kh_s

Well I was suppose to start at the age of 14, actually I was 13 turning 14 in like 3 months. But like it matters? But the gym didn`t really focus on Muay Thai too much so I quitting, (there goes a f*cking 5 months waste with TKD kicks, prolly screwed me up now) I heard that if you take TKD and after you take MT, you have to somehow "unlearn" your kicks to do a proper Thai kick... But i give credit to my school for shaping up my body hee hee I can sorta see a 6-pack, but I`ll tell you this, I ALSO DO WORKOUTS AT HOME!

eXcessiveForce

I was actually 4 when I started.

And Master Toddy who is a well known Muay Thai instructor in england requires his fighters to take several years of TKD before they fight in the ring with Muay Thai.

I also learned most of the thai kicks while training TKD and I know what the different kicks are for.

Thai kicks are powerful. But I have seen just as many broken arms, broken ribs, and knockouts with TKD kicks as with Thai kicks.


Hell I've launch students 10 to 15 feet backwards and knocked the off their feet.

I'd tell you some training is better than no training. It is not hard for me to modify techniques but i've been doing martial arts for 20 years.

The trick is forgetting what you know so that you can stay open minded about new techniques. I have trained with people who did different systems and I would seen the weaknesses of what they did, but I had to forget about that so that I could find the strengths.


From what you've posted I think you worry to much about styles instead of finding things that might work for you.

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eXcessiveFORCE.

If you must use force, make it excessive.

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Crouchtig

i did TKD for a year then quit and started MT. i havnt "unlearned" any moves, i just think: "ive learned how to do a TKD kick, now im learning to do a thai kick aswell." i see them as two completely different moves rather than two versions of the same move. i keep the TKD kick as an example of a kick that comes from a completely different system.

but i can see how someone who spent a long time learning to do a move a particular way might have trouble adapting to a new style.

PS: ive held the pad for an MT begginer who im pretty sure has done TKD for a long time. TKD kicks can be very powerful if trained for long enough (the advantage of MT is that it takes less time to develop a powerful kick)

when i did TKD, when i wanted to kick hard i used to do a kick which i now think was like a cross between TKD and MT.

retired

my instructor (retired british champion) also trained with master Toddy & master Sken and spent a lot of time in thailand with them & the reason master Toddy wanted you to train in TKD is (which you obviously know but maybe others don't) is because he and master sken had a large backround in TKD & thought this was a good place to start with the well respected kicking & stretching skills of TKD.
I saw master Sken do a demonstation at the Birmingham NEC in 1995 where he had 2 of his students, one sat on the shoulders of the other holding out a very sharp sword with an apple stuck on the end, he then jumped up and done a jumping spinning hook kick & knocked off the apple into the crowd (might not sound impressive until you have stood next to Master Sken and realise just how short he is).
I might just put some Master Sken demonstrations onto mpg just to show people how impressive he is!!!!
fthaimike@hotmail.com

eXcessiveForce

Well it is a small world.

I read an article about master toddy in a MA mag about 6 to to years ago. Time flies when you are getting your brains beat on several times a week

The system of TKD that I have done most of my life uses "Thai kicks" But we never refered to them as thai kicks. We refered to them as Fluid Shockwave kicks. Most of the time you didn't learn them until about halfway through the color belt ranks.

It's amazing to me that people often will try to say one type of kicking is harder than another. The power is dependent on Speed, Mass, and target.

Fluid Kicks on bony surfaces get you hurt. because the weakest thing will give. Like your leg Retired.

Snap kicks use impulse shock. Which deliver the energy and pull out. This does damage to the target without the recoil going into the body.


Fluid is for muscle and squishy spots. Impulse is for bony surfaces or to damage organs under muscle.



Physics determines the force of kicks not country of origin. Training and conditioning will determine force of a kick.

knowing how and when to throw the different types of kicks is the key.

__________________
eXcessiveFORCE.

If you must use force, make it excessive.

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A success and achievement community

kh_s

is there such thing as a kick called "Unstoppable Side kick or something ?" Cause I like doing that kick, its like you shuffle side ways and do a side kick. But anyways, my Instructor at my school is specialized in TaekWondo, he`s got about 20 years and was kickboxing champ several times. I guess he has pretty strong kicks (He also trains in grappling, and not sure about pankration), He says he can be cocky sometimes so he was kicking some pads, the person holding the shield for a sidekick went running back prolly 20 feet, (we were on the other side of the gym, and all of the sudden I see him bumped into the other side of the gym) BTW he stated that he has been into bar fights, and he has scars to prove it. But I am still going to quit, I just don`t like TaekWondo for some reason.

...Just wanted to share some stuff

terry

I got started in Muay Thai one hot, smoggy September afternoon in Claremont, California. Because it was hot that day I took notice of a guy wearing a down jacket. He was putting up flyers. I looked at the flyer and it said, "Class in Thai Kick Boxing taught by expert instructor." Expert had been underlined a couple of times.

I said, "Hey, do you know anything about that karate class?"

A deep voiced man with a thick Thai accent nodded and answered, "A little bit."

"So, what's it like?" I asked.

"It's great for getting in shape, it's great for fighting, and it's lots of fun." he explained cheerfully.

"I'll try it," I said. The man smiled and handed me a flyer for the class. Three nights a week from 7 to 9:30 PM just a few blocks away.

The man concluded as he waved, "Well, I'll see you there."

I had never studied martial arts before and had no idea about Thai Boxing or kickboxing. I also had no idea that I was talking to a young man by the name of Surachai "Chai" Sirisute that would become my mentor, a close family friend and inspiration. That was 25 years ago. I was 15.

Terry

P.S.: When I told this story to Guro Dan he patted me on the back and said, "God was watching you that day."

kh_s

Man I wish I had your luck, me having a chance training at a local Thai Gym (not popular or well known but still decent Thai training) would be like, already too good for me !!

crazyjoe380

i was 16 ... now i'm 26....

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darrianation

I was seventeen almost 18. I did it for three years then on and off for a couple more years,cuz' i went into the sevice. I'm 37 now although I have taken karate many more years I still practice my muay thai on my own 3-4 days a week (mostly shadow boxing and heavy bag). I also attend seminars every now and then. I've even gone to a couple master toddy's, and fairtex. I get my ass kicked in sparrring alot at these camps, I don't get to sparr at home to much. I tried tkd but quikly found it was'nt for me about 6mo. not enough time to change the way I do things. Even in karate i still use alot thai while sparring. It's real effective against these guys, and it makes me feel good to win. Alot of the guys tell me after that their legs are really hurting. I spared a tkd black belt not to long ago he told me about two weeks later he had trouble walking for about a week.

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Hulk

i started muay thai somtime in august last year... 19. now i am 20. The last traning was Thursday night, it hurted so bad when i tried a spin kick during sparring, but my sparring partner exchanged a front kick right here, behind me... the strike connected to the groin area..... bloody painful... i hope it wont have to happen again..

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retired

HULK i got a mpg of me doing almost the same thing in the ring only i kicked him in the gut as he tried to kick my leg.

send us an email address and i'll send it + more.

swan104

Hey Hulk! A similar thing happened to me too. It happened when I threw a roundhouse at someone just as they threw a front kick. The front kick pulled my groin guard to one side and hit me right in thr balls. I just fell to the floor and the pain didn't go away for about 20 minutes. It also snapped the elastic strap on my groin guard.

And we actually pay to do this!

Oh well, it could have been worse!!

Steven

Khun Kao

I was 22. I had originally begun training in Tang Soo Do, and then moved on to Ninjitsu. I had heard about Muay Thai, and my training partners and I would read up on any Muay Thai info we could find and attempt to imitate the techniques.

Then, one of my friends went to a Master Chai seminar. When he came back he had SO MUCH info to share with us. It was incredible! But it was almost another year before I got my first real taste.

I had gone to a Karate Tournament that summer, and while there I noticed a booth that was selling Karate equipment AND advertising Muay Thai. I got their information and contacted them during the week.

I admittedly did not expect much. I had already experienced people who 'claimed' to know Muay Thai, but turned out to have no more knowledge about the art than I did. When I called the school, they explained that their instructor was Master K, and that he was in Thailand. He was supposed to be returning in another week. I formed a mental image of some ex-military guy who had trained in a little Muay Thai while stationed in Asia. Like I said, I wasn't really expecting much.

The day came where I showed up for my first trial lesson. My friend and I arrived early and were warming up when this little Thai man walks in and is introduced as Master K. He proceeded to get warmed up, and while we watched him shadowbox, my friend and I realized that we had found the genuine article!

As soon our first trial class was over, my friend and I couldn't sign up and pay for our first month fast enough!

The rest, as they say, is history. I have been training, fighting, and teaching for Master K since that day. Its going on 12 years now...

Khun Kao

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Kru Brooks C. Miller
USMTA Director of DC, MD, and VA
http://khunkao.com/

RayD550

Well I waited a little longer then most of you. I had always wanted to train in something but never had the time or the money. When all the kids were training in TKD I had to work to help support my family. So I never got the chance when I was a kid. As an adult well life kind of took over and it was work, work and more work. Never thinking I had the time to train. After 9/11 work dried up and I needed to find a job. A friend of mine told me about a job in Thailand throwing caution to the wind I was off. There I was introduced to the sport of Muay Thai. I had seen it in the states a few time and in the movies but it was never like this. After completing my 2 year contract I was back to the states. Still having the urge to train in something but did not know what I was looking for. Then I remembered the sport of Muay Thai thinking hey I can give that a try. Then I started my search for a school that was true Muay Thai it took me over 6 months to find one that I liked and thought the skills I was looking for. It has been almost a year now since I started training and my skill level is improving. That is how at 39 I started to train in Muay Thai.