# Krav Maga or Muay Thai?



## kMon (Nov 24, 2017)

Hey everyone,
I'm looking to get into a martial art and have narrowed it down to KM and MT. I want to learn for self defense, but also for improved fitness, confidence, and discipline. At first I was set on KM, but I've read different opinions on how it isn't effective because you don't spar until higher levels, so you don't really get to apply it and practice it fully. If I were to be thrown into a bad situation, would I be able to handle the pressure? Also, while I plan on avoiding fights, I still would like to know how to fight just in case, as in learning how to properly punch, kick, improve reaction time, etc. I'm unsure whether KM actually teaches that or if it's more just learning how to escape different holds and how to defend against different attacks (like a knife or gun attack). I've considered taking both, but if time and money doesn't permit it, I'd have to choose one. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!


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## Finlay (Nov 24, 2017)

It is difficult to talk about arts in broad terms

In my experience as a student an instructor of KM I would say that they techniques and pressure tests during the classes are excellent for  self protection.

You also state that you plan to avoid fights. This is something that I was taught/teach 

However, depending on organisation and instructor others experieceand opinion may be different. 

Ring fighting and self protection is different and you need to decide which you are more interested in.

Best you go and try the classes and see which fits you best.


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## drop bear (Nov 24, 2017)

Muay thai.

OK. You go and look at a bunch of different schools and they are all going to tell you they are the bom digitty.

And you won't know one way or the other. So you will be taking this big risk with your time and money.

Except with muay  you can jump on line look at their competition record and see if they are winning fights.

With out any other knowledge you can find a school that will at least teach you to punch kick knee and elbow in at least some sort of practical way.

These fundamental skills are vital for any sort of self defence you choose to pursue in the future.

So should krav be your thing. Being a killer Thai fighter will only help your cause.


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## oftheherd1 (Nov 24, 2017)

@kMon How did you narrow it down to Krav Maga or Muay Thai?  How do you feel they are better suited to what you want to learn?  Are there other martial arts near to you?


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## Charlemagne (Nov 24, 2017)

I would go with MT.  If you decide later to add something else, then you will at least have a solid structure to work from.


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## kMon (Nov 24, 2017)

oftheherd1 said:


> @kMon How did you narrow it down to Krav Maga or Muay Thai?  How do you feel they are better suited to what you want to learn?  Are there other martial arts near to you?



When researching martial arts that were good for self defense and street fights, those two were common answers. I also saw BJJ and Judo, but I'm not really interested in ground stuff since it can be dangerous if there are multiple attackers. Also, doing ground work on the street doesn't sound too fun. Basically, I would like to know how to defend myself against various attacks, but if I were to get into something like a fist fight, I would like to know how to be successful in that regard too. Finding martial arts near me is not a problem


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## JR 137 (Nov 24, 2017)

Forget styles.  Make a list of everything in your area.  Cross off the ones you can’t attend due to scheduling, and cross off the ones you can’t afford. Visit the rest, within reason.  Take a trial class or two wherever they’re offered.

Who’s teaching and how they’re teaching it, and who you’re training alongside are the most important things.  By watching a few classes at a few different places, something’s bound to jump out at you.  What you read and see online and what actually goes on are usually different things.  You don’t get a sense of the atmosphere of a dojo/school/gym online; you only truly get it in person.  I’ve gone to visit places that appeared to be a sure thing.  Once I walked in, it wasn’t long until I realized it was all smoke and mirrors.  The dojo I currently train at was near the bottom of my list.  Funny how less than 10 minutes into the first class I watched, I knew it was the right place.  I stayed the whole time, then watched again on another day just to be certain, but it honestly wasn’t necessary.

With very rare exception, pick a school, not a style.


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## Paul_D (Nov 25, 2017)

kMon said:


> When researching martial arts that were good for self defense and street fights, those two were common answers. I also saw BJJ and Judo, but I'm not really interested in ground stuff since it can be dangerous if there are multiple attackers. Also, doing ground work on the street doesn't sound too fun. Basically, Ibut if I were to get into something like a fist fight, I would like to know how to be successful in that regard too. Finding martial arts near me is not a problem



_If you have to be physical the pre-emptive strike is the only consistently effective technique._ _From my experience blocking, parrying, trapping etc do not work effectively or consistently when the pavement is your arena. They look as though they might work, they feel as though they should work and in the dojo they are all certainly very effective, but the dojo is not the street, it never has been and it never will be. 

The pre-emptive strike really is just common sense, and the moment you face an angry man who wants to flatten the world with your head you will know, no-one will need to draw you diagrams, you will just instinctively know. What we are generally sold in Martial Arts as effective self defence is at best foolhardy and naïve and at worst a lie. - Geoff Thompson_


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## drop bear (Nov 25, 2017)

Paul_D said:


> _If you have to be physical the pre-emptive strike is the only consistently effective technique._ _From my experience blocking, parrying, trapping etc do not work effectively or consistently when the pavement is your arena. They look as though they might work, they feel as though they should work and in the dojo they are all certainly very effective, but the dojo is not the street, it never has been and it never will be.
> 
> The pre-emptive strike really is just common sense, and the moment you face an angry man who wants to flatten the world with your head you will know, no-one will need to draw you diagrams, you will just instinctively know. What we are generally sold in Martial Arts as effective self defence is at best foolhardy and naïve and at worst a lie. - Geoff Thompson_



Depends where you are standing. So if you are in range doing nothing you are in grave danger of getting clipped. You just dont have the reaction time.

Which is essentually this.






But you can stay in a position where they have to move to hit you. Then you can employ martial arts to defend yourself.


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## Headhunter (Dec 4, 2017)

Both work well enough, go try both see which is best


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## kravmaga1 (Dec 4, 2017)

I recommend you krav maga. Krav maga is a real life self defense system which anybody can learn.It is the next generation of Israeli martial arts.If you looking for improvement of strength,fitness,confidence then KM give you all the things.


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## Paul_D (Dec 4, 2017)

drop bear said:


> Depends where you are standing. So if you are in range doing nothing you are inYou just dont have the reaction time.


Look the word pre-emptive up in a dictionary.


drop bear said:


> But you can stay in a position where they have to move to hit you. Then you can employ martial arts to defend yourself


Against my better judgement I did two things wrong.  One, I clicked “show ignored content”.  Two, I watched this video. 

I’m talking SD and the first two things I see on the video when I skip forward are two guys engaging in a consensual fight on a basket ball court, and then two guys or wearing boxing gloves and sparring in the street.  I turned it off.  Engaging in consensual street fighting is not SD.  Even when I talk about pre emptively striking for SD, you are still only able to process violence in the form of two men engaging in a sparring/consensual fighting. 

I get that you are a fuktard that will never understand the difference.  And that’s fine as you are on my ignore list so I don’t have to suffer your posts (unless I make the mistake of clicking Show Ignored Content) but why don’t you do me the same courtesy?  Don’t quote my posts, if you want to mistakenly talk about two men fighting as if it’s SD that’s fine, but don’t quote me and don’t give other people the impression you are discussing it with me because you are not.  Keep my posts away from your idiotic retarded moronic pig **** for brains opinions on SD.


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## drop bear (Dec 4, 2017)

Paul_D said:


> Look the word pre-emptive up in a dictionary.
> 
> Against my better judgement I did two things wrong.  One, I clicked “show ignored content”.  Two, I watched this video.
> 
> ...



I am not sure you understand the similarities between fighting and self defence.

If you are striking someone there is barely any difference at all.

There are a lot of concepts that can be shown without having to be in the exact circumstances. A box lift in the workplace isnt wrestling but it is a good way of explaining the mechanics.


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## marques (Dec 5, 2017)

Whatever (style, club, instructor...) you enjoy enough to keep going in the long term. Anyway, perhaps the best thing is starting one of them. You can then change at any moment (if no long term contract...) if whilling to.

Muay Thai or Krav Maga are not the same thing everywhere, so... it not just a choice of name style.


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## Danny T (Dec 5, 2017)

kMon said:


> but I'm not really interested in ground stuff since it can be dangerous if there are multiple attackers. Also, doing ground work on the street doesn't sound too fun. Basically, I would like to know how to defend myself against various attacks, but if I were to get into something like a fist fight, I would like to know how to be successful in that regard too. Finding martial arts near me is not a problem


Do you know what Krav Maga is?
Do you know Imi Lichtenfeld originally sourced KM with techniques from boxing and wrestling. It's training consisted of swimming, physical fitness, boxing, wrestling, and knife defenses. It had a lot of ground fighting in it. As he continued to research he added elements of Judo in 1965, Aikido in 1971, after he retired in 1974-75 elements of Muay Thai, Wing Chun, and BJJ, have also been added into the system. You may not be interested in ground stuff but it is in real KM and ground stuff happens. Even when you are standing you are not standing on the ground? Ground is a reality in a fight not simply a decision to not go there.


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## watching (Mar 22, 2018)

kMon said:


> Hey everyone,
> I'm looking to get into a martial art and have narrowed it down to KM and MT. I want to learn for self defense, but also for improved fitness, confidence, and discipline. At first I was set on KM, but I've read different opinions on how it isn't effective because you don't spar until higher levels, so you don't really get to apply it and practice it fully. If I were to be thrown into a bad situation, would I be able to handle the pressure? Also, while I plan on avoiding fights, I still would like to know how to fight just in case, as in learning how to properly punch, kick, improve reaction time, etc. I'm unsure whether KM actually teaches that or if it's more just learning how to escape different holds and how to defend against different attacks (like a knife or gun attack). I've considered taking both, but if time and money doesn't permit it, I'd have to choose one. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!


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