Aikido vs Muay Thai — Which One is Better?
Aikido and Muay Thai are two separate forms of combat that do not have much in common. This is notably true when it comes to how practical these two systems are in real combat. But which one of the two is better and more effective?
Aikido is a very popular martial art thanks to popular movies and actors like Steven Seagal who put it on the map. But in reality, its techniques are not practical for real combat and won’t help you much in real life fighting. Muay Thai, on the other hand, is the total opposite of that and one of the best systems one can learn. It is all about power, damage, injuries, blood, hard sparring, and real combat.
Keep reading this article to learn more about how Aikido and Muay Thai differ from one another, and in the end, which one is better.
What are the differences between Aikido and Muay Thai?
Here are all the important aspects in which Aikido and Muay Thai differ the most:
History
Aikido falls into a group of modern martial arts. It has a couple of different styles and is present in over 140 countries around the world. The man who created Aikido was Morihei Ueshiba, and he did it in the late 1920s and early 1930s in Japan. In short, Aikido is a mix of martial arts techniques, religious beliefs, and philosophy.
Muay Thai emerged in the 14th century by the name “Muay Boran”. In its initial form, it was a brutal combat system used by Siamese soldiers on the battlefield. But later on, Muay Boran matches would come to be more popular during the festivals and various other ceremonies. So much, that King Rama V had decided to make them legal in the 19th century, and this marks the birth of Muay Thai.
Techniques
Aikido is a mix of various throws, wrist, and joint locks, and elbow techniques. It also trains you how to deal with weapons like swords, staff, or even knives. The emphasis is on intercepting the punch, kick, grabs from the front or the rear, and countering by throwing the attacker to the ground. But in doing so, aikido practitioner must be careful to not hurt the attacker.
Muay Thai is often seen as the best striking system where fighters learn how to strike using all limbs as weapons in a fight. Students learn advanced kicks, basic punching combos, and how to fight in the clinch with elbows and knees. On top of that, they learn various trips and throws which are legal in Muay Thai matches.
Emphasis and effectiveness
First of all, Aikido doesn’t include any sparring or competition. In fact, there is no exercise where two students are simulating a real fight. They spend most of the time doing pre-arranged forms (katas) where they practice the moves alone. Although this has some benefits, it won’t help you much when it comes to real fighting.
And even when they are in contact with other students, they are again doing pre-arranged attacks. The lack of hard and real sparring and competition clearly destroys the image of Aikido and is a reason why it is not effective.
Opposite to Aikido, Muay Thai is all about hard sparring, throwing each strike with a lot of power and goal to hurt or knock the opponent out cold. It is a brutal combat system that includes only the most effective techniques. Each move students learn is direct, powerful, and causes injuries. Training puts a lot of emphasis on hard sparring as the best method for preparing fighters for any type of combat action.
Aikido vs Muay Thai for self-defense
On paper, Aikido is a versatile martial art that would prepare you for any scenario you may face on the streets. In reality, however, it won’t help you much in a real fight. On the other side, Muay Thai is the real deal and a much better option.
The thing is, Aikido as a concept is bad for real fighting simply due to the lack of real sparring for instance. Students spend a decade in the dojo without ever applying a single Aikido move against the partner who is putting on real resistance. This makes you wonder, how would you know if your Aikido skills work if you have never tested them in sparring? How would you know if you are going to stay calm when the fists start flying and your life is in real danger? How you are going to develop a feeling for distance and timing?
On the other side, the good side of Aikido is that it teaches you how to spot danger, analyze the situation you are in, and avoid conflict. It teaches you to only use the aikido moves as a last resort.
So if you want to learn self-defense tactics, Muay Thai should be your option. It is more practical than Aikido and would teach you all about the physical and mental aspects of real fighting.
Aikido vs Muay Thai for MMA
MMA is the most versatile combat sport. It is a mix of grappling and striking techniques put into one combat system. As a system more oriented towards real fighting, Muay Thai is a much better option here. It plays a much bigger role than Aikido simply due to the fact that its techniques are more practical. In MMA history, there has never been a fighter who utilized aikido moves inside the cage, and probably never will be.
Muay Thai is often seen as the best when it comes to striking in MMA. In some way, it is a total package as it trains you to use all limbs as weapons to fight at all ranges. The emphasis is on fast and hard kicks and fighting inside the clinch using elbows, knees, trips, and throws. On top of that, you would learn some basic western boxing combos, and how to mix them all together.
The main goal is to throw each strike with a lot of power and to hurt the opponent and cause damage. That’s why Muay Thai matches all look brutal, bloody, and violent. Unlike in Aikido, each technique you learn in Muay Thai works in real fighting and it may help you win a fight in MMA.
On the other side, the entire concept and philosophy of Aikido do not fit well within the rules of modern cage fighting. For instance, the main goal of training is to learn how to beat the attacker without causing any damage. This sounds nice on paper, but you need to be aggressive in MMA to win matches. Next, the stances you learn, wristlocks and throws, all of these techniques won’t help you much against the opponent who is putting on real resistance.
Aikido vs Muay Thai for fitness and weight loss
Muay Thai is a much better option if you are looking to improve your fitness and lose weight. In fact, this is one of the main reasons why so many people are joining Muay Thai gyms in this day and age. Training allows you to burn calories fast, and on top of that, learn how to fight. A perfect mix.
Based on the gym you train in, fitness level, and many other factors, you can get in top shape in a very short time span. Studies have shown that a single Muay Thai training session can burn up to 1000 calories, which is equal to more than an hour of running. But there is a lot more.
You see, Muay Thai is a mix of aerobic and anaerobic workouts. Or in other words, you will lose a lot of weight, but also get stronger in doing so.
Above all, most Thai boxing gyms have adapted to the modern lifestyle and include amateur groups where you can train to improve your fitness. Modern-day people are looking for a fast way to get to the gym, do a workout, and go back home. Most of them are not into wearing a gi uniform, philosophy, and religious beliefs, doing katas, and many other things that you must do in Aikido.
