Boxing or Muay Thai: Which style is better?
Boxing and Muay Thai are two of the most useful fighting styles one can learn for self defense. Both arts will both teach you great skills you would be able to apply in any fighting scenario. But people often divided about which style is better?
For the people who are new to martial arts, boxing and Muay Thai don’t have much in common. They are two separate styles with each one having many pros and cons. And in this article, we will bring you close to what each style stands for, which one is better and why.
Boxing vs Muay Thai — what are the main differences?
Even though both boxing and Muay Thai are striking styles, these two arts differ in many aspects. Still, no one can deny that Muay Thai is more rounded since it teaches you a broader set of skills you won’t learn in boxing. Here are the main differences.
Muay Thai is also known as “The Art of Eight Limbs” because fighters can use all limbs to strike. The emphasis is on using a lot of kicks, which are the main weapon of most fighters. They also use hands to throw punches as well as vicious knees and elbows that can cause much damage.
Set against Muay Thai, boxing is a bit limited. Fighters can use just their hands to strike, and they can target the opponent above the waist only.
Muay Thai fights last from 3 to 5 rounds with each round being 3 minutes. This is much less than in boxing where fights usually last 12 rounds with 3 minutes of action in each round. This is where many give the advantage to boxing because it prepares you to last longer in the fight.
Boxing or Muay Thai — which style is better for self-defense?
Both of these martial arts are widely known as very good for anyone who wants to learn how to defend themselves. You won’t make a mistake picking any of these two styles as they are very useful in any type of fighting situation.
But, which one is better? The answer comes down to the technical differences and what type of skills you want to develop.
Muay Thai is often seen as better for self-defense as it teaches you how to use all limbs to fight. Unlike boxing, it will teach you how to use kicks to keep the distance, vicious elbows, and knees in the clinch. Clinch work is really a game-changer here because most street fights end there. Having the ability to blast the attacker with a knee or elbow them on the side of their head gives you a huge advantage.
Despite it “only” teaches you how to use your hands, boxing is not less effective in our opinion. It teaches you great footwork, movement, and punching combos you won’t find in any other striking style. On top of that, you will learn all about timing, distance, and how to shut anyone’s lights with a single punch.
We have to go with Muay Thai simply because of the clinch work which is very important in street fighting. But if you are a fan of boxing, don’t hesitate for a second to join the classes.
Boxing or Muay Thai — which is better for weight loss and fitness?
Muay Thai and boxing training is a mixture of both aerobic and anaerobic activities. Being active in both of these arts will have a positive, impact on your health. It helps you deal with stress or anxiety, and it improves your cardiovascular health.
It’s not a secret that boxing and Muay Thai training sessions are among the hardest in the martial arts world. According to one study, an hour of Muay Thai training burns around 800–1000 calories, which is a lot! Being in the gym a couple of times per week will burn your fat like few other sports out there.
Training in both of these arts is also very popular because it is often seen as a full-body workout. Training improves both upper and lower body strength and you will see the changes on your body after just a few months.
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If you are looking to get your body in top shape, then, boxing or Muay Thai might be a perfect choice. There are many people who train in both of these arts just because of the fitness benefits, and you won’t be the only one.
Boxing or Muay Thai — which one is more effective for MMA?
Both boxing and Muay Thai play a key role in modern MMA. Over the years, these two arts have emerged as the most effective weapons MMA fighters can have in standup. What’s more, there are many fighters who mix boxing and Muay Thai skills into one style.
But if we have to choose, which style is better? We have to go with Muay Thai here since it is a more rounded martial art when it comes to striking. Leg kicks a very important and one can’t fight in MMA without knowing how to, at least, defend against them. Sooner or later, the lack of kicking skills will backfire on you in a very painful way.
Also, MMA fighters fight inside the steel cage and they use the fence to grapple or initiate the clinch. Fighters with strong Muay Thai skills do their best work in the clinch against the fence where they shine with vicious knees and elbows. Boxing won’t teach you these important techniques, and that’s another reason why Muay Thai is better.
However, don’t underestimate the power of boxing in MMA. There have been many great fighters and UFC champions who had strong boxing skills. Some of the most famous are Conor McGregor and Cody Garbrandt.
Can a boxer beat a Muay Thai fighter in a street fight?
This is a very tough question to answer simply because we don’t know what the term “Streetfight” means here. Is the location of the fight a bar, open space, elevator, or a hall? Are there any weapons involved, alcohol, or what type of clothing each person is wearing? I mean, there are so many variables.
But, if assume they are in the open, wearing the same clothes and using only techniques they learned in the gym, then Muay Thai fighter certainly has the advantage. This is mainly because it includes a larger set of weapons one can use in a fight.
Unlike boxers who use their hands only, Thai boxers know how to throw kicks, elbows, and knees. They can use all types of kicks to keep boxers at distance and destroy their legs. Even skilled fighters, who absorb leg kicks on a daily basis, can’t take too many of those. A boxer would be in serious pain after receiving just a single leg kick.
So, seeing a boxer beating a Muay Thai fighter, in this type of fight, is very unlikely. But, this doesn’t mean boxers stand zero chances. In fact, they have more chances than people usually gave them, and here is their road to victory.
First, a boxer must use footwork to keep their range and stay away from kicks. Next, they need to time the entry, create an angle and rely on their hand speed and power to knock Muay Thai fighters out cold.
Boxing vs Muay Thai — Final Thoughts
As we have seen in this article, both boxing and Muay Thai are very effective martial arts. And to be honest, you won’t make a mistake choosing any of these two martial arts. This is not one of those arguments in which we needed to determine whether one martial art is good and the other one not.
No, we did our best to explain which style is better by going through the series of questions and scenarios. Which one is better really comes to what you want to achieve or which styles suit you the best.
Muay Thai is more rounded because it includes kicks and it is a better style if you want to transition to MMA later. Boxing, on the other side, is great if you want to develop great punching skills, insane hand speed, footwork, and power.
But the best option is to train in both styles, notably if you want to switch over to MMA later. Even though they are both standup styles, boxing teaches you a lot of things you won’t learn training Muay Thai and vice versa. The only way to become a complete striker is to train in both gyms.
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