Is Muay-Thai safe for me ?

[Bayroum]

Is Muay-Thai safe for me ?

As stated in another thread. Had my knee dislocated and elbow dislocated as well as my radial head fractured years ago.

I never did MT but really love what I hear and see about it. However, all the low kicks do look pretty dangerous for someone who had their knee cap kicked out before. I don't worry so much about my elbow since I can easily hit the heavy back using it and have no actual problems.

What is your take on that ? Wouldn't knee injuries be very common in Muay-Thai and does everyone stop as soon as they got a little ouchie on their knee ?

Discuss

 

[Holmejr]

Maybe and sometimes

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Knee injuries are not particularly common in Muay Thai. I've trained MT off and on for over 20 years and I can't remember ever seeing one. It's probably safer than other kicking arts because you don't generally use snapping kicks.

If I recall correctly from your other thread, your knee is fully healed, right? In that case I wouldn't expect you to be at any particular risk for injuring your knee.

Low kicks in MT generally usually target the thigh just above the knee rather than the knee itself.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Is Muay-Thai safe for me ?

As stated in another thread. Had my knee dislocated and elbow dislocated as well as my radial head fractured years ago.

I never did MT but really love what I hear and see about it. However, all the low kicks do look pretty dangerous for someone who had their knee cap kicked out before. I don't worry so much about my elbow since I can easily hit the heavy back using it and have no actual problems.

What is your take on that ? Wouldn't knee injuries be very common in Muay-Thai and does everyone stop as soon as they got a little ouchie on their knee ?

Discuss

For knees and elbows, yeah it's pretty safe. Haven't personally seen anyone get their knee hurt, and the way low kicks are done even if they landed on the knee it wouldn't do structural damage. Head damage is always possible - that's a given in any martial art.

 

[Oily Dragon]

From a purely kicking standpoint Muay Thai teaches what I call "meat on meat" kicking, and really those kicks are just setups for upper body strikes. You've got the teep to maintain distance, roundhouse to shock the leg and body, but that's all precursor to the fistwork, which is what settles most bouts.

Every so often in competition you'll see a high kick KO, but for the most part especially in decisions it comes down to all 8 limbs and from a tactical perspective, in MT your legs generally cover and defend your lower half, and help distract the opponent from maintaining their upper guard.

Here's probably my favorite MT fighter ever (Namkabuan). Watch carefully, you can actually see where and how he targets his kicks. Some call him a Muay Thai "genius". I concur. RIP, he died two years ago. Lung cancer.

 

[Oily Dragon]

Maybe and sometimes

Good answer.

The truth is, training and competing in a full contact MA like Muay Thai is safe until it isn't.

Muay Thai used to allow catching a kick and driving into the opponent, to throw them backward, something common in Sanshou.

But a MT fighter broke his neck from that, so it was removed from the ruleset.

For that reason I consider Muay Thai to be a lot safer than Sanshou, Lethwei, Vale Tudor, and even MMA.

 

[Holmejr]

In a way I was being facetious, because virtuously any physical activity has its potential for injury. First you have to decide if you’re physically in shape to perform the task. MT (art of 8 limbs) is actually a very graceful and fluid art. Hopefully, you’ll will be taught good body mechanics as a foundation. Hfc has been cw

 

[Bayroum]

Knee injuries are not particularly common in Muay Thai. I've trained MT off and on for over 20 years and I can't remember ever seeing one. It's probably safer than other kicking arts because you don't generally use snapping kicks.

If I recall correctly from your other thread, your knee is fully healed, right? In that case I wouldn't expect you to be at any particular risk for injuring your knee.

Low kicks in MT generally usually target the thigh just above the knee rather than the knee itself.

It makes crunch noises and clicking sounds. But since the accident was 4 years ago and I had it checked in the hospital right after the accident as well as 2020 by another doctor again, they all said its fine. I just have to do strength training and I know that as without it, it does feel odd.

But its not a case of it just snapping out randomly, one needs to really kick me hard against it for this to happen..

In a way I was being facetious, because virtuously any physical activity has its potential for injury. First you have to decide if you’re physically in shape to perform the task. MT (art of 8 limbs) is actually a very graceful and fluid art. Hopefully, you’ll will be taught good body mechanics as a foundation. Hfc has been cw

Quite honestly. I am 188 cm tall and weigh 118 kg. This is too heavy and I feel pain in both knees even the healthy one sometimes when walking up a hill (but only at the beginning). The obesity takes a toll on my joints and currently right now, I don't truly feel safe to do any martial art that involves sparring and kicks that force me to put my entire weight of 118 kg on only one leg while making fast turns.

I will have to lose 40 odd kg before I feel safe again and do some serious leg exercising and swimming since after my accident I never attended physical therapy due to moving countries.

However, the fire burns inside of my heart and soul and I miss the hell out of martial arts. I looked into wing-chun but since I am a guy who truly only enjoy " the real **** " (no offense intended for WT guys), Muay-Thai, Kickboxing, MMA, Sanshou and all these types of systems were always very high up there for me.

I did Taekwondo for several years (ITF). This was looooong after my first knee dislocation happened violently as a child due to someone smashing a door into my knee. My muscle was partially ripped back then and my ligaments had to heal up.

My second and last dislocation which also involved the fracture and dislocation of my elbow, happened when I wanted to start with martial arts again. I went into a Kickboxing club where oddly everyone used shoes while training and was even sparring and kicking in literally street shoes, which for me was a bit unusual.

In a nutshell, some beginner kicked my knee out the first day I went there, I dropped like a wet back on my stretched arm, my elbow was f... up and I went to the ER.

Luckily I did not need any surgery and only had to wear a half-cast on my arm for 1 or 2 weeks. There was nothing done on my knee, I could walk pretty much as soon as they popped my knee cap back in.

This is also the reason why I am here to gather information about the systems I might want to start, to take a bit off the fear. Because at this point I am truly scared of anything like this happening again, this was the worst experience in my life and I still remember laying there screaming like crazy while my instructor did not even bother much and did not even check in with me after, although I lived in the same street as him. This guy was scared I would press charges on him or something along that line I assume....

Long story. But this is how it all went down. Also, I have very very strong kicks, even when I haven't trained for years, I can make the building frame shake by kicking a heavy punching bag I feel this would truly come in handy in a system like Muay Thai

 

[Holmejr]

My advice, is to stop looking for sympathy and get to taking care of yourself. And don’t start crying, but take it as a motivational kick in the ars. Get a qualified personal trainer and get yer self back in action. Culture a warrior like mentality, not violent, but warrior like. Sh&t, I’m 68 years old, practice hard with kids less than half my age and feel some sort of pain all the time. If I died from a my heart stopping while sparring or even playing singles tennis, I would consider it a blessing. Don’t go down whimpering!

There, I’ve said my piece…

 

[Bayroum]

My advice, is to stop looking for sympathy and get to taking care of yourself. And don’t start crying, but take it as a motivational kick in the ars. Get a qualified personal trainer and get yer self back in action. Culture a warrior like mentality, not violent, but warrior like. Sh&t, I’m 68 years old, practice hard with kids less than half my age and feel some sort of pain all the time. If I died from a my heart stopping while sparring or even playing singles tennis, I would consider it a blessing. Don’t go down whimpering!

There, I’ve said my piece…

I am not looking for sympathy nor am I whining. I just don't want to break my health. lol.

And big respect to your discipline! How did the heart attack feel ? I am definitely scared of this.

 

[Holmejr]

I am not looking for sympathy nor am I whining. I just don't want to break my health. lol.

And big respect to your discipline! How did the heart attack feel ? I am definitely scared of this.

I haven’t had a heart attack. I should have said “a” heart attack. Sorry. I’m not necessarily an ultra disciplined person, I just did what I dig. So, what exactly are you going to do to get yourself on track to heath? Did you spend the day contacting doctors, fitness trainers or MA schools, etc? Go do what you need to do, THEN come back and share your progress. We love to encourage.

 

[Bayroum]

I haven’t had a heart attack. I should have said “a” heart attack. Sorry. I’m not necessarily an ultra disciplined person, I just did what I dig. So, what exactly are you going to do to get yourself on track to heath? Did you spend the day contacting doctors, fitness trainers or MA schools, etc? Go do what you need to do, THEN come back and share your progress. We love to encourage.

I went to a doc in 2020. He green lighted me for sports and martial arts.

But since then I gained weight and my knee sounds crunchy and clicky and hurts a little when I walk down a hill (definitely all the weight resting on my weak legs).

My plan is pretty straight forward:

- I go into swimming several times a week and I mean intensive swimming, not just a few lanes and home.
- I do specific mobility exercises for my legs and overall body, using resistance bands.
- I majorly adjusted my diet and skip dinner, perhaps a small meal such as a joghurt.
- I will see a doctor again by the end of the year to get checked again IF my symptoms have not cleared completely, to see if this is due to be still being not strong enough in my leg or if I have to worry.

I am actually quite disciplined when I have a goal and I am pretty confident about reaching my goal until January, max. next summer. Losing 40 kg isn't necessarily something one walks off in a day.