When the martial arts world was graced with Muay Thai, a whole new way of thinking about fighting emerged. There are very few combat styles that do what Muay Thai does, although kickboxing comes quite close. This raises the question: is Muay Thai better than kickboxing?
On the surface, the two styles are quite similar in a lot of ways. As the name suggests, kickboxing combines the use of your arms and legs for both offence and defence. Then again, the same goes for Muay Thai too. With that in mind, it’s worth considering the key differences before deciding on what to train.
Is Muay Thai better than kickboxing for you? Read on to find out!
What is Muay Thai?
Muay Thai is often called The Art of Eight Limbs, as you can use your elbows and knees to land strikes as well as absorb them, not just your feet and hands. This makes the style extremely versatile in every respect imaginable.
To start with, the slashing elbow is one of the strongest moves in all of martial arts when executed properly. It also adds an element of surprise to a heated fight, requiring a good amount of flexibility to pull off.
That said, leg attacks are where the sport really shines, especially at the higher levels. You can leverage your kicks to help create distance between you and your opponent, or you can use them offensively to land devastating attacks on their lower or middle body. Although rarer, the occasional high kick can be a game-ender and sway a fight in your favour.
Although there are no grapples in Muay Thai, clinches are commonly used to control the flow of close-range combat. This can mean breaking up combos or helping you land a cheeky knee attack on the opponent’s body.
What is kickboxing?
Needless to say, punches and kicks are an integral part of kickboxing, although the physics behind the strikes is different. For starters, whereas the bulk of leg contact in Muay Thai is done with the shins, It’s only really a staple in K-1 kickboxing. By and large, most of it comes down to using feet to attack opponents. This means a lot of rapid-fire knee work and trying to land multiple kicks to score extra points.
Also, while Muay Thai fighters do punch, it’s usually a way to transition into a more powerful leg attack. Kickboxers rely on their fists a lot more, which allows for more speed and hits per combo than alternating between punches and kicks. In that way, you can argue that the sport is more dynamic, especially when you consider the amount of strafing and footwork needed to enable these punches.
Although you can clinch in kickboxing, it’s a little less essential than in Muay Thai since you won’t be landing or receiving knee and elbow attacks. Instead, the clinch serves as more of a recovery period and a way to interrupt an attack, similar to boxing.
FAQs
Is Muay Thai better than kickboxing for self-defence?
Both of these fighting styles are great for self-defence. If this is your primary reason for training, you can’t go wrong with either one. That said, you could make the case that Muay Thai is more applicable in a real-world scenario.
For starters, with all the leg training you’ll be doing as a Muay Thai fighter, you can expect to develop better balance than a kickboxer. This can come in handy if you’re caught by surprise and need to remain standing after an uncalled-for sucker punch.
What’s more, knees and elbows are an invaluable resource in an emergency situation. After all, having twice as many ways of defending or fighting back can’t possibly be a bad thing!
Not to mention, someone with no experience will likely fall back on elbows and knee attacks in a pinch, and Muay Thai teaches you to respond to this a lot better.
On the flip side, with kickboxing, you’re trading some of your kicking power for upper body strength, and a well-trained punch is nothing to scoff at. On top of that, being able to sustain damage to the head or upper body comes with the territory when you practice kickboxing, unlike Muay Thai which has a definite lower-body bias.
Should I train Muay Thai or kickboxing?
The first thing to consider when deciding between Muay Thai and kickboxing is how your body works. The most important factor is how likely you are to prioritize punching over kicking or vice versa.
With its emphasis on kicks, Muay Thai is more effective for flexible, long-limbed fighters who want to learn distance control while still doing well in close quarters thanks to knee and elbow attacks. On the other hand, if you have more upper body strength and a tendency to go for the head, kickboxing is a great way to elevate your punches to the next level.
Another thing to consider here is the kind of footwork you’ll be doing. Whereas Muay Thai fighters will often just move back and forward, kickboxers rely on angled footwork for lateral movements and creating quality vantage points. If you’re on the more nimble side and prefer dodging over blocking, then kickboxing might be the better choice. Conversely, Muay Thai is better if your legs are highly developed and you have relatively high pain tolerance.
Is Muay Thai more dangerous than kickboxing?
As with any combat sport, you can expect injuries in both Muay Thai and kickboxing. While it’s hard to estimate, when considering the average Nak Muay’s relationship with Muay Thai, kickboxing might be more dangerous.
A lot of Muay Thai fighters commit to the sport for training, and they avoid fighting altogether. Since the regimen is so intense in and of itself, some Muay Thai fighters go as far as to forgo sparring. The full-body engagement and constant muscle inflammation are a big part of the reason. In fact, the sky-high sales of Namman Muay Thai oil reflect that!
Kickboxers have quite the training regimen themselves. Simultaneously, it’s a lot harder for them to make the most of it without entering the ring sooner or later. The bulk of injuries in kickboxing have been shown to be in the head region, which can have pretty serious health implications if it happens one time too many.
All in all, if you practice due diligence, it’s hard to call either sport more dangerous than the other. At the same time, if you practice Muay Thai the way the average Nak May does, you might get better long-term outcomes by staying out of the ring.
Are Muay Thai and kickboxing good for MMA?
When you think about Muay Thai and kickboxing in a mixed martial arts context, their differences start to shine through. Needless to say, the use of elbows, knees, and clinches in Muay Thai goes a long way in MMA.
On the other hand, the overreliance on kicks can be a major problem if you’re up against a grappler. If you misjudge the distance and get your leg caught, you can find yourself on the ground or in a submission you can’t get out of.
Then there’s kickboxing, which also teaches you kicks but does away with elbows and knees. On the upside, you could argue that a punch is the most reliable way of doing damage in MMA, and you’ll be more accustomed to moving around the ring with standard kickboxing training.
When you take everything into consideration, doing Muay Thai and kickboxing simultaneously can help cover their individual differences when it comes to MMA. Kickboxing can help you use your upper body more efficiently, while Muay Thai will teach you to maintain your balance and land more unorthodox attacks in tight situations.
Whichever one you opt for, consider Twins as your starting point for quality fighting gear. Even something as minute as the fight shorts you choose can make a difference in your performance, so pick wisely!
Conclusion
So is Muay Thai better than kickboxing? Both styles are extremely potent, whether it’s in the ring or in a self-defence scenario. Further, you can expect to develop quite the body no matter which one you pick up. Ultimately, your body’s proportions and attitude towards punches and kicks might be the main thing to consider before making a choice.
All in all, there’s a lot of overlap between the two. Even if you pick one to start with, rest assured you can do a pivot to the other later on. The most important thing is that you begin training in the first place, and there are few better places to start than Muay Thai or kickboxing!
This matchup is just one of many fascinating debates. Curious to see how other styles like Karate, Boxing, and Krav Maga compare? See how all the styles stack up in our full series.