For many people, Muay Thai and kickboxing are synonymous. But although the two arts are similar in some respects, there are significant differences between Muay Thai and kickboxing, especially if you’re looking into taking up one for exercise or self-defense. Please explain me which technique is better .
Well, they are not so much techniques as rule systems for competitive striking arts, Muay Thai being a combat sport native to Thailand (natch), where as kickboxing is an all encompassing term for about three different rule systems which have all got independent origins and rules. All of these styles allow for different techniques under their rule systems, and one Nak Muay will fight completely differently from another Nak Muay depending on his physicality, technical abilities and preferences, with much the same situation to be found in kickboxing. It's not a question of what is better, because both allow for entirely different types of fighters to emerge.
Shaolin Kung Fu is such a vague term that you can't compare them. It incorporates many many different styles -especially if you count all the styles that say they descend from Shaolin. Plus, I don't buy into the style vs style debates. It is about the school and the individual practitioner in said schools.
Personally, i don't, but that is mostly due to Muay Thai being taught with a bent toward competition akin to boxing.
i am also a shaolin student from china and yes Shaolin Kung Fu is great form. My few friends is learning muay thai and i also want to join them from classes ... Thank you for your reply
People should stop comparing combat sports They are sports, they each have their own rule sets and scoring criteria Which would win a rugby player or american football player ? It's a silly question because they are totally different unless you are focused only on the field and ball Iv seen it countless times .. Tkd v thai boxing .. They don't allow the thai boxer elbows or clinch! Because that wouldn't be fair Likewise if you had muaythai v shaolin I doubt they would allow the shaolin fighter his double edged chain whip!
muay thai is better for self defence because there are less rules in muay thai than in kickboxing. In kickboxing you arent allowed to kick below the waist, use knee attacks or elbow attacks. In muay thai you are allowed to do everything a kickboxer is, plus these banned things. A kickboxer would generally get destroyed by a muay thai fighter because he wont have as conditioned legs from taking leg kicks, so the muay thai fighter would really work the kickboxers legs and punish them, then it would go to a clinch where the muay thai fighter would be kneeing the kickboxer and maybe landing a good elbow into his head/face, again the kickboxer will be really out of his comfort zone here. That said there are a lot of restrictive rules on muay thai as well, such as no going to the ground, no headbutting, eye gouges, biting, crotch shots etc etc. Muay thai is a good striking style though. Personally I am thinking of taking it up for self defence in combination with judo which will fill the gap of what to do when it goes to more standing up grappling as can so often happen in street fights. A big plus for muay thai over other styles which are less restrictive and will teach you eye gouges etc where muay thai doesnt, is that there would typically be a lot more full contact sparring in muay thai, which is probably more valuable, being used to taking a hit would be good for a real fight.
I love chinese martial arts and people like Jet Li, Jackie Chan etc are idols for me. But sadly no I dont think it is better than boring old Muay Thai. In full contact martial arts like K1 and stuff Muay Thai techniques dominate, watching a good Muay Thai fighter in the ring with any type of Kung Fu fighter is sad, the Muay Thai fighter will dominate easily. Yes I know you can say many things are disallowed like eye gouges and if there were no rules the shaolin kung fu person would win... But I think the practicality and power of Muay Thai has been proven in all the full contact combat sports we see today, K1, UFC etc and we know these Muay Thai techniques are straightforward, have huge power and work.
