elbows_and_knees

I would guess that MT is more effective. From what I've read about MB, a lot of the techniques were lost from the ancient styles because the fighters realized that a lot of it was not practical in combat. For example, running up a person's body and kneeing them in the head. Because these techniques were thought to be impractical, they were discarded by many people - that was partially how muay thai came about.

actually, there is a wc school in australia that recently did very well in local mma. Also, there is a tai chi school in canada that fields fighters who do well in local mma. Another chinese based competitor is sami berik. That said, there is a lot of crappy WC out there - but that applies to all styles. since then there have been A LOT of san shou competitors who have defeated thai stylists. yeah, it does. san shou is based on the movements of the CMA that initiated the program. the thing about san shou is that it is a venue - ANYONE from ANY style can compete in it. That is why cung le is able to compete even though he has had very little cma training.

Actually, that's not true. They didn't come from chinese styles because they are great styles (not to say that they aren't, but what you are saying here is wrong) They come from their styles because their civilization is so old. chinese immigrants migrated to china, thailand, burma, etc. And they took their knowledge with them. THAT is why so many asian styles came from china. the thing about hidden movements is that unless you practice them, you will never train them. From my shuai chiao and long fist training, I know throws that will break your arm in mid throw. BUT, for safety reasons I cannot train them - they have to be modified and consequently look similar to my judo throws. In a real fight, I would not use the arm breaking throw. Why? because it's not ingrained in me - the modified version is. that's to blanket of a statement... I know wc guys that absolutely suck. they will learn anything you teach them. in the army, you will learn basic judo and bjj. there are spec ops teams that learn kali, thai boxing, jkd, etc - they learn from who able is able to get a contract with them. A buddy of mine teaches kempo to local police departments. That doesn't mean kempo is super-effective, it merely means that he was able to get a deal with them. Another buddy of mine (in a different county) teaches jkd and thai boxing to the police departments there. You also have to be clear when you say that chinese martial arts are flashy.Because it's usually the northern styles that have those things,even then they still work great.Then there are the southern styles.These styles are usually close quarters styles with low kicks and some times barely any kicks.There's even a style that you can probably relate to.It's called San Da/San shou.This style is very similar to kickboxing,except that sweeps and throws are allowed,it's also full contact.san da is NOT a style. it's a format, like MMA. it's a venue for chinese stylists to train full contact. That was the original intent. each school's san shou program will be based on it's primary martial art. Consequently, someone from a lama based san shou program should fight differently than someone from a hung gar san shou program. Also, there are far more differences between san shou and muay thai than the ones you named.

three things: 1. the kick is done with with a lot of power. If you miss, you will not plant your foot in a southpaw stance, because you are in most cases going to turn at least 180 degrees. There are some who can kick extremely hard and catch the kick in mod delivery, but from what I've seen, most cannot. Even if they could, they miss the opportunity for what I will mention next. 2. from the 180 degree position, you can launch a back kick - it's a good counter as some people will rush in on you after missing the kick. The other option is what ben said - spin 360 degrees. If you do this, end the spin with a leg check, because it's highly likely that a kick will be returned to you. 3. It's generally considered a bad idea to switch leads. most fighters pick one lead and stick with it.

it's very possible. he has access to evolved training methods and information, which will be an asset to him. Why does the topic bother you so badly?

he would actually be limiting himself quite a bit. I can guarantee you that the groundwork he does do would be seriously deficient when compared to someone training a grappling intensive style. that's like telling a judoka not to cross train in a striking style because judo has strikes...

nah, there are plenty of strikers in the ufc. if your takedown defense is weaker than your opponent's takedown ability though, then you are in trouble. that's not true, really, unless they are both stalling, which is visible. the ground isn't a means of active rest like boxing's clinch. Those guys are working for position and submission or ground n pound.

not necessarily. The mind can really only do so much in terms of overcoming a physical weakness. zaine raises a good point as well.

Actually, I'm willing to bet that the brain doesn't know what type of stress you are undergoing - it simply knows that due to the current situation adrenaline must be produced. Also, something many people don't take into consideration is the fact that adrenaline rush actually saps your energy faster. They think of it as a permanent boost, which it is not. For this reason, sport fighters have an advantage in such a situation - it will take longer for their reserves to run dry due to their better conditioning. In addition, how do you reprogram your thinking in the nice, cushiony dojo? sure, you are training for reality theoretically, but in reality, you are in your school, far from harm's way.

you also have to reach in your pocket to get them. Fights tend to break out spur of the moment. If the keys aren't already in your hand, chances are you won't have time to get them.

that's what I was going to point out - the thais are little guys - the dutch typically have a nice advantage over them.

yeah. muay thai is the gloved sport developed in the 1920's.

there was an article on the net recently about a man who chased three knife wielding assailants from his home. They broke in, tried to rob his house and assaulted his mother. This man is a thai boxer. like anything else, there are no absolutes, especially when dealing with weapons. When dealing with a gun, the best option is to comply.

the principle is the same. a front kick is a straight line kick - I can parry it the same way I would a punch or sidestep it the same way. a roundhouse kick is an arcing attack - like a hook punch. I can defend it the same way. the only advantage the karateka really has (in some cases, because not all of them use it) are leg kicks. The avg boxer is in MUCH better condition and has more experience than the avg tma with the same time in training.

the traditional revers punch requires you to chamber the hand - VERY impractical. an example of a modified version of the reverse punch is boxing's cross. the hand is kept up by the face. Perhaps that is what was being referred to.

I still can't figure out why they fight differently in PRIDE. A friend of mine claims that they're just better fighters, and they've figured out how to outstrike a grappler without getting grabbed, but I'm just not buying it. It's gotta be the name or something attracting different kinds of fighters....either that or a conspiracy by the owners of the shows to only allow certain fighters in! A conspiracy I say! pride generally does attract better fighters. Also, pride somewhat favors strikers as the ref will stand you back up quicker than they will in ufc.

that's acceptable if you aren't sparring alot and without a lot of heavy contact. If you are a thai boxier, kickboxer, boxer, etc. I would definitely advocate it, as they spar a lot and with a decent level of contact. your MA isn't worth turning your brain to mush.

which is part of my point. Oftentimes, people make blanket statements about what happens in the street and what doesn't. As a bouncer, I can tell you that most of those blanket statements aren't so blanket. it's easy to have the intent to throw someone and hurt them, but actually pulling it off may at times be difficult. especially when the one you are throwing is much bigger, as was the case in this situation. a resisting, bigger person can kill the acceleration and also change the angle, which will in turn alter the body's point of impact. agreed. which changes the situation. Once he tries to defend or counter, your tactic should change. pound on him, get up, etc. I was actually talking about this from a streetfighter / average citizen's point of view, not from another martial artist's. however it applies to us too. From a MA point of view though - in this case a sport fighter's point of view - not all of those things are necessary anyway, to be honest. can your pressure point drop someone? maybe. Can my left hook do the same thing? Also, it's not an issue of placing cimpetition skills on a pedestal so much as it is putting competition TRAINING METHODS on a pedestal. It's no secret that the average sport fighter trains much harder than the average TMA. What if the avg tma had the same conditioning, training and mentality of the sport fighter? not as irrelevant, but as impractical. I don't know how well an eye gouge works, because I can't try it in practice. There are several throws that involve the limb being broken as the throw is executed. I can't tell you how well they work, because I can't practice them without breaking someone's arm. Look at the lesson kano's guys taught to the various jujutsu groups back in the day. They didn't spar, and kano's guys mauled them. There are a lot of techniques that sound good in theory, but are hard to pull off in application. when you can't properly train a technique, that level of difficulty increases. bingo - and there is plenty of that out there. the greatest thing that mma has done is taught people to ask for proof. for too many years, people have merely belived they hype... master so and so was undefeated in challenge matches... grand master this and that could levitate and shoot ki blasts... and people buy into the fantasy 1. because they didn't know any better 2. because part of them wants to believe it exactly. I wasn't directly stating this in regard to something you said, however, no, there were no objects around - unless someone had time to reach in a garbage can and pull something out. you aren't allowed to take bottles into the street (beale street) and they clean the street daily, so there's really nothing on it at most given times. People do have shirts, and that is very viable. it is common here for someone to pull your shirt over your head so you can't see and can't swing.

that's obvious... if you don't know how to defend takedowns, how can you stay on your feet? If you get taken to the ground, how can you quickly and efficiently defend yourself and get back to your feet if you don't know how? but like I said, liddel has been grappling all of his life. He's probably been grappling longer than he's been striking.

I personally wouldn't worry about the knuckles as much... when you are fighting, the knuckles will have gauze and / or tape anyway... the important thing to think about while wrapping is to make sure that the wrist and the metacarpals are secure - these are what you are more likely to break.

that's not true at all. tyson can punish any kickboxer out there. so could several others. There is more money in boxing, so the average boxer has to train that much harder in order to be competitive, as they have more people to go through to get to the top.

not in thai boxing. no boxer worth his salt is gonna lower his hands to block a punch. body shots are parried / absorbed by the elbows - we do not low block. Now, you can wear out their body in order to weaken them enough to start dropping their hands, but they won't block with the hand like that.

there are a lot of boxing schools there, but I'm not sure about thai boxing. There is a poster here named muaythai boxer that is in kansas and trains, but I dunno if he trained in kansas or elsewhere.

it doesn't have to. It can also go straight inward or it can be angled upward, to the floating ribs. The angle doesn't matter as much as the proper mechanical delivery.

1. this is just a story - you can't give names, dates, anything. It's basically a wives' tale. 2. he was known for being a good street fighter - meaning he was likely fighting other guys without much experience. if two people are fighting, SOMEONE has to win. not necessarily. 1. not all karateka train their whole lives 2. boxers stop COMPETING around that age - that doesn't mean they stop training. At that age, they can't compete with the younger guys. That doesn't mean that they can't train however, and they can definitely still hold their own against the non / lesser trained. Would YOU want to fight tyson? foreman? Even though they are past their prime they could still beat down most people. You shouldnt underestimate how skillful one can become from just practing katas. You practice katas over and over again until it reaches a point where you no longer think and just move and the kata becomes part of you and each move is part of you. Katas are sometimes refered to as "moving zen".