Muay Thai & TKD cross training

[Hendrik1]

Hi guys
I am been practising ITF Taekwondo for just more than a year now and I am enjoying it immensely.
However, I want to "broaded the scope" of my training by practising another art as well - BUT obviously not something completely different like tai chi.

A couple of my friends are doing Muay Tai - I have been to a class and they are very focussed on fitness training (jumping rope, bag punching/kicking, strenght etc) as well as ring fighting - whereas currently in my TKD training we do not spend a lot of time on sparring - so that is one area I think Muay Tai will help me improve as well?

Any thoughts on this? My actual question probably is - if I do take Mauy Tai as well, can / will that style "set me back" in TKD or actually help improve on my weak points (sparring + fitness)?

(O and please no bias posts dissing either art! )

[Doneal7]

Ooh, traitor. Anyway, MT will help your sparring no end. ITF TKD has some great schools. Since we don't just give away a black belt. you know what I mean? And we have decent sparring too. Don't give up on TKD. No matter how tempting MT is.

[Chapel]

It would set you back a little if you don't get your instructors permission first in some of the more political TKD schools out there. Otherwise, as long as you make a note of any differences in similar techniques you should be fine. That being said, the real advantage you would get from doing MT would be the sparring. The physical fitness is something that you can get anywhere, however, it is entirely up to you.

[Hendrik1]

Thanks for the replies. No - TKD is still first and will always be!
And yes - we also do not just give away black belts - in fact training and classes here in SA is as far away from a "money machine" very unlike US where I get the feeling from posts here - our instructors does it for the love of the arts and makes NO money out of it!

I am just considering to broaden scope and improve on sparring (got my ass kicked hard a while back) - plus I only have 3 classes a week TKD which I feel is not really enough... And I dont like going to the gym with all the grunting :-)

[Zaraki Kenpachi]

Yay for generalizing.

Anyway crosstraining is more beneficial when you combine drastically different styles, TKD and BJJ for instance.

What you are doing is simply finding something that your school fails to provide, although it should, somewhere else.

You would be better off finding a non strike emphasis style to cross train in while finding a TKD school that better suits the aspects of training you are looking for.

[Pureenergy]

I don't think MT will help to make your TKD better. I think TKD could make someone's MT better.

[energizerbunny63]

cross training is always beneficial but don't take muay tai to far instead do it for a year or two then do somthing bjj for a while

But you should ask one of your instructors first before you do muay tai. you might also consider a different tkd school if you want to spar that bad.

[Chapel]

Originally Posted by Pureenergy

I don't think MT will help to make your TKD better. I think TKD could make someone's MT better.

I'm inclined to actually say the opposite, but I think it comes down to opinion. I think that MT would make you more aggressive which will make the TKD you do more effective. On the other hand TKD may lock you into a 'stance' mind set which is different from MT.

Then again, I think that in general knowing any martial art helps with other martial arts. Someone who does TKD will have an easier time with BJJ than someone who has never done any martial art or combat sport (if only slightly so).

[kungfu088]

Originally Posted by Hendrik1

Hi guys
I am been practising ITF Taekwondo for just more than a year now and I am enjoying it immensely.
However, I want to "broaded the scope" of my training by practising another art as well - BUT obviously not something completely different like tai chi.

A couple of my friends are doing Muay Tai - I have been to a class and they are very focussed on fitness training (jumping rope, bag punching/kicking, strenght etc) as well as ring fighting - whereas currently in my TKD training we do not spend a lot of time on sparring - so that is one area I think Muay Tai will help me improve as well?

Any thoughts on this? My actual question probably is - if I do take Mauy Tai as well, can / will that style "set me back" in TKD or actually help improve on my weak points (sparring + fitness)?

(O and please no bias posts dissing either art! )

im sure doing MT will improve your sparring ability but remember to keep them seperate i know someone who took kickboxing as well as tkd and eventually had to drop one because he could not keep the two styles seperate in his mind

[souldrum71]

Originally Posted by kungfu088

im sure doing MT will improve your sparring ability but remember to keep them seperate i know someone who took kickboxing as well as tkd and eventually had to drop one because he could not keep the two styles seperate in his mind

Good advice. While I think it can be a very good thing to cross-train, you need to keep those two styles seperated in your mind simply to make it easier on you during rank evaluations in TKD.

[Chapel]

Originally Posted by souldrum71

Good advice. While I think it can be a very good thing to cross-train, you need to keep those two styles seperated in your mind simply to make it easier on you during rank evaluations in TKD.

Conversely, in a self defense situation you want to be able to mix the styles. That level of mixing at will only comes from fluency in both styles.

[TRIANGLEFROMGUARD]

Originally Posted by Pureenergy

I don't think MT will help to make your TKD better. I think TKD could make someone's MT better.

You've never done Muay Thai before.

The truth is that both arts are fine but don't compliment each other very well. The stances are different the fighting therioes are differnt the angles are different. They're just very different arts even though they are both striking arts.

I don't think MT will make your TKD better and know for a fact TKD will not make your MT better. I've had ITF guys train MT with me and they've been the hardest ones to train.

[Chapel]

Originally Posted by TRIANGLEFROMGAURD

I don't think MT will make your TKD better

Think point sparring with judges who like to see aggression. Worst case scenario is that you get disqualified for 'excessive force'.

[Them's Fighting Words]

Originally Posted by Hendrik1

Hi guys
I am been practising ITF Taekwondo for just more than a year now and I am enjoying it immensely.
However, I want to "broaded the scope" of my training by practising another art as well - BUT obviously not something completely different like tai chi.

A couple of my friends are doing Muay Tai - I have been to a class and they are very focussed on fitness training (jumping rope, bag punching/kicking, strenght etc) as well as ring fighting - whereas currently in my TKD training we do not spend a lot of time on sparring - so that is one area I think Muay Tai will help me improve as well?

Any thoughts on this? My actual question probably is - if I do take Mauy Tai as well, can / will that style "set me back" in TKD or actually help improve on my weak points (sparring + fitness)?

(O and please no bias posts dissing either art! )

MT helping your TKD. Simply put, Not worth the hassle!

If you're not sparring enough in TKD class get together with some of your friends and spar outside of class. Not enough fitness, then buy some bags and again get with your friends and smack at each other and the bags.

I don't know what sort of TKD you are in but a good TKD school should have both. Give its some time cus you have only been there a year. My own TKD experience is limited (I only trained two years as a youth) but the seniors there were very fit and those who were adults could engage in full power contact sparring. Then there was all the power breaking (and the conditioning such practice gives you).

Personally I believe that if you want to diversify go into a grappling system or a weapon system. Also remember not to overtrain. Three classes of TKD + three classes of MT + outside of class training = Overtraining.

[Ying&Yang]

Originally Posted by Hendrik1

Hi guys
I am been practising ITF Taekwondo for just more than a year now and I am enjoying it immensely.
However, I want to "broaded the scope" of my training by practising another art as well - BUT obviously not something completely different like tai chi.

A couple of my friends are doing Muay Tai - I have been to a class and they are very focussed on fitness training (jumping rope, bag punching/kicking, strenght etc) as well as ring fighting - whereas currently in my TKD training we do not spend a lot of time on sparring - so that is one area I think Muay Tai will help me improve as well?

Any thoughts on this? My actual question probably is - if I do take Mauy Tai as well, can / will that style "set me back" in TKD or actually help improve on my weak points (sparring + fitness)?

(O and please no bias posts dissing either art! )

To be honest i didn't read all your question , because ive herd it all before and ive also herd this " TKD andMT work great together!! i love it" , many people i know of think that TKD and MT are a match made in heaven lol so go for it , you wont be disapointed