Muay Thai or boxing guard?

[ElbowTKO]

I asked my instructor ( sense he teaches both boxing and muay thai) what differences are there in the hands of a boxer and a thai boxer. (in the basic starting stance)

Apperently, with a boxer your hands are more low and near your chin. With the Muay Thai the hands are up so high near the eyebrows so that you can elbow, and easly block kicks.

Which placement should I take for self defence?

I understand that most if not all the time I won't be getting any kicks so high and fights end quickly. Should a person take the Muay Thai form? or the boxing one?

[Ben Martin]

id say do what ever works best for you!

[Muaythaiboxer]

yea cant give you better advice than that.

[elbows_and_knees]

you have to look at why they do what they do. Boxers don't always keep the hands close, but they do ALWAYS do it when they are in infighting range - which is what it is for. Which the hand outward, they would get clobbered in infighting range, as it is too easy to strike througn the holes.

Now, look at a thai boxer. They don't do a lot of inrfighting with punches. their infighting is mainly elbows_and_knees. And those are usually performed from a clinch, so the method of defense is different. In boxing, you can't fight long from the clinch before they break it up. In thai, you can.

Also, boxers don't kick. keeping the hands high keeps them in place to defend head kicks, if necessary.

Some boxers will hold their hands high though - especially if they are fighting someone taller than them. with the hands low and close, it takes too long to parry a strike from someone punching downward on you - you'd get KOed quick. With the hands high, you are in a better position to parry.

[AndrewGreen]

Well, I'd say it entirely depends on what the other guy is trying to do to you, which is why boxers and Muay Thai fighters have different positions as well.

Personally I don't like the Muay Thai High guard, punches slip through a little too easy and there is little hope of adequetly defending a shoot, either to the legs or just to get in for undhooks.

But where I fighting with someone that was trying to kick me in the head that might change

Adaptability is the key to winning in differenet environments, and part of that is adapting your defence to match the other guys offence.

[elbows_and_knees]

I use both. When I enter punching and infighting range, I bring my hands in.

[Geng]

What about front arm in M.T. guard and rear hand in boxing guard?

[elbows_and_knees]

that's really no different from a standard boxing guard used outside of infighting range. From there, the jab will have less power, as there is shorter distance for it to travel.

[CagedWarrior]

that's really no different from a standard boxing guard used outside of infighting range. From there, the jab will have less power, as there is shorter distance for it to travel.

Unless your name is Chuck Lidell.

[cross]

Adaptability is the key to winning in differenet environments, and part of that is adapting your defence to match the other guys offence.

I agree with this.

The application of the guard will depend on alot of variables, including: rules, position of the opponent, if you are facing weapons, or more than one person etc.

I use the boxing guard or slight variations of it because i find keeping both hands up works best for me.

Which placement should I take for self defence?

In a self defence situation you usually wont have a chance to get into a on-guard position until after your have started throwing techniques. From there you will usually just hold your hands however you have been practicing (for me that will be the boxing guard) and will act out of reflex rather than thinking.

So in conclusion,

use the hand position that stops you from getting hit at the time. You may use a number of positions and the boxing/muay thai guard will most probably be one of them.

Edited December 17, 2005 by cross