fo2sh

can anybody please tell me whats the difference between KICKBOXING and MUAY THAI and which is better to train....or should i go with BOXING as it is better at street fights

Tom Yum

Hey Fosh, muay thai is a type of fighting from Thailand. Its techniques are simple, but effective. It is also a sport practiced like boxing held in a ring except fighters can kick, strike with their knees, wrestle from the clinch (when two fighters grab each other), punch and strike with elbows. Full contact muay thai is very dangerous so class sparring is done with light to moderate contact emphasizing speed and technique. Knee and elbow strikes can devistate a person. You can strike anywhere in muay thai except the groin, throat or eyes.

Kickboxing comes from a form of full contact karate fighting developed from American karate instructors during the 70's. The hand techniques are all borrowed from boxing, but the kicks come from tae kwon do, karate and kungfu. Kickboxing generally keeps all strikes above the waist and has limited clinching. Its still a challenging sport, but has more rules than muay thai.

In the 90's people started cross training in boxing and muaythai with great success. Some pro-boxers are picking up muay thai really well and will make superior stand up fighters, like Shannon Briggs. Some thaiboxers train in boxing to improve their hand speed, defense and mobility and have begun competing as boxers like Lucia Rijker and Chuck Liddell (before UFC).

Generally speaking muay thai fighters are tougher than kickboxers because of the differences in techniques and rules, but they are both well conditioned athletes. I have seen some American boxers who are extremely tough who can rock muay thai fighters with their punching power and intensity. Whether you take muaythai or boxing, you will be in good hands.

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Love it, leave it or fix it.

S.Anucha

Thai Bri I think posted this somewhere :

http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com...tfighting.html

Dude read it!

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"...Don't worry. When you are in the ring, you're all by yourself. No one can help you. So, all you can do is fight. So fight! Don't back down. Like in life, no one is going to live your life. So, no one is going to fight your fight for you. Muaythai is not winning or being better than the other guy. It is learning to lose before winning and to give from your heart before receiving. In muaythai, you always win and lose. So, don't worry. (Smile)..."

Toudiyama[NL]

Kickboxing in europe is the same as MT just not the anoying music
Kickboxing was first, MT came lateron
It is what Kurosaki developed after fighting the Thai
At that time WKA and PKA were karate orgs
After being beat by the Europeans, they started to change it a bit and called it Kickboxing too but still they did not understand that a lowkick isn't made with the by safetykicks protected instep but with the shin

European Kickboxing had the shin lowkick from the beginning

Also I believe Kickboxing in the US is a generic term meaning anything done with boxing gloves and kicking hence JKD kickboxing

So what's the difference, depends about which kickboxing you are talking

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S.Anucha

Toudiyama, Kickboxing (full contact) was invented by Karate practitioners because they were fed up with fighting Karate fights the way they were. Kickboxing involves techniques taken mostly from Karate (today though they kickboxing uses some Thai techniques)

Kickboxing is not Muay Thai, never was and never will be. Muay Thai was invented, not invented simply a few rules added to the original Muay Boran in 1930 to prevent the serious injury risk. modern Muay Thai came about in 1930. Around 400 years ago the Thai army decided, during peace time, that they would keep sharp by having friendly fights amongst fellow soldiers, so using the unarmed skill of Krabi-krabong (maemai) they then had the first bouts of Muay Thai, then it was like the current Lethwei bouts you'd find in Burma, head butts, groin shots and with fists bound with rope. Nothing like kickboxing in style, techniques.

techniques used in Muay Thai are completely different to those found in Kickboxing, Muay Thai (as well as some other S.E.Asian systems) has its own style and movement, Kickboxing is square, they look tight and do not move like you're SUPPOSED to move in Muay Thai.

European Muay Thai fights are not like the Muay Thai fights you will find in Thailand! full stop, obviously you will have championship bouts that hold "full" Muay Thai rule fights but in general European Muay Thai is a little dilluted. That doesnt mean what people in Europe are being taught isnt Muay Thai. But I do believe many kickboxing gyms are taking some techniques from Muay Thai and adding it to their own then selling their brand of kickboxing under the name of Muay Thai.

When I see a Muay Thai fighter, this is just my opinion and I share the same with my Thai teacher, moving like a kickboxer/boxer, you know, jumping around and moving about like he's on speed, looking too tight and square then I do not see that as good Muay Thai style. Just my opinion and you may think different, Muay Thai should be with gracefull movements, slow methodic movements and striking fast and hard, my teacher always said to "be like a snake" move slow and "loose" never tight and jump around, feel the rythm and focus on teh fight then strike like a snake would strike, fast and f'ing hard! My teacher teaches my Muay Boran, he is a good fighter and teacher.

As for the music, the apparent disliking to the Sarama played during fights tells me of your inexperience to Muay Thai, dont take offense to that, I feel it is as important in a fight as is the technique and style. Ihave just begun learning Krabi-Krabong, this is where Muay Thai came from, and I can feel its relation, the movements, footwork. Muay Thai is nothing like Kickboxing, the Ram Muay has in it techniques and it wasnt until I was shown some actual Krabi-Krabong techniques that I then realised what some of the ground stompin shit was in the Muay Dance perfomed before a Muay Thai fight, it's all very very traditional, it takes you to want to know why and it also takes you to have a good teacher and be genuinely interested in Thai arts to get past the "ding ding" and the music.

Enjoy and goodluck.

__________________
"...Don't worry. When you are in the ring, you're all by yourself. No one can help you. So, all you can do is fight. So fight! Don't back down. Like in life, no one is going to live your life. So, no one is going to fight your fight for you. Muaythai is not winning or being better than the other guy. It is learning to lose before winning and to give from your heart before receiving. In muaythai, you always win and lose. So, don't worry. (Smile)..."