Kickboxing Should Be Called Kicking

[austinlarg]

So after four years of boxing, I decided that I was okay to move on to muay thai kickboxing. I have only been at the gym for two weeks now but I noticed that these guys do NOT know how to box. Simple things like keeping your opposite elbow in when you jab.

It is quite sad. Just wanted to share that with you.

[Double Jab]

So after four years of boxing, I decided that I was okay to move on to muay thai kickboxing. I have only been at the gym for two weeks now but I noticed that these guys do NOT know how to box. Simple things like keeping your opposite elbow in when you jab.

It is quite sad. Just wanted to share that with you.

Same can be said the opposite way though, saying that boxers do not know how to kick, or defend a kick for that matter.

To each their own I guess. BTW, considering you have been there two weeks, have they tried to change your style to make you more like the way they do it and you say something like "No this makes more sense, trust me" considering your experience? (<--- seriously not trying to be a smart ass, I am very curious. Considering your training and their lack of comprehension of the sweet science, I can imagine they tried to teach you incorrectly a few times)

[austinlarg]

Same can be said the opposite way though, saying that boxers do not know how to kick, or defend a kick for that matter.

To each their own I guess. BTW, considering you have been there two weeks, have they tried to change your style to make you more like the way they do it and you say something like "No this makes more sense, trust me" considering your experience? (<--- seriously not trying to be a smart ass, I am very curious. Considering your training and their lack of comprehension of the sweet science, I can imagine they tried to teach you incorrectly a few times)

I actually went in and met the trainer before I started. I explained to him that I trained boxing first because it's more technical and that the muay thai was just to compliment my boxing.

With that being said, he respects what my thought process is and does not try to change too much of what I do. He likes the fact that I box because I pay more attention to detail than others.

Funny thing is that kicking to me comes naturally. He swears I've had some kind of kickboxing experience.

But the big thing he HAS tried to "adjust" is my stance. And that's never gonna change.

[austinlarg]

Same can be said the opposite way though, saying that boxers do not know how to kick, or defend a kick for that matter.

The difference is that kickboxers should already know how to box. That's why its called kickboxing. Boxers shouldnt know a thing about kicking. It's not called Boxkicking. It's simlpy Boxing. Haha.

[envirocopy512]

As a guy who just got back from training in Thailand, I can tell you that you're 100% correct. The punches have no power because they teach you to stand extremely square, allowing you to get barely any rotation, and to punch with your elbows flared out. They don't punch with their body. The only thing worse than the lack of power is the defense though. I can't even figure how many times I saw a guy throw a punch straight down the middle, right through the Thai fighter's wide open guard. If there was power on it, it'd be lights out. Anyway, my boxing skills are extremely poor, and I spent months training in Thailand. Hence I only think about boxing right now.

The thing is, punching in Muay Thai doesn't really score in fights. I've heard its because punches are more likely to KO a person than kicks, and if there's an early KO there's less fight to gamble on. And ******** is a BIG deal in Thailand, to say the least. In addition, punches are mainly used to set up kicks rather than do damage.

The Dutch have a much better style of kickboxing than the Thais imo. Their boxing skills are much better, and they still kick very hard. Honestly though, I think kicking is very overrated. Kicks just don't KO people that often. People who kick a lot usually just win on points.

Watch some Giorgio Petrosyan fights. I'd be curious to hear what you guys think of his boxing skills.

[Double Jab]

The difference is that kickboxers should already know how to box. That's why its called kickboxing. Boxers shouldnt know a thing about kicking. It's not called Boxkicking. It's simlpy Boxing. Haha.

Wait we wern't talking about boxkicking in the first place? Oh jeez that is just what I assumed. I guess I made an "ass" out of "u" and "me".

[Pork Chop]

Japanese & Dutch kickboxing styles both have more prioritizing of boxing than muay thai. Check out Masato and tell me that boy can't box...

Some muay thai gyms are cleaner with their boxing than others by the way.
Somrluck was an olympic gold medal boxer and a muay thai champ.
Khaosai Galaxy & Samart Payakaroon both had solid careers in pro boxing as well as muay thai.
In Thailand a lot of gyms have pro boxers training along side pro muay thai fighters.

The history of muay thai is they had almost no boxing before the addition of gloves & the incorporation of western boxing into the training.

After that, the boxing still wasn't highly prioritized or even very common.
For a long time knees & kicks were the mainstay, boxing almost an afterthought. You had guys like Apidej who just broke people with their kicks.

In the 70s Toshio Fujiwara was the first non-Thai to win a major stadium title.
He did it with a very boxing-influenced style of kickboxing that we know today as Japanese kickboxing.

By the 80s the Dutch were starting to fight (and win) in Thailand in muay thai with the boxing-heavy, japanese-influenced style of Dutch kickboxing. At the same time Samart and Khaosai Galaxy were making names for themselves in pro boxing. At the same time though, you had Diesel Noi fighting as a 6'3" lightweight & destroying folks with his knees.

In the 90s it was all about Dekkers & Coban knocking everyone out with big punches, Jongsanaan elbowing folks to death, and versatile guys like kaensak and namsaknoi who could take it anywhere. There were more Thai boxers competing in the 90s than ever before or since, that was kind of the peak.

The last decade, the big names have been Samkhor (with his huge left leg), Anuwat (with his devastating punches), Bovy (with his toe-to-toe slugging), Saenchai (with his amazing kicks, defense, & clinch), Somrluck (with his amazing boxing), Yodsanklai (with his tight game & huge left leg), and Buakaw (with devastating hands and feet).

If you don't mind my asking, where do you train?

[Freelancer]

I don't watch a lot of kickboxing, I simply find it a bit boring and seeing those low kicks makes me wanna cringe BUT indeed japanese welterweights are something else, I also think Arthur Kiyshenko has a wicked punching technique for a kickboxer

However the stance and the technique are so different from boxing for the simple reason that a boxer isn't exposed to any kicks in a fight, thus he can lean forward alot more and can place his weight in the punches without worrying there's a flying knee prepared to hit him in the gut. And yeah indeed the punching turns more into a diversion especialy in muay thai.

I agree with the thread starter on the name though, it SHOULD just be called kicking, a LOT of fights are won by the dude that has more calcium in his leg bones. And beside real technical fighters all you get to see is low kick low kick and some more low kick untill one guy just had enough.

[austinlarg]

Porkchop

very detailed post. I like what you say. Dekkers is one of my favorite guys to watch. Him and Michael mcdonald. One of the only kickboxers that understands head movement.

I started at this gym out here called Humble Dragon. It's more of a tae kwon do school but teaching kickboxing. I'm looking to move out to Sacramento to train at Uriah faber's gym though

[paulsinghnl]

i kickboxed last tuesday, when i tried to block a lowkick by lifting my shin up, the dude was aiming low, or i'm too tall and he totally clipped my toes man, injured it for like 3 days.. ugh.. i hate kickboxing! but u cant knock it, tough sport, and the Dutch do rock, it will make ur legs rockhard too. I've trained at Chakuriki and Vos Gym, i've seen the Slamm fighters and fighters of Lucien Carbin, those boys do not play. their boxing is not as good as a experienced boxer, but it's pretty good, and if legs go with that, you're gonna get f**ked up.

i'm still a boxer though, haha.