To be honest, not a single form of combat sport or martial art is better than the other. Each one has its own pros and cons, but, for the sake of the argument, let’s just say that if there was one that was better, which one would it be? Would it be Muay Thai? Or boxing?Well, here are a few (seven, actually) good reasons why Muay Thai has the upper hand.
- It’s more versatile. In boxing, you learn how to punch and use your hands in conjunction with your feet. In Muay Thai, you learn how to do that and more. You learn how to attack and defend using not just your fists, but also your elbows, head, knees, shin, feet, and so on and so forth.
- Boxers aren’t taught how to fight in the ground, whereas grappling is a very important aspect of Muay Thai.
- Better for self-defense. While Muay Thai is more of a sport than a method of protecting one’s self, many argue that it’s a more effective form of self defense than boxing. The reason? You’re taught so many strikes, guards, clinches, grapples, and others in Muay Thai that are so much more applicable in real life.
- Clinching may be somewhat a shunned part of boxing, but in Muay Thai, it’s embraced. In fact, the clinch game in Muay Thai is deadly and is something that many fighters try to avoid. This is because being clinched opens them up to all sorts of attacks from the elbows and knees.
- Overall body training. There’s a reason why Muay Thai was once referred to as “full contact karate” and it’s because Muay Thai fighters use their whole body. From their head, to their arms, knees, elbows and legs, they train each one to be as deadly as the other. Not to undermine a boxer’s training or anything, but the bigger number always wins.
- Requires more athleticism. To succeed in Muay Thai, you have to be more than just big and strong. You also have to be fast and agile. True, you need all those qualities in boxing, but there’ve been quite a few boxers who’ve made names for themselves just because of their sheer size and power. Whereas in Muay Thai, size doesn’t mean as much if you don’t have as much skill and technique.
- More useful in a street fight. Let’s face it. Without the use of their fists, more boxers are useless. They don’t know how to grapple, nor take someone down properly and they’re not trained to execute well without their hands. Those training Muay Thai, however, know how to use every part of their body for both offense and defence, which comes in handy during a street fight.
It’s best to keep in mind that Boxing and Muay Thai are two different sports and there’s just no sense in debating which one is better.
If you’re worried about which one to train in, well, it’s best to decide based on the expertise of the trainers and/or instructors in the training facilities available in your area.
