Muay Thai... the BEST?

[Julian Figiel]

Is it safe to say that Muay Thai is the most effective stand-up art out there? I am talking realistic and practical self defense and street fighting. I am just curious of peoples opinions.
Thanks!

 

[jks9199]

No, it's not.

Muay Thai is a very effective kickboxing system for sport. It can be used on the street. But there's no magic ultimate system.

 

[Tez3]

Is it safe to say that Muay Thai is the most effective stand-up art out there? I am talking realistic and practical self defense and street fighting. I am just curious of peoples opinions.
Thanks!

No, it's not safe to say that.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Is it safe to say that Muay Thai is the most effective stand-up art out there? I am talking realistic and practical self defense and street fighting. I am just curious of peoples opinions.
Thanks!

It's a very effective art, but so are many others. I doubt there is one single art which is 'most effective'. One might say that it is the most effective art for them, at a given time, in a given circumstance.

On MT, we tend not to get into wars over what is the 'best' MA out there.

By the way, you might want to introduce yourself over the new members section so that people can get to know you. Welcome to MT.

 

[Omar B]

Is it safe to say that Muay Thai is the most effective stand-up art out there? I am talking realistic and practical self defense and street fighting. I am just curious of peoples opinions.
Thanks!

Not at all, it's a sport. It's like assuming a champion skeet shooter would be a great soldier because he can shoot well.

There is a huge gulf between practical self defense and sport. Does MT deal with multiple attackers, armed attackers, ambushes, less than adequate circumstances(darkness, icy ground, wet ground, etc), does it end in slashings, stabbings, shootings and sometimes even death? No.

MT is designed for one on one where you and your opponent know you are going to fight months in advance and prepare for it (an attacker hardly ever lets you know ahead), in a perfectly lit situation where you can see your attacker, where you both are aware of the rules and the ref will protect you if the rules are not adhered to.

 

[Tez3]

Told you it wasn't safe Ah! is that a can of worms I see before me?

 

[Carol]

Told you it wasn't safe Ah! is that a can of worms I see before me?

I knew my copy of Pink Floyd The Wall was around here somewhere

 

[Flying Crane]

Is it safe to say that Muay Thai is the most effective stand-up art out there? I am talking realistic and practical self defense and street fighting. I am just curious of peoples opinions.
Thanks!

absolutely yes, it is the best, no question about it.

OK, now that THAT'S settled...

 

[girlbug2]

It may or may not be the best for YOU. Another MA may be better for somebody else with a different body type and psychology.

 

[Julian Figiel]

I see!
All these replies have really opened my eyes up. I am just so confused which martial art to do. I am a member of a great mma dojo, where they teach Muay thai and bjj, but I do not know if i should do one or the other or both or some form of wushu...
I just really want to find out what I should train.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I see!
All these replies have really opened my eyes up. I am just so confused which martial art to do. I am a member of a great mma dojo, where they teach Muay thai and bjj, but I do not know if i should do one or the other or both or some form of wushu...
I just really want to find out what I should train.

I think you need to first find an instructor that you think you would like to train under and then study. If you are enjoying what you practice then you may have a chance to stick with it. Which is a lot more important than merely training for six months or so and then hanging everything up for good. So look around, sample several schools by at least training in one of their classes and pick which one you think you would enjoy the most and then train!

 

[Tez3]

I see!
All these replies have really opened my eyes up. I am just so confused which martial art to do. I am a member of a great mma dojo, where they teach Muay thai and bjj, but I do not know if i should do one or the other or both or some form of wushu...
I just really want to find out what I should train.

My dear sir, why didn't you say so?

1. What are you wanting to train for?
2. what are you looking to get out of your training?


If you are training BJJ and MT you are training martial arts already, do you mean you want to do another as well as or instead of?

So where are you training now? MMA is more than BJJ and MT, much more and is rarely trained in a dojo tbh, semantics maybe, but gives an indication of what the owner/chief instructor has in mind. Do you have fighters in this dojo, are you training to fight MMA?

I have more questions but will wait till you answer

 

[Omar B]

Funny the assumptions made about Muay Thai in the past few years huh?

Someone once said that my karate was lame and I should do MT. I pointed out the limitations of MT and the same person suggested I do BJJ. So it seems to replace karate I would have to learn 2 styles, neither of which really address real world situations though they certainly can be applied.

 

[jks9199]

I see!
All these replies have really opened my eyes up. I am just so confused which martial art to do. I am a member of a great mma dojo, where they teach Muay thai and bjj, but I do not know if i should do one or the other or both or some form of wushu...
I just really want to find out what I should train.

You're going at things backwards. You're trying to find and an end result from what you already have.

What's your goal? Competing in MMA events? In that case, you need balanced training across stand up (Muay Thai/Kickboxing/etc), throwing (judo, etc.), and grappling/wrestling (BJJ/various Western wrestling/etc.). Are you looking for quickly acquired, practical self defense? An experience of an Eastern culture? Family fun and fitness? Something that you can train in from young adulthood to old age? Different arts answer these needs differently. And there's plenty of overlap between them, too.

 

[Julian Figiel]

My dear sir, why didn't you say so?

1. What are you wanting to train for?
2. what are you looking to get out of your training?


If you are training BJJ and MT you are training martial arts already, do you mean you want to do another as well as or instead of?

So where are you training now? MMA is more than BJJ and MT, much more and is rarely trained in a dojo tbh, semantics maybe, but gives an indication of what the owner/chief instructor has in mind. Do you have fighters in this dojo, are you training to fight MMA?

I have more questions but will wait till you answer

Your right, I did not give enough information!

I want a martial art for self defense and possibly even competition, an art with no weapons, just hand to hand combat. I like the idea of Muay Thai, because it is very 'deadly' and 'brutal', and seems to be effective, but there are so many other styles out there (especially Chinese)! BJJ is great too, and from what I have seen from UFC and similar, it is a very important art to know. I LOVE them both!
I do both Muay Thai and BJJ, but I question which one I should do more, if any. If there is something better out there, I will drop muay thai and BJJ, and go for it!

 

[Julian Figiel]

You're going at things backwards. You're trying to find and an end result from what you already have.

What's your goal? Competing in MMA events? In that case, you need balanced training across stand up (Muay Thai/Kickboxing/etc), throwing (judo, etc.), and grappling/wrestling (BJJ/various Western wrestling/etc.). Are you looking for quickly acquired, practical self defense? An experience of an Eastern culture? Family fun and fitness? Something that you can train in from young adulthood to old age? Different arts answer these needs differently. And there's plenty of overlap between them, too.

That's true, I did not make my goal clear. I want a practical self defense art, with no weaponry; and I love eastern culture. I would also like to compete - not necessarily in MMA, but in competitions, like a BJJ or Muay Thai Match, that kind of thing! I simply love fighting!

I am 16 years old, and am willing to train hard and go far!

 

[Julian Figiel]

Funny the assumptions made about Muay Thai in the past few years huh?

Someone once said that my karate was lame and I should do MT. I pointed out the limitations of MT and the same person suggested I do BJJ. So it seems to replace karate I would have to learn 2 styles, neither of which really address real world situations though they certainly can be applied.

That is strange! What are the limitations of Muay Thai? And are Kenpo and Karate the same thing? Thanks!

 

[Tez3]

That's true, I did not make my goal clear. I want a practical self defense art, with no weaponry; and I love eastern culture. I would also like to compete - not necessarily in MMA, but in competitions, like a BJJ or Muay Thai Match, that kind of thing! I simply love fighting!

I am 16 years old, and am willing to train hard and go far!

Where are you located, can help with clubs etc only in the UK.

 

[MJS]

Is it safe to say that Muay Thai is the most effective stand-up art out there? I am talking realistic and practical self defense and street fighting. I am just curious of peoples opinions.
Thanks!

NO, there is no art that is 100%. Its the person, not the art.

 

[MJS]

I see!
All these replies have really opened my eyes up. I am just so confused which martial art to do. I am a member of a great mma dojo, where they teach Muay thai and bjj, but I do not know if i should do one or the other or both or some form of wushu...
I just really want to find out what I should train.

How about doing what I suggested to you the other day.....figure out what YOU want out of YOUR training, find a list of schools in your area that meet those needs, check out the schools, and when you find one that meets your needs, train there.

Of course, I also said to take things slow, and not bite off more than you can chew. In other words, dont take on 5 arts at once.