Does Muay Thai have an effective blocking system? Since it is just as much about being able to take hits...?

Question

Does Muay Thai have an effective blocking system? Since it is just as much about being able to take hits...(would be easy to be knocked out before making a convincing defense)?

Please answer the question in relation to the defensive techniques used in Muay Thai.

Please also comment how useful Muay Thai is as a street fighting system of combat, in reference to the fact, that outside the ring, there is no referee and no gloves - and how much difference do these factors make, or are they just simply part of a controlled training environment that transfers well into a real life situation?

Answer 1

"Blocking"? Well, there are ways to "block" kicks and knees, of course. For a kick, the receiving fighter would raise either leg and "block" with his shin. For knees, control in the "clinch", as well as crossing both arms in front of the face.

To a much lesser extent, some punches can be taken "on the gloves", which I suppose can count as "blocking", although standard Western "bobbing and weaving" is sparingly used. Truth be told, Muay Thai fighters take a lot of leather...

There are no "blocks" like the type you see in the "Kung Fu" movies, however, if that's what you're refering to (If there are, no one's ever showed me in 20 years of training...)

Answer 2

It can make use of blocking techniques, but due to it's heavy reliance on power, blocking the techniques that Muay Thai uses isn't always a good thing to do.

it can also be very effective in a street fight, but it doesn't help much in the way of multiple attackers, because Muay Thai isn't developed around fighting more than one attacker because Modern Muay Thai has lost some of its techniques (due to the fact that it's been boiled down to the basics of fighting) from it's original base Martial Art discipline which was Krabi Krabong, which originally used techniques like pressure points, locks, holds, and throws,.

Muay Thai in essence is a straight forward, brutal, and versatile discipline of Martial Art.

it's just a discipline that uses the very basics of fighting with no frills.

it's useful in a fight on the street because it's use of power in it's attacks and counters is why it can translate so well in these kinds of situations, but at the same time it does not emphasize CONTROL in it's techniques (except for in Western Muay Thai schools or MMA schools, where it's emphasized for the safety of the students).

which in today's society, if things get out of control, and you wind up giving someone an injury; even if it's as minor an injury as a broken arm or leg, you'll likely wind up in a courtroom being slapped with a lawsuit, and it going in favor of the guy that's suing because the judge uses the "you're a Martial Artist so you should know better" card, even if the other guy was the aggressor in the fight.

Answer 3

muay thai is a thai martial arts using elbows and knees in close contact and is offensive in nature.. it is useful in actual combat, with deadly blows but the drawback will be the lack of techniques in distance fighting and defense. a person in muay thai needs a person with a very good conditioning to acdept the blows. i am a taekwondo practitioner and its good in distance fighting and also offensive in nature although i know its not yet a complete martial arts as it likewise has its own deficiencies. so muay thai alone is incomplete, it can be used with other techniques to complete your martial arts.

Answer 4

Muay Thai and very few karates is pretty much only style that really teach you how to block lower kicks and how to blocks attacks in clinch.

Answer 5

It is good, and well rounded in striking, blocking.