Pros and Cons of american kenpo karate or muay thai?

Question

explain pros and cons please :)

Answer 1

Muay Thai pros:
It's a hardcore style of training, excellent for stamina and conditioning.
It's simple, straightforward, and teaches you how to handle yourself early on in a fight.

Muay Thai cons:
The training really is hardcore, so it's generally more difficult in the physical sense.
Its simplicity comes from the fact that--unless you train in a very traditional school--there aren't many elaborate techniques or use of weapons beyond fists, feet, knees, and elbows. You basically learn how to punch and kick effectively, and it leaves out other components of combat such as locks and submissions, or effective self-defense techniques such as pressure points, shots to the groin, eyes, or throat.


American Kenpo pros:
It's a very comprehensive system, using many parts of the body as different weapons and techniques to cover a wide range of situations. Most schools also include weapons training with knives and sticks.
It follows the overkill principle to make sure that when you have to defend yourself, your opponent stays down.

American Kenpo cons:
It's complex, taking much longer to learn and really grasp than Muay Thai.
While you may learn plenty of techniques, forms, and basics, depending on the school you probably won't get to utilize it actively as much as Muay Thai. Muay Thai is constant training, sparring, and ringfighting, while Kenpo is more form and technique, even though sparring is included.



In my personal opinion, if at all possible you should train both at once. I loved my time in American Kenpo, but one major regret is that while I learned a lot, I never learned really how to fight and put it to use. I think that if I were able to take Muay Thai at the same time, I would have been able to blend them together for practical application in the ring.

Answer 2

Both lack any REAL grappling skills. Kenpo has good hand striking, but the prearrainged fighting moitions are very unreallistic and over complicated. I took Kenpo for 3 yrs So I have an informed opinion. Muay Thai I've done on and off. Great kicking and striking, more realistic to me and practical. But again no ground skills. Recently Kenpo masters are trying to tie in ground fighting to the system. But with all of its different stances, body positions and prearrainged moitions again over complicate it. Stances like "cat stance" "forward bow" and "cross over steps" for example are not adaptable to ground fighting. Muay Thai is more adaptable to go into ground fighting, thats why its being used in MMA and other fighting styles.

Answer 3

Again, I am a pure traditionalist but I love Ed Parkers Kenpo.

It is true quality and I find no cons.

The cons might come from a person who might want to change it.

I have no opinion on Muay Thai.

Answer 4

Hardest kickers in the world are muay thai more of a kick boxing art, kenpo is more of a martial art. Muay thai has dance rituals and prayers before you fight, but comparing it to kenpo is like comparing apples oranges. For more traditional form and katas, kenpo is what you want. Muay thai concentrates on kicks to the legs and elbows to the head. Kenpo is more traditional in the forms and techniques of fighting, concentrating on grappling and landing blows to the throat, eyes, and groin. Lots of kenpo martial artist train muay thai to develop the hard landing kicking and boxing techniques. Both are respectable and unique arts, but there's nothing meaner than a kenpo man!!! (RIP Bill Packer) So, all this is info from my brother who is a 6th degree black belt in American Kenpo Karate, his instructor was Grand Master Bill Packer, who established The American Kenpo Karate Academy and died Aug 19, 2005