What are the different styles of muay thai?

[HumanPotential]

What are the differences between northern, bangkok, and southern muay thai? (I hear one is more power, one is more speed and the other is more technical.) Which one is more prevalent or taught more frequently around the world? I am thinking about joining a MT school but, I am worried about learning a diluted form of muay thai from someone who doesn't even know there are variations/styles of the art? Is it just innocent ignorance on most peoples' part? ...WHAT TO DO? Thank you! :confused:

[Khun Kao]

There are so many varying styles of Muay Thai as to be almost countless. Each gym teaches there own "flavor" of Muay Thai that is based upon unarmed Thai martial arts and that has been modified and remodified over the generations.

Breaking things down between Power, Finesse, and Speed is probably a neat way to categorize things, but at the same time, overly simplistic. I have trained under three different "systems" or "styles" of Muay Thai. I do not know the lineage of any of them beyond three generations. The names of the Muay Thai "styles" is merely the name of the gym.

For instance, I have trained under the following gyms:

SuriyaSak (Pride of the Sun)
DjongAngh (King Cobra)
NahrkraDohm (Black Dragon)

SuriyaSak Muay Thai focuses on speed and technique.
DjongAngh Muay Thai focuses on power and speed.
NahrkraDohm Muay Thai focuses on technique and power.

My recommendation is to simply perform a little "homework". Rather than worry about what style you are learning, you should insteand make a list of what is available in your area, then ask around to find who is a better fit for you. Take some trial lessons and see whose training methods you like best. After training for some time and gaining some proficiency, you may want to try training at some other gyms to gain further insight and differing approaches to Muay Thai training and strategy.

[SoKKlab]

There are so many varying styles of Muay Thai as to be almost countless. Each gym teaches there own "flavor" of Muay Thai that is based upon unarmed Thai martial arts and that has been modified and remodified over the generations.

Breaking things down between Power, Finesse, and Speed is probably a neat way to categorize things, but at the same time, overly simplistic. I have trained under three different "systems" or "styles" of Muay Thai. I do not know the lineage of any of them beyond three generations. The names of the Muay Thai "styles" is merely the name of the gym.

For instance, I have trained under the following gyms:

SuriyaSak (Pride of the Sun)
DjongAngh (King Cobra)
NahrkraDohm (Black Dragon)

SuriyaSak Muay Thai focuses on speed and technique.
DjongAngh Muay Thai focuses on power and speed.
NahrkraDohm Muay Thai focuses on technique and power.

My recommendation is to simply perform a little "homework". Rather than worry about what style you are learning, you should insteand make a list of what is available in your area, then ask around to find who is a better fit for you. Take some trial lessons and see whose training methods you like best. After training for some time and gaining some proficiency, you may want to try training at some other gyms to gain further insight and differing approaches to Muay Thai training and strategy.

Khun Kao is correct....

Varies trainer to trainer, gym to gym.
Whilst there used to be distinct regional variations within Muay Thai.
Lanna-North tended towards a preference to Leg work (Kicks, knees etc) and the South prefered Elbows, punches etc, all had to be able to counter everything else anyway.

Muay Thai is an art of equal emphasis, but as stated the way it's trained differs depending upon the factors involved.