Boxing and muay thai which do you think is better for self defense.?

Question

Boxing and muay thai which do you think is better for self defense.?

Answer 1

Boxing and muay thai are "sports", not forms of self defense.  In fact, traditional martial arts are generally good for physical fitness, mental well-being and as competitive sports, but people should understand that this is entirely different than real world, street self defense.  On the streets, there are no rules.  There are no weight divisions, no protective gear, no referees to move your attacker to a neutral corner when you get knocked down, NOTHING.  A 5'2" ft. 90lbs. guy is not gonna hurt a 6'5" ft. 250 lbs. guy with an overhand right to the chin.  And how are you gonna throw an effective muay thai kick on an icy, inclined sidewalk?

Self defense techniques should be simple and able to be used by anyone regardless of their level of strength, cardio or general health.  I recommend 4 main targets on your attacker:

1) groin (kick, knee, punch, or grab)

2) eyes (poke, gouge)

3) fingers/thumb (bend, twist or break with your free hand to undo your attacker's grip)

4) bite (yes, bite your attacker anywhere you can!)

There's a reason why all these techniques are banned in MMA, boxing and other martial arts tournaments-- these techniques are too debilitating.  That's why they are so effective for street self defense.

After you successful perform any of these 4 simple techniques, RUN AND SCREAM LIKE h**l!!!  Self defense is all about self preservation at any cost.  There's no honor or dignity to be preserved here.  You don't have to be Bruce Lee or Muhammed Ali raising your arms in the air over your downed, defeated opponent.  It's all about you being able to live to see another day.

I'm all for learning boxing, muay thai, jujitsu or any other martial art.  I myself have been training for 18 years.  But people need to understand that the mentality and techniques needed for real life street self defense is an entirely different scenario than studying martial arts in general.  Good luck and God bless!

Answer 2

Well if you like shortening up your kick by like a foot to a foot and a half then Muay Thai's all powerful shin kicks will be your cup of tea.

If you like extending your reach though, boxing's punching, combos and bobbing and weaving techniques can't be beat and traditional american kickboxing which utilizes the "foot" instead of the "shin" and extends reach and is way more effective in "real combat".  If you have some one hold your leg out in front of you then hold your arm out over your leg and make a fist then you'll see that Muay Thai's "shin kicks" limit your reach.  Now look at the aspects of American Kickboxing where the heel, top of the foot and balls of the toes are utilized during kicks. Major reach advantage in kickboxing any way you cut it.  

In boxing bobbing and weaving boil down to your knees, your waist, your shoulders and your neck which allow you to slip jabs, elbows, hooks, upper cuts, knee strikes, etc.  Almost like a Cobra toying with a rat.  Of course only a seasoned boxer would understand where I'm coming from on this.

So in comparison I'd have to choose boxing out of these two arts.  Although Muay Thai's standing gaurd is better than most other art forms that think they can out do boxing in a scientific sense.

Answer 3

best form of self defense is

to be able to either run very fast in the other direction

or be smart enough NOT to get into a fight in the first place

if someone challenges you - walk away.

final option muay thai if you didn't take notice of the first three.

Answer 4

Both are good (if the person using them is good).  But I'd probably lean towards Muay Thai as it has more weapons at it's disposal.

Answer 5

William knows what he is talking about.

Boxing is always underrated, but anyone who understands it will always give it the nod. If you want to be well-rounded, western wrestling and boxing are hard to beat. (Just look at what the "ground and pound" technique did to the Jujitsu UFC types).

Still. I box and for self defense I would avoid getting into a real fight. That is what self-defense is all about. Why would I want to hurt someone for real, or get hurt myself when I could avoid, run away, or talk myself out of a situation.

Even if you "win", think about the lawsuit when someone videotapes your overzealous response and the guy land headfirst on the concrete.

The best self defense is using your head, being a gentleman, and staying out of trouble. I would box if there was absolutely no other choice, and there almost always is....

Answer 6

For self defense I say MT cause you train with more strikes.  Elbows, knees, kicks will come handy in a sd situation than just having been trained to punch.  Youll learn how to defend against them too.

Answer 7

Muay Thai. No contest.

Jun Fan is better than both.

Answer 8

ask yourself which has the most weapons?

Answer 9

I would say Muay Thai for sure. While they will both get you in great shape and give you self defense skills, with Muay Thai you will learn to effectively throw (and defend against) punches, kicks, knees, elbows, etc. while boxing will only teach you how to throw and defend against punches.

If you really want to be well rounded, and have the time, I would recommend taking something to help with ground fighting as well (such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), since most fights end up on the ground anyway