Boxing to compliment Muay Thai

[DingoCartman]

Hey, I've been trainning in Muay Thai for a few months now. I train 2-3 times a week, and I already feel myself getting better at it. I am doing this as a hobby, and my purpose is to eventually build a solid self defense ability and incorporate martial arts into my training (I also do strength and cardio).

As a side note:
I know there are many debates on how effective martial arts are for self defense, I don't want to get into that argument. My dad is alive today only because he knew how to fight in his younger days, otherwise I wouldn't be born. So to me that's a good enough indicator as to how martial arts can increase your chances, let's leave it at that.

I started in MMA but decided I rather learn striking first, then proceed to learn groundwork. Eventually I plan on going back to MMA after a year or so in Muay Thai. I also plan on integrating Krav Maga at some point, after I feel competent in MMA.

I was wondering about something:
It seems that Boxing focuses well on hands and footwork, and I am considering whether I should take Boxing for 6-12 months before going back to MMA. I would like to develop a good hand technique and strong punches.

Also, this may not be accurate, but still:
When I was training in MMA I felt that I learned too much of everything at once, and eventually made little progress. We had half session devoted to striking and half session devoted to ground, and I felt I didn't get better at either. At Muay Thai I get the feeling I am getting better at it, because we focus on striking only. So using the same login, I think that I may benefit a lot from focusing solely on hand technique.

However, when I asked a friend who is a full time MMA fighter about taking BJJ for a year to build ground technique, and he said that I should go straight to MMA and that it would be a waste of time.

What do you think? Should I try taking Boxing for 6-12 months after 12+ months in Muay Thai? Or would it be a waste of time and I should head straight back to MMA?

 

[Snoowpy]

Crosstrain it, don't stop muay thai because you need to incorporate your hands with the kicking and knee combo's. If you go to boxing full time and return to Muay Thai after you will have lost alot of fluidity in your full 8 points of contact combo's.

 

[AndyMaBobs]

What Snoowpy said.

If you're currently doing Muay Thai, I would say keep up your muay thai training and maybe do some boxing once or twice a week depending on what you can manage. Focus on boxing to compliment your Muay Thai and not the other way around. Unless you end up enjoying boxing more and want to focus on that instead.

 

[Gandhi]

I don't agree with the above posters, not fully anyway. Some full time boxing is needed in mma, MT hands are not as good as boxing, so it compliments well.

Does not hurt to do some full time boxing and maybe at the end of the class work some kicks, knees, and elbows in plus some combos mixing them up with punches.

1/2 and 1/2 is a hard way to learn. Better to have full days grappling or striking at first with some mma mixed days.

 

[Snoowpy]

I don't agree with the above posters, not fully anyway. Some full time boxing is needed in mma, MT hands are not as good as boxing, so it compliments well.

Does not hurt to do some full time boxing and maybe at the end of the class work some kicks, knees, and elbows in plus some combos mixing them up with punches.

1/2 and 1/2 is a hard way to learn. Better to have full days grappling or striking at first with some mma mixed days.

That's exactly what we said. Follow boxing classes inbetween the thai classes. Just don't go full boxing for a year while abandoning muay thai.

 

[Snubnoze707]

I think we need more posts about this same subject. Not enough on the first page.

 

[Dani Rodriguez]

I think you should do both, a lot of Dutch kickboxers have proven that it is an excellent combination.

 

[Snubnoze707]

I think you should do both, a lot of Dutch kickboxers have proven that it is an excellent combination.

Dutch Kickboxers don't train both Boxing and Muay Thai, they train Dutch Kickboxing. There are probably more Thai's that train pure Boxing on its own than the Dutch.

 

[Gandhi]

That's exactly what we said. Follow boxing classes inbetween the thai classes. Just don't go full boxing for a year while abandoning muay thai.

Which is why I said, "not fully". We're are probably disagreeing on degrees. IMO Nothing wrong with doing boxing for an extended period. Especially for beginners / intermediate. Of course everything will depend on level, goals, etc.

 

[Dani Rodriguez]

Dutch Kickboxers don't train both Boxing and Muay Thai, they train Dutch Kickboxing. There are probably more Thai's that train pure Boxing on its own than the Dutch.

True, but I mean that Dutch kickboxing incorporate styles of Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate, and Boxing. So it should go together if you adapt the right way.

 

[DingoCartman]

Thanks for the answers everyone,
you all seem to agree that it will be a good idea to take boxing to compliment Muay Thai, the only debate is whether I should take it simultaneously or separately.
I think I might try to take it simultaneously for a month or two in the summer just to see how it is. After I have a year in Muay Thai I'll go full time boxing, but I'll continue to come to my current MT gum for sparring sessions and some sack work to keep my kicking technique sharp.