Muay Thai or Kickboxing for Self Defence?

To the uninitiated, the question of ‘Muay Thai or Kickboxing for self defence’ may be confusing as the two forms of martial art can look similar to the casual observer.

Many mixed martial arts fighters practice both forms; so, if you’re deciding which one you’d like to learn, you’ve got a tough choice on your hands.

At UMF Academy, we believe in training both the mind and body through the discipline of martial arts. Learning the modern interpretations of these ancient forms is highly satisfying, rewarding and will benefit your self defence abilities. Let’s take a closer look at Muay Thai vs Kickboxing, so that you can get a better understanding of which Combat Sport may be more appropriate for you.

What is Muay Thai?

Muay Thai translates directly as “Thai boxing” and is the national sport of Thailand. Muay Thai is an ancient martial art, with roots in the military dating from around the 13th century during the Sukhothai Kingdom. During this era, Muay Thai was born out of a need to defend the kingdom from surrounding tribes. Over time, the original form of Muay Thai (known as Muay Boran) has evolved with influences from Western boxing being adopted to create the sport we know today.

Muay Thai is sometimes known as the “Art of Eight Limbs” because there are eight points of contact allowed – elbows, knees, fists, and legs. Gaining popularity around the world after WWI, Muay Thai was originally developed for hand-to-hand combat. The modern form has adopted aspects from traditional boxing like the use of gloves, a ring, and rounds of competition with defined rules, akin Combat Sport.

Some of the most dangerous, and life-threatening, manoeuvres in Muay Thai are now banned, including kicks to the back of the head and joints. Other manoeuvres from Western boxing have also been adopted, including things like jabs, crosses, hooks, and uppercuts.

What is Kickboxing?

Kickboxing is a martial art with a striking style involving punches, and of course, kicking. Whereas Muay Thai is a specific sport with its own set of defined rules, kickboxing is really an umbrella term for different styles including Dutch-style, Karate, Sanda, and Kun Khmer. Rising to popularity in the late 80s (with notable films starring Jean Claude Van Damme like Kickboxer and Blood Sport), kickboxing is now practised all around the world by people of all ages, genders, fitness levels and nationalities.

The essence of kickboxing in its many forms is that’s it’s a stand-up fighting style that focuses on striking, with no ground fighting at all. Outside of the competitive arena, kickboxing is popular as a way of improving fitness, learning about self-defence basic, losing weight, relieving stress, and building confidence. So, that begs the question of, Muay Thai or kickboxing for self defence?

Muay Thai vs Kickboxing: A Comparison

Both Muay Thai and kickboxing are strategic sports with a lot of similarities. There are also some differences, some of which include:

• Muay Thai has an 8-point striking system, Kickboxing has a 4-point striking system.
• Muay Thai fighters typically move forward aggressively towards their opponent. Kickboxers are generally more defensive in their movements, making use of footwork and different angles.
• Muay Thai fighters rarely use their foot or lower shins, they more often land their blows using the middle section of the shin. Kickboxers make use of a wider range of kicks with their foot and lower shin.

Muay Thai or Kickboxing for Self Defence?

If you’ve been asking yourself: “Should I learn kickboxing or Muay Thai for self defence?”, the answer is that Muay Thai is often regarded as the superior martial art as a Combat Sport.

This is because Muay Thai offers more ways to attack using knees, elbows, fists, and legs. The emphasis in kicking from a clinch in Muay Thai is also thought to be more effective than general attacking kicks in practiced in Kickboxing.

In a street fight, it’s commonly believed that a Muay Thai practitioner would defeat a kickboxer because they have more weapons to attack with and are typically better all-round fighters.

At UMF Academy, we believe in the traditional mindset that martial arts are more about developing your inner character rather than solely about victory. UMF etiquette and culture nurtures the “No Ego’s – Only Dedication” principle. Our team of instructors are all highly experienced and ready to open up the world of martial art to you. We provide exceptional Muay Thai kickboxing classes that are based on our own unique curriculum of Muay Thai martial art and aerobic classes to get you lean and fit with premium training!

In our experience, the best way to get a real sense of how our classes work is to take advantage of one of our free trial classes. When you come in you can get a real feel for the academy when you meet our instructors and experience a class firsthand. Simply register online to book your free class or contact us using the contact form below if you have further questions.