Muay Thai

[Liminy]

I requested some information from a local martial arts place, and after expressing further interest, they called me and told me to come in for a free, one on one intro with their Muay Thai instructor and that after I go and they see what kind of shape, skill, flexibility, etc I am in, that we would go over classes and budgeting and all that good stuff. I am really excited about it and was wondering if anyone here on the huddle had taken any Muay Thai and knew what I should expect from it. I've also spent time searching reviews for them and it seems like they are a legitimate place and not just some bullshit that wants your money. Either way I'm going and hope to have fun.

[SCMunnerlyn1]

The only question I have .. is why muay thai? Is that your favorite style or did you just pick one that sounded cool .. from what i've seen constantly hitting with the knees and elbows would be a pain in the ass.

[Jackofalltrades]

It's also not the most practical when it comes to self defense, which may be where SC was heading.

[SuperLego5]

Prepare to feel pain in muscles you didn't even know you had for the first few weeks. It's a lot of hard work and there's a fair bit of pain attached to it but the pain goes away eventually.

[Captroop]

I would say it depends on what is more important to you: Being in the best shape of your life now, or being able to walk in your 60s? If it's your passion, go for it. If it's just the fighting style of the du jour, there are other fighting styles, and other extremely grueling, high impact styles that aren't as abusive to your body.

[RedMage138]

Prepare to feel pain in muscles you didn't even know you had for the first few weeks. It's a lot of hard work and there's a fair bit of pain attached to it but the pain goes away eventually.

This. I did BJJ for a while but I couldn't afford to keep going. 2 days after the first session I couldn't get out of bed.

[PhillyB]

muay thai is a very specific style of fighting, requires a lot of skill to get good at... but it's also very limiting.

if you're looking for something sport-like, go for tae kwon do. you'll get to do plenty of kicking and footwork, calisthenics-heavy, probably a lot more fun.

if you're looking for something more applicable to self defense (and, some would argue, an art form) go for okinawan karate. still plenty of sparring and room for competitions, but the focus is more on forms that build thought patterns and muscle memory for various techniques. as close to true martial arts as you're really going to get.

where do you live? i might be able to suggest a few schools.

[Icege]

Dennis "The Hurricane" Lane is an amazing muay Thai teacher and that is close to the Charlotte area. Was a big loss for the gym I went to when he moved back there.

As far as practicality, there is a reason why some of the best strikers are schooled in muay Thai :)

Get ready to drag your shins through Hell

[Liminy]

I went earlier tonight, it was cool, I enjoyed it, felt soreness afterwards. Only problem is at the moment, I can't really afford it. As much as I was interested in learning the style, I also wanted to check out the school. I will probably check out a couple other places near me, there is a Krav Maga place down the road from me that seems interesting.

[PhillyB]

what are you trying to get out of the martial arts? it's a critical question, and the answer is what will entirely determine what's the best thing for you to pursue.

[Jackofalltrades]

Philly B is dead on, I took 3 different types because they all offered something different.