Known as the art of eight limbs, Muay Thai is a martial art that incorporates punches, kicks, knees, and elbow strikes. Its ancient traditions dating from centuries ago still exist in the sport today. But if you think Muay Thai is only for Van Damme-wannabe thugs and Asian people, think again.
Muay Thai isn’t just one of the more brutal and efficient martial arts; it’s technically beautiful. Its sportsmanship is unparalleled among any mainstream combat sport. It’s also the most relevant to real life situations, and because of its strong ethics and traditions, Muay Thai has amazing character-building qualities. For this reason, it can change you from a mouse to a lion. Here’s my story.
When I was 17 years old I first walked into a Muay Thai gym. I had a strong interest in martial arts from when I was a kid already, but I wanted to learn Muay Thai because:
A) I was tired of being defenseless
B) I was tired of being weak and unfit
C) I was tired of my low self-esteem and lack of confidence
I had reached the point in my life where I was looking for a big change. So I made my move. The first day I just watched. I’ll admit it was intimidating, but visually impressive. The power and athleticism immediately got my attention. There was a strong sense of a team spirit and brotherhood in the dojo. And unlike the gym, which is largely focused on aesthetics, Muay Thai was clearly about the journey of continuous self-improvement. The training incorporated courage, inner strength, respect, skill, technique and athleticism. It focused on the journey rather than the final outcome. And I really liked that.
No doubt, I was a total retard in the beginning. After years of not doing any real physical activity my coordination was terrible—my punching resembled something like my grandma swatting a fly. But I hung in there for a while and soon I actually started to get pretty damn good. I ended up having a few fights, traveling to Thailand to train, and eventually becoming a coach to fighters…but that’s another story.
Anyways, because of my transformation and firsthand seeing tons of people over the years overcome low confidence, negative attitude, obesity, health issues, troubled lifestyle, and fear, I have naturally become an advocate for the sport. I truly believe it has the ability to change the lives of men. When I recommend Muay Thai to my fitness and weight loss clients, here are the top reasons I give them:
You’ll get stronger
Within weeks of starting you’ll achieving strength gains that will motivate you to keep going. The high amount of bodyweight exercises combined with explosive movements will develop fast-twitch muscle fibers and activate muscles you never knew you had. This will help you develop a strong, athletic body to be proud of. If you’re already hitting the gym, adding a couple days of Muay Thai training will help with your range of movement and core strength, which can result in mobility and bigger lifts.
You’ll increase confidence
Each training session you’ll achieve mini goals. Through this you’ll progressively overcome your fear of failure and you’ll begin to take more risks. Your self-doubt will soon fade away and be replaced by self-belief. Your new awareness of yourself and your surroundings will create a whole new perspective for you. With that transition your attitude will become more positive and confidence will bloom. This will reflect in your life directly.
You’ll lose weight
Over the years I have seen countless ordinary people lose extraordinary amounts of weight through Muay Thai training. You can expect to burn up to 800kcals in a two-hour training session. With Muay Thai you will start to see a change in body composition within weeks. The bodyweight, aerobic, interval-style training promotes a high metabolic rate which increases weight loss. Coupling your training with a good diet will speed up the process even more.
You’ll gain respect
Gain respect for yourself, and for others. This might make me sound old, but dudes these days have a serious lack of respect. Respect for oneself and respect for others is becoming a rare combination in society, but in Muay Thai it is an integral part of the culture. It’s another good life lesson that Muay Thai teaches people.
You’ll release stress and aggression
Muay Thai truly has the power to relieve stress. Rather than getting into road rage or bitching with loved ones, take frustration at your week’s worth of dickheads and nagging sluts out in training – which is totally permitted in Muay Thai. There is nothing like it in the world. For me, no matter what is happening in life, when I’m training Muay Thai all my worries fade away. You will become a calmer and more patient person.
Bottom line
Life is too short to be scared, weak, and have low self-esteem. I feel strongly about this subject because I know how much it did for my life and thousands of others. And I’m betting my left nut it will do the same for you. Join a Muay Thai gym today.
Read More: 5 Reasons To Try A New Hobby
Krav Maga is superior to Muay Thai unless you want to do professional fighting/UFC fighting.
I doubt that. Just because they use dirty tricks doenst make it any better.I believe fundamentals in boxing and thaiboxing is better, simply because it’s been finetuned in competition for the last 100 years. Its darwinism..what doesnt work goes out. And in pro sports who would do something that dont work ? And dont get started with Ohh but KM use dirty tricks. Yea ? everyone can do that.
Krav Maga is a jxxxish scam.The only reason it’s still around is because they recruit teacher from legits martial arts, such as boxing, muay thai, judo and now mma …
Krav Maga and Systema are both bullshit. Former Israeli and Spetsnaz commandos testify to the bullshit of both, but especially KM. The fact that these martial arts are both tied to military units, piques the mystique from laymen. But in all things military, they have hi-tech weaponry and we don’t. In a bare knuckles survival fight for you life in a dark alley situation, neither are of any use. The number one reason why Krav Maga especially is bullshit, is because it’s ‘moves’ are purportedly too dangerous to use in live sparring/fighting.
Secondly, you would need a person to move in a certain way for every single move to work. Lastly, eye poking is not something you can’t start a fight out with, I guarantee you if you come at a seasoned Russian Sambist with eye-pokes, you’re going to get you’re fucking central nervous system destroyed by a neck snap. The opinion of Mixed Martial Artists toward Krav Maga, Systema and Kung Fu is low. Any guy stepping into the octagon or the streets is bound to get knocked or choked out, if not worse. In my personal opinion the best grappling arts to learn would be, Greco-Roman wrestling, Russian Sambo and Brazilian Jiu-Jit-Su in a distant third. For striking techniques, boxing and Muay-Thai are all you need, save that other bullshit for the McDojos and beta simp losers.
So true.
I’ve been boxing in both muay thai and western boxing for 4 years, but an injury stopped me.
I would like to know what is your opinion on judo ? I’m thinking about switching to that.
I would honestly say depending upon your location switch to Russian Sambo which is thee comprehensive grappling technique that encompasses aspects of Judo, Greco-Roman wrestling and even some striking techniques. My opinion on Brazilian Ju Jit Su is perplexed, because in a brass knuckles situation BJJ can be detrimental to your ‘situational awareness’ given that you’d most likely be on the ground, any group of ghetto savages can come and start kicking you on the ground. In the octagon however, BJJ is wonderful.
At least with Russian Sambo aka Combat Sambo, teaches you to grapple to kill on the feet and is vastly superior to BJJ in the UFC (Just watching Feodor in his prime and now Khabib). But honestly, so much depends on the quality of the instructor and your sparring partners. The lionshare of great Sambo instructors are in Europe and Russia and with a very few sprinkled in the States. America has a love affair with BJJ as its primary grappling technique, one that is going to be dismantled with the advent of more Eastern Europeans getting into MMA. I’d say mix wrestling with BJJ because you won’t find too many quality instructors in America for Sambo, if indeed the United States is where you reside.
I once heard a guy say to a Japanese judo sensei, “… but what if a guy punches you in the face?” The sensei replied, “Punch? No, no. This basic judo.”
Judo is the sport version of ju-jitsu. A Japanese gym teacher a hundred years ago took ju-jitsu, modified the moves to be less dangerous, implemented a points system and the now-ubiquitous belt system, and bam, that’s judo.
Put it this way: judo and ju-jitsu (classical ju-jitsu anyway, don’t know much about the UFC version) both have a hip-toss, but the jujitsu hip-toss is is made to fuck you up whereas the judo one is made to just let you land with a thump.
Judo, sport that it is, involves a lot of contact. They’ll let you spar early on. Could a competent judo practitioner throw a layman on his ass? Abso-freakin’-lutely. Judoka vs. Ju-jitsu guy… that’s a contest. But judo-ka vs, say, drunk idiot? No contest.
The most valuable thing you’ll learn in BJJ is to get off your back and back to your feet. Of course, a lot of BJJ guys are sport guys so they just pull guard, but I was in a gym where you’d get yelled at for pulling guard. It’s not something we were ever taught to do. We were taught that standing is better than being on your back.
Wrestling and BJJ is a great mix, but it’s difficult for most people not in high school to start wrestling.
Oh definitely, if I had a son, I’d start training him in his natural weight-class in wrestling immediately. Wrestling is the best base to have as a complete fighter. Wrestling and Olympic weightlifting also increase your bone density and fast twitch muscle fibres (which is great for power aka knocking a guy the fuck out). However, if a guy is getting into grappling later on life, let’s say from 20 on up, Russian Sambo is the absolute best in my opinion to learn. Wrestling in your formative years makes you more instinctual but he’d gradually move up to Sambo any way. Maybe some BJJ would be good for him to learn how to get off his back if Octagon fighting is something he’d aspire to but honestly I wouldn’t teach that as the primary grappling self-defence. Maybe because most MMA fighters are either Brazilian or American and America’s closer proximity and better political relations to Brazil is probably why BJJ is preferred here.
How practical is BJJ? Are you always trying to get the other guy on the ground?
It’s very practical. The problem is that most gyms don’t really do a whole lot of takedowns. I’d always work with the wrestlers in my class for about 15-30 minutes after class was over, so my takedowns are a bit better than most BJJ guys. Takedowns are hard to get good at and that’s especially true against someone bigger.
I’ve crosstrained and I’m comfortable on my feet. I’d rather be on top, but I can work off my back to get back up to my feet. My escapes are pretty good and they’re, IMO, one of the most important parts of BJJ.
With regards to getting other people to the ground, it depends on the kind of fighter you are. I never actively sought takedowns, but all of my wrestler friends do (and for most of them, their striking isn’t the best).
That’s the issue as I see it. Of course the BJJ guy is going to win once both guys are on the floor, but can he actually take you down?
What injury?
And of course Ju-Jitsu was derived from sword techniques as a method of taking the enemy off balance before issuing the killing strike. It was never intended as a separate combat system.
Busted glenoid bone in both shoulders, from usure. I can still box but if I miss a punch, there is strong chances that they’ll pop out again.
How on earth did you manage that?
Yeah it could be from what the doctor said. So now I’m looking into some grappling styles.
I would try this. Eliminate inflammatory foods such as grains, dairy, sugar, alcohol and add anti-inflammatory supplements such as high potency omega 3 fish oil, curcumin and resveratrol. That will stop any degeneration. Intense bodyweight training such as press ups and pull ups will strengthen the ligaments. When you develop a greater degree of confidence in your body consider returning to training.
It’s my opinion but I think you stand a greater chance of dislocating a shoulder in wrestling than punching.
Thank you I appreciate the advice, but I’ve been struggling with this injury for more than a year now.
Every time I went back it just broke again after three weeks of training, and I had to stop for months, no matter if I stopped bodyweight and weightlifting, or if I put the emphasis on it.
It’s hard, because striking is kind of my passion, and not being able to train intensively is really frustrating.
I think I’m going to have to go with the surgery, and not being able to do any physical activity for six months 🙁
I know exactly how you feel. I have been suffering with my injuries for years now. I am desperate to fight again. Recovery is s long road but I am getting there step by step.
Be careful with surgery. The results can be irreversible. Also consider that your injury could be caused by diet, believe it or not.
Ouch! Very sorry, hope you are able to fix the problem.
Thank you for your concern.
I’ve seen the comments you left on the Quintus Circus articles, which are also my favorite ones.
It’s good to see that you’re interested in good things.
I like writing to foreigners (makes me practice). If you want to discuss about any topics, write me here [email protected]
Thank you very much! I’m always hungry for more input on these subjects, as they often delve much deeper than they appear to at first glance. I would love the opportunity to speak with you about them 🙂
Good.
If you feel like it e mail me and then I will delete my address from the comments, to avoid spams. Thank you 🙂
For some reason my main email won’t send to you, but you can write to me at [email protected] (my disqus e-mail)
At least until my main account starts to work again, haha.
Subject: Re: New comment posted on Why Muay Thai Is Perfect For Men
Agreed, I can only speech for Greco-Roman wrestling…but, it really gives you a leg up.
Jokes aside, an opponent well versed in Greco-Roman style wrestling will give you a very bad time.
Definitely. But much like Aikido, it tends to work best for big guys.
The best Aikido artists I have trained with have been average sized individuals.
I heard a lot of bullshit stuff about Systema, like making someone else feel a punch or the “double backflip knife throw” or something but when training in Systema, I never saw that hocus pocus stuff. All there was, was tons of sparing and a hardwood floor. I think it’s almost a black propaganda move to create BS about something that is purely BS then use that BS to discredit the entire thing (like faking death threats against yourself to discredit a movement, for example).
The breathing techniques of Systema are also another matter. I read hocus pocus stuff about that and found that this is not a part of Systema (no idea where it came from really). It’s just breathing exercises that remarkably look like the source of La Mas methods and some of the relaxation techniques I have seen over the years. I have taken the breathing techniques and utilized them in Sayoc where previously my breath would give out before my arms did, now my arms quit first and I am never out of breath.
I think what’s claimed about Systema is roughly from the same people who still speak of the “Quivering Palm”. 😀
MMA guys are badass for sure but even that occurs in a ring with a ref and SOME rules. It seems to me that the “core “fighting arts are:
Striking—MT, boxing
Grappling—BJJ, Japanese Jui Jitsu (for the joint locks), Sambo
Knives/edged weapons—includes ice picks and weapons of opportunity like broken bottles..
Blunt instruments–sticks , bats, rocks
Mentality—when to recognize when your life is on the line and do
whatever it takes to survive. Example: would you bite off someones
ear or gouge their eyes out. Would you take a chunk of asphalt and
bash someone’s brains in…
Combat Sambo is #1. The pudgy goat named FEDOR proved that.
A grappled goes up to a Krav Maga guy and asks “How’s your ground?” and he replies “Oh it’s great, my landscaper just worked on it today!”.
I am not sure of the wisdom of any kind of ground based art for “da streets”. The trouble is in a street confrontation you do not want to spend anytime at all on the ground. You could be wrestling one guy while another is kicking you in the head. Or someone may come at you with a knife. Not only that, I do not think you want to be physically connected to someone who is trying to kill you.
In my opinion, choose the art that you enjoy but do not delude yourself that it is “realistic” or “perfect” for the street. True combat is something else completely. The confidence and aura that you display as a result of your training will be what protects you since hardly anyone wants a fight with someone who “looks like they can fight”. Secondary to this, practice discretion. In other words, do not “get into fights”. This stupid on so many levels.
In a street fight, when you lose you lose and when you win you lose. The moment you decided to engage with someone you lost the fight.
Krav Maga superior? what are you basing this on?
Oh here we go with the internet blackbelts.
“Nyuurrr, Jeet Kune Do is vastly superior to Muay Thai!”
“Pshaw, a jujitsu guy could strangle him with his own jacket!”
Fact is it doesn’t really matter as long as you’re in a strong gym with strong sparring partners. You could get all of the benefits listed above from Oyama karate, from judo, from Western boxing… the point is to get in there and rough house. But don’t take my word for it. Foremost self-defense expert Geoff Thompson, author of Watch My Back (which I believe has been reviewed here) says the same.
The reality is that most of you will never be in a deadly street confrontation, so instead of selecting your martial art based on which you think will be the most “effective,” just pick the one you think is the most fun. The one that works best for your body type. The one that makes you feel good when you walk out the door. Your goal should be all the benefits listed above. The ability to smash a guy is a neat by-product of your effort.
I study Krav Maga, and couldn’t have said this better myself. If there were a good Muay Thai school nearby, I would go there too, just for the additional experience.
As long as your surrounded by a good group of people where the common goal is self improvement, not selfies (like the gym) your on a good thing.
I’ve crosstrained Muay Thai and BJJ. I’ll tell you first hand that a BJJ guy would choke the shit out of a Muay Thai guy.
With regards to street confrontations, there’s no amount of training that can beat situational awarenes.
Generally yes very true. If the guy who favors muay thai however also has a basic training in BJJ (blue belt legit gym) and basic HS level wrestling training then muay thai guy is KTFO pajama wearing bjj boy.
Thats true but a Muay Thai guy would kick the shit out of a BJJ guy 🙂
Actually, no. Muaythai may boast the strongest kick in the martial arts world. (It really does, it’s been measured). But here’s the thing: It exposes the crotch.
See, muaythai is — and can only ever be — a “sport” fighting style because it requires a referee to work. In any real fight, it’s the easiest thing to destroy some muaythai guy: Just go for his nuts.
Oh, and btw if you think that’s “cheap”, then you suck at fighting.
Muaythai is a really cool sport. It is not a fighting style. Fighting styles don’t require rules and a ref.
That makes no sense. You should consider the fact that there are other options besides a head kick (arguably exposing the crotch). Even if you think you will get my nuts chances are you will not move quick enough to get to my nuts before my instep hits you in the face. Not only that, if you go for my nuts you will receive my knee full force in your face.
And of course MT is a fighting style just like other fighting sports that require rules and a ref, like BJJ, MMA, Boxing. If you do not believe learning a fighting sport gives you a leg up in a street-fight you will be sorely (no pun intended) mistaken.
Head kick? How about just about *every* muaythai kick?
Just look at the silly photo up above. I’d have that guy floored in about eight seconds in a street fight if he pulled that gay shit.
But if all you rely on is a nut shot then you are gonna get devastated by any aware fighter.
Fighting styles can only be practiced where there are some form of rules because without them you will most definitely receive a very stupid injury that is easily avoidable and you cant really get better at any skills just by trying to kick someone in the nuts lol. If thats all you do then the guy who knows footwork, timing, head movement, striking accuracy is going to absolutely destroy your ass.
Sounds like you are just trying to boast about whatever rinky dink backroom martial arts place you take/go to. Apparently you stand and trade nut shots all day and your style is the only one about “real fighting” LOL.
Any accomplished fighter knows the difference between a competition fight and a street fight. In a street I will come at you with elbows and knees. Any grappling will result in me bringing your head down to waist level for repeated knees to the face.
Don’t under estimate any martial artist. I have known “soft” Tae Kwon Do guys, when pressed to completely destroy hardened convicts and be separated for the other convicts safety. And no one kicks higher than Tae Kwon Do his.
LMAO!!!!
The problem here is that a BJJ/Judo practitioner is going for the clinch. They have most likely trained for the strikes of numerous MAs.
Once they get a striker with no ground and pound knowledge, the fight ends pretty quickly in the overwhelming majority of fights. Save for a lucky shot to the jaw.
You see, strikes are all but useless if you are on the ground. Only in the mount. And over 95% of kicks are totally useless on the ground. Most of the rest are illegal in fights, or lead to prison sentences after the police arrive in the street.
This is why those of us who have practiced for any length of time for MMA use a variety of skills. Preferably a black belt, or equivalent in BJJ, Judo, and high proficiency in American boxing, and Muay Thai low power kicks.
For the street, I suggest implementing Aikido into your regimen on top of that. Being able to manipulate someone’s limbs, and avoid this to yours, backed up by the confidence of knowing you have a shot of surviving the fight if not outright dominating it will show to your opponent very, very quickly.
In Germany, I had an idiot try to play fight with me for a girl. I got into my stance, and he dropped his hands when he saw I intentionally missed his jaw. Had I allowed my fist to connect, it would have been lights out.
I totally disagree.
If learned properly, a Muay Thai kick does not expose the crotch for any length of time the would be effectively used trying to attack his crotch.
If you do that, as he is opening his hips to strike, you are most likely going to have an extremely painful sore on your leg (if not broken), or your face is going to block his kick.
Like you said, it is one of the most potent strikes.
Blocking with face badddddd.
Blocking with a twisted leg side grab, pulling leg for ground attack, with many, many strikes to the face, and arm bar to submit said bitch ass is gooooooddddddd!
🙂
LMAO!!! Seconded.
I have a black belt in Aikido.
I’m curious as to why people keep mentioning kicks when talking about Muay Thai. Muay Thai is not Tae Kwon Do. In a street fight elbows would be my primary weapon.
Also do not forget that Muay Thai also involves grappling and take downs.
I understand that strikes are useless on the ground. In a competition I would avoid fighting on the ground. In any battle the one who chooses the battle ground has a major advantage.
If I was taken to the ground in a street fight (been there before) I would bite, claw, gouge etc. No rules in a street fight.
I believe it was Mark Hunt that said, “Hit em in the head…and there goes their black belt”.
Watching a grappler shoot in and tie up – only to have their skull elbowed in – should give anyone pause.
Then again, having a kick caught and being tripped and put on your back gives strikers pause.
That’s the beauty of MMA…it’s all about execution
MT practitioners decide when to accept risk and throw a high kick. Ideally, they tee it up with strikes to the legs and body.
MT was developed in actual combat.
MT guys have weaponized their shins into baseball bats. You’re going to groin kick a guy with your tiny foot bones- who checks kicks for a living?
A knee to the groin? Oh please throw a MT guy into that briar patch
You are forgetting one thing, Muay Thai has devastating kicks and if you can kick in the groin, a Muay Thai guy can kick you in the groin too and much harder mind you. I trained Muay Thai for about 6 years and believe I would have no problem kicking my attackers nuts into oblivion if I was defending myself. When you learn how to kick hard and good, you can kick anywhere you want.
Rule #1 in a Street Fight versus a McDojo: When in fight or flight mode, your heart rate and adrenaline levels are through the roof which renders any complex motor movements impossible. Which means flying hapkido kicks, tiger claw blocks, and all the other Kata BS goes out the window. Gross motor movements are the only thing the body can muster during FoF, outside of the 1% of people that can slow down their heart rate and compose themselves when Fight or Flight takes over. Which is why Muay Thai, Krava Maga, and Explosive Movement type fighting is best. Real world, real applications, real life type fighting. If I had a nickel for every Hapkido, Armchair Blackbelt got their ass handed to them in a real life situation, I’d be a millionaire. It’s close the gap, explode, and destroy . As fast as possible, without any BS. Who cares how “fluid” or “elegant” it looks. Which is why Muay Thai is perfect. Elbow and Knees to the nuts and guts. Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Night.
Any fighting style is best.
There is no such thing as “two equally trained opponents”. Situational awareness + experience + training beats ANY fighting style.
Pick a fighting style, one that does at least partial contact training, and learn it, and get some bloody damned street awareness. Worry less about form, and more about putting your enemy down.
That is one of the advantages with MMA that is heavily based in the various grappling techniques, and American boxing. Most fighters only seem to implement that low Muay Thai Kicks. But if you are looking for a striking art, you could do significantly worse than Muay Thai.
I agree. Boxing/MMA/wresting seems to be the winning combination. Karate is for Beta Males:
http://wp.me/4n7vv
Tae Kwon Do. Now there’s a joke martial art.
I have been in a deadly/life or death situation.If I would have not struck first and hard I would have been killed or badly wounded.I don’t know shit except hit first and hit hard.I don’t go anywhere without a switch blade anymore that confrontation scared the shit out off me.You’re advice is spot on though what ever suits you is best.Situational awareness is key in any self defense situation I might add.I know some guys might call me weak for carrying a knife but it wins 90% of the time verses a gun and this comes from a guy that trains tactically every week with fire arms.I’ve had quite a few Blue moons this post might be gibberish lmao 🙂
I can’t decide which is worse, internet black belts or Twitter intellectuals.
You’re a douche.
And you’re lucky you’re safe behind your computer as you call people incredibly worn-out cliches.
Please. I would use your mouth for a toilet bowl.
Like I did to you mom? She loved every second of it, just so ya know. Tell her the check she wrote me for the “services” bounced, by the way.
She said you were as limp as your wrist. Fairy.
Ahahahahaha
LOL. Really?
I see the comparison of Internet dicks has finally commenced….that didn’t take long
Ahahahahahaha
Well said man
It’s funny because in obvious attempts NOT to look like internet-blackbelt-warriors, everyone in subsequent comments has just come the full circle and typified the stupid behaviour to which you alluded.
P.s, guys, this is the reason feminists, moderates, and basically everyone outside the manosphere doesn’t take you, or this blog seriously – they look at the comments and get a good look at what a pathetic self-indulgent amount of dick-wagging goes on, trolls, and angry fat feminist losers notwithstanding.
Slow clap, boys. Slow clap.
Having done it I just wanted to bolster the comment that the traditional Maui Thai culture is all about respect and discipline. Its got a tough-love vibe about it and I really like all the people that in the classes.
Unrelated but I wanted to commend you on your foresight. You predicted it on that viral video of the girl walking through NYC. ROK will probably end up doing an article on it. It’s such preposterous misandry. These femicunts will be punishing us for thought-crime if they could.
Worth considering as well. http://www.russianmartialart.com/
I prefer (and would suggest) jeet kune do, but May Thai is very interesting.
In martial arts you meet the most alpha men around … and also a lot of betas trying to figure their life out. Generally, I like the guys in the MMA crowd as well (lots of overlap).
Muy Thai and Boxing are a great combination.
That’s what I did for 4 years until a broken glenoid bone in my both shoulders ruined it.
This article makes me nostalgic.
Damn, what did you do son?
Missed a few punches and the bones popped out.
It is men’s art!
Real fucking talk. Muay Thai is the shit. People that train Muay Thai should crosstrain some BJJ.
Yea, Muay Thai is awesome. Most people should crosstrain Muay Thai with some BJJ.
Sounds good. A nice change form the massive amount of nonsense that has been posted on this site the last few days.
Out of curiosity what style would be recommended for a person with a decent strength, moderate speed and average height?
I’ve looked into wing Chun, wushu, tae kwon do. The preference has been wushu but I don’t want to lose out on my power for speed.
Muay Thai and BJJ.
Hmm, got a person I know who practices Muy Thai. First thing he recommended was wushu. And he’s been practicing MT for 14 years now. My thing is mainly getting the art. Bit of stylish person so if the art applies flair, speed and strength i’m with it.
Although Maybe a sparring session with the guy might answer some questions too.
JKD … it was MMA before MMA existed. Its a combination of everything (wing chun, m thai, Kung fu, etc.) very practical. Sparring after every class if you want.
The great thing is that you can modify everything to fit your personality. No rigidity.
I’ll check that out. Must have been some reason a Muy Thai fighter would suggest an Asian art after meeting me once. For me, the skill and flair must be almost equal. Sadly, wing Chun while is applicable it is also ugly as hell.
All interceptions in JKD are derived from WC… Bruce dropped the rest of it.
Interesting. I’ll shoot for JKD then. Always wanted to get a style established. A friend of mine adopted several Asian styles into his practice. There is a level of beauty that makes it more like an art than some other styles.
And a slight bias, maybe it is just me, but rather never let a guy be able to be on top of me for any reason. Knocking him out from a distance seems the best way to resolve this issue.
“Knocking him from a distance seems the best way to resolve this issue.”
You will love JKD then, there is a lot of trapping and techniques for quick strikes. I’m 6’2″ and my legs are very long… so I struggle fighting up close. You can win a fight by having longer reach just as well. Can’t recommend it strongly enough… it’s a combination of everythimg.
Wing chun if you could come across one of the rare internal versions, which is unfortunately highly unlikely. Most other Wing Chun versions are pretty much bullsh*t. They lack the correct structure, and technique to truly bring out Wing Chun’s true potential.But guess its better than nothing.
I went to an instructor who was the great grand son of IP Man. However his structure left a lot to ask for. I learned the art of punching and kissing asphalt. Actual instructions were taught by the other students who had far more pride in kicking your ass than addressing correct form. So, while Wing Chun was cool, I’ll give this JKD a shot.
For those who are interested in the even older traditions of thai martial arts, they can check out krabi krabong. This is the thai art of swordsmanship along with other traditional weapons. Not immediately handy in a street fight obviously but the people who train in it are doing it more to preserve the ancient thai warrior culture and traditions. Plus, training in weapons also improves your hand to hand combat abilities if you do Muay Thai as well. Here’s a video of it:
You can see them training in a wide variety of weapons but the main weapon is the krabi. The traditional thai sword. I’m not sure where it can be learnt in the US but if you search enough, you might be able to find an authentic school teaching it.
Pankration is the real deal and the original. They used to fight to the death.
In case one cannot get access to Muay Thai, might I also suggest:
MMA schooling (particularly for the sport, not as an “art” – such schools exist)
or
Systema – very improvisational system that focuses on concept and not on a specific rote technique. Krav Maga also exists as a “combat system” with similar ends.
If you like knives, check up on Sayoc too. Having trained in Sayoc I can say I’d rather be shot.
But best of all, if you lack funds or direction:
Find an underground Dojo that incorporates everything and uses full or nearly full contact. I trained in one of those for years.
No belts, no strip mall, no soccer moms, invite only, and bring in people from various arts too and learn them and learn to fight them.
(we did have women in this dojo and I would say they were “rape proof” but they had to deal with a mans world down there and did so well. )
Every week I got beaten to hamburger. Sometimes we would party all night and then train from sunrise to noon with monster hangovers (on the premise that fights never happen when you are in top condition).
If you are thinking “that seems like a fight club” well, it was in some manner but without the rhetoric. But to a certain extent you do form a “crew” with them and you will have each others backs. We used to go to Manhattan and get into fights with the stupid guidos (the bridge and tunnel crowd) whose sole purpose was to go to NYC and gang up on bouncers and doormen.
Someone has balls of Steel. Impressive Man.
Me? Heck no. I never felt like Mr. Badass doing this stuff. There’s always someone bigger and badder too. You just gotta hit hard, watch your six, and survive.
Wise and humble words from someone who obviously knows what he’s talking about. Definitely still a Bad Ass.
This place attracts some cool cats. Always interesting stuff found in these comment sections, which are often as important as the articles themselves.
The fact that you’re demonstrating self awareness in that first paragraph makes you a Badass. Respect.
This is where martial arts teaches you humbleness. You never know who can kick your ass, no matter how big or how small.
I kinda disagree. I think it’s better to crosstrain than it is to take MMA. The MMA classes are usually meant for guys that have some experience crosstraining across several arts. This means for wrestlers, don’t take the MMA class. Take MT or boxing to actually learn how to strike properly. Then add in the MMA class. For a striker, it’d mean learn how to wrestle or train some BJJ. Then they can mix it all together.
I was training Sayoc in an “MMA academy” (so it was called) and it struck me as a bit of a competition. So are you saying that rather than go for MMA, learn the baselines and then mix them yourself?
Yea. The most important part are the fundamentals. Crosstrain it and then mix it together. You gotta have the basics down. If you don’t have a good shot that you’ve practiced hundreds of times, you shouldn’t be shooting takedowns. If you do, your face will be looking straight at the mat or pavement against someone who knows what they’re doing.
I generally agree with everything you said here. Only that one can learn the basics and build that foundation with mma training alone by joining the right gym.
If someone was to start off relatively new with mma, they can train side by side striking arts like boxing/muay thai along with takedown arts judo and wrestling and THE ground fighting art of bjj.
At the very least do bjj and pick your striking art and train those 2.
Intensive learning and skill set obtainment will mean specialized training in all those arts individually for a time and then combining them into mma training/sparring. To really become great at them however you need to compete against the highest level of competition that you could reach.
Mind you this is regarding 1v1 un armed combat. Also keep in mind that even though mma is the closest sport we have to mano e mano honorable combat…in the street there is no honor and no rules. The only rule is survive.
I’ve done mma for over 10 yrs and competed as a professional. I favor muay thai and boxing as a personal love of mine but wrestling is probably the single most important art of them all. No matter where you want the fight to go you need to know how to wrestle.
In street situations I try to just always be aware of surroundings and who I am around. I got paid to go and fight people in front of thousands at times. A street altercation does not pay me anything AND it is likely going to cost me lots in either possible jail time, injuries, maybe even death. So I try to always remember that. I dont ever expect someone to make his intentions known to me in a street situation and I dont ever expect them to play “fair”.
Knowing these things keeps me out of trouble. Besides all the training Ive had makes me a pretty laid back person who has nothing to prove because I’ve already proven it all to myself. I’ve even let people say all kinds of stupid shit/insults/ threats and Ive done nothing. Why? Because I have nothing to gain and someone’s words mean very little if anything at all. If you swing at me though might be a different story hehe.
If you go to a proper MMA academy they will more often than not have a specialist boxing coach, wrestling coach, Muay Thai coach as well as a separate BJJ school. If you avoid McDojo’s there’s no harm in jumping straight into mixed martial-arts. More expensive – yes (I pay around $40 a week), but full gym access with as many training sessions as I please.
I see too many “green” guys rush in to take MMA so that they can be like Anderson Silva. They are frequently early thirties, slightly over-weight. Not only do they not last, their overall technique is poor. I tell them to specialize in one art now and once they achieve a certain level of mastery, then start building in another.
But then, I guess its the “in-thing” to say you do MMA.
I wish there was somewhere within driving distance of me that trained Sayoc!
I was driving from Seattle to Bellingham – over a 1 hour drive – for the class. The instructor was flying down to LA once a week when he was a student.
I’d definitely drive an hour or 1 1/2 hours.
But I’d be looking at a three-hour drive from where I live, and that’s just not doable.
Not a criticism of you but for others I do not recommend either partying and training with hangovers or getting into fights. Fights can almost always be avoided. An accomplished martial artist is a master of the “Art of Fighting Without Fighting”.
Secondly, training with a hangover, drinking and lack of sleep is conducive to poor learning, increased probability of injury and poor recovery from training. That is the path to mediocrity. Certainly you will not be warmed up and ready to perform should an unavoidable fight present itself but neither should you ever drink yourself into a state where your fighting ability is seriously impaired.
You should always be prepared to fight. Always.
Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” Sun Tzu – The Art of War
Brilliant comment. Absolutely brilliant.
On a one on one basis, you can break your enemy’s resistance with a glance. When looking into your eyes, your enemy immediately realises your strength and power. Instinctively, he will withdraw from the conflict (unless he is crazy). I have seen this happen and I have done it myself. It is the best way to “win” a fight.
The ww2 open handed strike’s taught by Rex applegate , or bladed culture fighting styles like Silat are best for real world situations .
or, y’know, just head to the bar and do your own drink-fight-fuck triathlon! ….any fool can get in shape sober, holding your own and scoring some ass when you can only see outta one eye, now that’s fitness.
Great article. Muay Thai is an excellent art to learn. But I think you would be doing your readers a disservice, if you do not mention that muay thai training can have damaging effect on your joints and ligaments, especially in your elderly years. It can really catch up with you.
I once had a contractor who had competed in muay thai. guy was super humble and honest and got the job done very well. Its the quite ones that you have to watch out for.
quite quiet
Or very quiet?
i believe it. my very first martial arts instructor was ( and still is ) one of the most humble men ive ever met. it blew my mind when i finally saw him fight. it taught me to quick making snap judgements about other human beings.
I still think variety is best, but doing SOMETHING is the most important.
Hey Gents, small divergence from the topic at hand, but, I had an epiphany the other day as it relates to our community etc. Apropos to an article that is discussing fighting as a pathway to improvement, I submit to all of you that the New Masculinity is here. What is the New Masculinity, well, is all covered here on ROK, game, excellence, physical strength…being a man. But, whats important to note and why I think the New Masculinity is so profound is that this has been forged largely by the doings of the very forces that seek to destroy masculinity. Since masculinity is the inherent state of 1/2 the population its as though nature is at work here, heck even God, if you believe (and if you don’t…no problem and that’s the point!). Has anyone really thought about what we are and what we’ve actually achieved, haphazardly, perhaps? We’re men of all races, ethnicity and religions. We’ve got Blacks with Whites with Browns with Reds with Yellows…we’ve got Atheists, Theists, Deists etc, etc, etc. We’ve all found solidarity with each other over the perceived existential threat of our very masculinity…the very fucking thing that the opposition said was the root of all evil and wars and racial animosity and this and that. Realize that we’ve just transcended race, religion, ethnicity! MASCULINITY DID THIS! Sadly, we cannot transcend everything and what that is are the very thedes that seek our destruction – feminism and homosexualism. This is why there have been fits and starts of the men’s whatever such as the M”H”RA since it has sought to reconcile with forces that seek no reconciliation just total annihilation. Indeed, those two anti masculine forces, feminism and homosexualism, have created us. That we cannot transcend with them affords them the license to call us misogynists or homophobes, but the broad side of the progressive name calling is no longer applicable, in fact, race has been central topic progressives have bemoaned for decades. And we have accomplished what those assholes have never been able too. The volley is no longer as big as it was…not only can they not call us racist but they will have to call us the only success in racial harmony achieved hitherto. All of us men know what it is to be a man and despite our previous scrapes, fights, wars and injustice, we all have our existence threaten by a clearly definable enemy…and we’ve united. The New Masculinity is here and its drawing on the rich traditions of manhood from all corners of the world and history.
Thai is great. but learn how to box, i mean really box. you can end a fight quicker with a good punch, even if you gotta jet right after. thai knees will devastate a guy, but good luck getting in close and clinching when shit is popping off.
A dog barks because it’s scared. Good fighters are humble because they are not scared. People who talk much are the weak and scared ones. Women talk too much.
Talking is barking.
You get thes e same benefits from any martial art.
No you don’t.
Did it for a year, it’s fantastic.
Muay Thai is a beautiful martial art. I’ve taken it for about 6 years now and consider it a cornerstone of self-defense. Stance, footwork, rhythm, striking, blocking, breathing…it’s a dance. The more you dance, the better you get. The better you get, the more you like.
Another bullet point for Muay Thai: In the Thai culture, Muay Thai is considered a national treasure and pastime. As football or baseball is here in the states. But unlike our sports traditions which have been diluted and bastardized, Muay Thai remains sacrosanct to the Thais.
If you go to Lumpinee stadium in Bangkok to watch the Thai fights, you will quickly notice you are entering a male domain. The vast majority of the crowd is male, the fighters and trainers are all male. The musical entertainment is traditional muay thai and all male. If you missed all of the above, read the sign next to the ring ( in English):
“Ladies, please don’t touch the stage as it’s Thai tradition. Boxing stage in believed to be sacred place.”
(translation: We still believe in strength and masculine virtue here in Thailand. For our western female guests, please respect this fact and do not sully our place of honor with your unclean hands. Thanks a bunch!!)
I read this and smiled. For a $50 entry fee I enjoyed the next 3 hours of fights and $2 Sing-Ha’s
Hot as a bastard in that country though…shit! Rained like something outta the book o’ Genesis!!
If it’s not Judo, Sambo, Full Contact Karate, Boxing, Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu (From a
reputable instructor), or wrestling…don’t bother with it.
The older you are, the more you want to stay away from striking, and not because it’s ineffective but simply because you’re going to take damage during the learning process and at an age where your sparring partner can dish out plenty of it. I would suggest grappling for someone older than 18.
If you have a son and he’s younger than 18, you need to keep him away from most; if not all, team sports. The major sports corporations in their greedy push to tap the “other sex”,and the bearded hustlers who run the sports media have infused too much poison into them. Young men need confidence, a feeling of achievement, adversity, and a healthy outlet for masculine aggression, and in 2015 if your son isn’t in combat sports, you’re screwing up as a father.
Just train MMA, so you’ve got both striking and grappling covered. No need for this pointless debate about which art is better.
I’ve been meaning to get into the Muay Thai/MMA game for a while but I haven’t gotten over my weightlifting addiction. I have mixed feelings about training for fighting. While it is a useful skill to learn and a great workout, two dudes fighting in a ring as depicted in the article seems like modern-day Darwinism. When I see people going full contact with no protective gear, it’s like how stupid can you be to voluntarily take vicious head and body blows with no financial compensation or any other tangible reward.
> “You’ll get stronger…increase confidence…lose weight…gain respect…release stress and aggression.”
Salsa dancing does the same thing.
As will walking.
There is not just one Way.
Manhood as muscle-bound meatheadedness.
Geesh! Were feminists right about guys after all…boneheads only interested in lifting weights, watching sports, and collecting gadgets?
So…Stephen Hawking isn’t a “man”?
Betas are lesser beings?
Such highschool shite.
Red pill guys shame other males worse than feminists do.
Why do PUAs, for example, brag about bagging poon Who are they trying to impress? Who cares? Besides, no one can prove their assertions…and one man’s 10 is another’s 3.
Guys are becoming as self-limited as feminists.
Fifty years ago feminism promised women new freedoms. Given the Pill and college educations, the world was their oyster. They could have great sex, great jobs, great lives. Today females live lives limited by more “rules” than ever.
Similarly, while guys talk about “going their own way,” they pump out endless fatwas about what it REALLY means to be a REAL man.
Live and let live. Do what works for you. If others are interested they will ask you how, why, and what you do. If they don’t, who cares: you will live your own happy life.
So let go of the endless dick-checks. Stop thinking betas are lesser beings or even betas at all. If you can’t help guys who ask, at least don’t mock them.
Again, so much Eternal Highschoolism: “My martial arts are better than yours.” “My dick is bigger than yours.” “Look at me and how much vag I’ve ridden.” Etc. Just like late teens when everyone knew the football team’s captain would lead a happy successul life while nerds disappeared into anonymity…right? Only later reunions showed the QB becoming a wino and Mr. Weenie owning whole towns and factories.
Samurai were expected to know how to arrange flowers and prepare tea. The Irish esteemed poets above kings. Wheelchair-bound Christopher Reeves was more super-man than Superman. And who knows where Robin Williams would be if he could have told other men how desperate and trapped he felt.
Yip Man movies are fun to watch. However, how much living did he lose out on by working out so much mastering Wing Chun instead of telling fart jokes or listening to Wu-Tang Clan?
Well-roundedness. Humor. Kindness. Character. Charity. Etc.
I’m not going to lay claim to being a black belt of insta-kill-jitsu or the biggest badass since badass came to Badass Town.
But any martial art is only as good as the person using it. Muay Thai (which is my style of choice), requires technique, athleticism, and a level of mental and physical resilience the average person will never possess. Most nak muay who do it aren’t jacked up gymrats or meatheads, but fighting them would be a rough proposition for anybody off the street. That said, professional nak muay have fought fighters from other styles such as Kyokushinkai, San Shou, Lethwei, and Pencak Silat, and been laid out. Another interesting consideration is that some of the legends of Muay Thai started their careers as boxers so while the round kick, the knee, and the teep, are devastating weapons, never disregard the hand-game (especially the jab).
As far as Muay Thai building character and developing fitness, I agree 100%. Muay Thai is a discipline deeply rooted in respect for one’s teacher, fellow students, the country, and the king.
Now excuse me while I go ice this leg I took some kicks on.
I love Muay Thai. I train Muay Thai,Haganah and on occasion BJJ. I must say for a real life situation, esp knife fights,haganah is the most beneficial. A combo of muay thai and haganah will make a person an extremely efficient street fighter,even in a pinch. I prefer Muay Thai sport to BJJ bc BJJ is kind of boring to me,plus it is a much better workout!
Is spareing once a week going to affect my cognitive abilities over time? I really like the primal advantage it gives me knowing how to kick ass at any given moment but I don’t know if it is worth it.
Muay Thai, like many martial arts, works specifically for certain body types. Some men do better with Muay Thai, some do better with Savate, or Capoera, or even greco-roman wrestling or traditional boxing. Me, with my size, I prefer grapple and boxing styles.
It’s all a matter of finding what’s right for your size and build.
i was fired from my job and a my friend got me a job as a security guard in a club. The first night , some guys began to throw bottle to us because we denied them the entrance to the club. from those guys two come to fight with us ( they were smaller than me)
i kicked one in the leg and he fell and the other one go after me, so my first instict was to do what i practiced every class in my muay thai lessons i went for the clinch to hit him with the knees.
but when i had him in the clinch against the wall he stabbed my in my back two times with a knife he had in his pocket and then run away. I was carried to a hospital with an ambulance and after surgery i lost my right lung and spent three monts inside the hospital.
Now i cant train anymore and have problems to breath once in a while but at least im alive.
I suffered this because the people who trained me made me believe that there was no difference between fighting in a ring and fighting in the street. I have a false sense of strenght that almost got me killed.