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One thing we are always being asked is to compare the effectiveness between two different martial arts, and today we're going to be comparing Aikido Vs Muay Thai. In this article we'll compare Aikido & Muay Thai and decide which one is more effective. The answer to this question isn't going to be easy to find, but we'll delve into all areas of the different sports to find the answer!
Muay Thai is a martial art which has always been looked at as one of the deadliest striking art forms on the planet. It's a martial art which allows the use of all limbs and focuses on powerful strikes and perfected techniques with an element of grappling, that is called clinching.
Aikido is a Japanese martial art which was created to be used as a form of self defence. The purpose of Aikido is not to be the aggressor, and to use the aggressors force against themselves.
Both martial arts offer vast differences and are created to work in different areas with very different techniques, one being a striking martial art and the other being a grappling martial art.
What is Aikido?
Aikido is a Japanese martial art which origins trace back to the 12th century. It is a combat system that does not seek to meet violence with violence yet maintains its martial origins. It is a martial art which uses spherical movements by which an attackers aggressive force is turned against itself.
The main techniques used in Aikido are throws using the opponents movement as well as the use of weapons, in the forms of a Bokken and a Jo.
What is Muay Thai?
Muay Thai, also known as the “Art of Eight Limbs”, is a traditional Martial Art that originated in Thailand all the way back in the 18th century. A lot of people generally refer to it as Thai Boxing.
Muay Thai is referred to as the “Art of Eight Limbs” or the “Science of Eight Limbs”, because it makes use of punches, kicks, elbows and knee strikes, thus using eight “points of contact”. This is of course opposed to “two points” (fists) in boxing and “four points” (hands and feet) used in other more regulated combat sports, such as kickboxing. A practitioner of Muay Thai is known as a nak muay.
What are the differences between Aikido & Muay Thai?
There are some similarities between the martial arts of Aikido and Muay Thai, however the most obvious difference between the two is that Aikido incorporates the use of weapons whereas Muay Thai is purely a striking martial art that does not use weapons.
Aikido is also a martial art that teaches strict movements and set forms whereas Muay Thai does not. Muay Thai is different from most traditional martial arts because of this.
Due to not having a fixed fighting system, Muay Thai offers more variety and fighting styles allowing fighters to be more creative in their own approach. You'll often see Muay Thai fighters who specialise in their respective strengths, such as good knee fighters, good boxers and so on.
Muay Thai is also a martial art which focuses a lot on aggression and powerful strikes whereas the core purpose of Aikido is to use the opponents aggression against themselves.
Is Aikido or Muay Thai more effective for self defence?
The age old question of which martial art is the most effective is something that we'll probably never be able to settle, however we're going to try and answer this for Aikido Vs Muay Thai.
We would say that Muay Thai is the more effective self defence due to the fact that it does allow you to work outside of a strict system. Muay Thai will allow you to create your own form of self defence that can be used effectively within a situation where you need to defend yourself.
Muay Thai also allows for a more realistic fighting scenario that is more useful if you find your self in a street fight or a situation where you need to defend yourself. Strict fighting systems can sometimes not reflect real life situations and leave you unable to adapt in a fast-paced situation.
We also don't recommend putting yourself into a self defence situation where you are openly waiting for the opponent to attack, which is the core principles of Aikido. If you ever find yourself in a street fight situation where you need to defend yourself then we recommend striking first, fast and hard. This should mean that you hopefully end the situation as quickly and safely as possible for yourself.
However, both martial arts are extremely effective and as with any fight, anything can happen when a Aikido Vs Muay Thai fight happens.
Conclusion
The question of what will win between Aikido Vs Muay Thai is something that people will keep asking themselves, as after all, who doesn't want to know who'd win between the best striking and best grappling martial arts.
