Muay thai is an extremely effective martial art and fighting system.
However, muay thai is trained to be used under a specific set of rules and in some ways this takes away from some of the effectiveness of muay thai for self defense.
As muay thai is used mainly under rules and safety equipment, timed rounds and weight classes it may not always be the best option for someone looking to learn specifically for self defense.
That being said, muay thai is an extremely effective combat art, and has been time tested in the ring for decades.
So the techniques in muay thai are very effective when it comes to hand to hand combat and also self defense.
But in this post I want to discuss the good and the bad when it comes to muay thai for self defense to help anyone looking to learn self defense.
So in this post I will look at 5 reasons why muay thai for self defense can be very effective and 5 reasons why muay thai as a self defense may not be the best option.
And why I think other martial arts may be more suitable in more common physical altercations and self defense situations we are more likely to run into.
Muay Thai for Self Defense – the Good
These are 5 reasons why muay thai is a great martial art to learn for self defense.
1. Muay Thai Trains Practical and Applicable Combat Techniques
Muay Thai originates from battlefield fighting systems.
Muay Boran which is the original form of muay thai was used effectively in the ancient warring periods or Siam (Thailand).
The techniques for hand to hand combat were used effectively on the battlefield by combatants and thus what they learned and trained were only practical techniques that could be used effectively in in actual combat.
So, the techniques taught and trained in muay thai are definitely practical and applicable in combat situations which definitely includes self defense.
2. Muay Thai is relatively simple and easy to learn
Muay thai is a relatively simple martial art to learn.
In comparison to more complex styles such as Kung Fu or even BJJ which has numerous techniques, muay thai really only consists of the most effective ways to damage an opponent using all 8 limbs as well as how to defend against common striking attacks.
A simple but effectively thrown punch or elbow can end a fight and ward of an attacker in a self defense or street fight situation.
And such techniques are relatively simple and easy to learn.
The effectiveness comes in repeated training and drilling simple but effective techniques.
This is the key to truly effective muay thai.
3. Muay Thai Emphasises Physical Conditioning
Physical conditioning is a major part of muay thai training.
Developing physical strength and conditioning your heart and lungs are very underestimated aspects of a lot of martial arts styles that teach self defense.
Being physically strong to be able to withstand an attack or ward off an attacker with powerfully delivered strikes is an important part of self defense.
An even more applicable part of self defense is being able to escape an attack and where needed be able to outrun an attacker.
Muay thai places a large emphasis on running and developing your cardio which can be extremely useful in a self defense situation.
If you are out of breathe or panic you cannot effectively defend yourself.
4. Muay Thai is continuously being tested in real combat situations
Unlike other styles of martial arts, muay thai is tested in actual combat pretty much everyday in ring fights in Thailand.
Therefore only the most effective techniques are developed and used with no need for unnecessary and not as effective combat techniques.
Also, you can actually see in real time how effective muay thai is in real combat over several decades in the thousands of actual fights that have taken place and continue to be held daily in Thailand and around the world.
5. Live Sparring allows for testing effective combat techniques
Sparring is a major, major part of muay thai.
This allows any practitioner to apply what they have learnt in a live situation against a resisting opponent.
Being comfortable in a physcial altercation and not panicking is a major part of self defense and anyone who trains muay thai can be confident in their ability to stay calm should a fight break out or they need to defend themselves.
This is quite different from other martial arts where drilling techniques with a complying partner are the main ways to practice the application of their techniques.
Sparring is a part of every muay thai session in Thailand, and this also includes clinch sparring.
Clinching in itself is a well developed and highly self defense applicable part of combat that not many other style place much emphasis on.
But clinching will allow a person to neutralize an opponent and effectively strike an opponent and take them down with sweeps, trips and dumps.
Live clinch sparring in itself is a highly effective way to train very effective self defense techniques.
Muay Thai for Self Defense the ‘Not so Good’
Below are 5 reasons why muay thai may not be the best style for self defense.
And why I think other styles could be better for self defense.
The best would be to combine learning and training muay thai with a more grappling based style for a great self defense base.
1. Muay thai operates under set rules with restricted techniques
Muay thai is also restricted to a set of rules that forbids rugby tackles, kicking a person on the ground and other attacks that someone can use in a real self defense street fight situation.
These are common attacks in a street fight that muay thai doesn’t really deal with.
So I would think for better self defense you should be prepared for common attacks that happen in a street fight where there are no rules or referee or timed rounds.
As muay thai is also a competitive fighting sport, muay thai for self defense situations outside the ring is really not taught or practiced.
Another restriction in muay thai application in a real fight is that fighters have to be in the same weight class to fight.
Oftentimes and especially for women your attacker may be larger and stronger than you and able to absorb your strikes and get a hold of you or knock you out.
Also muay thai requires protective equipment such as a cup for the groin and mouth guard and gloves which you wont find in the street.
Ever tried punching somebody in the face without gloves?
Unless you train this a lot its not nice for your hands.
2. Muay thai strikes can inflict more damage than you may intend to
It cant be denied that a well timed and accurate head kick from even a smaller opponent can knock you out.
However these are not always the most reliable and nor are they the most desirable outcome.
We don’t always need to KO someone in a self defense situation or physical altercation.
Muay thai techniques are designed to cause damage and knock someone out and these may not be the best options for every self defense situation.
So what kinds of martial arts would better deal with an attacker in a more common situation as discussed above?
3. Grappling arts such as Gracie Jiu Jitsu and Judo may be better for more common self defense
Grappling arts that don’t rely on strikes and are proven to work on larger opponents can provide more control and damage you cause to your attacker.
The Japanese word “ju'” in Judo and “Jiu” and Jiu jitsu are the same and mean gentle and the techniques incorporated rely less on strength and more on technique and positioning.
So they can work on larger attackers and don’t rely on you knocking your opponent out with a strike which you may not want to do.
But if strikes are the only tools in your tool shed this is what will come out in a physical altercation and can lead to more harm than good overall.
Grappling arts allow a level of control over your opponent and getting them to submit without having to knock them out.
In this way I feel some grappling arts are better than muay thai for self defense.
4. Muay thai for self defense – doesnt train ground techniques
In Judo ground techniques are known as Newaza and include pinning, choking and arm bars to win matches.
Gracie jiu jitsu as we know has a whole system based on ground techniques and are the main focus of the system.
MMA as well practices extensive ground fighting which could be very valuable in a street fight or self defense situation.
So why train ground techniques?
According to well known statistics, 90% of real life fights go to the ground. This was supposedly based on a study by the LAPD.
Whether or not this is true, for self defense I would prefer to have practiced some aspects of ground fighting rather than none at all.
And currently muay thai does not train any ground techniques at all.
So in order to be able to deal with the ground aspect of self defense and real world fighting arts such as BJJ and MMA are I feel better than muay thai for self defense.
5. Muay thai doesn’t deal with weapons attacks.
Muay thai does not train to handle opponents with weapons.
Relying on unarmed strikes against an armed opponent not the most high percentage way of dealing with an attacker.
It takes great accuracy and a tremendous amount of practice to execute striking techniques on an opponent with a weapon.
Again arts such as Gracie Jiu Jitsu and Judo in its purest form also incorporate weapons self defense and are more high percentage techniques for dealing with weapons attacks including clubs and knives.
However the best advice in avoiding a knife is to runaway as fast as you can.
You may be wondering why I also mentioned Judo and weapons defense. Take a look of the old footage of Kyuzo Mifune below demonstrating self defense and weapons techniques as part of the Kodokan system.
This aspect of Judo is called goshin jutsu and I believe it is to be performed as part of testing for higher Dan levels of Judo black belt.
So overall while I highly respect and love muay thai as a martial art and competitive sport, I would say that it is not the best martial art for self defense.
Muay Thai for self Defense – Final Thoughts
I have not even mentioned what I think is the best martial art for self defense as there are many great systems for self defense.
But I would say that grappling arts such as Gracie jiu jitsu and Judo may have more application than muay thai for self defense situation for the 5 main reasons discussed above.
But as also discussed above there are many reasons why muay thai is excellent for self defense.
Overall I believe such grappling techniques are better suited for most people in more common situations.
Furthermore they are designed to not rely on strength and athleticism so can be applied more widely and you are able to control the amount of damage you can inflict on your opponent.
This allows you to make them submit without having to knock them out. This is a far more gentle and “Jiu” way.
But overall a combination of the simple but effective techniques of muay thai, together with the physical conditioning emphasised in muay thai can be combined very effectively with a grappling style such as Gracie Jiu Jitsu for a very effective self defense system.
