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Khun Kao · 04-05-2003, 06:45 PM

I, too, agree with Swan.

But I also believe that its a matter of personal preference. I have learned a number of variations of the Muay Thai basic stance. Some favor Kicking, some favor Boxing, and some favor neither.

Each stance is effective for certain scenarios and/or fighting strategys. Your choice of stance will depend on how you fight and how your opponent is fighting.

For instance, my *typical* stance is one that favors neither Boxing or Kicking. Its a semi-upright stance with the fighters weight slightly towards the rear (60/40 to 70/30 split) so that the front leg is easily brought up to defend or attack, and the hands are held high and slightly in front of the face (not quite as tight as your typical "Boxing" guard). By semi-upright, I mean that you're not standing straight up as you do in some Muay Thai stances, but you're not in a full Boxers crouch.

This is a good all-around basic stance, but if I had to choose one overall 'weakness', it would be that the stance is not designed for mobility. Yes, you can move effectively forward & backward, as well as laterally, but not much. If you are a fighter who likes to hit-n-run, and make your opponent swing and miss, this is NOT the stance to use.

If I want to move around a lot, I switch between an upright stance (which favors kicking) or a crouched stance, which favors Boxing. The Upright Stance for Kicking ranges between being 50/50 to 60/40 weight distribution with the guard held in a more extended manner. The Boxing stance is crouched with a 50/50 weight distribution and the guard held tight at jaw level.

In any event, you will probably experiment with a number of variations of the stance and settle on one, two, or maybe three different stances that you are comfortable using.

Khun Kao

04-05-2003, 06:45 PM	#5 (permalink)
Khun Kao Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Alexandria, VA Posts: 847 Groans: 0 Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts	I, too, agree with Swan. But I also believe that its a matter of personal preference. I have learned a number of variations of the Muay Thai basic stance. Some favor Kicking, some favor Boxing, and some favor neither. Each stance is effective for certain scenarios and/or fighting strategys. Your choice of stance will depend on how you fight and how your opponent is fighting. For instance, my typical stance is one that favors neither Boxing or Kicking. Its a semi-upright stance with the fighters weight slightly towards the rear (60/40 to 70/30 split) so that the front leg is easily brought up to defend or attack, and the hands are held high and slightly in front of the face (not quite as tight as your typical "Boxing" guard). By semi-upright, I mean that you're not standing straight up as you do in some Muay Thai stances, but you're not in a full Boxers crouch. This is a good all-around basic stance, but if I had to choose one overall 'weakness', it would be that the stance is not designed for mobility. Yes, you can move effectively forward & backward, as well as laterally, but not much. If you are a fighter who likes to hit-n-run, and make your opponent swing and miss, this is NOT the stance to use. If I want to move around a lot, I switch between an upright stance (which favors kicking) or a crouched stance, which favors Boxing. The Upright Stance for Kicking ranges between being 50/50 to 60/40 weight distribution with the guard held in a more extended manner. The Boxing stance is crouched with a 50/50 weight distribution and the guard held tight at jaw level. In any event, you will probably experiment with a number of variations of the stance and settle on one, two, or maybe three different stances that you are comfortable using. Khun Kao __________________ Kru Brooks C. Miller GCA MuayThai Board of Advisors USMTA Director of DC, MD, and VA http://khunkao.com/