Muay Thai is a fantastic sport but there’s no question it puts a lot of stress on your knees. My friend has bad knees and wants to practise Muay Thai so I researched the internet trying to answer this question.

So can you do Muay Thai with bad knees?

If you have serious knee problems get your doctor’s opinion but there is no evidence to suggest Muay Thai is bad for your knees. Strengthening your knees via weights, stretching, and improving your knee alignment before you do Muay Thai will sharply reduce the risk of any knee injury.

It is common for a Thai professional fighter to have 100s of professional fights and they are not known to suffer knee problems.

There are many factors to consider why this is and how you can deal with and prevent knee injuries in life as well as in Muay Thai.

What Causes Knee Pain In Martial Arts & In Normal life

If your knees hurt during or after Muay Thai training then you are likely putting your knees into improper alignment which is unhealthy for your knees and can lead to injury over time.

The knee often hurts first as the knee joint is located in-between two joints that are very mobile, the hip (above) and the ankle (below). But first you must understand some basic human anatomy.

The knee is a hinge joint and is designed to flex and extend. It is most resistant to injury when it’s in straight alignment. Your kneecap pointing in the direction of your toes is your knees best position.

Your knee will get injured in Muay Thai if you don’t properly rotate your hip joints which will cause poor kicking technique, as your knee is doing excessive rotational movement which it does NOT like to do.

Over time practicing improper kicking technique will lead to wear and tear and result in knee pain. Be vigilant and look for this pain to know something is wrong so you can change your movement pattern to prevent further damage and allow your knees to heal.

Remember even if you don’t currently practice Muay Thai the knee anatomy still applies. So if you’re suffering knee pain then really think if your knee joint is properly aligned and not doing any excessive movement.

We must understand how our hip operates to understand knee pain, there are two ways the femur can rotate within the hip joint.

Your hip can open towards the outside (external hip rotation), and your hip can open towards the inside (internal hip rotation).

Hip rotation is found throughout martial arts including Muay Thai to generate the most power, as your entire body is moving towards the opponent.

If you want to understand more, check out this article by the Full Potential Martial Arts Academy.

What causes many injuries with fighters is when they attempt to get more power or hit someone too far away and they throw kicks or punches while they are overextended and poorly balanced.

This is how I injured my knee in Muay Thai by putting my knee into a very bad position.

Take a look at the photo of me above. Do I look like I can punch with force or that my knees are in the best position to absorb a punch/trip? Clearly not and this is why most knee injuries happen in all martial arts.

Overextending causing knee pain isn’t just to do with martial arts. If you do everything from running, squatting or walking whilst overextended, you will cause damage to your knees. So be very mindful of trying not to overextend your leg when you don’t need to.

Best Knee Alignment for Knee Health

Your knee joint should be in straight alignment all the time. Basically, your knee should point in the same direction as your toes, hips, knees, ankle and foot.

They should all be in the same plane. Try to never rotate your knee. Try to maintain your knee’s ability to flex, extend and hold force.

Your kneecap joint called the Patellofemoral joint is also very important with knee alignment. When you bend your knee excessively a load of your patella (kneecap) and surrounding ligaments get increased.

Make sure whenever you look down at your feet you can always see your toes. If your toes are hidden by your knee this suggests your knee is excessively bent forward which you don’t want!

As you can see in the above photos they show both good and poor knee alignment. On the left, the knee is properly aligned as the front kneecap is pointing towards the front toes and the femur is doing the proper external rotation.

Now look at the back knee (the back leg of the stance). These pictures showcase good and poor front knee alignment. It’s harder to see poor rear knee alignment but it’s just as bad for your knees as front knee misalignment.

Just make sure while doing Muay Thai or any other martial art, you follow these practices for proper knee health. Even doing your day to day activities such as moving furniture remember, the knee should point in the same direction as your toes, hips, knees, ankle and foot!

Do Knee Braces Help With Knee Issues?

Knee braces are inexpensive and comfortable to wear, but are they an effective treatment to protect injury? Michael Behr, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon at Piedmont, says there are two main reasons to wear a knee brace:

• Structural support
• Pain relief

Structural Support

Knee braces are recommended for people who had an ACL tear or a type of knee injury. They can provide added support in the recovery process.

Knee braces are commonly prescribed by physicians for patients who have an ACL tear or some type of knee injury. The knee brace can provide added support during the recovery process.

For Muay Thai or other combat sports, you want a Prophylactic Brace that is designed to prevent injury to the knees.

You can get a high-quality Shock Doctor Prophylactic Brace from Amazon via this link here. See a product review of someone whose life changed due to the Shock Doctor brace below.

If you purchase structural support for the knee you need to think about the follow things:

• Which ligaments of your knee are damaged
• What rehabilitation are you doing or need to do
• What sport are you doing

The following quote is from Michael James Behr regarding knee braces and sports. Remember, he is talking about American football which has very different movements patterns to Muay Thai.

“A knee brace can help athletes through an injury by providing additional support that will allow him or her to continue with physical activity,” Dr Behr says. “Today, many football players wear knee braces to prevent injury. Football players put an extra amount of pressure on their knees because of the sharp turns and lateral movement in this sport. All this movement can move your bones and ligaments in unnatural ways. Knee braces have proven to be a wise preventative measure in this particular sport.”

Michael J. Behr, M.D

How To Diagnose Knee Issues

If you have a knee issue you must identify the problem before finding a solution. The main way to check your knee alignment is either looking into the mirror whilst walking or doing any shadowboxing and see if your knee is misaligned using the photos above as a guide.

You may also have someone else like a spouse/friend or parent take a look and observe your knee alignment or take a photo.

Your aim is to improve your knees alignment and potential kicking technique by improving your proprioception. This fancy word means the position and effort different parts of your body uses. Using visual cues such as the mirror is useful, but so is noticing the feeling of your feet!

Your feet have tons of nerve endings which are basically your bodies sensors that help you with gait (the way you walk) and maintaining proper balance. When your knee is properly aligned you will feel your body weight is being distributed evenly.

However, if your knee is misaligned (over-rated to either side) you will feel slightly off-balance to either side. Your foot will be pronated (your sole will be facing downwards/inwards) or supinated (your sole will be facing upwards or outwards).

I know it’s quite confusing but think of pronation as your foot being rolled to the inside and supination as your foot being rolled to the outside. Please check out this YouTube video that just makes things easier to understand!

How To Prevent And Treat Knee Issues

There could be many reasons why your knees are out of alignment, but they broadly fall into three distinct categories.

1. Incorrect movement patterns. The most likely reason is a modern society with smartphones and computers which can cause most people to have bad posture. Sitting for long periods of time can make bad posture a habit which is very unhealthy for the entire body, not just the knees
2. Poor Range Of Movement In The Hip, Ankle or Foot. If you lack mobility in any of the joints mentioned your body will try to overcompensate by over-mobilizing another joint which misaligns your knee.
3. Weak Muscles in your core, legs, hips or back. Many muscles of the body such as the abs main objective are to stabilize the body. If you lack strength in these important muscle groups possibly from having a job/lifestyle where you sit for hours, it will make it difficult for you to properly practice good posture and alignment. Again our old friend the knee will suffer.

I know how difficult it is to correct posture imbalances as I’m currently doing it myself for my rounded shoulders. I know how hard it can be. You could seek professional advice for improving your range of motion and muscular weakness issues.

However, I know you can treat them yourself and improve your situation, so I’m including several videos that attack each problem you currently have or could be facing in the future. I wish you the best of luck with your treatment.

How To Improve Knee Range Of Motion

How To Improve Range of Motion In The Hip, Ankle & Foot.

How To Build/Strengthen Your Stabiliser/Posture Muscles

Interested in Muay Thai? Check Out My Recommendations

Looking For Gear To Use When You Train?
If you are interested in training Muay Thai, here is some of the gear I recommend: Best Mouth Guard Best Gloves Best Shorts Best Shin Guards
Want To Learn To Fight, But Don’t Want To Go In Person?
CoachTube has online training videos for Boxing, Karate, MMA and more. And best part is you can do it all from your home allowing you to go at your own pace. Check them out here.
Interested In Training Other MMA Fighters?
Click here to check out the MMA Conditioning Association and see what you need to become an MMA conditioning coach and begin training fighters.

Boxing and Muay Thai are both highly effective martial arts, but can you train them at the same time? I decided to find out.

Can you train Muay Thai and Boxing at the same time? Boxing and Muay Thai while both being striking arts have different stances, fight pacing, and hand positions. Although you can train them at the same time they will interfere with each other and you will lack a true understanding of either martial art.

This doesn’t mean you cannot train them concurrently, but you need to understand the important differences between Boxing and Muay Thai to see the problems of training for them both at the same time.

Stance Differences Between Muay Thai & Boxing

Stance Differences	Boxing	Muay Thai
Front Foot	Front feet curved in at 10-15 degree angle	Front foot will be curved in at roughly a 10 degree angle
Back/Rear Foot	Rearfoot curved out to 45 degrees rising to 90 degrees depending on your stance. In boxing, your back-foot will have a more outward angle than Muay Thai	Rear foot will be curved at at roughly 45 degrees
Feet	Feet will be a few inches wider than shoulder-width	Feet will be roughly shoulder-width apart
Hip Angle	Boxers hip angle is around 50-80 degrees much more narrow than Muay Thai	Hip angle is 30-45 degrees, traditional Muay Thai is more 30 but modern stances it’s 45 degrees
Weight Distribution	Weight more on the back leg and less on the front leg	Weight should be evenly distributed between both legs. It changes with the situation. If you’re attacking- more weight on the front, if you’re defending- more weight on the back.
Heel Placement	Lifted off the ground sightly, allowing for quicker movements	Heel of the rear foot lifted slightly

The Muay Thai stance is very forward and square with the hands around head height, the forearms and hips forwards and the body facing towards the opponent. This allows you to kick with both legs and check kicks while throwing elbows and knees.

Since Muay Thai involves the elbows, knees, punching, kicking with clinching (standing wrestling), your weight must be evenly distributed on both feet and you need to move quickly.

If you look at the photo above you will see the boxer has a much longer foot stance than the Muay Thai guy. In boxing you will have a longer and narrower stance as they don’t need to worry about leg kicking.

The hip placement is the big difference between boxing and Muay Thai stances, since with Muay Thai you need to check kicks (block kicks with your leg) and quickly kick back with the rear leg.

With Boxing you want to give the opponent the smallest possible target which is why you turn your hips outwards.

This is showing less body for your opponent to hit making you less of a target and more protected. You don’t do this in Muay Thai unless you want to get leg kicked, trust me you don’t, it hurts!

To get a visual example and see the different stances in action, please check out this YouTube video by Fight Vision. Here you can clearly see the differences in the stances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdF17BKYjUA

Why You Should Not Train Boxing & Muay Thai At The Same Time

The main differences between the two are the hip position, but since Muay Thai involves kicking, elbow, kneeing, trips, throws and a different clinch game, boxing and Muay Thai are completely different sports.

The biggest problem with training both is that they are fundamentally different things. While boxing will help you with your Muay Thai, Muay Thai will NOT help with your boxing.

Boxing is limited to just punches to the head, the body and the square, while the Muay Thai stance will make you a big open target in boxing.

However, once you have a solid Muay Thai or Boxing base and consider yourself proficient in either martial art, then you can consider branching out and seeing if you can work both styles together.

There’s no harm in occasionally doing a Boxing class if you’re a Muay Thai fighter or vice versa. But, remember fundamentally they are both very different things and have a lot of over lap that can be very confusing to even intermediate martial artists.

Conversely, I highly recommend combining a striking art with a grappling art as they have limited or no cross-over whatsoever, and you cannot get confused with either.

Something like boxing and BJJ or Muay Thai and Judo would be perfectly fine and are fantastic martial arts combinations.

What Is More Effective For Self Defense, Boxing Or Muay Thai?

Either martial art is fantastic in real life self-defense situations since every fight starts on the feet. But which one is better?

With Boxing, you only have your hands and everything you do is related to the four basic punches, the jab, the hook, the cross and the uppercut. Muay Thai is a lot more complicated with numerous options such as kicking and kneeing being available to you.

This means Boxing is a lot easier to become competent with the time generally being around 6 months, as you simply have less tools to learn. Improving your self defense abilities will be far quicker than Muay Thai.

However, Muay Thai just gives you so many other tools that make you much more capable in a street fight situation. Not only can you strike, but Muay Thai has a fantastic clinch (grappling) game that is a MASSIVE advantage in any street fight.

Most untrained people will use a bulk of their weight on the front leg giving you massive opportunity to kick their leg-which is extremely effective and is a Muay Thai fighters signature tool to use.

While Boxing will improve your self-defense in the short term, I personally recommend Muay Thai as it’s the complete striking and offers so much more than boxing. Yes, it will take longer to get proficient in, but the skill you will have in handling yourself more than makes up for it.

Short term self-defense: Boxing
Long term self- defense: Muay Thai (Winner)

Boxing Or Muay Thai, Which Is Easier To Learn?

They are both very difficult martial arts, but which one would be quicker to pick up?

Since Muay Thai is called the art of 8 limbs, you strike with your kicks, elbows, knees and fists so naturally, it is way more difficult to learn as you have numerous tools available to you.

You may think it’s just about offense but you also need to defend against all the 8 limbs of your opponent making Muay Thai even harder!

Checking a low kick (raising your shin to block) is a staple of Muay Thai. Muay Thai clinching is very important and is almost a martial art in itself and it takes years and years to become proficient in.

Since Boxing has only 2 limbs to hit with (both hands) they rely on superb cardio, head movement and footwork to win fights. It is easier to learn Boxing as you have a smaller toolbox and in 6 months you can reach a decent standard.

Whereas with Muay Thai, 6 months is still in the beginner phase and it’s where I am at right now. If I was boxing for the same amount of time I would be at a way higher level.

Although in my opinion boxing sparring is a lot harder than Muay Thai sparring. Since you only have 2 targets (the head/body) you get hit a lot more often and it’s tougher mentally.

Whereas with Muay Thai you can pretty much aim for the entire body, meaning overall you won’t hurt as much as there is less trauma going to your brain which is damage you don’t want. With Boxing you get hit on the head a lot.

Winner: Boxing

Boxing Or Muay Thai Which Is Better For Fitness?

Both Boxing and Muay Thai are superb for general fitness and superb for cardiovascular (heart) health. No matter which you do you will get a great workout and improve your physical health.

If you have ever fought or sparred before you know how important fitness is in fighting. Any good Muay Thai or Boxing coach will emphasize running and muscle building for injury prevention and recovery.

For example in my gym for a warm-up we skip, do rounds of pushups, squats and burpees in-between the skipping. Calisthenics (bodyweight) exercises are fantastic and will greatly improve your overall fitness level and they should be a staple in either martial art.

However, if you really want to learn the martial arts, focus more on the skill and techniques rather than the fitness and conditioning. Doing a class like cardio kickboxing (see the video below) while good for fitness will not be good for self-defense and dealing with life threatening scenarios. So be aware of that.

Better for Fitness: Both

To see the differences between Muay Thai Gloves and Boxing Gloves see my post and here if you want to know if a Boxer could beat a Thai fighter in a street fight.

Interested in Boxing? Check Out My Recommendations

Looking For Gear To Use When You Train?
If you are interested in training Boxing, here is some of the gear I recommend: Best Mouth Guard Best Gloves Best Headgear Best Hand Wraps
Want To Learn To Fight, But Don’t Want To Go In Person?
CoachTube has online training videos for Wrestling, Boxing, MMA and more. And best part is you can do it all from your home allowing you to go at your own pace. Check them out here.
Interested In Training Other MMA Fighters?
Click here to check out the MMA Conditioning Association and see what you need to become an MMA conditioning coach and begin training fighters.

Muay Thai is a fantastic martial art but can you do it with braces? I researched the internet trying to answer this question.

So can you do Muay Thai with braces? Much of Muay Thai involves pad work where you don’t get hit. Even if you’re doing light sparring if you have a mouth guard having braces is not an issue. Orthodontic mouth guards are specifically designed for braces.

I know a few people in my gym who do Muay Thai with braces without issue. As a beginner, you don’t even need to wear a mouth guard as you’re not expected to spar.

Why You Can Do Muay Thai With Braces

If you’re someone wondering if you can do Muay Thai with braces I understand where that is coming from. However, in reality, you can do Muay Thai without ever getting hit as the majority of it involves pad work.

Most of your beginner Muay Thai training will involve warming up with some light skipping, calisthenics, and light training thrown in. Afterwards you could do some movement drills with your partner, hit Muay Thai pads and practice some combos your coach is trying to teach.

In the typical Muay Thai class having braces does not make a difference.  During your Muay Thai class you can choose when and if you want to spar. You can fully get the benefits of the sport without any risk of damaging your expensive braces.

However, due to the added risk from getting hit, even with light sparring, you should wear a mouth guard. Most sparring should be light and technical. With a good Sparring partner you can enjoy all the benefits of Muay Thai even with braces

However, it is still important to know the potential risks you have engaging in a combat sport with braces.

Potential Risks Of Doing Muay Thai With Braces

Although doing Muay Thai with braces is a lot less risky than doing boxing with braces (due to less getting hit in the head), you should be aware of the major issues that can happen.

• Dental Avulsion: This fancy word means your teeth are knocked out. This is when the force of the punch dislocates your teeth from the socket! You don’t need me to tell you how bad this injury is with braces.
• Fractures: Fractures could include broken or damaged teeth with injuries to the jaw
• Abrasions & Lacerations: If you’re hit hard enough your teeth might scratch or bite the areas of the mouth like the lips and cheek. Your braces will make these cuts worse.

Even with the correct mouth guard, you need to be careful while fighting as your wire can loosen and the brackets supporting the brace can break.

Depending on where you live, braces are very expensive with the average cost being $3000-7000! So if you need to return to your dentist because of a Muay Thai related injury that would not be fun. You should not worry too much as light sparring will not do any damage to your braces.

How To Prevent Injuries In Muay Thai With Braces

Since you have braces you need to take more precautions when training Muay Thai. An Orthodontic mouth guard will be your best friend. Here is why fighters use them.

Muay Thai Why You Should Wear A Mouth Guard

A Mouth Guard Protects Your Teeth

A mouth guard prevents the bottom row of teeth from clashing to the top row of teeth when you get hit. Not only will it protect your teeth from breaking but it will help protect your lips and gums.

A Mouth Guard Gives You Something To Bite On

Biting on the mouth guard will help stabilize your jaw which reduces the risk of jaw fractures when you get hit. No one likes their teeth getting dislocated -so make sure you bite down!

A Mouth Guard Reduces Concussion

Custom mouth guards have been proven to reduce the risk of concussion in all sports, check the study here. The studies are pretty convincing, so it’s better not to take the risk no?

However, you cannot get just any mouth guard. With braces you must get an orthodontic mouth guard. This mouth guard is made of a higher grade of material than a traditional mouth guard.

An orthodontic mouth guard is specifically designed to work with your braces as they sit on top of the brackets and keep both the upper low teeth protected from the line of fire.

The high grade material also protects your lips from being pushed into the brackets via the impacts of kicks and punches.

I recommend you ask your dentist for a specifically designed orthodontic mouth guard that fits your braces.

If that is out of your price range, I highly recommend the fantastic Shock Doctor which was made together with the American Association Of Orthodontists. You can get it for a fantastic price right from Amazon here with sizes for both children and adults.

Check out a review from a Boxer who bought the Shock Doctor mouth guard and likes it a lot.

Muay Thai Why You Should Wear Headgear

I don’t wear headgear during Muay Thai, but it’s a great option to add another layer of protection to your braces. There are three different types of headgear. They each provide unique forms of protection to your braces.

Open Face: This headgear offers the most visibility with decent protection. However, the issue when you have braces is it leaves your face entirely wide open.

Take a look at the top quality Ringside Headgear for a fantastic price on Amazon right here.

Cheek Protection: This offers more protection than a traditional open-face headgear but your nose will be exposed. Much of your mouth and jaw will have good protection on both sides to stop those silly dentist bills from ever happening.

Full Face: This will provide the most protection possible for your braces. You may choose either full face cage protection, or one with a bar that protects your nose or mouth. If braces are expensive where you live, this is the option to give yourself the absolute maximum protection possible.

Practice Good Muay Thai Defence

Aside from not getting hit in the first place, catching the punch or blocking is the best way to reduce getting your braces damaged. Make sure you have a solid Muay Thai stance with a high guard, your elbows tucked and your hands close to your face.

Your chin should always be tucked down as you should look at your opponent through your eyebrows. Your chin is very vulnerable and if you get hit there your entire mouth will shake causing damage to your braces.

Don’t always have your chin down but make an effort to easily get into this defensive position whenever you need to.

If you need more help with your defense take a look at the fantastic Tristar Gym owner Firas Zahabi as he goes through the Muay Thai frame defense.

Interested in Muay Thai? Check Out My Recommendations

Looking For Gear To Use When You Train?
If you are interested in training Muay Thai, here is some of the gear I recommend: Best Mouth Guard Best Gloves Best Shorts Best Shin Guards
Want To Learn To Fight, But Don’t Want To Go In Person?
CoachTube has online training videos for Boxing, Karate, MMA and more. And best part is you can do it all from your home allowing you to go at your own pace. Check them out here.
Interested In Training Other MMA Fighters?
Click here to check out the MMA Conditioning Association and see what you need to become an MMA conditioning coach and begin training fighters.

Muay Thai is a fantastic sport but it is quite violent, so can you do it as a Christian? I decided to research the internet and find out.

You must consider the fact that Muay Thai can fuel aggression, which contradicts directly with Matthew 10:16. However, there are many Christian MMA fighters like Jon Jones and Yoel Romero who practice Christianity, so ultimately it’s up to you and your relationship with God.

It is important to look at the physical and spiritual implications of doing Muay Thai and decide if performing the Wai Khru (MuayThai dance ritual) is a sin.

Can Christians Do Combat Sports In General?

Christianity and combat sports do not seem to go together, but it is possible to engage in Muay Thai without sinning. Take a look at Philippians 2:12

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”

Philippians 2:12

This verse is saying that everyone practices their Christian faith in different ways, whether you choose to spread the word of God with MMA or with Muay Thai, God is your final judge.

There are many high profile Christian MMA fighters, a sport even more violent than Muay Thai, such as Jon Jones, Yoel Romero, and Ben Henderson.

There are websites like the fellowship of Christian fighters (see the link here) where they have many Bible verses and explain what it’s like to be a Christian fighter.

Also, you have a Christian themed MMA clothing line (Jesus Didn’t Tap) by the former MMA fighter and social media personality Jason David Frank. Since Muay Thai is MMA without the ground and takedown game, all this can be applied to Muay Thai.

In 2014 the American documentary Fight Church looks at the rich subculture of Christianity and MMA and includes the previously mentioned fighters.

The documentary shows the lives of some Church pastors that see MMA as being an important part of their Christian fame with the estimation of over 700 Churches in the US that have added martial arts into their ministers.

This number has likely grown since 2014. You can see the trailer of Fight Church down below.

Is Muay Thai Too Violent For A Christian?

This depends on your level. Would you want to do Muay Thai and perform at the highest level? It is the sport of the 8 limbs where you can strike with your foot, hands, knees, and elbows and it is quite intense. If you as a Christian hold anything back you are putting yourself at a big disadvantage.

However, if you are doing it more for fitness and self-defense, then Muay Thai is fine and isn’t more brutal than boxing for example. The potential violence is nothing compared to what you would see in the Old Testament.

Although many scriptures speak out against violence, such as Matt 26:52, when Jesus spoke out against the soldiers, he did not say combat was morally wrong (Matt. 8:5-13). He even told his disciples to take a defensive sword with them when he knew his arrest was going to happen (Luke 22:36).

Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.”

Matt 26:52

Jesus also said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.”

Luke 22:36

Numerous Christians around the world practice MMA and Muay Thai, as the bible does not condemn self-defense with the use of force being justified. You must look into yourself and your Christian faith and understand Muay Thai would only be a sin if you think it would be.

Do Christians Have Spiritual Implications Doing Combat Sports?

Any spiritual implications from doing Muay Thai will depend on the type of person you are since our relationship with God is a personal one. The issue is Muay Thai in its nature can fuel aggressiveness and perhaps conflict with Matthew 10:16.

“I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”

Matthew 10:16

This could lead a Christian to misinterpret the scriptures to justify their passion for combat sports. Not only may this apply to the fighters, but also to the millions who watch UFC on pay per view. The love of violence goes way back to ancient Rome.

This desire to win in MMA can cause an ego complex with even the most humble fighter, which when unchecked according to Luke 14:11 may lead to your downfall. We saw this with the former UFC champion Ronda Rousey whose ego destroyed her.

Although Muay Thai as a sport has ancient nonreligious codes of respect that MMA does not share.

“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Luke 14:11

Since this is a controversial topic, as a Christian you need to remember the following factors before you do Muay Thai. First, do not let your Christian faith become weak by practicing Muay Thai (Rom.14).

Second, you must resist the temptation of starting fights with your Muay Thai skills. Third, doing Muay Thai should not take away from your Christian duties such as helping your Church (Heb. 10:25)

“Not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Hebrews 10:25

Look inside yourself and your relationship with God and ask yourself, what are my motives for doing Muay Thai? Ensure it’s not non-Christian motives but more so about learning and exploring the skill itself.

Can Christians Perform The Wai Khru (Muay Thai Dance Ritual)?

You might have seen the traditional Wai Khru the Muay Thai dance ritual performed before every fight, but can Christians perform it? You can see an example in the video below.

Rituals and ceremonies only have the meaning you choose to give them. If you think doing a pre-fight ritual is unchristian then that’s your opinion.

Just like you can be an atheist and still perform grace before eating a meal out of respect for whom you’re eating with, the same applies to the Wai Khru. Think about what the purpose of this ritual is. Is it religious or just respect for the art of Muay Thai itself?

The Wai Kru dance does not have any relation to religion or Buddhist teaching of any form. In Thai “Wai” is a way to greet each other and “Kru” means teacher.

There is no direct religious comparison. It’s all about the intention of how you’re doing Wai Khru. If it’s just for the respect of Thailand and the culture then it is fine for a Christian to do.

If you still have doubts read Romans chapter 14 here. This chapter refers to eating food offered to idols, but this spiritual application can be applied to many things.

If doing the Wai Khru affects your conscience and hurts your path towards Christ then don’t do it. If you can do it whilst praising God then feel free.

You are not required to do the Wai Khru if you do Muay Thai. The Wai Khru is just for the fighters, but I think doing it is a very Christian thing to do according to Matthew 7:12  “Do to others what you would have them do to you.”

I’ve been to Thailand and Thai people are some of the most respectful people I have ever met. Doing Wai Khru even if you’re a Christian will be a beautiful sign of respect to the culture of Thailand and the sport of Muay Thai.

Interested in Muay Thai? Check Out My Recommendations

Looking For Gear To Use When You Train?
If you are interested in training Muay Thai, here is some of the gear I recommend: Best Mouth Guard Best Gloves Best Shorts Best Shin Guards
Want To Learn To Fight, But Don’t Want To Go In Person?
CoachTube has online training videos for Boxing, Karate, MMA and more. And best part is you can do it all from your home allowing you to go at your own pace. Check them out here.
Interested In Training Other MMA Fighters?
Click here to check out the MMA Conditioning Association and see what you need to become an MMA conditioning coach and begin training fighters.