reality about Muay thai footwork

[Payak]

I have been reading here for a long time about muay thais lack of footwork.

the reality is from someone who has studied boxing, muay boran and krabi krabong in depth, and also silat, muay thai has in my opinion one of the most complex footwork of any art, not the best but equal to any up there.

the thing is it looks simple and looks basic, but thats to the untrained eye, over years it becames a nightmare for an opponant, the muay thai practioners ability to make you miss with only the slight movement, and his ability to offset you and get you off balance.

the purpose is to put yourself in the position to fire from any distance anytime, and keep your opponant off balance, balance and angles are the key.

good footwork, no need to bounce around like a rabbit.

 

[Jae102]

Thank you good sir.

 

[kenpeters8]

Payak, great post. And don't mind the idiotic Sherdog keyboard warriors in here. Majority of these idiots, I don't waste my time arguing with them. They're all just wannabe fighters that are just fans or they're all enrolled in a local MMA/Muay Thai/BJJ school. Just a bunch of keyboard warriors that's living in mommy's and daddy's basement while working as a bagger at a supermarket.

 

[Da Speeit]

People are just confused.

you nailed it.

It's almost impossible to gauge timing with your legs as youre zipping around like a lot of boxers do so brilliant.

 

[ssullivan80]

I have been reading here for a long time about muay thais lack of footwork.

the reality is from someone who has studied boxing, muay boran and krabi krabong in depth, and also silat, muay thai has in my opinion one of the most complex footwork of any art, not the best but equal to any up there.

the thing is it looks simple and looks basic, but thats to the untrained eye, over years it becames a nightmare for an opponant, the muay thai practioners ability to make you miss with only the slight movement, and his ability to offset you and get you off balance.

the purpose is to put yourself in the position to fire from any distance anytime, and keep your opponant off balance, balance and angles are the key.

good footwork, no need to bounce around like a rabbit.

I agree, skilled Muay Thai fighters definitely have extremely good footwork and balance. Particularly in the clinch where footwork, positioning, coordination and controlled movements are very difficult to become proficient at. In the clinch youre no longer moving independently, your having to make constant adjustments and improvisations to out-position or control your opponent. Much like a wrestlers base, it can't be comprised of "pre-set" movements, as your not only dealing with positioning, you have to account for resistance. In my opinion, "fancy footwork" is for show and "excellent footwork" looks effortless and easy. A fighter with excellent footwork makes it look simple, they always seem to be in the right place at the right time and they don't seem to make undue effort in doing so...... it's just natural and instinctual.

 

[Payak]

ssullivan80, i know exactly what you mean, in the clinch you must feel the opponent, use his strenght against him,.

 

[Jukai]

I believe Masato was asked the question and said boxing had better footwork because in Muay Thai, you have to keep your legs stiffer and straighter to deal with kicks to the leg. In Muay Thai, there are wide kicks and there is very close clinching so there is a lot of positioning to deal with. A big question when considering Thai footwork skills is if you consider 'positioning' part of footwork.

I mean, hell, I feel Karate has the best footwork but hell I'm biased.

 

[Payak]

did masato even do muay thai, I don't think he did.
i dont believe he did boxing either.
I believe boxings footwork is great for boxing and muay thai for muay thai, but go into a muay thai fight with boxing stance and footwork and your going to get chopped down, so to will the nak muay if he enters the boxing ring.
Im not interested in masatos thoughts on something he dabbled in, k1 fighter or not.

 

[Higus]

did masato even do muay thai, I don't think he did.
i dont believe he did boxing either.
I believe boxings footwork is great for boxing and muay thai for muay thai, but go into a muay thai fight with boxing stance and footwork and your going to get chopped down, so to will the nak muay if he enters the boxing ring.
Im not interested in masatos thoughts on something he dabbled in, k1 fighter or not.

Exactly. This is a simple concept that eludes many people. I kind of get frustrated when people bring that kind of logic to MMA striking. Granted, there are some awful looking strikers in the sport, but the top level guys do what they do for a reason. There's so many ways a MMA fight goes down that there is no such thing as a proper stance, technique, or movement that works for every situation. Case in point, you put your hands to high up to protect your head, you get taken down. You keep your hands low to defend a shot, you get hit with an overhand right. And then you get to kicking and clinching and the possibilities are endless.

 

[devante]

did masato even do muay thai, I don't think he did.
i dont believe he did boxing either.
I believe boxings footwork is great for boxing and muay thai for muay thai, but go into a muay thai fight with boxing stance and footwork and your going to get chopped down, so to will the nak muay if he enters the boxing ring.
Im not interested in masatos thoughts on something he dabbled in, k1 fighter or not.

isnt this what everyone does, comment on things they just dabbled in; more or less making absolute statements re:an art when they haven't done the art or sparred people of a high level consistently. I mean stating your opinion, esp if its got some info behind it is fine; but most people make pretty hard statements, not clarifying its based on limited exp/knowledge.

 

[judokaboxer]

kendo practitioners footwork is suited for kendo
boxing footwork is suited for boxing
taekwondo footwork is suited for tkd
wrestling footwork is suited for it
druken fist kung fu is suited for it as well
judo footwork is suited for judo if it has footwork or needs it
all arts has their own footwork because it blends with the art itself
wingchun has footwork too


muay thai main weapons can be harnessed by its footwork and stance..

 

[ssullivan80]

did masato even do muay thai, I don't think he did.
i dont believe he did boxing either.
I believe boxings footwork is great for boxing and muay thai for muay thai, but go into a muay thai fight with boxing stance and footwork and your going to get chopped down, so to will the nak muay if he enters the boxing ring.
Im not interested in masatos thoughts on something he dabbled in, k1 fighter or not.

Masato fought the overwhelming majority of his fights in Japan (K1) But he did fight in Thailand 2 times, once back in 2000, won that fight. Then fought Suriya Prasathinphimai for a world MT title in Bangkok, and lost a 5rd decision. Both those fights were under MT rules.

I would hardly say Masato "dabbled" in MT, although his career was in K1, he did fight several excellent MT fighters and beat them...... Including a win over Buakaw. I do agree his "style" is not traditional MT or even close too, but nonetheless it has proven effective against fighters who are traditional MT fighters.

His "boxing" footwork served him well in this fight? But his style does leave him an easier target for leg kicks, and he eats plenty of them!

 

[Pugilistic]

If you think about it footwork is about getting in position to attack and defend all the while not compromising yourself and balance. If whatever you're doing is not working (exposing you to leg kicks, getting you taken down, eating punches, whatever) isn't that bad footwork? I'm not sure I believe in "better" footwork for different styles. Granted it's been awhile I've done anything other than boxing, when I was doing boxing and judo at the same time, I felt the principles were the same. If anything, I felt I got taken down less because of boxing. If your balance is good, you can effectively distribute weight into your strikes, and you're getting where you want to, isn't that what's working?

 

[Buffmedic01]

People don't see the finer nuances and movements of Muay Thai, so they view it as simple or basic, which is easy to do. Some of my new students were questioning me when I was teaching them just the footwork, they asked questions like "what about those guys like Anderson Silva or Jose Aldo who can dance all over and have very light footwork, or boxers"... I explained to them that this style of footwork was the basis for a solid base, good balance, posture, defense and movement and in itself if some of the best footwork I have studied. I do boxing as well, so I love mixing up the footwork between Muay Thai and Boxing, but I don't think that either is superior, its nice having both in my arsenal so I can mix it up on my sparring partners to keep them on their toes. You could spend your whole life on just Muay Thai and Thai footwork and it would not be wasted.

 

[DrBdan]

I think Payak hit the nail on the head. Different styles have different footwork and as long as it works for that style you can't say it's any better or worse..

 

[Woodkid***]

Muay Thai footwork was much easier for me to learn and become reasonably proficient at it, I felt it was more basic than boxings footwork (what im doing now) and i feel as though success in boxing is more dependent on footwork than it is in Muay Thai.

Its just my opinion though.

 

[JKkiM**]

did masato even do muay thai, I don't think he did.
i dont believe he did boxing either.
I believe boxings footwork is great for boxing and muay thai for muay thai, but go into a muay thai fight with boxing stance and footwork and your going to get chopped down, so to will the nak muay if he enters the boxing ring.
Im not interested in masatos thoughts on something he dabbled in, k1 fighter or not.

But most UFC fighters use boxing stance and footwork (most of them, albeit, badly) I can't imagine why a Boxing stance and footwork wouldn't work in Muay Thai. You stand completely flat footed and let him kick your legs out? No, you stay on your toes and step out of the way of the kick or step in to neutralize. I'm not saying either one would win, but to say Boxing footwork can't compete in Muay Thai is ridiculous. As long as he knew how to deal with the kicks and learn to defend clinch work, the footwork shouldn't be problematic. You can win with just boxing and hands, as long as you know how to defend the other styles. Just ask JDS.

I think boxing footwork is incredibly flexible and adaptable to any combat sport. It's just so scientific. Designed to make you move the fastest and most nimble. Muay Thai stance and footwork seems so one dimensional and inflexible. You stand in a straight line with your opponent and bang.

Then again, I know something about boxing, but nothing about Muay Thai. Just an opinion, IMO. I think boxing footwork + Muay Thai abilities are the way to go.

 

[ssullivan80]

If you think about it footwork is about getting in position to attack and defend all the while not compromising yourself and balance. If whatever you're doing is not working (exposing you to leg kicks, getting you taken down, eating punches, whatever) isn't that bad footwork? I'm not sure I believe in "better" footwork for different styles. Granted it's been awhile I've done anything other than boxing, when I was doing boxing and judo at the same time, I felt the principles were the same. If anything, I felt I got taken down less because of boxing. If your balance is good, you can effectively distribute weight into your strikes, and you're getting where you want to, isn't that what's working?

Agreed, well said! Good "footwork" really comes down to being able to be in the right place at the right time and maintaining balance and control throughout. I don't know that it's necessarily "bad footwork" that is to blame for eating shots or getting taken down, it certainly could be, but you can have good footwork and still find yourself in a "bad position".

 

[JKkiM**]

Agreed, well said! Good "footwork" really comes down to being able to be in the right place at the right time and maintaining balance and control throughout. I don't know that it's necessarily "bad footwork" that is to blame for eating shots or getting taken down, it certainly could be, but you can have good footwork and still find yourself in a "bad position".

Once you reach a higher level of footwork, you use footwork to confuse your opponents and juke your punches. Effective footwork can also help you mask your punches and combinations. Quickly getting in & out, dictating when the engagement takes place, moving to different angles to neutralize the opponent's area of attack, and using footwork to confuse your opponent on what your attack, is what good footwork will do for you.

 

[ChachiKiller]

Masato fought the overwhelming majority of his fights in Japan (K1) But he did fight in Thailand 2 times, once back in 2000, won that fight. Then fought Suriya Prasathinphimai for a world MT title in Bangkok, and lost a 5rd decision. Both those fights were under MT rules.

I would hardly say Masato "dabbled" in MT, although his career was in K1, he did fight several excellent MT fighters and beat them...... Including a win over Buakaw. I do agree his "style" is not traditional MT or even close too, but nonetheless it has proven effective against fighters who are traditional MT fighters.

His "boxing" footwork served him well in this fight? But his style does leave him an easier target for leg kicks, and he eats plenty of them!

I was watching this and found myself flinching whenever Buakaw threw a leg kick.