Myth:Supplementing your MT with boxing gives you great hands!

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Having trained in Muay thai, and recently boxing i have come to the conclusion that training in Boxing WILL NOT complement your Muay Thai. The time spent learning another art does not equal the benefit.

I see alot of people propagating this on the forum, but i really think it is a myth. The punching and stance in Boxing is vastly different than that of Kickboxing/Muay thai. The punches may LOOK exactly the same, but the applications and defenses are SO different. So so so so so......different.

Guys, if you wanna get better at punching for Muay Thai, PRACTICE MORE PUNCHES, there is no quick fix. It is as simple as that.

I know not everyone does boxing because they want to get better at MT, to those people that just like the sport of boxing, more power to ya!! Boxing is such a "sweet science", that is the perfect name for the sport. Whoever made that up should get an award.

If you are a MT/kickboxer with no interest in boxing, Just stick with what you know about punching offense/defense for YOUR sport. Trust me there is no magic bullet in joining a boxing gym. It is a misguided myth, the two sports are way too different.

Any input? Disagree?

EDIT: for the record, this has nothing to do with someone switching from boxing to muay thai or vice versa. This was mainly directed to people that crosstrain.
 
I completely disagree. At our gym we train pure boxing several times a week, and as a result, our guys have good hands, in boxing, mma, and kickboxing.
 
unless you can train like a pro fighter if you train multiple styles you will basically be half assed in all those styles. Hey if you can train 5~6 hours a day like a pro fighter then it's all good. if you train 3 times a week 1.5~2 hours a day and then you split that up between styles... you'r gonna be crappy in alot of things instead of decent in one.
 
the stance is different but working solely on your boxing sometimes makes you more versatile. what if you injure your leg during a fight and you can't kick no more.
 
blanko said:
unless you can train like a pro fighter if you train multiple styles you will basically be half assed in all those styles. Hey if you can train 5~6 hours a day like a pro fighter then it's all good. if you train 3 times a week 1.5~2 hours a day and then you split that up between styles... you'r gonna be crappy in alot of things instead of decent in one.
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i agree with this....

maybe it's just my experience, but from my training, most of boxing doesn't blend very well with MT. I suppose crosstraining boxing could help you in a K-1 rules type setting. Where there is no clinching, and you can box on the inside. Like:

Andy Souwer

Mike Zambidis

Masato

Hoost

Mark hunt(sorta)

etc.

but i am thinking most of the dutch guys train they're punches in an upright kickboxing stance, they have a very straightforward defense that is based on blocking/parrying, which is a less-edeal choice of evasion for boxers.

there are only couple good punchers in 100% thai rules fights to my knowledge.

Samart Payakaroon

Anuwat Kaewsamrit

Apidej Sit hirun(maybe)

...so idk what to think here....
 
NoSmilez said:
the stance is different but working solely on your boxing sometimes makes you more versatile. what if you injure your leg during a fight and you can't kick no more.
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Yeah, that is what i mean. You work solely on your punching to improve your hands. There is little need to sign up at X boxing gym and relearn everything.
 
I'm glad this has come up.

What if I don't want to train boxing specifically, but just get better w/ my hands? I've been thinking about taking private lessons from a boxing instructor 1 day a week to supplement my MT training(feel like my hands need alot of work), and just working on my hands/head movement/combos(setup & execution). I know pretty much what I want to get out of the deal, and I don't need the whole boxing experience. Is this a good idea?

On a side note, I train MMA, not just MT.
 
I totally disagree.

Yes, there are huge differences in the syles and boxers do things that can cause trouble in MT. But boxing ='s good hands. In general MT fighters who train soley MT have weak punches. BECAUSE the stance and all those nitty gritty details are different makes the difference between good kicks and knees in MT and rediculously powerful hands in boxing.

I cross train in both. I would imagine either you are frustrated and not giving it a chance or you need different trainers who understand your goals. Learn both to be a great stand up fighter.

My gym hosts events regularly for MT and MMA. We get some real good MT fighters in our events from some reputable gyms. You wouldn't believe how many of them get KO'de with punches. It is obvious watching them who has a boxing background and who doesn't. An MT fighter with no boxing skills doesn't know what to do when matched with one that does... period. Just like a boxer can't deal with kicks, a traditional MT fighter is lost when being out boxed.

We have a fight team that has some incredible fighters that come to our events. Their fighters have awesome thai style kicks, decent clinches and hard ass punches. They cleaned house at our last event. I think every one of their guys won (there were about 5-6).

Another thing to consider is this isn't Thailand. It's America, and 90% of our Muay Thai bouts are not "traditional Muay Thai style". I mean, the way they fight in Thailand is different. It's all MT rules and technique and they expect a certain stance and your wai kru. In America we have "MT fighters" with an American flavour. Most of the fighters don't dress up and do the dance, nor do they stick soley to that style when in the ring. You will get a lot of fighters with backgrounds in American KB, boxing, TKD, etc. Fighters who just love to strike and pay less attention to the spiritual aspect and grace of MT.

There is also an deep and important part of boxing that will benefit you as well.. that's maneuvering with and/or around your opponent. It sounds so simple and looks effortless when boxers do it, but it's the key that opens the door to a KO.
 
IX Micheal XI said:
I'm glad this has come up.

What if I don't want to train boxing specifically, but just get better w/ my hands? I've been thinking about taking private lessons from a boxing instructor 1 day a week to supplement my MT training(feel like my hands need alot of work), and just working on my hands/head movement/combos(setup & execution). I know pretty much what I want to get out of the deal, and I don't need the whole boxing experience. Is this a good idea?

On a side note, I train MMA, not just MT.
Click to expand...

MMA too? yea, you need boxing. Or you can expect to be KO'de by an opponent who knows a bit about boxing... at least that's what my coach would say. The last two guys we had fight with no boxing skills but tons of other skills got KO'de with punches. Boxing is big in America, so expect your opponents to know something about it to be prepared.
 
Not true at all. Boxing tends to make the hands better because a boxing match/sparring has a different timing than Thai/kickboxing. Pure kickboxers tend to shit their pants when a guy gets inside kicking range and can stay there with consistent combinations. Its hard to learn to deal with that timing when you only train with kickboxers.

TS, how long have you trained Thai boxing before starting to box?
 
My gym is well known for our knees and boxing skills.

We are all very good boxers and a few things don't carry over, but 99% of things do.


You need to pick the elements that work and discard what doesn't FOR YOU.

Don't blame the tool if you're no good at utilising it properly
 
I again disagree with you, I have come to the conclusion you either

a)suck at boxing because nothing you learnt at Muay Thai really helps you so your disappointed being a noob again. Which may mean you don't want to put the effort in to get good at Boxing and see the improvement Or B) You have cross trained both seen the improvement and are saying thing because you dont want any1 else to benefit so you can be the best :)


If Cross-Training didnt work then why do the best MMA Strikers and K-1 Fighters do it??
 
k-1 fighters do it cus alot of k-1 guys come from KK SK backgrounds. K-1 max muay thai guys need to do it cus k-1 really limits clinching. Hey if they are PRO fighters and they can train all day every day then it's great. Most people here are not pro fighters.
 
its very hard because the muay thai feet posture is completly different from boxing

its hard to punch with your feet tha close together and with your fron heels up
 
I know Boxers who have boxed for their countries that only train two days a week.
To get to that level!

So two days boxing is more than enough to supplement your Muay Thai however many days a week you want to train that.
Say you do 2 Days Boxing (THe Weekend maybe if u have a job)
Then 4 Evenings a week train Muay Thai, WHats so hard about that?
 
Is it really a myth, or just a training method that may not work for everyone. Semantics I guess.
 
Pro Killer said:
I know Boxers who have boxed for their countries that only train two days a week.
To get to that level!

So two days boxing is more than enough to supplement your Muay Thai however many days a week you want to train that.
Say you do 2 Days Boxing (THe Weekend maybe if u have a job)
Then 4 Evenings a week train Muay Thai, WHats so hard about that?
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Agreed. I know pro boxers with world titles who work full time. There are a tiny pool of fighters who do nothing but train. They are either working as trainers (and good luck training soley fighters, most of the time it's just people looking to get fit), or they are famus. Either way, it took a lot of training on the side of work/school/etc. to get to be there. No one just quits their day job and makes a living fighting. I'll be happy if I can earn enough from fighting to support my habit! :icon_chee

It's putting your hours into it that matters. You do what you can. What little time you DO have to put into training, just train extra hard and see the improvment.
 
ForeverFiending said:
I totally disagree.

Yes, there are huge differences in the syles and boxers do things that can cause trouble in MT. But boxing ='s good hands. In general MT fighters who train soley MT have weak punches. BECAUSE the stance and all those nitty gritty details are different makes the difference between good kicks and knees in MT and rediculously powerful hands in boxing.

I cross train in both. I would imagine either you are frustrated and not giving it a chance or you need different trainers who understand your goals. Learn both to be a great stand up fighter.

My gym hosts events regularly for MT and MMA. We get some real good MT fighters in our events from some reputable gyms. You wouldn't believe how many of them get KO'de with punches. It is obvious watching them who has a boxing background and who doesn't. An MT fighter with no boxing skills doesn't know what to do when matched with one that does... period. Just like a boxer can't deal with kicks, a traditional MT fighter is lost when being out boxed.

We have a fight team that has some incredible fighters that come to our events. Their fighters have awesome thai style kicks, decent clinches and hard ass punches. They cleaned house at our last event. I think every one of their guys won (there were about 5-6).

Another thing to consider is this isn't Thailand. It's America, and 90% of our Muay Thai bouts are not "traditional Muay Thai style". I mean, the way they fight in Thailand is different. It's all MT rules and technique and they expect a certain stance and your wai kru. In America we have "MT fighters" with an American flavour. Most of the fighters don't dress up and do the dance, nor do they stick soley to that style when in the ring. You will get a lot of fighters with backgrounds in American KB, boxing, TKD, etc. Fighters who just love to strike and pay less attention to the spiritual aspect and grace of MT.

There is also an deep and important part of boxing that will benefit you as well.. that's maneuvering with and/or around your opponent. It sounds so simple and looks effortless when boxers do it, but it's the key that opens the door to a KO.
Click to expand...

Very good post. Perhaps i had just had some bad experiences. I will definitely take that into consideration.
 
Pro Killer said:
I again disagree with you, I have come to the conclusion you either

a)suck at boxing because nothing you learnt at Muay Thai really helps you so your disappointed being a noob again. Which may mean you don't want to put the effort in to get good at Boxing and see the improvement Or B) You have cross trained both seen the improvement and are saying thing because you dont want any1 else to benefit so you can be the best :)


If Cross-Training didnt work then why do the best MMA Strikers and K-1 Fighters do it??
Click to expand...

IDK, i am slightly frustrated at not being able to box. But i am also frustrated that i have to relearn everything when i'm at the boxing gym. Its lame.

and when i practice punching at home, i don't know whether to take a textbook boxing stance, or a traditional upright Muay thai stance, or whether i should hold my hands up like a boxer or traditional palms out MT style.

Honestly i just wanna compete at the Local Kickboxing competitions and not get knocked out by someone with better hands.

Most of the time the fights are no extended clinching/knees, and no elbows, so i gotta find a way to adapt without those. I think the rules of the competitions may change my stance.

I was thinking of maybe getting into a lower, wider boxing stance when i get to fight on the inside, since i can't clinch/elbow/knee.
 
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