Is muay thai the most effective and easiest martial art to learn?
For a number of reasons – yes.
Not only is muay thai extremely effective in real world combat and fighting but it is also one of the easiest to learn due to a number of reasons discussed further below in this post.
For one, it is a relatively simple martial art with effective yet brutal techniques.
Below this post discusses why muay thai is not only one of the most effective fighting styles in the world today but also one of the easiest martial arts to learn.
Why Muay Thai vs other ‘easy’ martial arts to learn
There are probably other martial arts or combat sports that people will argue are even easier than muay thai to learn.
But they are not as effective as muay thai for a lot of different reasons.
For instance many people argue that boxing is the easiest martial art to learn.
But in my opinion Boxing is not really a martial art but more a combat sport.
Martial arts such as muay thai have a longer history than Western boxing and muay thai is more steeped in tradition.
The history of muay thai in muay boran (ancient boxing) and the ancient battlefields and warring periods of the Siam Kingdom make muay thai a traditional martial art in comparison to boxing.
The traditions of muay thai which include:
- Wai kru
- Wearing of the Mongkol and Pra Jiad
- Sakyant Tattoos done by monks
These traditions or customs contribute to the overall martial arts aspects that make up muay thai
Boxing is not as effective as muay thai in fighting
While boxing may be easier to learn it is not a martial art in the same sense as say muay thai, karate, kung fu or taekwondo.
Also boxing only focuses on punches whereas muay thai has much more effective techniques applicable to self defense such as kicks, knees, elbows and especially the muay thai clinch which is more effective than boxing overall.
Why muay thai is the easiest martial art to learn
As stated not only is muay thai very effective but it is also fairly easy to learn.
The main reaons why muay thai is one of the easiest martial arts to learn are:
i) Muay Thai has Simple Techniques
Consisting almost entirely of punches, kicks, knees and elbows, muay thai has relatively simple and easy techniques to learn.
There are very few techniques that require extreme levels of athleticism, dexterity and flexibility to execute such as spinning kicks, jumping kicks or overly fancy movements such as those seen in wushu performances.
Muay thai is based on simple, brutal and effective techniques designed to cause damage.
ii) Simple Training Methods
There are no long, complicated forms to learn in muay thai or katas as they are known in Karate.
All the training is based on building up strength ,stamina and power to cause damage and improve technique.
iii) No weapons forms or weapons defense to learn
Other martial arts spend a lot of time playing out hypothetical scenarios of how to disarm an opponent with a knife or some other weapon.
Or they spend many, many hours and even years of long training to perfect weapons forms for which they will probably never will use in the real world.
iv) Simple Training Equipment
Some of the best and most famous muay thai fighters in Thailand and the world came up training in poor Provinces of Thailand such as Issan where they had very little equipment.
And the truth is there isn’t much training equipment required for muay thai apart from:
- Skipping ropes
- Heavy bag
- Gloves
- Thai pads
Thes epieces of equipment alone have forged many great muay thai champions and devastating fighters.
v) No Gradings or Belt Ceremonies
In a lot of traditional martial arts in the world today a lot of time and effort is dedicated to preparing a student to pass gradings to be awarded levels and belts.
The only belts in muay thai gyms are chanmpionship belts that are won by training hard and perfecting technique through repetition and applying that technique in actual fighting in the ring on a regular basis.
Most Thai fighters in Thailand fight one or even twice a month so there is not time for gradings or belt ceremonies just simple, tough and effective training.
vi) Extreme Flexibility & Dexterity are not Required
In a lot of martial arts styles achieving the full splits and side splits are almost an obsession and requirement.
This takes a lot of time and dedication to achieve and does not have the real world fighting application required in the muay thai ring.
While stretching is a major part of muay thai, extreme stretching such as that required in Shaolin kung Fu, Taekwondo or Karate are really not required.
The dexterity and agility required to perform many of the Taekwondo ‘show’ kicks and Kung Fu’s jumping, spinning techniques and animal styles are a complete waste of time in muay thai and not required at all.
vii) No need to Break Boards or Bricks
While impressive, the breaking of boards and bricks with bareknuckles is not at all trained in muay thai.
Why, because as Buce Lee said:
“Boards, don’t hit back”.
You have to be able to take a punch as well and defend and evade attacks and then counter attack in muay thai.
In many martial arts a lot of time is dedicated to the practice or breaking boards and even bricks and in muay thai this is not required at all.
vii) Focus on Stand Up Striking
While grappling is considered very effective in real world combat is is much more complex to learn.
There are many more techniques to learn in both the gi and without the gi in order to become effective in grappling and ground fighting.
In comparison to muay thai’s focus on striking and stand without ground work, this makes it much easier to learn.
Furthermore you can make a lot of progress in your training outside of the gym with solo training using a heavy bag and shadow boxing.
With ground work a training partner is absolutely essential in order to make progress and improve quickly.
Why muay thai is so effective?
Muay thai is recognized as one of the most effective martial arts in the world today.
This is proven by the use of muay thai at the highest levels of MMA, in the UFC.
Any MMA fighter must include muay thai training in order to be most effective in the stand up striking aspect of an MMA fight.
Real world techniques
As stated above there is not time dedicated to learning complicated forms of katas in muay thai.
All the techniques must work in the ring and in an actual fight situation.
Muay thai fighters in Thailand fight regularly and know what actually works in combat and what is simply for show.
Focus on Hard Training & Conditioning
The ability to take damage and endure is a major part of muay thai apart from also being able to cause damage to an opponent.
The hard twice daily training sessions, 6 days a week in traditional thai gyms develops superior conditioning and is one of the major reasons of the effectiveness of muay thai as a martial art.
Time Tested Techniques
Unlike many martial arts, muay thai allows for regular competition and testing of techniques in actual combat in the ring.
This way what works is well known and understand when it comes to fighting and combat and everything else that is no fight applicable is discarded.
These techniques have been tested over many, many years of training and testing and applying in actual combat.
Which Martial Art Do You Think is the Easiest to Learn but is also Proven and Effectve?
This post has discussed the reasons why muay thai is not only very effective but also relatively simple and easy to learn.
While Boxing is also relatively simple and effective and easy to learn it is not a pure martial art, nor is it as effective as muay thai in real world combat which includes more aspects than punching alone.
This is just my opinion.
Feel free to comment below on what you think is the easiest martial art to learn?
