# Muay Thai VS Dutch Kickboxing VS American Kickboxing



## Mikkel (Mar 7, 2019)

Hi

I am thinking of trying out kickboxing soon. The primary reason for this is a better selfdefense, where it includes atleast both punches and kicks.
(I am also considering BJJ once a week, just to get a little ground work in)

I am trying to choose between these Kickboxing styles: Muay thai, Dutch or American.
My question is then:
Which one of these KB styles would be best for selfdefense, in your opinion?

Note that i have currently trained Boxing for about 5 months, and will continue for at few more months, to get better boxing techniques.
Also i am okay tall(198 cm).

Hope to get some great answers 

Thanks in advance!


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## spidersam (Mar 7, 2019)

Mikkel said:


> Hi
> 
> I am thinking of trying out kickboxing soon. The primary reason for this is a better selfdefense, where it includes atleast both punches and kicks.
> (I am also considering BJJ once a week, just to get a little ground work in)
> ...



Picking a martial art is so fun. Did you check out the ones in your area?


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## Mikkel (Mar 7, 2019)

spidersam: You are right about that!
But yes, thats the thing. They have 4 kickboxing gyms in my area of what i can see. 2 of them offers Muay Thai. The third is American KB focused, and the last one is Dutch focused.
There are more gyms/dojos, but they teach styles like Taekwondo, Aikido, Krav Maga, Ninsei do, and others


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## spidersam (Mar 7, 2019)

Mikkel said:


> spidersam: You are right about that!
> But yes, thats the thing. They have 4 kickboxing gyms in my area of what i can see. 2 of them offers Muay Thai. The third is American KB focused, and the last one is Dutch focused.
> There are more gyms/dojos, but they teach styles like Taekwondo, Aikido, Krav Maga, Ninsei do, and others



Oh that’s awesome. In my area, it seems like American kickboxing gyms target cardio and weight loss, with intense repetitive exercise programs. Not to say there aren’t plenty of American KB gyms that train very seriously; I just attended three my in area and didn’t feel I was learning enough. I’m sure it varies by region so I would check out what kind of program they run. The Muay Thai gyms in my area are a lot more technique driven where folks usually compete or want to grow mentally and physically. Usually gyms offer one free class. I would hop on that before making a decision. Take a couple weeks to try each one out.


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## Headhunter (Mar 7, 2019)

Any of them...it's pretty much the same stuff anyway


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## drop bear (Mar 7, 2019)

Going to depend a bit on your coach. And your location. 

So for example in Australia Muay Thai almost always wins out because as a country we are a powerhouse in the sport. 

There are some very good Dutch guys and everyone who does American kickboxing is a dud. 

And that is because we are so close to Thailand that the best information is gained there.


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## Danny T (Mar 7, 2019)

Right away, when looking at offense, you see a big difference between the Muay Thai and Dutch style. Some of this is due to rules variations, some due to stylistic choices. Muay Thai uses elbows, knees, kicks, and punches. Punches are less prominent than the other techniques and elbows & knees have higher scoring. In Dutch style, that order is reversed. Most of the organizations that chiefly employ this style do not allow elbows at all, and knees from the clinch are limited. Thus the result is much less emphasis on these techniques. Elbows are, for the most part, a non-factor for Dutch fighters, and knees are more commonly seen as a jumping outside weapon rather than the inside knees from the clinch you see in Thailand.
Probably the biggest difference seen in Dutch offense is a heavy use of power punching. Since punches do not score as well in Thailand, few Thai fighters use them nearly as much. But Dutch fighters put a heavy reliance on punches, often using them to begin their offensive bursts and finishing with a power kick to the opponent's leg.

On the defensive differences Thai fighters tend to use less footwork, instead planting themselves inside and throwing shots. Defense there is more achieved through checks and slips than footwork. In the Dutch style, that's usually not the case. Most Dutch fighters use a more Western boxing style of defense, utilizing a lot of footwork to get in and out and to create angles.
In Thailand, movement like this would be looked down upon - an indication that a fighter was nervous or unwilling to engage. This lightness on the feet and use of movement creates a faster pace to Dutch fights than you often see in Thailand. The faster pace is due to 3 round fights rather than the Thai 5 rounders, and the fact that Thai fights often start slow to allow gambling to occur during the opening rounds. 

Both are excellent with what they do best.


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## Mikkel (Mar 10, 2019)

Spidersam: Sounds like a good idea, and i think i am only going to try two though. The dutch focused and the MT focused. Mostly because the American focused one is rather expensive in difference to the others + only 1 trainer at every training session, with 15-20+ people  (And i think so far i like the Dutch and MT style better to be honest). Thanks!  

Headhunter: Hmm, not sure i agree. Aggression, footwork, defense and offense is very different in all three styles it seems  But thanks  

Dropbear: Sounds interesting! Didnt know that Australia was all about MT and Dutch Kb. But gives good sense, since the influence from Thailand!  I am also myself leaning mostly to the Dutch style, not to sure yet though   Thanks  

DannyT: Cool! I have ruled out the American style now, so it excites me to read what you wrote. I think so far i am leaning mostly towards the Dutch style, but i have yet to decide. Thanks


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