LOL @ Joe...
hmmm, I can't tell if you're laughing at me or just amused by this misunderstanding. Can't say it'll really bother me either way though.
Well I guess that explains everything.
LOL
Misigoy,
The first thing I did as he tried to tackle me was bury my elbows behind his collarbones and keep my hips as far back as possible.
I have never been taught to do that, it just felt like the right thing to do.
Yours,
Beev
Thanks for all replies... gives me something to think about and work on.
Thanks again,
-Chad-
Exactly what I was thinking Beev, keeping your hips away and maintaing some distance using the elbows. That'll defend from throws and tackles enough to give you room to hit, which is what a striker really needs. It was a good natural reaction.
Maye see if some BJJ/Judo places will let you pay by the lesson. That's what I want to do. Take Muy Tai boxing regularly and once a week or every other week take a grappling lesson. Maybe make a friend who knows grappling and you can teach eachother your techniques.
I think why many UFC type fights end up on the ground is because there are so many grapplers. A normal person on the street might think it's necessary to grapple you and want to kock you out quickly. If you are a better stand up fighter you would hopefully knock him out before he decides that grappling wouldn't be so bad.
Perry
Misigoy,
I'm wonderin if you have ever tried that in a real street fight, and if so, was survival REALLY that trivially simple.
I'll feel realy silly if I wasted all these years training :)
Joe
I'm not sure what I said led you to think so, but I in no way am implying that it would be easy. You say simple, and simple it might be. I mean fighting is generally pretty simple, it's just also very difficult. I mean you could look at as complicated when you factor in timing and postioning, but when you break it down into "you don't hit me I hit you", it's really simple, just not easy. Almost like lifting 600lbs, relatively simple thing to do - just pick it up, but it does require a lot of training and even technique. Years spent training are years well spent. Without working out the detail of technique through those years, you'll never have a consistently effective attack because you would have no technique.
Sprawl or move away to create distance and then strike. I figure with a tackle they'll probably lunge at you, and once you get just out of their range, they should be off balance enough for you to put something in there, perhaps like what beev did, I'm not sure if he tried to move out of the tackle.
Beev is right, of course.
But my $.02 is that you have to look very carefully at what parts of Muay Thai are the most applicable for self defense, and in what situations.
Elbows and Knees are arguably the most effective self defense tools in Muay Thai. They can even be applied (with limitations, of course) while on the ground.
If you have someone who is willing to stand and fight you, then its pretty easy to figure out what to do. I know of many a fight that ended before it really got started when a Muay Thai practitioner kicked his opponent once in the leg. Nothing will take the fight out of someone faster. The problem is getting that first shot in.
If you're worried about being tackled, then you need to start REALISTICALLY training against someone who tries to tackle you.
I used to teach some defense against the shoot as I had some MMA guys taking my class. I would have them defend the shoot by stepping back with straight punches then circling out with a hook. We would also practice sprawling.
Bottom line though. If you want to learn street defense using Muay Thai, you have to train realistically for it. Have a training partner do realistic defense drills with you. Make sure to include weapons.
But remember, too. A lot of fights start with a sucker punch. Your best bet is simply to avoid getting in altercations. If shit starts to go down, then find somewhere else to be before it escalates.
Khun Kao
Chad,
MT is one of the most applicable styles of fighting when it comes to street situations.
Dont worry about a larger opponent trying to tackle you. If you become even half decent at long and curve knees, then some heavy guy will have a hard time tackling you. And even if he does, hes going to regret it.
I actually knocked out a rugby player in an altercation once. I was about 17 and fancied myself as a bit of a ladies man. I didnt realise that I chatting up his sister!
Anyway, to start things off, he comes across grunting and you could smell the sweat a mile off. He grabs me by the shirt collar and starts yelling obscenties.
So, the first thing I did was take hold of his arm and posted off it and long kneed him straight in the "genitalia". So he bent over but tried to rugby tackle me, so I threw a few knees at his face but he ended up falling on top me in a heap. All I remember was pulling his head back and just elbowing him in the head and face. I elbowed him about 4 times.
So he was out and on top of me. I had to wait for the bouncers to come and lift him off me:) Funny thing is, his other freinds, who were just as big and sweaty, were ROTFL at the fact that I KO'd him and he was at least 60lbs heavier than me. I was a wopping 130lbs at the time.
Yours,
Beev
I'm learning MT and I was simply wondering how pratical it would be in a real fight. Particularly, I was wondering this in the light of the fact that I don't know any grapling. I was envisioning a fight between myself, a decent practioner of MT, and a larger but untrained person. It occured to me that despite my MT background they could simply tackle me from the onset and beat me with their supperior weight that way. Any ideas on the reality of this or ways to keep on ones feet during a fight? I realize one natural solution to this would be to learn something like Judo or BJJ but I lack the time.
Thanks,
-Chad-