Thai Boxing Basics

Muay Thai boxing is brutal. Probably one of the best art forms for self-defense. Movement, blocking and striking from all ranges is in this style.

When I started learning Muay Thai boxing, there was an immediacy in learning contact through contact itself, not words or theory. There is a measurable difference from unknown variable training then staged motion or striking. Stepping into the unknown is much different than the known or rehearsed.

Elbows and knees can be devastating, and powerful kicking to break down an opponent are all in there. Yes, there’s punching too. From personal experience and prospective, I’d rather be on the receiving end of a punch then a kick, knee or elbow.

You are taught early on how to protect yourself from strikes and how to counterattack. There is a lot of absorbing and deflecting vs some other arts where you are taught how not to be hit.

A round house kick is executed so the lower part of your shin is the striking area. When landing your kick, slightly rotate your kick/leg, over and down as to dig your shin bone into your opponent’s soft tissue. If you ever have had the experience of someone giving you a Charlie horse, you know how painful it can be. And a Charlie horse, in comparison to a Muay Thai Round House Kick, doesn’t measure up to the pain a round house Thai kick can cause.