Muay thai has no head movement or footwork?

[Peekay1982]

This guy was the perfect example of being able to switch between boxing "mode" footwork and excellent head movement and Muay Thai "mode"

Seriously impressive. However he was/is a southpaw, which we all know is cheating.

 

[LittleFighter]

Your example of head movement in Muay Thai is a link to a BOXING match? :icon_neut

Vera's statement needn't be taken so literally. Of course MT has head movement and footwork, but in general, compared to a more evasive boxing style, obviously, much less.

Watch your average Muay Thai bout. There's a lot more plodding forward and standing around, as well as blocking and absorbing blows than your average boxing bout, which has a lot of "boxing" and dancing. Does that mean there aren't evasive nakmuays, or brawling boxers? Of course not. But in general, it's just the nature of the sports.

That was a Muay Thai match. WBC is a Muay Thai stadium championship in Thailand. It had nothing to do with boxing. Samart is one of the more well known Thai fighters.

 

[Snubnoze707]

That was a Muay Thai match. WBC is a Muay Thai stadium championship in Thailand. It had nothing to do with boxing. Samart is one of the more well known Thai fighters.

A Muay Thai match with shoes?

WBC = World Boxing Council

Samart was the WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion. That fight was his first title defense.

WBC commissions WBC Muay Thai now, but it certainly wasn't around when Samart was fighting, nor are their belts stadium belts.

 

[yodsaenkla**]

Example of head movement in a REAL muay thai fight.YouTube - Samart Payakaroon(Thailand) sky blueVs Juan Kid Meza(Mexico) red

I train muay thai and we do work on head movement and footwork. I am not sure whether we emphasize it more than boxing seeing as I have not trained in boxing, but I do know that it is emphasized.

The guy would have had to have been retarded not to attempt a knee if that was in a real MT fight. That said an awesome display by samart.

 

[LittleFighter]

A Muay Thai match with shoes?

WBC = World Boxing Council

Samart was the WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion. That fight was his first title defense.

WBC commissions WBC Muay Thai now, but it certainly wasn't around when Samart was fighting, nor are their belts stadium belts.

Oh I didn't know that the WBC Muay Thai was recent. However, Samart started out as a Thai fighter. & I've been to Samart Muay Thai seminars where he's emphasized head movement and footwork in regards to fluidity. Perhaps he emphasizes it more-so than other Thai fighters because he was a boxer, but still, he is an example.

YouTube - Samart and Saaekson

There was another video of him training/shadowboxing with head movement but I think it got taken down from youtube.

 

[Snubnoze707]

Oh I didn't know that the WBC Muay Thai was recent. However, Samart started out as a Thai fighter. & I've been to Samart Muay Thai seminars where he's emphasized head movement and footwork in regards to fluidity. Perhaps he emphasizes it more-so than other Thai fighters because he was a boxer, but still, he is an example.

YouTube - Samart and Saaekson

There was another video of him training/shadowboxing with head movement but I think it got taken down from youtube.

Yes he won a Lumpinee Stadium title in 4 different weight classes, and did incorporate head movement into his style. It is possible to use head movement in Muay Thai, but the kind of slipping he was doing in that clip posted wouldn't fly in Muay Thai, and even Samart knows that as his movement in Muay Thai was more compact.

Another interesting fact about Samart is that he was orthodox in Muay Thai and southpaw in Boxing.

 

[RusViking]

When you watch a real Muay Thai match, most of the time the fighters are squared of in front of each other doing the tapping with the front foot, then they throw some attacks and the other fighter tries to counter.

It's kinda of a macho style. A lot of UFC fighters like Machida would look silly running away in Muay Thai. It's about give and take and getting the psychological advantage.

That's also why when foreigners fight Thais they come rushing in the first round and the Thai will just stand there and eat a few of the standard 1-2 lowkick combinations. Then after the first round, the Thai has the foreigner completely read and can do as he pleases with him. The foreigner coach usually has no answer at this point due to lazyness in training I suppose.

Watch a guy like Naurepol in Contender Asia, that guy had the most amazing variety of skills. He didn't need to move, when his opponent comes rushing, he has him read already and can do a teep or roundkick or combo to counter everything he throws, that's what makes real Muay Thai so great.

 

[ZGSON]

Your example of head movement in Muay Thai is a link to a BOXING match? :icon_neut

Vera's statement needn't be taken so literally. Of course MT has head movement and footwork, but in general, compared to a more evasive boxing style, obviously, much less.

Watch your average Muay Thai bout. There's a lot more plodding forward and standing around, as well as blocking and absorbing blows than your average boxing bout, which has a lot of "boxing" and dancing. Does that mean there aren't evasive nakmuays, or brawling boxers? Of course not. But in general, it's just the nature of the sports.

This.

Based on many of the posts in this thread, it seems like many people have honestly never watched a Muay Thai fight.

 

[WarWander1ei]

Saying there is a lack of footwork in MT is insane to me. Footwork controls distance and sets up attack opportunities; all standup arts rely on those fundamentals.

In my experience, philosophies on head movement seem to depend on the school. Our MT classes actively teach slips and feints, but when I was training at Fairtex I remember being discouraged from using too much head movement.

I prefer to use head movement myself, but I wouldn't argue with anyone over it. I file that one under "different things work for different people".

Why do some gyms discourage head movement? Is there even a reason behind it?

 

[Snubnoze707]

Why do some gyms discourage head movement? Is there even a reason behind it?

The reasoning is excessive head movement like what is seen in boxing will leave you at risk of getting kicked clean in the head, or leave you at risk to being easily clinched in a dominant position, or kneed in the face.

 

[Marvin Covar]

This is a fallacy. There is head movement and footwork in Muay Thai, it is just not as apparent as it is in boxing.

 

[LittleFighter]

This is a fallacy. There is head movement and footwork in Muay Thai, it is just not as apparent as it is in boxing.

^this.

While I agree while some head movements/footwork wouldn't work in Muay Thai because of the elbows, knees and kicks, I think it's wrong to say that Muay Thai totally disregards this aspect of stand up.

But then again, I train Muay Thai in the United States, and even though I have worked with/seen real Thai fighters, I cannot say for sure if they have incorporated western boxing techniques, especially more modern fighters.

 

[fubak75]

Seriously impressive. However he was/is a southpaw, which we all know is cheating.

hahaha i'm a fake southpaw (i'm right handed but i hit harder off my left) and my teammates would agree with you

 

[NuTzOnSwOll]

Another interesting fact about Samart is that he was orthodox in Muay Thai and southpaw in Boxing.

Actually like many thais he was ambidextrous in the ring. However he actually preferred to fight in a southpaw stance.....i guess just so he could take advantage of different openings.
In MT if he switched to his real orthodox style for more than a couple of hits......take it as a compliment. That meant he was dead serious.