Tiger

Whats up everyone? I'm 27 and now thinking about taking up a Muay Thai class at a local gym. My main goal is to get in really good shape and learn a fighting style as well. I'm not looking to be a fighter but want to be able to whoop some tail if needed. What can I expect from doing this and is it worth trying?

Thanks

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Tom Yum

Muaythai is physically demanding itself, so alot of emphasis is based on conditioning. Muaythai practitioners run, skip rope, swim, do drills, punch/kick bags, pads and spar. Outside of that they sometimes lift weights, although not really the core of their work.

One of the most notable things I remember, when I went to my first lesson, was how bad of a beating my legs took -- and that was just from kicking relatively soft pads. However, you gradually get used to it and at some point in time will find yourself kicking and punching solid pads/bags.

Muaythai pracittioners use their legs, knees, elbows, fists and head as weapons - each in their respective range. Muaythai practitioners know how to put together decent punches but are by no means as good as western boxers unless they cross-train with them (something I learned the hard way...)

You spend alot of time doing live work with partners and sparring (spontaneous/non-choreographed) which is good because those are the only kinds of empty-handed fights you will come across.

Sparring is both scary and fun at the same time. The biggest benefit from sparring different practitioners/fighters of different sizes and experiences is that it makes you a much more tenacious fighter, understand your strengths and weaknesses and always press the fight forward.

Muaythai originally came from Thailand, derived from an art that used swords and staffs as battlefield weapons - the art of origin is called krabi krabong. If I'm not mistaken the more combat oriented form of muaythai uses more limb-destruction moves than the sport used in the ring today. Prior to the early 1900's, matches were fought till the death but as it became more of a past-time the boxing ring and boxing gloves were introduced as were timed rounds.

Before the UFC became huge in the US (mid-90's), muaythai was already popular in the sports/martial arts communities of Japan, Australia, The Netherlands and Brazil.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Keep looking for more information and I'm sure you'll find what you need.

Good luck.

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ltindiandaeng

Hello Tiger I have lived in Thailand for quite a while and have martial arts school here but I am not a muay thai player,but I have learned some from my students who are and think it is a wonderful form of self defense for a young man,as it is very strenuous as Tom Yum says,and the MT guys I see can defend themselves very well.I have been told by people here,including a monk who is a really tough guy,that there is misconceptions generally about MTs origin.I used to think MT came from krabi-krabong,as Tom Yum says,but people here say different.Krabi krabong is still practiced here in a few places,but is separate from MT.Muay thai originally derived from combat oriented arts now called muay boran,which means ancient fighting,but originally were known by area they derived from,such as muay korat,muay songkhlai,etc. There was also a sparring form called muay chayka,in which fighters wrapped hands in rope,sometimes embedded with pieces of glass. It is true also about the limb destruction being a very important part of training.There is a school teachinbg ancient forms in Chiang Mai,and this is where I get some of this info.Anyway good luck with the muay thai training it will be worthwhile I believe.

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Khun Kao

Furthering the historical discussion...

"Muay Boran" is actually a modern term for the wide range of "Muay" styles. Most were named after the region they came from... Muay Chaiya, Muay Korat, etc.

Muay Thai and Krabi Krabong are very inter-related systems, because one who would learn Krabi Krabong would also learn what is now referred to as "Muay Boran". While many of these schools seperated a long time ago and the Muay Boran style became a full art unto itself, you have to understand how closely relateed they are. Kinda like how modern Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are martial arts unto themselves, but they developed from Japanese Jujutsu.

__________________
Kru Brooks C. Miller
GCA MuayThai Board of Advisors
USMTA Director of DC, MD, and VA
http://khunkao.com/

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Tom Yum

This is a great discussion so far.

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Tiger

Thanks guys, I will be sitting in on a MT class next week.

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CLB

Starting out my personal preferences is to avoid the "class" enviornment and hook up with privates with a good MT coach. Since MT is so popular now I see so many new guys come into classes and the coaches don't have enough time to drill the proper stance/form with them. I say avoid all that garbage and just pay the $$ to work with a coach for the first month or two, and by then you should be able to come into a class without having to worry about deprograming bad habits later on.

One good session with a coach is better than 10 bad classes IMO.

Just my two cents.

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Tom Yum

Oh and whomever neg repped me for supporting McCain is jelaous because they refuse to support the better man.

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DominicanMMA

that information will be very useful, that is very true i use to train muay thai in classes and it really did not work well, private classes are better for beginners.

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da_mill

I would add that the value of the class depensd on your exisitng level of fitness- in classes here in the Uk the 'general format' (of those I have attended, obv) is

arrive - warm up - conditioning (push ups, crunches, squats etc) - stretching - focus mitt / thai pad drills - sparring.

If you have a level of conditioning that is rubbish, there's no point in doing private lessons because you'll be so fecked from the warm up you won't be taking in teh information and learning it properly.

BUT, if you have a level of fitness that is good, privates all the way That way you can learn technique properly and from someone experienced who's devoting their time to you.

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Ghost

regarding privates, speak to the instructor.
When i teach privates, i tailor it directly to their fitness level, so if their fitness is low we work on technique more. Having said that they still get pushed hard.

__________________
There are no second chances.

“Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.”

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fire cobra

I dont push people on the fitness front when i teach private tuition unless they are getting ready to box,i teach technique and understanding of the game during their session,i tell them to run to and back from the lesson if they want to be real fit rather than paying me for pushupps or circuits!.

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da_mill

I think it depends on the students goals - I don't want to do fitness work in my privates, because I want to be a better fighter. But if people are tryign to get fit / lose weight etc they may want that. (not putting down your teaching at all by the way, just pointing it out!)

Anyways, was posting cos I know how tiring boxing is lol - if you really aren't fit enough to make a decent training session then however much you get your technique corrected, as soon as you get tired, you'l make the obvious mistakes - as in your hands will drop, you wont return them to your chin quickly enough before throwing, etc.

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fire cobra

I understand your point bro,if people ask me specificaly for fitness work only then thats fine by me and thats what they get.

The main point i tell my students is learning Muay Thai is like buy one get one free,learn the art and you will get fit just by doing it.

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