Converting from Kickboxing to Muay Thai

[SHOX]

Easy guys

first of all I'd like to say i have very little experience of kboxing and have only been at one club so forgive me if I'm making presumptions about the sport in general and you love kickboxing


I've been kickboxing 4 times a week for 6 months & tbh I don't know whether it's the club I'm at or me but I'm becoming a bit bored with it.


I'm finding there is an overemphasis on kicking for kickings sake rather than for effectiveness - and in sparring a tendancy for people to not be aggressive enough for me to judge the tehinques effectiveness in a real world application.


I'm considering switching to Muay Thai - has anyone done the same swap and how have you found it?

again apologies if kickboxing is your thing - I'm only a mighty white belt and not very good or knowledgable about it

[jeff5]

I've done both. There are quite a few differences, but quite a few similarities as well. Elbows, knees, clinching, and leg shielding are probably some fo the techniques that Thai does but traditional kickboxing doesn't. (that's a pretty general statement I know, and won't apply across the board) The Thai round house is quite different from a traditional karate/kickboxing round house as well.

That being said, if you have the basic mechanics down from your previous school, the transition shouldn't really be that hard for you. Your punching and a lot of your kicks will be pretty much the same, depending on instructor variation. I like Thai as a combative, street applicable sport, much more than tradtional American Kickboxing, mostly due to the clinching, knees, and elbows. Most of the kicks (at least at my school), are kept low line, or ribs at the highest.

[Scott Bolinger]

all styles of fighting are just what you learn and able to put into your own style of fighting. White belt, your still have alot to learn, so your instructor should be drilling alot of basic stuff by you. Different martial arts, different styles of kickboxing and MuaTia maybe taught differently. My style of kickboxing is my own and nobody has duplicated it. But I do train in many ways, with a traditional setting and routine format. then I also go into more speed drills for feet and speed drills for the hands that you would see in a boxing gym. You work your offense, then go into defense and counter drills. then you put together toning exersize. If your looking at competeing some day, then i'd suggest going with a coach that is geared for compitition. Alot of instructors out there are in the style of teaching martial arts as defense. I don't usually teach kickboxing for defense, I teach to win fights and I use every tool, that I can to make the better fighter. But, if your a white belt and your getting bored, then maybe try and get into some compititions. Thats when you really get to find out if your style is good for you.

[Python]

Listen, I am sorry If I offend, but i have to reply to this one. Scott, NO style is your own style. "Styles" were here long before we were, so please..don't say "no one has dulicated your style"...as if you invented it this year. AND "Kickboxing" is a sport, not a style of martial art, though many claim it to be. All of the "styles" are already chosen, we only adapt our own systems, which incorporate one, few, or many different styles. Now to further this, if you train your students in kickboxing, why do you spell Muay Thai "muatia"? That is not even a typo dude, that is plain "uneducated"!
What gives? You go on to say "if you're a white belt and getting bored, maybe try to get into competitions (correct spelling)...what "white belt" is getting bored to the point that he or she needs to compete? He/She as a white belt does not know enough yet to make that determination. I am sorry, but you sound very adolescent in your reply. I have read a few of your posts on here and some are good, but this one makes me wonder about your credentials. I am not trying to "attack" you, so please don't take it that way.

Shox, sounds like a watered down version of kickboxing you are involved with. I don't know that for sure, again, just what it sounds like based on what you posted. Yes, the transition should be very easy, provided you find the right instructor and one who can spell Muay Thai correctly, lol.

[Scott Bolinger]

Python, you're quite the ass.
It don't sound like you have ever studied any style of martial arts before. Or at least you have never learned to be repectfull of others. I have over 20 years of experience in martial arts, as well as authored a book on my style of fighting. I don't teach someone elses style of fighting, I teach my own style. Now , if your going to be so bold as to insult me the way you did, then you need to step up. I run a kickboxing federation in the Midwest, come on down to one of my meets, and I could certaining set you up with a fight with me and see who knows there shit.

[Slavez3ro]

Come on Guys what is it with the agression..
Not all styles is made for everybody so yeah if kickboxing is boring to Shox then allow him to change until he finds something that is complementary to him as a fighter.
I mean realy lets look at it White belt what do u realy learn that is of value, u need to learn one thing though and that is patience nothing in Martial arts/kickboxing is rushed... The whole idea behind these belts is just so u have a variety of colored belts to keep your pants up.Hehehehehehe just kidding.
Each technique u learn say whitebelt = 10 of them u must be conditioned that u can perform them in your sleep that is the whole idea when u in the ring or street u don't wannt to think what combination u gonna throw next it must be natural.
example: if u fight a Brawler u must directly see that and nail him with the Jab keep him away from u so yeah sorry not the best examples out there.

[Python]

Scott,
You are right, I was an ass! I apologize! I had a few..no make that several drinks at a wedding reception that night. My wife told me to wait til the next day to post since I was drinking, and what do ya know, she was right too. I re-read my post and it does indeed sound insulting and I had no justification to be that way. I did not agree with you in your post, which is fine, we are all here to share and "debate" our opinions, but I should have been way more tactful in my reply. Again, I am sorry.

One of my big pet peeves are when people cannot spell, yet proceed to try to instruct or teach someone else through writing. It makes them sound as if they are from the backwoods of Kentucky, lol(great, now someone from there will get offended too right?). A typo is one thing, as I said, but at any rate, I should have either kept my mouth shut or been more respectful. Muay Thai is an art that I take very seriously and when I see it butchered like that I get my feathers ruffled, but again, I should have refrained.

Now I have another question for you. I read your bio on your webpage, and you state in there how you have become "such a good fighter" and elsewhere how you became "such a good coach"...yet I read nowhere about when you earned your Blackbelt, and in what "style" (I assume Shotokan?), nor who awarded it to you. I personally would think that would be more of something to brag about and worthy of being in your bio, wouldn't you?

You kickboxing federation...that is just "point" kickboxing, is that correct?

Anyway, you can accept my apology or not, either way, I am sorry for being an ass. I will not do it again. I will reply respectfully, if I reply at all.

[Scott Bolinger]

I recieved my black belt in 1987 in the art of Shoto Kan.
It wasn't a big deal to me. I learned someone elses art to the black belt level. Back then I pride myself more on the fights I won. These days, is when a student learns how to fight better than me and when they win in compititions or do greate things.
I've studied 5 different styles of martial arts, 6 if you include boxing, and one thing I didn't like about those arts, is the close mindedness. One thing that was a big eye opener and big improvement to my style of fighting is when I started coaching Boxing. Any seriouse kickboxer would be greatly improved by learning how to train as a boxer.
In my kickboxing Federation, its 3 - 2 minute rounds of continuous sparing point compitition. For fighting for a championship, you could end up with 5 - 3 minute rounds.