T Nation

Muay Thai and Boxing

Combat
#1

G’day guys

I just started taking Muay Thai classes, and I’m really enjoying it. I know that the punching is a weak spot though, and I was thinking about doing boxing as well.

I was wondering if this is possible to do successfully, or whether I would end up decent at both and good at neither, due to the different rules/stance/guard etc.

Or is it something I can do once I am well established in the basics of one? So maybe 6 months down the road I can look at taking on boxing when I am feeling comfortable with my MT skills.

Nb - I have no intention of fighting, but I love training and sparring. As I am just a beginner though I’m open to the idea that I’ll change my stance depending on how things go.

#2

I would say do what feels right/enjoyable. Since you don’t intend to do it professionally it is mainly about fun anyway (let’s be honest, you’ll never be in a street fight if you’re lucky) and the two disciplines mentioned work well with each other.

#3

[quote]nighthawkz wrote:
I would say do what feels right/enjoyable. Since you don’t intend to do it professionally it is mainly about fun anyway (let’s be honest, you’ll never be in a street fight if you’re lucky) and the two disciplines mentioned work well with each other.[/quote]

x2

Also, picking one to focus on and one to do as supplementary work with probably lead to you being better at whichever you decide to focus on. Eg, if you focus on Muai Thai, and do boxing as supplementary work, then at least you will learn to punch and slip from boxing, which you can apply to Muai Thai.

If you focus on boxing and do Muai Thai as supplementary training, you will probably be very effective on the inside and particularly in your clinch work (an underestimated part of boxing for its ability to make your opponents uncomfortable and take them out of their rhythm).

I don’t actually know much about Muai Thai though, so hopefully Pidgeonkak and some others might chime in, as I believe he is more than proficient with both and always gives good advice.

#4

No reason why you can’t do both if you aren’t looking to fight professionally in either. Though as far as carryover, I think the boxing will help your MT more than the other way around.

#5

Just depends on what you specifically want out of both. I would personally build a foundation with one discipline for a bit. Then switch it up. I focused on Muay Thai for years. Then for 2 years focused heavily on just boxing.

I don’t feel I’ve lost anything Muay Thai-specific. Nor have I “confused” my motor skills by doing both. I feel equally grounded with both arts. They compliment each other very well,IMO.

#6

Awesome, thanks for the responses.

The other thing I forgot to mention is that I’m left handed and right footed, so my stances are different in each one.

Naturally I want to box southpaw (I have never had training but have used boxing for fitness on and off for years, so I have thrown enough puches in a southpaw stance that I have to learn to do it orthodox now), how easy is it to teach yourself to box opposite handed?

If I box southpaw obviously that is going to throw me off for MT, but would some boxing lessons actually help it (boxing as a righty) feel more natural and get my feet working properly (at the moment they feel all over the place just cos I’ve swapped everything around).

#7

[quote]Kirks wrote:
Awesome, thanks for the responses.

The other thing I forgot to mention is that I’m left handed and right footed, so my stances are different in each one.

Naturally I want to box southpaw (I have never had training but have used boxing for fitness on and off for years, so I have thrown enough puches in a southpaw stance that I have to learn to do it orthodox now), how easy is it to teach yourself to box opposite handed?

If I box southpaw obviously that is going to throw me off for MT, but would some boxing lessons actually help it (boxing as a righty) feel more natural and get my feet working properly (at the moment they feel all over the place just cos I’ve swapped everything around).[/quote]

Southpaw and right footed? Good god…

You’re going to have to experiment, because switching stance around is not acceptable in Muay Thai except for exceptionally skilled fighters. If you box South paw, your MT switch kicks will be surprisingly powerful to your opponents.

DOn’t underestimate the standard Muay Thai bag drills. You need to find time during your training or anytime to literally put your foot to leather hundreds of times a day. Both legs, both stances, switch kicks, teeps, knees. You really will develop your coordination significantly through repetition and using power in your bag kicks.

#8

A right footed southpaw? Sounds like a perfect candidate for a jab-focused strong hand forward stance to me. You can honestly learn either stance with some practice, but I would focus on muay thai with whichever foot forward your coach recommends for a while before trying to pick up boxing (or the opposite, but you seem more committed to the muay thai). Once you develop some striking basics it will be a lot easier to pick up other related techniques.

#9

[quote]devildog_jim wrote:
A right footed southpaw? Sounds like a perfect candidate for a jab-focused strong hand forward stance to me.[/quote]

Yep.

I’m like this also, by the way. Back when I did traditional martial arts, I couldn’t kick worth a shit with my left leg, but I’ve been a southpaw in everything - boxing, baseball, hockey, golf - for as long as I can remember.

Bizarre combination, but we do, in fact, exist…

like yetis

#10

Another right footed left hander here lol.

My advice is to go with whichever stance you feel most comfortable with in regards to footwork and movement. The punching and kicking part is easy (relatively) if you’ve got good footwork. And Pigeonkak makes a good point about having a nasty switch kick, that’d be a good technique to focus on.