Q's on Muay Thai

[Tony Starks]

I have been hearing a lot of things about MT from some guys from my MA club at school who practice traditional styles of MA, and they often say that MT is effective but only in a one on one basis. They seem to believe that MT is not a true MA because they say its not martial (according to them), and the moves are limited. They also say that a MT fighter can not fight for too long because your shins or body (i cant remeber if its one or the other or both) take too much of a beating. I was honestly considering MT as a style i would like to try, but can u MT folks give me some of ur insight and tell me if thier arguments on MT is warranted?? (im asking you guys because i want to hear both sides, and who know MT better than u guys?)

Any info would help greatly
Thanks
- T.S.

 

[Kenpo Wolf]

"MT is effective but only in a one on one basis"
This may be true, but it's also true for the majority of arts out there. No matter what art you study, you won't emerge from a fight against multiple opponents without getting bloody at the very least

"They seem to believe that MT is not a true martial art because it's not martial and the moves are limited". How can a art where you do a lot of punching and kicking, not to mention the use of the elbows and knees, not be considered a martial art? It's probably one of the most 'martial' arts out there. And the moves are limited, to a point, which is a good thing. Without focusing on forms like other arts do, MT focus is on actual combat. If fighting is sole reason why you study the martial arts, MT will give you more bang for the money.

"They also say a MT fighter can not fight for too long because your shins or body take too much of a beating" This may be true in Thailand where they're obsessed over MT, but it's not entirely true here in the states. It all depends on you, your goals and the instructor.

BTW, what style do you study at your club so we can help you out better? My guess is that these guys you're talking about was convinced by their instructor into believing that their style is the ultimate and that there is none better. This is not true as all styles have their weakness. On a final note, MT is very adaptable for crosstraining so that could be the way to go until you decide which one to pursue

 

[muayThaiPerson]

Muay Thai is a brute force art. it was made for war and back then they kickd down trees and climbed coconut trees and what not. but they were going out to war and needed that type of training. now, we have heavy bags and pads which are much safer. but that doesnt make the art any less effetive.

if u go train in muay thai, u will notice a boost in endurance. ur heart and lungs(cardio) will be in the best shape.

as for the "th body takes too much of a beating" part, thats only for profressional fighters. i train in muay thai but am not trainign to be apro fighter, so my body is fine.

:asian:

 

[Damian Mavis]

Tony Starks, your friends don't know the first thing about MT. I come from a traditional background having trained in Tae Kwon Do for 12 years so Im not talking based on prejudice against uniform wearing traditional arts. Just telling you that the information you received is wrong.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

 

[Tony Starks]

Thx a lot for the excellent feed back everyone, i truley appreciate it. I now have opened my eyes to the MT world and have a better understanding of it. O kempo wolf i study limalama and currently im looking for a new art because of probs with the way my instructor is teaching (not too effective).

Thanks again,
T.S.

 

[muayThaiPerson]

Originally posted by Damian Mavis

Tony Starks, your friends don't know the first thing about MT. I come from a traditional background having trained in Tae Kwon Do for 12 years so Im not talking based on prejudice against uniform wearing traditional arts. Just telling you that the information you received is wrong.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

wat is the correct information?

 

[Damian Mavis]

All the things his friends said about MT are the same kind of things I used to say about it before I tried it. It's based on ignorance and a lack of actual facts and first hand knowledge.

"MT is effective but only in a one on one basis"

MT is a striking art, all striking arts are pretty good for multiple opponents. The theory of striking for multiple opponents is to take out attackers as quickly as possible with one shot. The strikes in MT are devastating, perfect for multiple attackers because they can take people out in one hit. I'm sure lots of striking arts can accomplish the same thing.

"They seem to believe that MT is not a true MA because they say its not martial"

I assume they got this backwards and meant that MT is not a true martial art because it lacks the "art". Because martial means basically fighting techniques. MT is obviously full of martial techniques but the misconception is that it lacks tradition, respect and morality like other arts. This is completely not true, it depends on the instructor just like any art. Some schools will be big on respect and honour and tradition and others will not...just like the karate dojo's down the street that are completely different from each other. MT practitioners bow and respect their training partners and seniors just like any other art, they bow to their training area when going on or off the floor or ring just like any other art. They have to do a long involved dance before they fight in the ring to demonstrate their respect and loyalty to their school, instructor and country. In fact many of the traditions are very similar to what I experience in the TKD world (minus the dance, that's all MT).

"the moves are limited"

This is one of the biggest misconceptions. MT is the science of eight limbs. That's 4 more limbs than TKD or Karate if you take into consideration how those 2 arts spar and how MT spars. Forgetting all that, MT is alot more complicated than it looks. I was shocked to discover the strategy and many nuances of each technique involved in all aspects of MT. Especially the clinch... what looks like 2 guys standing hugging eachother is a strategic game to get the advantage over your opponent. What you see on TV is 2 experts trying to outdo eachother in the clinch, you know what it looks like when an expert gets a layman in the clinch? It looks like a rape scene. I've been in the clinch with a professional fighter from Thailand and he made me feel very very weak and small.... even though I outweighed him. He had full control of my body and there was nothing I could do about it.

"They also say that a MT fighter can not fight for too long because your shins or body (i cant remeber if its one or the other or both) take too much of a beating"

I used to like to say that because it made me feel a little superior to MT artists thinking that they would pay for their training down the road when they got older. The truth is like someone already said, unless you're a pro fighter that is going to fight over 100 fights it wont effect your body any more than any other art. Full contact fighters in any art that do it for a long time will have problems down the road. Mt is no different.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

 

[blackdiamondcobra]

I think it will help if you distinctly breakdown the different systems in terms of martial arts, martial sports and
combatics(or military/self defense). Muay Thai is a ring sport and thus a martial sport. If you
want the aspect of self defense or multi man attack/defense then look to the older arts which
were bare knuckle martial sports which also contained combatics. In thailand, you have the more comlete
bare knuckle systems, military systems, and weapons in krabi krabong which address life and death
issues head on in the philosophy, spiritual and emotional make up. A martial sport remains just
that though it may certainly be brutal and translate well, you need the appropriate mind set and
tools to deal with self defense and real life scenarios.

Muay Thai does have enormous complexity and depth to it that
is rarely seen outside of thailand. Many of my trainers in thailand
are over 50 and 60 years old and after fighting more than 100 times each are
still in amazing shape. What people dont understand in the West is the
building or forging of the body and spirit. You are brought along progressively over time
to build a body both physically and mentally to deal with the rigors
of the ring. Its not an overnight 6 month process as many in the
West want to believe.

Muay Thai possesses an enormous arsenal of techniques that are simple but
devastatingly effective. They translate well to street tactics but they need modifications and
a wider assortment of techniques to deal with the myriad of endless things you
will confronted with. In this case, the older systems address this directly.

 

[muayThaiPerson]

Muay Thai is a war art. its sad to see it is all sport in the west...can u suggest any krabbi krabong schools in thailand....i might be going when im on vacaation

 

[blackdiamondcobra]

Muay Thai is a martial sport derived from a war art. It is now a sport in thailand and anywhere else.

Contact me at least 4 weeks before you depart for thailand and
I will try to put you in contact with an excellent krabi krabong teacher.

 

[muayThaiPerson]

Originally posted by blackdiamondcobra

Muay Thai is a martial sport derived from a war art. It is now a sport in thailand and anywhere else.

Contact me at least 4 weeks before you depart for thailand and
I will try to put you in contact with an excellent krabi krabong teacher.

yes sir, ive been searching alot. all age groups recomended right?:asian:

 

[blackdiamondcobra]

All age groups? Dont know what you mean by this? How old are you? Secondly,
dont know what your plans are in thailand and whether you have been there
before but you have to plan appropriately because certain classes are in certain areas and
if you are trying to train alot you have to plan wisely how you spend your time. Because
traveling and distance can hamper your plans. If you seriously going to focus
on krabi krabong then you need to focus down on the location aand times
and work around it. When you contact me, outline your plan and
how long you are staying. I might be there at the time and can help
or train you if need be.

 

[Damian Mavis]

Wish you could help me a bit with my trip. I'm going to Thailand Dec. 25th 2002 and staying a month before going to Korea and Japan. I'll be training at a couple of Muay Thai camps while in Thailand.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD