Throughout my life, the people that I have met & trained with who came from a Taekwondo background transitioned well into Muay Thai. Taekwondo is more of a kicking style of combat, and some of the techniques from it are similar.
Therefore, making the change into Kickboxing won’t be all that difficult.After observing & experiencing training with a lot of people who have made a change, I got to say a lot of them have become good strikers.
Right now, I will be going into why changing from Taekwondo to Muay Thai is an effective move.
Table of Contents
8 Reasons Why Transitioning From Taekwondo to Muay Thai Is Effective
1. The Taekwondo Push Kick Applies
As I mentioned earlier, Taekwondo is a more kicking type of style of combat. So the kicking techniques from it will work well in Muay Thai. For my training partners with a Taekwondo background, I noticed they already have a strong base of push kicks.
When it came to a day of training push kicks during Muay Thai class, it wasn’t a problem for them to learn the Muay Thai style. Another thing they have done very well is being able to apply this kick during Muay Thai sparring sessions. Their timing of when to use this kick is on point & effective.
2. The Roundhouse Kick Is Relevant
Another Taekwondo technique that I noticed that applies well to Muay Thai is the roundhouse kick. However, the Taekwondo style is more of a snap-type of a roundhouse kick. It’s fast & effective, but it doesn’t have as much power comparing to the Muay Thai style.
My training partners who made the transition didn’t have any difficulties adjusting to the Muay Thai Style Roundhouse. The reason why is the movement is somewhat similar, but the use of the hips is what is different.
And as well as kicking with your shin rather than your foot. Therefore, once they got used to using more of the hips, they can add more power to their kick.
3. The Front Leg Side Kick Is Applicable
From my experience from sparring with a former training partner, I got to say his lead sidekick worked well against me. As we were sparring, he pushed me away with a solid sidekick to the body as I was about to close the distance. Therefore, this technique applies well to Muay Thai.
Muay Thai has a lead sidekick technique as well, which similarly relates to the Taekwondo style. Since they have a similarity, people from a Taekwondo background won’t have as much difficulties applying their lead side kick towards Muay Thai.
4. Feint Kicks Are Applicable
From what I notice from Taekwondo competitions, many competitors like to fake their kicks to throw the other person off. Taekwondo competitions are all point-based scoring. Therefore, feint kicks are one of the best methods to use when setting up kicks to score points.
If you are good at feinting your kicks in Taekwondo, it’ll be a beneficial experience to apply towards Muay Thai. Trust me! Based on my experience of sparring with some of my training partners, some of them would use this Taekwondo tactic against me & it works.
5. High Kick Flexibility Is Useful
Usually, when it comes to beginners who learn Muay Thai for the first couple of classes, high kicks are the most difficult for them to perform. But people who have experience in Taekwondo won’t have many troubles with learning it.
Muay Thai high kicks are different comparing to the Taekwondo style. But I noticed people with a Taekwondo background have good kicking flexibility. Therefore, whenever we are practicing high kicks, they can kick up to the head.
6. The Spinning Back Kick Is Unpredictable
The spinning back kick from Taekwondo can be unpredictable when using it in Muay Thai. One day, a friend of mine & I were sparring with each other & he used this technique against me, which came out of nowhere.
I didn’t expect him to perform the kick, which is why he caught me with it. This kick however will not work in Muay Thai all the time because it’s a move that is very difficult to time.
7. You're Able To Progress More In Your Boxing
Taekwondo does have punching techniques involved. However, from watching Taekwondo competitions, I noticed that competitors don’t utilize it as often. Comparing to Muay Thai, a lot of punching is applied along with a mix of kicks, knees & elbows.
But seeing people from a Taekwondo background, I noticed that they managed to progress more in using their hands. The punching style in Taekwondo are different comparing to Muay Thai. But once people learn the Muay Thai boxing style, they will begin to see how sharp they become with their hands.
8. You Become A Well-Rounded Striker
If you add your skill of kicks of Taekwondo into your Muay Thai style, you can develop yourself into a well-rounded striker. In the art of Muay Thai, it consists of using all eight limbs to strike.
Therefore, adding in your kicks from Taekwondo will be a powerful asset to add to the art of 8 limbs. My training partners who have gone through this experience have become excellent strikers.
Ever since they made the transition, they began to have a good flow of mixing their strikes together to develop smooth combos.
Conclusion
Moving from Taekwondo to Muay Thai is such an effective transition. These two disciplines are different from each other, but the similarities that these two styles share are what make it so great!
If you’re a Taekwondo artist that decides to change to Muay Thai, your level of striking will improve so much more. There are so many striking variations involved when learning the art of 8 limbs.
So, when you add that along with Taekwondo, you’ll become one flashy striker!
If you have anymore questions related to how effective transitioning from Taekwondo to Muay Thai is, please leave a comment or send a message.
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Hi there! I’m Austin Hoang, an editor and writer specializing in martial arts. As a lifelong martial artist, I have trained in various disciplines and competed in amateur boxing, wrestling tournaments, and Muay Thai/Kickboxing tournaments. Through my experiences, I aim to share valuable insights and ideas about martial arts. Thanks for visiting my page—I hope to inspire and educate you on the impact martial arts can have on life!
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It’s fascinating to see how techniques from one discipline can seamlessly integrate into another, enhancing one’s striking abilities. Your breakdown of the similarities and differences between the two arts provides valuable guidance for those considering making the transition. Keep sharing your knowledge—it’s invaluable for martial artists seeking to broaden their skill set.
Appreciate the feedback! Yes we agree that enhancing an individual’s striking abilities from one discipline to another is a fascinating thing to see and how it’s invaluable for them to seek development of their skill sets. I will definitely keep sharing more content about similar topics like this. More are being planned and in the works. Keep up to date with our postings on social media and you will see our future postings/updates.