Opinions Please Fellas

[The Angry Mule]

I'm thinking of starting mua thai and was interested in the basics of it.I want to learn a no nonsense form of martial arts and was tossing it up against kickboxing but liked the idea of knees and elbows aswell.Eventually if I get good enough I would like to enter amateur bouts but dont think they have them for blokes my size 104kg? If anyone could give me a rough idea on what to expect it would be appreciated.Also is there any ground work minvolved? Cheers.

 

[pikerules]

I'm suprised nobody responded to this yet. I'll try since I trained in Muay Thai for about 4 years. Basically you can expect boxing plus knees and elbows. Which of these 3 are emphasized depends on the gym. There are different types of knee and elbow techniques just like how with punching you have a hook, straight right etc. Elbows are generally not allowed in amateur bouts. There is no fighting on the ground, but you do learn some takedowns, by sweeping the leg and/or throwing them to the ground from a clinch position. In a bout, a takedown would score like a landed strike.

Differences with kickboxing: Muay Thai uses just two types of kicks - roundhouse and "tiip". The tiip kick is a pushing kick to the stomach or hip to create distance. The round kick is thrown so you connect with your shin, not the foot. You basically want to connect with the entire length of the shin, laying it across the other guy's thigh, torso, or head. In my opinion this is much more effective than kickboxing kicks, and I think proof lies in the fact that in kickboxing matches fighters are actually required to put in a quota of kicks every round. Muay Thai guys, especially the Thais themselves, will often throw more kicks than punches.
The biggest difference is probably that in kickboxing, if two guys tie each other up, the ref breaks them up. If this happens in Muay Thai, things are just getting started. There are techniques for how to control the other persons body by grabbing the back of the head, and all sorts of dirty tricks to land knees and elbows in the clinch.

The boxing part is like western boxing with some little tweaks. The stance is more open so you can quickly start a kick with either leg, and block those outside low kicks with your shin. Bending the knees to come in low, typical in boxing, is frowned upon, since it sets you up to get kneed. You're also supposed to hold your hands up higher for blocking elbows and high kicks, as opposed to boxing where you keep your elbows tucked for blocking body shots.

You might have some trouble finding matchups at 100+ kilos in Muay Thai. But the good thing about Muay Thai is that you could probably (at least at the amateur level) hold your own in boxing or kickboxing matches as well, which would give you more opportunities to compete. Good luck if you decide to get into it.

 

[JayC9]

Doesn't get any more no nonsense than Muay.

Best way to see if it suits you or you suit it is to try it.

Good luck.

 

[Djimbe]

Mule :

105kg isnt outside the range of bouts that ive seen . Hell , Ive had fights at over 150 many times .

Knees and Elbows arent the sole Province of Muay Thai , however , and being "No Nonsense" isnt about STYLE , its about your Instructor , and how he runs his school .

 

[Saintinistic]

there are fewer moves to learn. so its easier to perfect than a knung fu style..
its not rocket science.

and by the 6 month mark you should be able to look back and see the change in yourself. if 6b months at 2-3 times a week is all you do for the rest of your life, you have the basics that you wont forget.

just be prepared to get cardio fit, stamina eventually dictates how long the skill remains when in the ring.

i loved it.

 

[Djimbe]

there are only 13 postures in Taijiquan . Even the "108 Form" is just repeats of the same 13 things time and again in all linking Sequences .

Xinyi I think has JUST FIVE MOVES . The whole system . 5 Postures . And dont say it sux because W. Boxing only has 5 punches , unless you think it sucks as well . Baji has less in it than MT , and so do some systems of Bagua . Some only having the ONE Palm Change and the Circle Walk , total .

Then there is a "Kung FU" system known as the 18 Handholds . Oh , and the 18 Lohan Kicks . Those both only have 18 things in them . even if you combined them you would only have 36 techs , to MT's 80 or so .

Please stop making blanket statements when you dont understand the subject matter .

 

[Kane Fan]

Jab, Cross, Hook, Uppercut
where's the fifth punch?

 

[Saintinistic]

there are only 13 postures in Taijiquan . Even the "108 Form" is just repeats of the same 13 things time and again in all linking Sequences .

Xinyi I think has JUST FIVE MOVES . The whole system . 5 Postures . And dont say it sux because W. Boxing only has 5 punches , unless you think it sucks as well . Baji has less in it than MT , and so do some systems of Bagua . Some only having the ONE Palm Change and the Circle Walk , total .

Then there is a "Kung FU" system known as the 18 Handholds . Oh , and the 18 Lohan Kicks . Those both only have 18 things in them . even if you combined them you would only have 36 techs , to MT's 80 or so .

Please stop making blanket statements when you dont understand the subject matter .

the context was in the rocket science. and if you look at the localised kung fu, theres more than these minimalist styles you speak of. in shanghai we may find hundreds of different clubs. the crouching cricket mantis style... but using the aspects of animals in them requires various understandings and different applications of "similar" moves.

while it is true i have not studied all styles. i have studied various arts. perfecting Muay Thai isnt as in depth as other practices. its a sport.
others have an almost shrine experince attached to them.

so, in a perhaps better description: Muay Thai is easier in its less (not devoid of..) formal approach and is less esoteric in application. its also good for street. not requiring hidden apple monkey pulling techniques.

 

[Kane Fan]

I like Sport styles because they are proven time and again in competition
many traditional schools limit themselves to point sparring which while fun isn't exactly a test of your abilities to FIGHT

 

[Djimbe]

Jab, Cross, Hook, Uppercut
where's the fifth punch?

Overhand