Just wondering about something. Besides for the obvious (kicks, knees, elbows) how does Muay Thai differ from Western Boxing? Does it have its own hand striking methods, or are these the same as Western Boxing nowadays? And how about the footwork and body movements? Does it use the same as Western Boxing (stepping, slipping, duck, bob-and-weave)?
The punches are the same in Muay Thai as they are in Western Boxing,the footwork however is different,or perhaps i should say used differently,there is very little bobbing, weaving,or ducking, there are some head slipping movements but are not overdone because of the knee and elbow to the head. In the 1960s the fighters boxed a lot more than nowadays,the camps had top and bottom balls,speed balls,shadow boxed more,used hand pads more etc. Nowadays Muay Thai is about clinching.
Fire Cobra is, of course, correct. But to expand on it a little more.... In general (not always), the Muay Thai stance is more upright, and many fighters keep their weight towards their rear foot. This facilitates using the lead leg defensively (knee blocks and push kicks) to avoid getting leg kicked. Also, in general (not always), boxers tend to have both feet parallel with one another, and they are angled. In Muay Thai, the lead foot tends to be pointed forwards, with the rear foot off at an angle. There are some camps that also use parallel foot positions, but the front foot is almost always forwards. Again, this facilitates using the lead leg in defense and not eat those leg kicks. Due to the typical weight distribution, many times the punches are thrown more from the shoulder than from the feet. Again, protect that lead leg! One of the most prevalent defenses against boxing in Muay Thai is to destroy the lead leg as the fighter attempts to punch. Overall, the boxing tends to be much simpler/generic in Muay Thai. Partially due to the fact that there are so many other weapons to master, but also partially due to the fact that boxing typically does not score highly in a Muay Thai match. Fight to win! In other words, clinch & knee! As far as footwork goes, the footwork is similar, but not quite the same. There are different footwork strategies employed due to the different weapons and their ranges. You shuffle your feet differently to kick than you would to punch.
Great post KhunKao, Something i was told by my teacher a long time ago was that the stance narrowed up and weighted backward more because of the climbing techniques,this stance made the climbing techniques harder to use,my teachers style was Muay Lopburi so the climbs were used a lot(Hanuman tricks) and especially in Muay Lopburi given that Lopburi city is the home of the Monkey!
