Should i start Muay Thai given that i have never done any martial arts before?

Question

I'm not a big guy does height and weight matter? (178cm & 11st) Do you have to go full contact when your sparring at your local club? (dont really want to loose my teeth! lol) i mainly would like to do it to get fit and learn how to fight well for self defense, not for competitions. is it costly? if there are any instructors on here any info would be appriciated.

Thanks for reading

Answer 1

if u think u can do it then my opinion is just go for it and try............

Answer 2

Im a thai boxer and i have to tell tha muay thai isnt just something that u can go and learn. Im glad that u have chosen muay thai but before u do condition urself before u take muay thai. Work out for a couple of weeks before taking it. Muay thai is full contact so u have to work out some so u have more pain tolerance. After that, then u can take muay thai but be careful cause thai boxers hit HARD.

Answer 3

Don't worry too much, obviously fitness is important, but to be honest most people who start Muay Thai aren't that fit. Beginner's classes are generally more concerned with teaching you technique, not out and out hard fitness training, so you should be OK, plus if you do decide to put the extra effort in it is a very good way of increasing your fitness.Your fitness level will not be an issue for a training program. The experienced trainers will judge your fitness level and will train you accordingly.

There is absolutely no problem if you are a complete rookie in Martial Arts. There are appropriate Muay Thai programs for people who are just  beginners.

If you have a good coach, then only if you really want to compete. 90-95% of people never/ rarely fight in the ring, content with the fitness/ confidence/ sparring aspect of training. If you do want to be prepared, very prepared: Thai fights, although short (3 x 2 min for novices - 5 x 3 min for professionals) are incredibly fast paced, with constant attacking throughout and little of the backing off you see in most arts. Supreme fitness and body conditioning is a must.

Answer 4

Muay Thai is the right choice. Simple and practical. Check this out: http://phuket-muay-thai.jinjinblog.com/ .You will be inspired

Answer 5

No one goes full contact in any club unless you're hitting pads and no one is going to knock the teeth out of a beginner either as they will most likely be thrown out of the club. Most clubs will not force you to fight competitively either, although it may be encouraged but it's your choice. One thing is for sure you'll get very fit. so go for it... When you start getting to grips with it you'll probably be dying to test your self in comps anyway

Answer 6

Give it a try. You'll have bruises all up your shins for a months, but you'll end up so fit and strong.

Answer 7

Short answer - Yes.  Height and weight don't matter, but you're in the 'ideal' category anyway.  

Prior knowledge of other martial arts before starting something like muay thai can actually be a hinderance  as you have to unlearn stuff before you begin learning.

A good muay thai class will have a mix of people, big, small, tall, short, old, young and a good coach will take that into account.  Everyone has their own reason to train, be it for fitness, self defence or for the ring.  The coach will identify that and won't push you in a direction you won't want to go.  But will point out the pros and cons of each facet to the art and let you make your own mind up.  

Full contact sparring won't necessarily happen from the word go, but you will spar at some point.  Again, a good muay thai gym will put safety as paramount and you won't lose your teeth.

Hope this helps.  Remember - it's meant to be fun, so enjoy yourself.

Answer 8

The best thing to do is to find a place that lets you take a trial class and see if you like it. Muay thai is a full contact stand up style, which will involve a lot of sparring. People will be trying their utmost to hit you in the face/legs/body etc, so if that idea doesn't appeal, you might want to try something like Brazilian jiu jitsu instead (though that is normally more expensive than muay thai: a cheaper substitute for grappling is judo).

The big advantage with BJJ and other grappling styles (like judo, SAMBO, submission wrestling etc), in terms of injuries, is that you have the option to 'tap out' before a hold is fully cranked on (e.g., say they're trying to hyperextend your elbow with an armbar - you feel they have it locked it, so you tap before they actually raise their hips and pull back on the trapped arm).

That is not the case with a stand-up style like muay thai or boxing: you can't indicate to your opponent you'd like them to stop their punch half-way through.

Having said that, at a good stand-up school, the instructor will be supervising sparring carefully to prevent injury. He or she should also be pairing you up with people that will keep the sparring down to your level, working up the contact until you feel comfortable with heavier sparring.

Depends very much on the school, though: personally, my striking experience isn't from muay thai, but something called Zhuan Shu Kuan (basically kickboxing). There, we worked up gradually to full contact, rather than just beating up the beginners and seeing which ones stuck around. I'd assume muay thai accounts for new joiner's lack of skill and experience in a similar fashion, but that's just an assumption.

Finally, you could take a look at this FAQ on finding a good martial arts school:

http://www.bullshido.com/articles/findin...

Good luck, and I hope you find a decent place to train!