I did muay thai for 4 years after doing TKD and i can say that the kicks are good just for the damage they can cause and distance they can keep you at, ive won many street fights when i was at school with just a foot jab and a roundhouse to the ribs, now im older i think i would also opt to remain on 2 feet in a fight but my earlier years were all about kicks, the elbows are good but like people have mentioned you gotta be up close so that means save them for after a clinch but to be honest after youve done with someone in a clinch there is no need for an elbow on the way out, you will build up the density of the bones in your shins if you start out hitting something hard but soft, basically something that is hard but will still conform to the shape of your shin rather than vice versa lol, like a heavy bag is perfect to start hardening your shins, and no matter what anyone says you will always feel pain in your shins there is no such thing as conditioning that will stop youfrom feeling pain, there is just the mindset that both fighters are in which is even if they are going to have the best fight of their life and destroy their opponent its gonna hurt a hell of a lot to do it and youve just gotta accept it, thats the reason i liked thaiboxing despite lack of tactics, its the self disciplin involved in fighting full muay thai