muay thai

[Mr. Delicious]

I keep hearing that this is one of the best martial arts to take for self defense in real life situations. I have done a little research and I am thinking about taking it.

If anyone here is involved what is it like? For example, as a beginner what would I be doing during my lessons.

Does it really live up to the hype of being one of the best for self defense?

Are you glad you decided to take it or if you quit why did you quit?

Also I know this dumb but how do you pronounce muay? Is it pronounced like moo-eye I dont want to sound like a jerkoff when I call them up asking about the class and I cant even pronounce it right.

Anyway, I know I will probably have more questions later but thats all I could think of for now.

 

[Cheiradawg]

I think muay is pronounced the same as my.

Can't answer the other questions tho.

 

[Alpine]

Well I say it like cow but with an M.

It's pretty good as self defence. It has different ranges, uses knees and elbows, and devastating low kicks.

It will toughen you up and keep you very fit, but it is at the end of the day a sport not a pure self defence system, so you are fvcked if you let a grappler pull you down.

What I like about it, like boxing, is it does tend to attract hard bastards. That means that when you train, your peers will set a high standard in terms of fitness, pain tolerance and competitiveness.

 

[MindOverMatter]

if you want to be good at 1 on 1 fights, take brazilian or japanese jiu jitsu.

if you want to learn fast knock outs, and a style of fighting that can help you in 1v2 or 1v3 fights, take muay thai.

as a beginner you will just learn the basics, how to execute punches / kicks / knees / elbows, how to defend, combinations, some clinching, etc. it will be mostly shadowboxing / bag work.

once you get past that, you start a lot of in-ring fighting vs other students, and that's where you will learn muay thai inside out. it will make your reflexes sharp, and you will see how sluggish and slow most untrained opponents are whenever you fight a rookie.

i'd definetly take it if i was you, my 2c

 

[Ice Cold]

MT is good, but BJJ or sambo is better for streets

Anything is better than sitting on your ass watching tv though.

 

[Jariel]

Or, perhaps you'd be interested in this popular British art of self defence...

http://www.compfused.com/directlink/78/

 

[Ice Cold]

^^^

 

[Nocturnal]

This guy, Tony Jaa, is an incredible Muay Thai fighter. Check out a few of the trailers for his movie Ong Bak:

http://www.ultimatedvd.org/en/trailers/Details.aspx?Trailer_Id=-857473426

 

[quest]

i'm joining myself..
just got a phone number today.. will call tomorrow..

 

[mcarioca]

CAPOEIRA IS THE WAY TO GO

 

[sfalexi]

Wish I could join some sort of martial arts class, but I don't have the time or money. Sucks cause I'm in decent shape already and catch on to things quick so I'd probably be pretty good. Ah well.

Alexi

 

[SheepSter]

I've done various martial arts. And I can tell you that muay thai does definitely NOT offer the best defense. If you want good defense take aikido. And try Israeli combat.

Still I've seen one of the most incredible KO's ever, done by a muay thai specialist. I can't remember his name but it was at the last Tokyo K1 Grandprix Finals 2004. In the first round. He did a sudden flying kick in the face of his, way more heavier, opponent...unreal.

 

[Alpine]

I have a LOT of respect for BJJ as a grappling art, however as a self defence system it's not ideal.

As was pointed out to me recently by a friend, you really don't want to have your main aim to be going to the ground.

If the guy has an edged weapon you're in trouble, if he has mates you will surely taste some boot polish.

 

[sfalexi]

I've been told (and it seems to make sense from what very little I know/have seen) that Akido is pretty much the best for street self-defense.

Alexi

 

[Alpine]

I love aikido, the way the top 60 year old 110lb guys effortlessly floor that 300lb PCP driven monster.

Then reality dawns, sorry guys but it just don't cut it in the real world.

If you train in aikido for 5 years and have a streetfight with, say an average boxer and believe you can come out on top I fear for your well being.

I love it, but it's not street defence.

 

[MindOverMatter]

aikido's a traditional martial art, it's good if you know it, but efficiency wise, it's kinda obsolete.

 

[torqueboxer]

Remember in the real world most people are very out of shape. In a fight that lasts more than 30 seconds a drunk 40 year old will be weezing for air. You dont have to be "the worlds toughest man" to win a bar fight. Go to the local YMCA and look into their boxing program should be cheap or sometimes even free if you are under a certain age. Get some practice blocking and hitting. One of the hardest things to get used to is getting hit and not gettting flustered and forgetting everything you learned. That is why the sparring is so important. If you have 2 hours of practice a week for a year you have more fight training than 95% of all of the guys out there.

There will always be someone out there that can kick your butt....its just a matter of how much punishment you are going to throw their way that matters.

 

[Mr. Delicious]

Thanks guys for your detailed responses. I cant really take anything too exotic because its just not offered here. I live in a city of about 600,000 so I am limited to Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Karate, Boxing, Muay Thai and ground fighting (taught by the Muay Thai instructor). I looked through the phone book and I think those are the only ones.

 

[Alpine]

Of those MT with some groundfighting would be best by far, then boxing.

TKD, Judo and Karate is in the sport and hobbies categories. They don't cut it for street defence.

 

[Ice Cold]

Judo is very streetfight applicable.