clinching and throwing elbos, so maybe it was just a regional thing.
but thats intuitive of you to see the usefulness of elbowing in a clinch, and believe me it's effective
another interesting instance of giving an elbo, just in case you might be amused, is when you have them in a two handed neck clinch and they naturally want the inside so they try to snake on hand inside to the back of your neck. on the way, you quickly let go of their neck and grab their hand, and while you have their hand you rotate that elbow right up into their temple.
i do that a lot but its awsome to watch when someone really good does it.
i guess im getting off topic so... Muay Thai's Great!!
Yeah i seen them older ones clinch and throw a elbow too,but not pull a head into a elbow shot.
I watch guys like Wanderlei Silva and Chuck Liddel and as bad ass as they are at striking, I'm still far more impressed with the striking accuracy, power and efficiency of boxers.
Chuck Liddell and Fedor both drive me crazy. They have such bad form with the loopy power punches all the time, but theyre so crazily effective. It drives me insane.
That aside, I have mixed feelings about Muay Thai. It's definately crazy effective, especially in the clinch with the elbows and knees. And their leg kicks are wicked effective, too. However, the one thing I've really noticed is that most Muay Thai fighters can't really punch worth a damn. Some of the best Thai fighters I've seen have a boxing background.
I agree. I've never been impressed with the striking of Muay Thai guys. Although pound for pound Liddel throws as hard a stright right as anyone out there. That's why I opted to join a boxing gym. Anyone can kick a shin or clinch the back of a head and lift a knee. But not everyone can throw effective left and right hooks, or proper crisp, quick jabs. And few can effectively bob and weave, slip and catch punches. That's also a huge part of why I opted to box...the defense is amazing. They're so tough to hit.
they aren't tough to hit once you've done a double leg take down and in the full mount....or once you've closed the distance got in a thai clinch now are they?...boxing is great and everything you learn through it will be helpful but always remember its a very one dimensional combat sport. if you figure most "real world" fights happen in a much more closed in space than a ring you better have something else other than a great jab and head movement when your opponent bulls you into a corner.
Thats why God invented the judo chop!
http://imagecache2.allposters.com/IMAGES/ata/23988M.jpg
A) The same could be said for muay thai guys. They're stand-up too. B) Pretty nice dimension though.Quote:
Originally Posted by VanChilds
I also think it's easier to become skilled in a thai clinch or a leg kick than the sweet science of boxing. For the clinch, I think a judo throw would be kick-ass. Can't remember who said it, but throw someone to the concrete and they aint getting up.
you're right. throws are nothing but fun. me and me training buddy have a focused workout where we only clinch. then we set up striking apps, throws and takedowns. i'm better at the throws than he is ;D. he's better at takedowns though. but when you do them right, you can feel that their body weight doesn't resist you at all. mostly cause of the push pull tech. and when they get done correctly to you, as soon as you know whats going on, you're on the ground.
it's not exactly true that if you get thrown you're not getting up. if you know how to fall it's better
if you want to check out some throws, you should go to judoinfo.com they use a gi though so all you have to do is replace a hold on the gi with an underhook or overhook.
the one i really like is called Uchi-mata. i don't call it that. i just know how to do it
also i agree with you vanchilds that once you take a boxer to the ground, he's out of his game. basically, that whole argument boils down to what is "street effective" and i hate that argument because i know that i have no interest in getting in street fights. im an athlete and fighting is my sport. and while mma possibly comes the closest to street effective, it's boring to watch a ground and pound expert sit on their opponents chest and beat the hell out of them. aspects of fighting focusd by a set of rules is much more interesting to watch because the two athletes have to abide by the parameters of their fight. personally, boxing is not my favorite set of rules but it makes for a much more interesting fight than a street fight.
If it's street self defense you're looking for then muay thai is a good option. There's a myth that street fights end up on the ground. A one-on-one fight without rules will always end up on the ground, but from a self defense perspective if you find yourself on the floor you can expect to be filled in by the aggressor's friends and all the full guards and kimoras in the world won't help. In my opinion the best form of self defense is one which is explosive, can slow down the attacker and give you room to run. Muay Thai is ideal, because you have the leg kick, punching ability, the push kick and if someone grabs a hold you have upright clinching and kneeing to make them let go. Groundwork techniques should be concentrated on getting up as fast as possible in a "street" situation.
From a sports MMA perspective you should be focusing on three areas: Standup, takedown and ground. On your feet you want to learn to defend against and use hand strikes and kicks. Muay Thai is perfect for this. On the ground you want to work on the guard, mount and submission holds, so Braxilian Jiu Jutsu is ideal. Muay Thai also teaches some rudimentary takedowns, so if you're going to stick with any two arts then Muay Thai would be one of them for sure.
There again if you only want to compete in Muay Thai then that's cool, but you certainly can't hurt your chances with learning some boxing. Because most fighters aren't versed in the sweet science it's a great technique especially against a faster opponent to rush in and smother them with shots to the head and body. Most thai fights I have seen the fighters dislike their opponents throwing combinations.