Frequently Asked Questions..

 

 

How do I join?

Just turn up to our class and feel free to watch or participate for free to see if you enjoy it

What equipment do I need?

Initially just a pair of tracksuit bottoms or shorts with a T shirt will suffice. The next best buy is a pair of handwraps (€10) and gloves (€30) to protect your hands. After that, shorts (in club/camp colours), shinpads, anklets, a box/groin card and gum shield are all you really need. Make sure you buy proper Thai equipment as it is generally well made; good instructors should have access to decent kit for you.

I'm a bit out of shape; can I train or will I be too unfit?

Yes, we've had a few messages along these lines: Don't worry too much, obviously fitness is important, but to be honest most people who start Muay Thai aren't that fit. Beginner's classes are generally more concerned with teaching you technique, not out and out hard fitness training, so you should be OK, plus if you do decide to put the extra effort in it is a very good way of increasing your fitness.

Are Kick Boxing and Muay Thai the same?

No, no and no again. Muay Thai is a traditional art that has been developed and honed for the last 2-3 thousand years and still has many spiritual and ceremonial aspects, especially in Thailand. Kickboxing on the other hand is an artificial fusion of karate/full contact with Western boxing, developed in both Japan and the USA over the last few decades.

In terms of technique, originally kickboxers tended to snap kick with the foot/instep making contact, much like in karate. Recently though kickboxers have adopted the Thai roundhouse, striking with the shin with much greater impact. Muay Thai boxers are invariably better in the clinch and with elbows/knees, using their kicks to greater effect whereas kickboxers seem to prefer more punching and high/spinning kicks. That said, there are some good kick boxing gyms out there and a lot of them train in a very similar manner to Muay Thai, but promote their classes as kick boxing in a bid to attract more students. On the other hand, many kick boxing classes are run by instructors who have trained in a bit of karate and a bit of boxing and teach a hybrid. However, with Muay Thai, you do tend to get Instructors who have trained in Muay Thai itself. Of course these are all generalisations and the best way is to see for yourself by training at different gyms and watching videos/live fights, when the contrast in styles becomes immediately obvious.

Why is there no Groundwork aspect to Muay Thai?

As a striking art Muay Thai is a superb, fully evolved and refined fighting system that excels in all areas bar one: ground fighting. The answer for this is simple - when developed to aid Thai warriors in battle, the last place you would aim to be is on the floor.

This principle rings true today - replace the warriors of old with your opponent's mates in the pub armed with bottles instead of swords and staying on your feet becomes essential.However, ending up on the ground is always a possibility and it is not a bad idea to supplement Muay Thai training with a ground fighting system, such as any of the wrestling disciplines* or those martial arts that also teach ground fighting e.g. Judo.But I repeat again; as a striking art Muay Thai is superb.*[ not WWF ! ]

Why kick with the shin not the foot?

The power that can be generated by a Thai roundhouse is incredible and the shin is an extremely solid weapon - you aren't going to break your shin kicking someone. But the foot is made of numerous small bones that can - and do - break easily on impact.

If I train in Muay Thai will I have to fight in the ring?

If you have a good coach then only if you really want to. 90-95% of people never/ rarely fight in the ring, content with the fitness/ confidence/ sparring aspect of training. If you do want to be prepared, very prepared: Thai fights, although short (3 x 2 min for novices - 5 x 3 min for professionals) are incredibly fast paced, with constant attacking throughout and little of the backing off you see in most arts. Supreme fitness and body conditioning is a must.

What are the arm and headbands Thai boxers wear?

The armbands, worn on the left arm, are known as kruang wruangs and in the Western world denote the boxers grade (just like belts in karate), with red (10th) being the top level. In addition, black armbands should be awarded once a student has fought in the ring and are worn on the right arm. This effectively doubles the student's grade. In Thailand the armbands for ceremonial reasons and can also hold charms and blessings during the fight. The headband is known as a monkhon and is only worn prior to the fight, again representing the spiritual aspect of Muay Thai essential to the Thais