In a style vs style match up featuring predominately stand up fighting, which style is the best?
Two of the most well known martial arts styles (apart from Boxing, Karate, Tae Kwan Do and many others), namely kung fu and muay thai represent a long history of combat and over time the question has been asked – which is better?
Or who would win between a kung fu fighter and a muay thai boxer?
There are many factors to consider and while a definite answer may not be reached lets look at this question in more detail.
Purpose Behind the Development of Kung Fu and Muay Thai
The purpose behind the development of the martial arts of kung fu and muay thai have a major influence on their effectiveness in fighting.
Kung fu consists of many different styles and the origins of kung fu are said to be in development of health and cultivation of the human body.
Muay thai on the other hand has its roots in combat. This is in reference to muay boran but the modern muay thai as we know today is also rooted in combat with its prime focus on ring fighting.
Origins of Kung Fu
According to history, Shaolin Temple is the birthplace of kung fu and possibly the root of all martial arts styles, at least in Asia.
According to many sources, Bodhidharma, the Buddhist monk who traveled by foot from India to China to take Buddhist scriptures, first developed the physical movements that would become kung fu.
Upon arriving at Shaolin he found the monks there not in adequate physical condition to be able to meditate for hours each day which is the primary method of Boddhidharmas Zen Buddhism.
Bodhidharma thus developed physical exercises based on the Yoga systems from India and which became ’18 Arhat Hands’ and ‘The Sinew Metamorphosis Classic’. It is theorized that these became the physical movements that would developed into kung fu.
Therefore the purpose of kung fu in its original state was to cultivate and streghten th human body. And while Shaolin is known for warrioir monks, the Buddhist philosophy is against fighting with others and especially taking a life.
Origins of Muay Thai
Muay thai’s origins lie in the ‘Ancient Boxing’ styles or Muay Boran. Muay Boran came out of ancient warfare and combat among ancient kingdoms.
Muay boran was the style used by the warriors of the SIam Kingdom (historical Thailand) and was a very developed martial art that included the used of weapons. The weapons style of old is called Krabi krabong and muay boran usually refers to unarmed forms of combat.
Muay boran was used in competition to determine which warrioirs would become the Kings guards and was also used by civilians as self defense.
Many forms of muay boran developed in the different regions of Siam or old Thailand with each having unique and distinct styles.
It wasn’t until the 1920’s and with the influence of Western boxing that rules were introduced such as timed rounds, use of a boxing ring and protective gear such as gloves. This was the birth of what we all now know as muay thai.
So it can be said that muay thai’s origins come from combat and fighting.
This is a major difference I see in kung fu and muay thai. These differences also influence their fighting effectiveness in modern times.
So while one style (Kung Fu) was born out of the need for physical conditioning and later developed into fighting, the other (muay thai) has fighting at its root.
Fighting Styles of Muay Thai vs Kung Fu
There are many different styles of kung fu. The Northern style is known for high flying kicks and agile movements while the Southern style is known for strong, low stances.
The Northern style of ‘Long Fist’ exemplifies these characteristics with long whipping attacks and high kicks. The ‘Hung Gar’ style displays well the Southern attributes of low and powerful stances.
Kung Fu styles also exhibit the imitation of animals such as Praying Mantis, White Crane and Monkey Kung Fu and also utilize deception such as Drunken Boxing Style.
Kung Fu fighting styles such as Wing Chun have been tested on the streets of Hong Kong against other kung fu styles in no rules matches known as ‘beimo’ or ‘tests of skill’.
Notable Wing chun (aka Ving Tsun) fighters such as Wong Shun Leung who was an early teacher of Bruce Lee in Wing Chun is known to have never lost a fight, showing the effectiveness of wing chun.
As a fighting art Kung fu is mean to quickly disable and even maim an opponent in a no rules life threatening bout.
Sanda or Sanshou aka Chinese kickboxing is one form of kung fu that was developed specifically for military combat and practitioners regularly spar and fight in competitive matches.
However some styles of kung fu can be said to be very ineffective in real world combat. These styles are more focused on health and longevity such as Tai Chi Boxing and Xing Yi.
Muay thai however is a much more direct fighting style with simple but effective techniques that serve one purpose – to damage your opponent.
Being a much more recently developed style (i.e 1920s) muay thai has a shorter history and is focused on fighting in the ring and in the big stadiums. It is celebrated as a national sport and gambling heavily influences muay thai today.
The rules and regulations such as timed rounds with breaks, limiting seriously damaging attacks such as eye gouges and groin attacks also very much influence muay thai as a fighting style.
So kung fu vs muay thai as fighting styles differ greatly in their appearance, techniques and intended purpose as well. This relates back to the origins of these arts also.
Muay Thai VS Kung Fu in the 1970s
In 1973 Lumpinee Stadium (the most prestigous muay thai stadium) hosted Chinese kung fu fighters in challenge matches against Thai boxers.
Check out the newspaper clipping from that event in 1973 here and also the link here
The results were undeniable as the Kung fu fighters virtually all knocked out in the first round.
The traditional kung fu stances and styles were easily exploited by the Thai boxers in a ring setting and under what was virtually muay thai rules.
So Which is More Effective? Muay Thai VS Kung Fu?
This would depend on the situation and which style of kung fu. As stated some kung fu styles do not focus on fighting at all but on health and longevity.
In a ring setting with the familiar muay thai rules – muay thai is King and has been proven in the past.
However what about in a real fight outside of the ring with no rules?
This is difficult to answer. Many factors come into play such as:
- Size and weight of the fighter
- Experience level
- Age of the fighters
- Physical conditioning of the fighters
But all things being equal including size, weight, age, fitness and conditioning in my opinion actual fight experience is the key determining factor.
Fight Experience is Key
This is the key determining factor is answering which style is more effective in a fight.
Muay thai is based on actual application of the techniques and Thai boxers have many opportunities to test out their skills in the ring and also in sparring which is a regular part of muay thai training.
In kung fu the focus is often on forms. And while these forms do contain combat applications, these are rarely tested in actual sparring and fighting on a regular basis.
So in my opinion it is fight experience that will determine the outcome of a fight and this is where muay thai has a distinct edge over kung fu in terms of fight effectiveness.
Due to the number of sparring matches and ring fights, a muay thai boxer generally is more conditioned for a real fight over the majority of kung fu practitioners.
The one exception would be Sanda/Sanshou practitioners who like Thai boxers, engage in sparring and competitive fighting on a regular basis.
So in determining which is better its important to consider the actual style of kung fu also.
All Things Equal Heart, the Will to Win will Determine Who Wins a Fight in Muay Thai VS Kung Fu
In a no rules, all out bare knuckle fight – my personal opinion is that the better fighter who shows more heart and determination would come out on top whether it be the kung fu fighter or the muay thai fighter.
Again style of kung fu is very important as some styles of kung fu are simply impractical for real world fighting. But all things being equal including fight experience, then it is heart and determination that most likely will determine the winner.
So in my humble opinion it is the fighter him or her self that determines the winner in a kung fu vs muay thai all out fight, outside of the ring and with little to no rules.
The martial artist who has the heart to win and is determined most likely will come out on top if all the factors discussed above are equal between the fighters. However their training must also be based on fighting applications with fight experience being a huge factor.
Muay Thai has the Edge Over Most Kung Fu Styles
Due to the hugely important factor of fight experience, in my opinion muay thai has the edge over kung fu in most of its forms. Sanda or Chinese kickboxing is similar to muay thai in the training and techniques and the rules based competitions.
A muay thai boxer facing a Sanda fighter with all things being equal would be a very interesting match to watch and again its the fighters heart that would determine the winner.
Yi Long vs Buakaw – Real Muay Thai VS Kung Fu Fight
One such famous match up has taken place and it is a bitter rivalry between one of the most famous muay thai boxers, Buakaw and Chinese boxer and Shaolin fighter Yi Long.
They have fought twice with one win a piece and the 3rd match is set to take place later in 2019.
The Yi Long vs Buakaw match up is probably the closest fight most of the world will get to see in terms of kung fu vs muay thai and so far at one win a piece the stylistic match up is still somewhat of a draw.
Come October 8th 2019 in what is labelled as the ‘Rematch of the Century’ this dispute could very well be settled once and for all.
