whats more dangerous-muay thai or boxing?

[terry]

Originally posted by MuayThaiFighter
I personally have never heard of a MuayThai kickboxer dieing from fighting,unless the fighter had brain damage to begin with, and had been told by doctors not to fight any more.I read something like that in a newspaper once,but the brain damage hadn't come from kickboxing, it had come from a disease that ran in his family.

(*Cough*) About 15 people die in the ring in Thailand every year. This actual number is actually several times higher because the Thais don't count the people that die after they get out of the ring. Note: Because the Thais believe is is very bad luck for someone to die in the ring they literally throw a fighter who has been knocked out onto a stretcher and hustle them out of the ring. It is quite disturbing to see when it goes down.

Most people die from internal bleeding resulting from knee strikes. Second, people die from cerebral injuries resulting from elbow strikes. Third, people die from injuries sustained as a result of kicks, many of these are from kicks directed at the neck.

T

[M@T]

Originally posted by kh_s
try to find that kickboxing shin break video around here, or kazaa.

I take it you mean This

[SOUTHPAW]

Boxing vs. Muay Thai

The cumulative effect of repeated blows to the head is what causes permanent neurological impairment. Boxing lends itself to this because the focus in narrower. Trust me, I have been KTFOed in the ring as a boxer, and your "bell" rings for a few days afterwards. Having said that, lets remember that both sports are for real fighting sports, not the watered down version of tournament fighting that I have seen with a lot of so-called martial arts. Anytime you go at it full-on in the ring you risk injury...that's just part of the game.
I once heard Bobby Czyz (former world champion) describe Muay Thai as "A particularly brutal form of kickboxing" (paraphrasing here) That's coming from a fighter that fought in some great bouts during his boxing career, and certainly knows what he's talking about.

[Damian Mavis]

MuayThaiFighter, alot of your facts are wrong and all your information seems to be based on your limitted knowledge and experience with Muay Thai in your area. I think what people are asking about is Muay Thai in an international sense... not what goes down in your academy in your city.

As someone already mentioned, many people die every year in Muay Thai matches regardless of whether you have heard of them or not. Most fights do not go only 3 rounds due to fatigue or getting kneed in the face... most fighters are in top notch shape and tough as nails and go the distance with early knockouts and inability to continue being the rare way to win. You have to realise that what goes on where you train is not what goes on everywhere else and to tell people that Muay Thai is like this or it is like that based on your personal experience is not such a great idea.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

[Tom Yum]

Hey Damian, how do Thai natives and farang who train in Thailand get so dang tough?

I read through some of the routines from your visits and about one of your fights, which was awesome. But do they just take harsh beatings via hard body sparring frequently? Do they do any body toughening?

I was allways told sparring was done light and quick so the guy could show up to the fight without injury and hopefully collect his pay.

[Damian Mavis]

typed a nice response but as usual it didn't go through here and I lost it... I don't know why I have such a hard time posting here.

Basically if you train in Thailand you pick up on a "never give up" attitude and it grows on you until it becomes part of your thinking. I didn't see any body conditioning excersises to toughen up the fighters while training at the camps but there was alot of contact training. Those fighters you see kicking the poop out of eachother aren't so tough that they don't feel pain, they are so tough that they ignore the pain and persevere and fight through it. I think it has more to do with developing heart than actually developping your body to take punishment. The fighters with a hundred fights under thier belt do not feel pain as much as they used to I am told though.

Yes the sparring at most camps is light for the Thai fighters as they have to fight regularly for a living and can't afford to nurse any injuries or sore spots. Of course their idea of light and your average North americans is a little different. At places like Lamai Muay Thai where they deal almost exclusively with Farang fighters the sparring was a little more intense, people aren't worried so much about you not being able to fight as you don't make a living from it like a poor Thai guy.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD