MT, hand techniques and cross-training

[bartjam]

Hi all,

Although I practice WingTsun Kung Fu and not Muay Thai, I like MT very much and rate it as an effective and spectacular martial art.
Here where I live I found that too many MT practitioners tend to use kicks too much and to underestimate punches and elbows. They explained to me this is due to referees who give more points for successful kicking in tournements. I think hand/elbow/knee techniques are extremely effective both in the ring and in the street.
I was curious to know if you train and practice a lot of punches/elbow in your gyms and also if you cross-train your MT with some grappling art as a regular basis. Here in Italy there are gyms who directly teach MT/BJJ for free-fight.

Bye

[dbok1]

Bartjam,

Every school is different then the other, and what and how they teach is different as well. You'll notice here in the US, hand techniques are used more, but oversea's like in your case they concentrate more on kicks and knee's the more traditional way of teaching Muay Thai. Also here in the US elbows are generally not allowed in most states. I hope that answers some of your questions.

As far as cross training I do MMA and BJJ both. It's great to be able to fight from both standing and grappling.

Best Regards,