Over the centuries, Muay Thai evolved from the traditional martial arts of Thailand. The sport, also known as Thai boxing, is not only very effective but is also an extremely tough full-contact sport. Once practiced to become a better warrior, it is now a competitive sport that is popular around the world.
The main characteristics in the game are the elbow and knee techniques and the frequently used clinching.
Muay Thai is known as an attacking sport. And because it is said that “attack is the best defense,” many practitioners or would-be practitioners would often like to know if Muay Thai is good for self-defense. Many also invariably ask, is Muay Thai good in a street fight?
In this article, you can find out everything you need to know about this martial art. We’ll discuss its origin, its possibility of use in a street fight, the technicalities, as well as the nature of the martial art. First, let’s see what Muay Thai is and what makes it suitable for street fights.
How did Muay Thai come about?
This martial art can look back on a long tradition. It developed over several centuries from the traditional martial arts of Thailand. This can be taken from the old writings from Burma and Cambodia.
This sport has always been used to train warriors. As soon as their sword and spear are unusable, they use Thai boxing to defend themselves against enemies. More precisely, it was still the traditional type of Muay Thai Boran at that time.
The unarmed martial arts is very closely related to the founding history of today’s Thailand. So it was used in several wars. This includes the defense of the old capital of Thailand, Ayutthaya.
The first official ring for a competition was used in 1921. But only after the introduction of fixed rules after World War II did Thai boxing become more and more important.
In the course of this development, several independent associations were formed, which were often at odds with one another. Therefore, the World Muaythai Council (WMC) was founded in 1995 by the Thai government. Since then, all Muay Thai associations in the world have been under this organization. The first official title fight took place on June 26, 1995.
Even today, Thai boxing plays an important role in military and police training, especially in the area of unarmed self-defense. This is a cornerstone of training. But this martial art is also used for filling stadiums in Thailand. There, it is a real national sport like football is in European countries.
So, is Muay Thai good for street fights?
Firstly, Muay Thai is primarily a competitive sport, as earlier explained. You attack more than defend yourself. So, if you can do Muay Thai properly, then you can defend yourself on the street! When you run into an inexperienced person who just wants to hit you, you have an advantage.
This is because you know how to hit, where, and how to block. You are also fast (reflexes), toughened, and trained. If you really want to defend yourself, go for a self-defense art such as Muay Thai.
In my opinion, MT has a very good chance of “winning” a fight or defending oneself. But you should only deploy your Muay Thai skills only in an emergency and not just because you want to test your skills.
A little tip in terms of self-defense
The competitive sport of Thai boxing is recommended in terms of self-protection. However, if you only train under this aspect, you should deal more intensively with the original form of Muay Boran.
Arm crusher, neck lever, leg lever, strangulation techniques, and head butts as well as ground techniques are practiced here.
But today’s Muay Thai is also ideal for self-defense. No matter whether in unarmed combat in the street or defending against armed attackers. The techniques are particularly effective with knives, sticks, and other objects. Therefore, many police units and security services train Muay Thai.
What are the fighting techniques of Muay Thai?
There are some distinctive elements here. But let’s start with the basics. Thai boxing is also known as the “science of the 8 limbs”. Why? Because the 8 body weapons are used here. This means the 2 fists, elbows, knees, and shins.
This makes different fighting techniques possible. These 6 techniques are used in today’s Muay Thay:
- Kicking techniques with the shin, foot, or heel
- Fist Techniques & Backfist Strikes (Also known as backfist)
- Knee & Elbow Techniques
- Holding the opponent’s leg by performing a follow-up technique
- Clinching (holding the opponent)
- Blows to the head
However, there are also some things that are not so popular today. Therefore, rules were introduced to protect the fighters from major injuries. Below is a small excerpt of the existing prohibitions:
- Striking and kicking techniques against the back area.
- Look up if the opponent is on the ground or kneeling (sometimes still allowed in Thailand).
- Striking and kicking techniques against the back of the head, the knee, and the abdomen (genitals).
- Head butts (allowed in traditional muay boran)
Some associations still allow throwing techniques such as hip throws and shoulder throws. Most associations no longer tolerate these techniques. The risk of injury for the athletes is too high.
However, keep it at the back of your mind that when Muay Thai is used in street fights, there are no rules!
Who is Thai boxing suitable for?
Muay Thai is suitable for pretty much every athlete and self-defense fan, in principle. This martial art is so versatile and can be trained in so many studios. The art is ideal for:
1. Ambitious athletes and everyone who wants to become one
Muay Thai is recommended for ambitious athletes who want to practice realistic competitive sport. It is precisely the aspect of full contact and the many competitions that make Thai boxing interesting for some.
2. Effective self-protection without using weapons
So many techniques can be used in this aspect of Muay Thai for self-defense. Police officers and security guards in particular often use the Thai sport. And not just because of the highly efficient techniques.
In Muay Thai, some of the aspects taught are courage, self-confidence, toughness in competition, the will to win, combative intelligence, and self-control. These are all important skills for everyday work as a law enforcement officer. In this day and age, in particular, these basic qualifications are often essential for successful service.
3. A useful sport for the little ones too
For children and young people, Thai boxing is a good alternative to classics such as judo or karate. Valuable character traits such as assertiveness, willpower, self-discipline, and self-confidence are developed here.
Also, the little ones learn the basics of self-defense for children here. But if you are only concerned with this aspect, special SV courses for children are the better choice. They are cheaper and teach significantly more skills. Prevention and proper behavior are also an important part of successful children’s self-defense.
What equipment do you need?
Most clubs and martial arts schools can provide a certain part of the equipment for the first training sessions. However, you need a lot of equipment if you want to practice Muay Thai seriously. So these pieces of equipment are recommended:
- Groin guard
- Muay Thai shorts
- Boxing gloves
- Mouthguard
- Boxing bandages
- Shin guards
- Foot bandages
- Abdominal protection/vest
If you are going to train for the first time or have only booked a trial training course, you do not need to buy any of the above equipment. Then these 3 things are enough to get started: sweatpants, a loose shirt, and some drinks. You don’t need more at first.
And no, you don’t usually need shoes, as traditionally barefoot training is used. Once you have signed up for Thai boxing, you should start shopping. But you can do without the vest at the beginning. You can borrow these. You should however get the rest of the items.
What is there to know about training?
To be as successful as possible in Thai boxing competitions, you need a very good physical condition, precise technique, and strong punching power. In principle, exercises are divided into 3 sections. In the beginning, there is relaxed training, then briefly accelerated, and in the end, you rest for a few seconds.
Training duration & load limit
As a rule, Muay Thai training rarely lasts longer than an hour. But that’s enough because the training goes to the limit. The following applies: the worse a technique is mastered or carried out, the more force it requires.
Last Line
So, in conclusion, the answer to whether Muay Thai is good for street fight or self-defense is clear now. However, the attack is not always the best defense, but avoiding the fight and really only defending yourself if need be, is the best practice.
It’s not ethical to learn Muay Thai basically for street fighting. However, it is a very effective way to defend yourself. So it is not meant for sending the first attack. That way, it will not be seen as an aggressive sport.