reality about Muay thai footwork

[thirteen]

MT guys may get a laugh outta this but...

Here's a footwork/balance drill people who box might know:
Get in your stance, then come right down into a low squat-like position.
Now throw left and right hooks (still squatting).

If your stance is incorrect once you start throwing hooks you can't help but start swaying then fall on your ass lol.

 

[TeddyRoosevelt]

Muay Thai stance and footwork seems so one dimensional and inflexible.

You are correct; you do not understand Muay Thai.

No, you stay on your toes and step out of the way of the kick or step in to neutralize.

You cannot effectively neutralize an effective kickers lower-body striking with a simple "run away/step-in" dichotomy.

 

[ChachiKiller]

I think we all learn footwork (from different styles) but in the thick of it, the footwork supports what the fighter needs to do without thinking. We are all the same. The engagement is different but to maintain balance, the body works a certain way. It is like saying hitting with the fist is different. Once there is need and opportunity to strike, the fist does its job. Footwork requires and is dictated by proper balance.

 

[barnowl]

jjkim says muay thai is one dimensional, but also states he knows nothing about it, a contradiction right there.

every thing is not as it seems, watch a good muay thai fighter, a very experienced old fighter, he will move very little, he will read his opponent, constantly off balancing the opponent and making him stop to reset.

how important is it someone asked, footwork is the foundation the whole art is built on, without a strong foundation your building will collapse.

the major things drilled to us are distance, the tools to use instinctively from the right distance, you can control what your opponant throws at you by choosing the distance you stand from him, this makes it easy to defend as you know whats coming.

angles, angles to ofset him, and off balance him.

angles, balance,positioning,distance.
only need to move an inch, to make him miss, less distance to counter.
looks lazy and simple to the observer, but go and spar or worse clinch with a thai with over 100 fights, then you will learn what little balance or footwork you may have.

Pretty much describes my coach. I had a major reach advantage on him, but he always was just out of range or to the left or right of were I threw, yet, somehow he was always in range to counter or reply. It was amazing, always felt like I was striking at the wrong target.

 

[barnowl]

Come to think of it, I am not sure he ever "taught" good foot work, so much as "punished" bad foot work. His english was terrible, so it was probably easier to just kick me in the leg or knee the body, when I started stepping wrong than to explain it.

 

[Buffmedic01]

angles, balance,positioning,distance.
only need to move an inch, to make him miss, less distance to counter.
looks lazy and simple to the observer, but go and spar or worse clinch with a thai with over 100 fights, then you will learn what little balance or footwork you may have.

^ This.... people who think its simple or one dimensional simply don't understand the small intricacies of it. In my opinion for all striking be it punching, kicking, grappling, footwork...ect. The goal is the get the most strength and speed with the least effort. Muay Thai footwork sums this up, rather than constantly bouncing around, expending energy they can adjust the fight to their advantage with small practical movements, never putting themselves off balance and always maintaining a good angle of attack. Muay Thai is about 3 things... speed, accuracy and power. Just because it appears simple does not mean that it is, the footwork for the clinch is incredibly intricate and something to master all in itself and yes, you will earn very very fast where you are unbalanced when a real thai fighter clinch's you.

 

[ChachiKiller]

^ This.... people who think its simple or one dimensional simply don't understand the small intricacies of it. In my opinion for all striking be it punching, kicking, grappling, footwork...ect. The goal is the get the most strength and speed with the least effort. Muay Thai footwork sums this up, rather than constantly bouncing around, expending energy they can adjust the fight to their advantage with small practical movements, never putting themselves off balance and always maintaining a good angle of attack. Muay Thai is about 3 things... speed, accuracy and power. Just because it appears simple does not mean that it is, the footwork for the clinch is incredibly intricate and something to master all in itself and yes, you will earn very very fast where you are unbalanced when a real thai fighter clinch's you.

We have to learn basics but once you have mastery and you don't have to think about it, the movement is the same for pretty much all similar combat styles. The requirement of what to do will tell you what to do to be effective.

In order for you to be correct then you would be implying that you do not need balance, speed, accuracy and power in boxing. Not true.

Reality is that when fighting, the movement has more similarities than it does differences. It is like saying muay that running is faster than boxing running (running technique aside). Once one figures out how to fun fast, we are all doing the same thing.

 

[ssullivan80]

You cannot effectively neutralize an effective kickers lower-body striking with a simple "run away/step-in" dichotomy.

Well said, and an all too common misconception. If anything, you make him more effective as he now knows how to control the distance.

Come to think of it, I am not sure he ever "taught" good foot work, so much as "punished" bad foot work. His english was terrible, so it was probably easier to just kick me in the leg or knee the body, when I started stepping wrong than to explain it.

My first "authentic" MT trainer (traditional MT) was relentless in coaching stance/balance/footwork. He wouldn't let me throw a single punch or kick for the better part of 3 days and I was not a beginner to striking sports. But as you say, he was diligent in teaching it, but even more diligent in demonstrating what would happen when you were off balance......... by kicking the shit out your legs. I was baffled by how a guy who weighed all of 135pds could throw a kick like a mule! Only thing more intimidating than the thai's kicking is their clinch strength. For anyone who hasn't been in the clinch of a skilled MT fighter, it is a nasty wake up call. They use leverage, foot positioning, hip control and core strength incredibly well. The second you feel like your about to find your balance, you get a knee smashed into your ribs or end up doing mid air cartwheels as they toss your ass. I am a big guy in comparison to the thais I trained with (taller and 30+pds heavier), but they would toss me around like it was effortless. Only thing i could really compare it to from a Western sport perspective, is being clinched/locked up by a top level greco roman or freestyle wrestler. Until you've really experienced it you can't truly understand the intricacies of the "art".