Thinking of taking up Thai Boxing...

Discussion in 'Thai Boxing' started by Macca, Nov 5, 2005.

  1. Macca

    Macca Valued Member

    Hello everybody...

    After reading a great amount of threads linked with self-defence and fighting i was impressed with some of the points that you Thai Boxers made clear, especially Ikken Hisatsu about how effective and successful Thai Boxing can come when encountering real life dangerous situations. I can back this point up with how Thai Boxers spar. You do not wear protection as we do, and therefore, you will be better suited out in the streets as you learn to take the pain delivered by attacking blows.

    I am seriously thinking of starting up Thai Boxing...i have a few questions if you do not mind answering them, that would be great :)

    1. What are the main reasons why Thai Boxing is effective and successful on the streets?

    2. How 'tough' do you have to be to do Thai Boxing? Do you eventually get used to painful blows?

    3. Is using knees, elbows and your shins effective when fighting?

    4. Reasons for why you feel that Thai Boxing is 'unique', what makes it different to any other MA?

    5. Is more emphasise based on punching or kicking?

    6. Lastly, how 'tough' is Thai Boxing training?

    I would be very grateful and appreciaitve if you could answer my questions...

    Thanks,
    Macca
    :cool:
     
  2. IrishStomp

    IrishStomp Valued Member

    Well, first off, thai boxers DO wear protection while sparring. Cup, shin guards, mouthpiece, sometimes headgear. Anyway, from the perspective of someone who's been doing muay thai for just a few months, I'll do my best to answer the Q's.
    1. Thai boxing is succesfull on the streets, in my opinion, because to me it's the perfect blend of complex and simple. People saying regular boxing is just mastering the basics, where as kung fu and other similar MA's it's more of not mastering but just getting down different ways of quickly disabling an attacker. I think muay thai is a perfect blend of the two, it's definetely not as simple as boxing but it's also not too complex. Thai boxing is also probably effective because thai boxers are generally in great shape and spar regularly.
    2. You don't have to be a tough guy to do muay thai. It'll come as you stick with it. You can get used to coping with being socked in the ring eventually, to an extent, but if someone catches you with a hard right and you're not blocking it, no matter what, you're gonna be in bad shape.
    3. I've heard of several instances of kicking and knees and elbows being effectives in a fight. One old member of our gym who doesn't go there anymore was arrested because some guy was badmouthing him outside of a bar, the thai boxer roundhouse him into the temple and knocked the guy out cold. An offduty cop in his car witness this and the guy had to do some time.
    4. I think muay thai is unique mainly for what I said in question number 1.
    5. I think that equal emphasis is based on punching and kicking, they're both vital to muay thai.
    6. Depends on the gym you go to, I thought I was in good shape before I started muay thai, I was definetely wrong. As far as my gym goes, the training is really hard but that's the only way you get better.

    I'm sure someone else will come along and answer these Q's better than I did.
     
  3. Ikken Hisatsu

    Ikken Hisatsu New Member

    In a fight you arent going to be using complex movements. one of the first things to go with an adrenalin rush is your fine motor skills- muay thai does not rely on any overly complex techniques, just a mastery of the basics.

    Pretty much. over time you get used to being hit and learning how to move with a strike so it doesnt hurt as much- your pain tolerance also goes up.

    Yes.

    I think what makes muay thai unique is that it is a very old art with lots of ritual and tradition, but also is at the cutting edge when it comes to training methods and adapting to new ideas. It is very much a no nonsense art.

    depends on the camp, but the majority of places that train in "real" muay thai favour kicks over punches. both are very important though.

    as tough as you can handle. You will go home sore pretty much every night.
     
  4. mai tai

    mai tai Valued Member

    the two before me were spot on...but im going to add my own twist to the answers. alot of it is my opinion and the opinion of the people at my gym.

    1. it is sucessful on the street because....alot of traditional martial arts guys will dissagree. .......but its cause its a sport....that means that it will be very pressure tested...VERY tested. if it didnt work the guys in the ring would lose......plain and simple. and they would do what worked....this applies to the techniques as well as conditioning and training method.

    i have no dout my muay tai works in the street.....cause in the ring... my right cross knocked the tooth out of my last opponent...and this was with a padded fist on a pro competiter. imagine my bare fist on a regular guy




    2. you will walk into the gym and thin your the weakest worst fighter in there....cause you are. everything will feel foreign and when you practice new moves you will feel like a dork. others will be nailing the heavybag with kicks and shacking the supports. you will tap it and your shins will ache.

    spar and you wil get killed by a guy 20 lbs less than you.


    well join the club we ALL started this way. every great fighter has one thing in common he walked into a gym, got his butt kicked ....and he came back the next day.

    if you dont ..the gym you go to is not very good.

    be MENTALY tough...keep comming back and in about a year you will be one of the tough guys



    3knees elbows and shins are effective....but so are fists. in the ring the elbows and knees tend to be the worst....but thats just cause they are unpadded.

    all in all the strikes you should use are range and opening dependent

    4. its unique cause i get to wear really cool but ugly shorts
    other than that im not sure if i can find one aspect that in not in some other stlye.

    ie boxing,bjj, judo uses pressure testing
    alot of martil arts train hard
    alot of martial arts use knee and elbows
    boxing and wrestling have a "the belts in the ring" type thing
    in fact alot on martial arts are becomeing more MT like

    but i think mt has the best package overall for striking.....to be complete you must add a grappling art


    5 ikkens answer
    its good to train at other gyms once in a while too. to get a different feel

    6 training is tough but your a beginner so dont go over board....let your body toughn up. go hard untill your banged up. not injured.

    for example....i will hit the bannana bag very hard......if i get my shins nice and sore good. if i get a bone bruse that kill when i tap it on the bag....the next day im gonna put on the shin gaurds untill im healed. if its reall bad...well then its time to work on my boxing for a while.


    i try to keep my body in a constant state of slight pain.....not debilitating pain
     
  5. elnan

    elnan Valued Member

    Well, if you want to train thaiboxing just to be able to win fights I dont think you have the will to do it, and thats the answer to a question. The training is _hard_ it looks like you`ve taken a shower with your training gear on, because of all the sweat.
    I suppose knees and shins are effective but I`ve only been in 1 one fight in my life in a mini-buss when some drunk dude attacked me when I tried to get past him, but thats another story. And I didnt use any Thaiboxing ûberd3adly stuff. Just threw him in a seat and chockd him a bit. I got a feeling you tend to forget what you`ve leard in the gym with all that adrenalin flowing trough your body.
    You`ll get "used" to hard blows against your body, but it wont make you superman or something. But hey, its a fullcontact sport so it got to count for something.
     
  6. Macca

    Macca Valued Member

    Alrite people...thanks for the advice i really appreciate it. Im going to look for a thai boxing gym around my area, should go well with my TKD.

    One last thing though...

    I understand that Thai Boxing is an effective and successful martial art, but what happens if a Thai Boxer goes to the ground during a street fight? Will Thai Boxing help? It might be worthit taking up a grappling martial art aswell? Just in case this happens?..if so, which is the most effective MA if you were to fall on the ground during a street fight? Iv heard great things about BJJ aswell as aikido (although it takes ages to master)...

    I would be very grateful if you could answer my last question.

    Thanks guys,
    Macca
    :)
     
  7. SCP_Kensei

    SCP_Kensei www.taintedlover.com

    Anyone schooled only in Muay thai, if taken to the ground by a skilled ground fighter will get mullered, totally. Whilst most fighting is mroe about the artist and the art, Muay Thai does not help on the ground at all.

    If you are likely to need to fight from the gorund then you need an art that uses the ground. BJJ is great, Aikido is not (It has no gorund fighting ads such); however BJJ lacks many of the "killer" moves that exist in some other ground inclusive arts, due to it's almost purely sports based nature. BJJ is a great choice if you want to restrain someone whilst on the ground, you might even get a brerak or two in, but if you want to get nasty on the ground then something like Sambo, or Bujinkan budo Taijutsu may be better (I still routinely tap many BJJ exponents using the groundwork I got from Ninjutsu).

    Luckily many Muay thai Gyms also teach BJJ too, so you can work the two together.

    Whilst I really love Muay Thai and agree that it is very effective in real encounters I feel that a Philipino Martial Arts such as Kali is better all round. It contains many of the same striking proinciples as Muay thai (shin kicks, Knees, elbows etc...), but it also works into trapping, locking, breaks, biting, groundwork etc... it really approaching a total solution. Not to forget the weapon work too.

    12 Areas of LaCoste Kali


    1st Area
    Single Stick
    Single Sword
    Single Axe
    Single Cane

    2nd Area
    Double Stick (Double Olisi)
    Double Sword
    Double Axe

    3rd Area
    Stick and Dagger (Olisi-Baraw)
    Cane and Dagger
    Sword and Dagger
    Sword and Shield
    Long and Short Stick

    4th Area
    Double Dagger (Baraw-Baraw)
    Double Short Sticks

    5th Area
    Single Dagger (Baraw-Kamot)
    Single Short Stick

    6th Area
    Palm Stick (Olisi-Palad)
    Double end Dagger

    7th Area Pangamut, Kamot-Kamot or Empty Hands
    Panatukan (Boxing to include use of the Elbows)
    Panadiakan or Sikaran (Kicking to include use of Knees and Shin)
    Dumog, Layug, or Buno (Grappling and Locking)
    Ankab-Pagkusi (Bite and Pinch)
    Higot-Hubud-Lubud (“Tying-untying, and blending the two”, which is a close range trapping and sensitivity exercise)

    8th Area (Long Weapons)
    Staff (Sibat)
    Oar (Dula)
    Paddle (Bugsay)
    Spear (Bangkaw)
    Spear and Circular Shield
    Spear and Rectangular Shield
    Spear and Sword/Stick
    Spear and Dagger
    Two Handed Method (Heavy stick, Olisi Dalawang kamot)
    Two Handed Method (Regular stick)

    9th Area (Flexible Weapons)
    Sarong (clothing worn in Southern Phillipines and Indonesia)
    Belt or Sash
    Whip (Latigo)
    Rope (Lubid)
    Chain (Cadena)
    Scarf, headband
    Handkerchief
    Flail (nunchucka) Olisi Toyok
    Tobak Toyok
    Yo-yo
    Stingray Tail

    10th Area (Hand thrown weapons, Tapon-Tapon)
    Spear
    Dagger
    Wooden Splinter
    Spikes
    Coins, Washers
    Stones, Rocks
    Sand, Mud, Dirt
    Pepper, Powder
    Any object that can be thrown

    11th Area (Projectile Weapons)
    Bow and Arrow (Pana)
    Blowgun (Sumpit)
    Slingshot (Pana Palad)
    Lantanka (Portable Cannon)
    Modern firearms (incliuding automatic weapons)

    12th Area
    Mental, Emotional, Spiritual training
    Healing Arts
    Health Skills
    Poisons
    Rhythm and Dance
    History, Philosophy and Ethics

    In my opinion if you are concerned with self defence in a variety of situations then learning the following would be useful.

    A striking art (of which I consider Muay thai to be the best)
    A mixed art (such as Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu (Ninjutsu), or Kali)
    A grappling Art (Sucha s Japanese or Brazilian Jujitsu)

    Try to study all 3, or failing that find which one suits your own personal strengths best and try that. If your greatest worry is drunken morons outside a club or onyour way home then Muay Thai with a little BJJ thrown in for familiarity is all you need. But if you need defense against armed assailants, gang bangers etc... then Kali will see you right (if you only have time for one art).
    for the quickest results I would go with juay thai, you can develop fighting competence much quicker with a simple art like Muay thai than with a large and complex art like Ninjutsu or Kali.
    I would advise against taking BJJ by itself, because whilst many fights end up on the ground, all start whilst you are on your feet, and if you can end it there then the ground needent bee too much of an issue.

    For the record I have been in many street fights, not one has ended onthe gorund (at least not in my adult life).
     
    Last edited: Nov 7, 2005
  8. Ikken Hisatsu

    Ikken Hisatsu New Member

    yeah muay thai will not help you on the ground much. of course the familiarity with fighting and fitness will help, but technique wise there is nothing in muay thai for ground fighting.
     
  9. Infrazael

    Infrazael Banned Banned

    Then again, getting on the ground is not the best option if you have more than 1 guy after you. 1 on 1 it's great, ground and pound their asses.
     
  10. sean

    sean THOR!

    Is this a joke? This is the most incredibly vague thread I have possibly ever seen...... You could give a few thousand variations to each of those questions depending on the club alone.
     
  11. sean

    sean THOR!

    Sorry didn`t intend to sound so vicous! :rolleyes:

    P.S Grrrr
     

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