Kenpo karate vs. muay thai?

Question

i realize muay thai is the superior sport/martial art, but i was wondering if kenpo (or kempo, whatever) is still useful? Does it teach realistic moves (punching and kicking)? I just like the fact that it doesn't damage your brain as much as muay thai!

Answer 1

Hi.

Muay Thai is fantastic but Kenpo Karate is a better rounded martial art combining not only striking with the hands and feet but also the elbows and knees like Muay Thai.  Also there is Kung Fu (Hung Gar in my style) and Jujitsu (the style used to be called "Kenpo Jujitsu" back in the day).  For the record I take Chinese Kenpo Karate, also known as the Tracy's System of Kenpo, the original style Ed Parker taught before he created American Kenpo.

Anyway, as I said, Muay Thai is fantastic but I think its perceived effectiveness has been inflated a little by its popular use in MMA.  I'm sure it's great for sport but on the street I'm not so sure it could stand up to Kenpo Karate.

So yes, Kenpo Karate is very useful.  In addition to the basics (punching, kicking and general striking) we teach a lot of very practical techniques that you could use by themselves or string them/parts of them together.  You can take concepts from them and apply them as needed to a given situation.  These could involve anything from basic blocks, punches, and a kicks to grabs, hooks, strikes to sensitive targets, throws, pressure points, gouges, neck breaks, limb breaks, limb dislocations, etc...

How many of these things do you think would be allowed in a ring for sport?  So Muay Thai is a superior sport art that is also very practical for general street combat but Kenpo Karate is a great style for street combat but can also be watered down for competition.

I will concede that a Muay Thai practitioner would probably end up striking a lot better and would be able to use their style more effectively quicker than a Kenpo Karate practitioner if only because of the volume of information that must be obtained.  However in the long run I do not believe that would continue to be the case.

All of the above is mostly just opinion though, so what this really boils down to is personal preference and the individual practitioner.  I prefer Kenpo Karate so naturally I am going to do better at Kenpo Karate that Muay Thai and it's the same for people who prefer Muay Thai, or any martial art for that matter.  Your style could give you all the tools you need to become a great martial artist but if you don't use them properly it's pointless.  Among the more complete arts like Muay Thai and Kenpo Karate I don't think there really is such a thing as a 'superior' martial art, it's all what you prefer and how you use these tools we call martial arts.

Good question, it's just the initial assumption that I don't agree with :)

Answer 2

American Kenpo ROCKS!  Very useful, street smart style with a combination of many Martial Arts intermingled.  There is a difference between Kenpo and Kempo.  Kenpo is more of a defensive Art introduced by Ed Parker.  As a student of Kenpo I have learned pressure point techniques, grappling, JKD, Krav Maga, Tung soo do (sp?), and kickboxing just to name a few.

Ahem.  I beg to differ about Kenpo not being as useful as Muay Thai, and the superiority of Muay Thai.

(Thanks 16pc) You Rock!

Answer 3

hazel has no idea what she's talking about, kenpo is not very practical.really

muay thai is better, its simple and its moves aren't based on the assumption that your oponment knows the same martial art as you

and also, krav maga  and tang soo do are two different martial arts all on their own, and i don't think their usually in kenpo since there not from the area that most of the martial arts in kenpo are

Answer 4

Well I am a 48 year old man (turning the big 50 next year) and have over time studied many arts and have found Kenpo to be the most street effective art yet. Kenpo is a VERY well rounded system that is prov en by many to be effective form of self-defense no matter s*x or age.

Whether it's Boxing, Wrestling, Judo, Wing Chung, Hapkido, etc., they all have merit.

So it sounds to me that someone has not done their homework or may just be narrow minded.

Hazel, your right ... girl!

77

Answer 5

kenpo/kempo is a self defence styled martial art muay thai is a pure fighting martial art and on its own is not a good style for sreet self defence.

Answer 6

I have trained both, Kenpo for street fightng is better, but for sport/mma Muay Thai is better.   I also currently train BJJ, which is awesome as well, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it is the best.  All martial arts have strengths and weakness.

Answer 7

Its definitely not as practical as muay thai, but some MMA fighters have a kempo karate background like Chuck Liddell for example.  Others, like Georges St. Pierre and Lyoto Machida also have a background in some form of karate.  Machida in particular is more of a karate striker, which is rare in MMA, but he is able  to use it effectively.  In general, however, you have to be highly skilled in with lots of experience for it to be effective, whereas Muay Thai can be effective much faster.