Looks like Muay Thai is the choice

[sk12879]

Well, I've been trying to decide on which art to begin training in. I've done some research, along with checking out the availabilities here in Louisville, KY. I'm going to get in contact with the only Muay Thai dojo in the city tomorrow. What kinds of things should I look for when I go to check the place out?

I'm really looking for an art that can be easily adapted to the street (not that I'm much into fighting, but you never know), and Muay Thai seems to offer that, not concentrating too much on the kicking aspect of fighting. Any other MA's that I should check out that would somewhat fit along these lines?

Thanks

[Typhoon]

Well as far as muy thai goes make sure you visit at least 3 of their classes and see what they are doing in there, see if you like and check out the instructers background, where he learned how many fights was he in etc. But about the street adapting martial art is in my opinion is that anythign you take you can apply to the street, a lot of great martial artist will tell you that, but if you are gonna go on peoples most often choices a lot pick grappling like jujitsu, bbj, judo. And a lot of peopel have used grappling succesfuly inb the street keepign in mind that you wont be fighting pro fighters or peopel with martial arts back ground in general.

[JIMI]

I have been training MT for 6 years and i can tell you that my kicks are what i rely on the most on the street. Of all other martial arts out there, i cant see any of them that have as practical of a kick that can be applied easily on the street. Remember that for the most part, people on the street will come to you with thier hands, so the general rule of thumb here is to take them out of thier element and throw in some kicks. Trust me kicking works great on the street.

[K i o n]

yeah, as a stand-up martial art nothing beats Muay Thai for streetfighting IMO... i've heard american schools don't focus much on kicking as much as the thai/other schools do, but ours does a nice mix of both...

even if ya dont use any kicks (which you should, definitely) i'd say the upper body moves i've learned in muay thai are very easy to use and very effective, a well-timed elbow strike will seriously mess someone up. hehe

[darrianation]

Definitely check out the instructor's credentials. Also what about assistant instructors and their resume's.what type of fighters train there. Are they serious about what they do? you can learn alot from some of the top fighters. Also sparring is very important. Do they spar regularly? eqiupment? Will you break a sweat?
As far as self defense (I havent trained in grappling arts which I think are good) but have in MT, and last time i got into a fight I only used one technique a shin kick to his thigh. I didnt need any finnishing techniques 'cuz he was done. And no i dont get into many street fights.

[sk12879]

Well, the only Muay Thai place I could find in the city is no longer in existence. I've been taking TKD for abotu 3 weeks now and it's great. We spar nightly and I go home drenched in sweat. I've been learning alot....mainly about keeping my guard up. I've boxed before, so I don't have a problem landing blows to even the upper belts. But they always end up countering with some viscious kick. But I'm learning and that's what it's all about. Coupled with my running, I've dropped like 5 or 6 lbs just from this (I was already in good shape) and my flexibility has improved drastically.

[darrianation]

I'm really not a big fan of tkd, but i'm also not a fan of knocking other ma's . Thats great you get a good workout and sparrinhg is very important to learn and maintain timing and to learn what you can and cannot do. Also tkd has some pretty good sparring strategies. However it's not known for great self defense. It's not the one art many of us would choose for the street. If your not into grappling and want to stick with striking, boxing, kick boxing, or one of the karate dojos that are heavy into self defense will do nicley.also the filipino arts are very good. But if you like where you are (tkd) then all the power to you. Stick with it and learn what you can.