Boxing & Muay Thai

[Testosterone]

Hey guys,

I had no idea where to put this thread, whether it should be in the boxing, or the thai forums, so I just put it in the most active forum .

I just wanted to ask some of the more experienced guys here if it would be beneficial for someone to study both american boxing and muay thai at the same time.

Before everyone begins to think I am asking a stupid question, the only reason I am asking this is because I am wondering whether the two can really be used together (due to different stances, positioning, and maybe entirely different hand techniques - I am unsure).

Opinions?

Thanks

T.

[Berserk001]

Yes you will probably learn better punching on boxing and kicking on MT.

I did boxing for 2 years and it really helped me with my punching.

[EmptyneSs]

Originally Posted by Testosterone

Hey guys,

I had no idea where to put this thread, whether it should be in the boxing, or the thai forums, so I just put it in the most active forum .

I just wanted to ask some of the more experienced guys here if it would be beneficial for someone to study both american boxing and muay thai at the same time.

Before everyone begins to think I am asking a stupid question, the only reason I am asking this is because I am wondering whether the two can really be used together (due to different stances, positioning, and maybe entirely different hand techniques - I am unsure).

Opinions?

Thanks

T.

i train in boxing and mt. i train in them seperately as well as together, and yes they really work well together. i stay in my boxing stance most of the time, but my stance is a bit lower than a boxers or mt guy. i keep my hips a little lower so i can watchout for takedowns, and it also allows me to get under punches and counter to the body when someone takes a shot at me. my stance isnt as rigid as authentic muay thai and i dont bait for shots to my body because of having to watchout for takedowns. keeping your hands too high will let someone grab a hold of your body easier. also, my body isnt squared up as much as a mt guys, my upper body is a bit more sideways so i can get maximum reach with my jab and be able to better parry/counter incoming punches. my instructor was a competitive boxer for many years before learning muay thai, so his style is a blend of both. even though my stance is a little different and im more crouched than a pure boxer or pure mt guy, i can still employ all muay thai weapons and defend kicks easily.

the only concern i have about using these arts together is learning them seperately by yourself and trying to use them together. i was lucky to have an instructer that taught me how to use them together, i dont think i would have learned to use em together as well if i had tried to learn each seperately from 2 different instructors. but nowdays many people learn boxing and mt together, so finding a place to learn both shouldnt be too hard.

[Testosterone]

Thank you for your reply guys.

Emptyness, I enjoyed your thoroughly informative reply. I wanted to ask though, how do you find time to study two arts in a dedicated manner? Do you take multiple lessons in each a week or not? Also, do you study grappling?

Thanks again,

T

[Shoot]

If you are interested in blending MT with boxing, then you might want to find a school/class that teaches them in a compatible way with equal emphasis on punching as kicking, knees, elbows, and clinching (if you can find such a place sometimes called "american muay thai" or "americanized muay thai"). A "mixed martial arts" school probably meets that description. Technically punching is included in MT but it is not used much in traditional MT.

Boxing is my center piece striking art. It is the foundation for my standing MA (wrestling for takedowns/defense and BJJ on the ground). I build off of it for everything, including weapons (boxing arose out of knife and sword fighting). I study MT for the kick defense and have incorporated some of the elbows and knees which are easily compatable with boxing (and were used in original boxing along with shin rakes, ear biting, and head butts).

However, the MT stance is difficult to box from. You can't punch effectively with your hands that high. Also, in the MT I learned, the stance is very straight on and squared up whereas in boxing you are bladed in most styles. Being squared up frees your hip for round kicking. Power in boxing comes from forward movement in the case of the jab and twisting the waist and driving the hips forward in the case of the cross (hence the bladed stance). If you are squared up you cannot effectively rotate your hips for a powerful cross. Also, the punch has to come from the shoulder to be strong. If thrown from too low or too high they tend to just flick.

I'll add this too. I have found it difficult and akward to blend kicking, punching, and elbowing in combinations. In the MT class I took I was kind of in shock at how ridiculous the combinations were. I can understand throwing a snappy lead leg front kick to distract your opponent to set up a punch, but mixing powerful round kicks with punching just didn't work for me. When you divide your training time among so many techniques you run the risk of not being very good at any of them. Effective kicking takes a lot longer than most realize. A rare few are gifted at it. The rest of us might need years to perfect it to the point of being able to use it without it backfiring. Personally it was easier for me to get as good as i can at boxing and learn how to defend against low kicks. I would NEVER throw a kick in a self defense scenario. People rant about not going to the ground, don't get me started on kicking in a real fight. If you're not damn good, and I mean really damn good at kicking, you could get seriously hurt. I mention this so that you can consider the benefits of specializing in a few techniques versus mastering many. Not detracting from MT, just something to think about.

My advice is that you should find a MT class that actually uses punches because you're interested in that, but I think you should find a boxing class too so you can feel the difference in punching from the different stances. Then you can decide what suits you better. I would say that MT changes boxing in very important ways that you should be aware of otherwise you might have false impressions about the full value of hand strikes and fast footwork.

[Testosterone]

Thank you shoot. Your post was extremely helpful. Those two may be the most helpful posts ive ever read on these great forums .

[EmptyneSs]

Originally Posted by Testosterone

Thank you for your reply guys.

Emptyness, I enjoyed your thoroughly informative reply. I wanted to ask though, how do you find time to study two arts in a dedicated manner? Do you take multiple lessons in each a week or not? Also, do you study grappling?

Thanks again,

T

luckily i train at a mma gym were many different arts can be learned at the same place. however, the main guy i train under teaches us boxing and muay thai intertwined as one style so i only need to show up to his class to learn both. he puts alot of emphasis on perfect form and technique in our punching. also when we spar, we dedicate a few rounds to boxing only so we can focus just on our hands before we spar kickboxing style. our gym also offers boxing only classes in addition to muay thai.

i also train in bjj because it is offered at our gym as well. usually ill show up and take an hour of muay thai/boxing then move over to the mats and take an hour of bjj. i can only go to the ma gym like twice a week now, mabye 3 if im lucky so i make sure to train in both striking and grappling the days im able to attend so i can keep improving both areas.

btw, kicks can compromis your balance but thats why they are best used as counters or best used when they are set up with other strikes. this will minimize the chance of your kick being countered. never attack with a kick unless u are setting up a punch with it. for example i like to counter the lead jab with a hard rear leg roundhouse or counter a jab or punch with a hard push kick. or sometimes i will throw a fast inside leg kick when im boxing in order to land a punch to the face and vice versa. its all about deception.

[aseepish]

Keep in mind that bobbing and weaving are not taught in Muay Thai, as these are typically invitations to a knee in the face. Boxers have weaknesses that can be exploited by Thaiboxers, and Thaiboxers have weaknesses that can be exploited by boxers.