Why you chose Muay Thai/Kickboxing

[Underdog]

Hey all,

Just making small talk, wondering what made you decide on Muay Thai/Kickboxing when you decided to take up your Martial art career. For me personally, I had attempted to try and learn several other MA style's, but nothing fit right. The other arts didnt feel right, it wasn't the way I wanted to fight, the movements to me just didnt feel natural.

Then I came along my Thai Kickboxing class I am now apart of. It was a physically intense Martial art, I wanted something where I could feel myself work. The fighting style felt right, the movements made sense to me. It felt natural I just had to become better at it, it felt like the perfect fit for me.

So what about you? What made you decide that Muay Thai/Kickboxing was the MA for you, what made you want to keep comming back for more after the first class? I mean lets face it, walking into the dojo for the first couple times is nerve racking, and probably the hardest part of learning a martial art. So what made you walk through those dojo doors every week?

[Adon4Ever]

Hmmm... I think the first time I HEARD about it was through video games - like SF II. At first I thought it was just a videogame style. Then I saw it in a movie - I think it was in Bloodsport. And I thought, "Wow, there really IS such a style like that? Wow!" It looked brutal, but cool (of course, brutal=cool when I was a teenager LOL).

Of course, I hadn't taken any martial arts since I was about 12 (I had studied TKD, until then). And I had been wanting to get back into it again. That's when I joined the MMA program in H.S. The core MA style was Wing Chun (which I was also interested in learning since that's where Bruce Lee got his start). But when I went to my first class, I found out that the instructor also taught other styles, including Muay Thai. And I was like, "Oh cool!" And as it went on, while I enjoyed learning all the styles that I was exposed to, Muay Thai was my favorite. It just seemed to work so well for me. Plus the moves were so COOL! I knew how well they would work, both inside and outside the ring.

Eventually, I had to let my membership at the school where I studied MMA expire, because I got sidetracked with other stuff - college, work, etc. I did try to practice what I learned and tried to stay in shape. I actually kept it up for a few years. But then I really started slacking off - again, that little thing called "life". But about last August, I knew that I had to do something to get back into shape. But I wanted to something more than just go to the gym. I wanted to take up a sport. So I thought, "Why not the martial arts again?" It certainly didn't do me any harm last time. And then I thought, "Hmmm, I think I'd like to get into Muay Thai, in particular." Since it was my favorite of the arts I studied, and I wanted to learn more of it. So I went to the gym where I train at now...

And the rest is history... :cool2:


Josh

[beungood]

I am a fighter more than an artist, and for me petchyindee is a most effective fundemental... Boxing, Muay Thai, BJJ are proven basics for actual fighting.
I got involved with Muay Thai/KrabiKrabong throiugh my Pekiti-Tirsia Kali instructor. I started training with him for Kali and the first part of our training is Muay Thai Boran (he is a full instructor) and likes howe the MT makes you tired thus making your body swing the weapons in the most efficient and correct way. Plus the angles are complmentary to Kali and it gives us something to use before we get to the empty handed training which in Kali comes after gaining the basics in weapons handling. And the really quality Muay Thai has trips throws and jointlocks. The training really has dispelled some myths and inaccuracis I was told about the art.

[Angharad]

I became involved as I studied to some part in JKD and liked what I had studied, so I decided to pursue it on it's own as well as in JKD. I'm happy I did now, and soon, I hope to get into the ring.

[Jeff Burger]

I was doing Karate and Judo in High School when I first heard of Muay Thai. Everyone said "Those guys are crazy" so I had to take a look at it.
There were not many Muay Thai instructors around at that time, to make it worse I had moved out of NYC to upstate New York.
I would go visit family in NYC almost every month and during vacations and take in as many classes as I could.
I found a couple of teachers here in Boston when I moved here.
Have made a couple of trips to Thailand and worked with several other teachers since then.


Why....
Punches, kicks, knees and elbows full contact. While I realize it is still a sport I feel doing full contact has huge benefits for self defense.