I've been wrestling collegiate and freestyle full-time for 4 years now and now I've decided to start practicing Mixed Martial Arts. I don't really have any striking technique and was wondering which striking system I should focus on.
Wrestler needs striking
- Thread starter felix748
- Start date
I've been hearing muay thai is the way to go from others too but I just wanted to see what people here thought. I've been watching muay thai videos and I see a lot of boxing involved in it as well so it seems like I could get some boxing out of MT as well
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2009
- Messages
- 3,604
- Reaction score
- 0
Exactly.
In a MMA fight you need to be versatile in order to be successfull.
Kicks, knees, elbows, the thai clinch are all things that boxing simply doesn't have.
Boxing is great but it's too 1 dimensional in an MMA fight.
The Victor
White Belt
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2010
- Messages
- 23
- Reaction score
- 0
If your training for MMA I personally would start off with boxing then get into Muay Thai or do both. Boxing is pure hands, it will teach you head movement, parrying, blocking, slipping, footwork, combinations and how to throw your punches correctly. I did boxing for one year then started into Muay Thai and its a big difference between my punching and the pure MT fighters striking. They tend to throw hooks with the elbows and tend to loop and the cross tend to be over hand rights inside of straight from the body which is fine if you want to be pure MT fighter which a lot of those guys are, but some of the MT training is simliar to boxing. Boxing also helps with sparring. I started off sparring in boxing and the only thing you have to look out for is the hands. You get use to getting hit and you get use to paying attention to your opponents movement and foot work. It translate well into MT. The only habit i'm trying to break now is I tend to bounce way to much in my MT stance because I'm so use to boxing.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2005
- Messages
- 802
- Reaction score
- 0
Definately do muay thai. Wrestlers have a pretty squared stance. For a striking art, muay thai is pretty squared too, with both feet pointing forward. This is an excellent position to clinch, sprawl and strike from. Plus as other posters mentioned above, it is a very versatile form of striking that will apply well to MMA.
That is very true. I'm also leaning towards MT because of the clinching. I love the clinch in wrestling and I'm very comfortable with working in the clinch.
The thai clinch is neutralized by wrestlers. If you're a wrestler you can avoid a thai clinch. Kicks, especially mid kicks will get you taken down. Punching is more important in MMA.
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2009
- Messages
- 3,604
- Reaction score
- 0
Pure boxing is too 1 dimensional for MMA.
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2009
- Messages
- 656
- Reaction score
- 1
San Shou will teach you to blend your striking with your wrestling...if you can find a good school.
Learn boxing first, then MT.
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2009
- Messages
- 54,857
- Reaction score
- 35,088
Muay Thai.
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2005
- Messages
- 61,538
- Reaction score
- 25,523
BJ Penn's strategy is the best for wrestlers, IMO: don't throw kicks, don't get taken down. I'd take boxing. Then, if you encounter a BJJ guy, you can impose a standing fight (if you feel your boxing is superior to his standup) without risking the fight going to floor; if it does go to the floor, at least it will go there on your terms: with you on top. He shouldn't be able to take you down- as a wrestler- if you're not throwing kicks.
Then, the standup guys who are better than you? Just use boxing to set up a takedown.
I strongly feel that boxing is a better complement to a pure wrestler than Muay Thai.
Then, the standup guys who are better than you? Just use boxing to set up a takedown.
I strongly feel that boxing is a better complement to a pure wrestler than Muay Thai.
I suppose that's why he wrestles, too.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2005
- Messages
- 61,538
- Reaction score
- 25,523
From what I know of (and have seen) of San Shou, it's not a bad complement to an MMA regimen, but it would take the place of Judo/Greco or some other throwing art that deals a lot in the clinch.
IMO, Muay Thai is enjoying a bit more glamor than it deserves because of Anderson. The masses will always be influenced by the mystique of a few great fighters (the same goes for all sport: look at Tiger Woods or Michael Phelps). That's not to say there aren't other champions, like Aldo, that also use it. Obviously it's one of the most successful arts in the sport.
In any case, I think any good MMA hybrid marries 3 arts:
1) A striking art (Boxing, Muay Thai, Kyokushin Karate)
2) A clinch/throwing art (Greco Roman Wrestling, Judo, San Shou, Sambo)
3) A grappling art (BJJ, Freestyle Wrestling, Folkstyle Wrestling)
IMO, the best-performing hybrid is probably:
1) Boxing
2) Greco Roman Wrestling
3) BJJ (w/added focus on takedown defense from Freestyle Wrestling)
The reason many in here are recommending Muay Thai is that it involves a lot of clinch fighting, so it's an excellent addition to wrestling since it adds the dimensions of a striking art and a clinch-fighting art. Still, I'd recommend you start by boxing and learning submissions first. But you can see my preferences.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2010
- Messages
- 1,060
- Reaction score
- 0
Muay Thai fighters are very poor with their hands, this stems from the fact that hands are scored the least in Muay Thai matches as compared to elbows knees and kicks. This means if you face a good boxer you may get beaten down. See KJ Noons vs Dida.
Also, Im assuming your American, and the quality of Boxing training you can get here is much higher than that of Muay Thai.
Edgar, Henderson, Rampage, Evans, ect are all wrestlers who use boxing. Go for that.
Also, Im assuming your American, and the quality of Boxing training you can get here is much higher than that of Muay Thai.
Edgar, Henderson, Rampage, Evans, ect are all wrestlers who use boxing. Go for that.
SteelHammer
Green Belt
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2010
- Messages
- 1,046
- Reaction score
- 0
wouldn't being a wrestler make it less dangerous for him to be taken to the ground, because he already has a ground game?
