Which Martial Arts Compliment Muay Thai the Best? – Part I

Cross training is not just for MMA fighters. It can also make you a more complete Muay Thai fighter. While it’s safe to assume that having a martial arts background is not going to work against you as you learn Muay Thai, some people will have an easier time using the skills that they learn while cross-training than others. 

Alby Tam of Combat Culture in San Francisco explored this concept at length in the above video. He also has created a tier list indicating which martial arts will be the most helpful for your Muay Thai game. His rankings are:

• S: Superior. Martial arts that are on the S level will up your game more than if you had not cross-trained.
• A: Excellent. Martial arts on the A level will be helpful and improve your Muay Thai game.
• B: Worthwhile. B-level martial arts will teach you some skills that cross over to Muay Thai. 
• C: Useful. C-level martial arts may teach you a few useful techniques, but they are not especially compatible with Muay Thai.
• D: Not worth it. D-level martial arts are not particularly useful for someone who is training Muay Thai, so you’ll be better off just focusing on Muay Thai.

Alby covers a lot of ground, so this will be split up into two parts. The first part will cover Shotokan karate, Kyokushin karate, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, K1 kickboxing, aikido, tai chi, savate (French kickboxing), sanda, Lethwei (Burmese kickboxing), and Wing Chun. The second part will go over judo, freestyle wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling, Western boxing, capoeira, Tang Soo Do, Tae kwon do, wushu, kung fu, sumo, and sambo.

Shotokan Karate – Grade: D

Some of the benefits of training Shotokan karate include spacing and timing. As Alby explains, training this type of karate will make you a better all-around fighter, but you’re only going to find it really helps with your Muay Thai game with a significant amount of time and effort. As a result of the size of the investment that you need to dedicate to see results, Alby gives it a D.

Kyokushin Karate – Grade: C

Cross-training Kyokushin karate is going to be more complimentary to Muay Thai than Shotokan karate. The physical conditioning of this type of karate is more conducive to training Muay Thai, it gives you a different perspective on striking, and it teaches you to be more comfortable staying in the pocket. It’s not going to revolutionize your game, but it is certainly useful. That’s why Alby gives it a C.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – Grade: D

Alby makes a note out of the gate that this list is not about complementing your ability as an all-around fighter. It is strictly about becoming a more effective Muay Thai fighter. Since Brazilian jiu-jitsu is mostly focused on grappling and ground fighting, which is not a big aspect of Muay Thai, it simply isn’t compatible. As a result, it receives a D.

K1 Kickboxing – Grade: B

There are some benefits to cross-training in different styles of kickboxing. It should come as no surprise that there’s a lot of overlap stylistically between K1 kickboxing and Muay Thai, but Alby says the real benefit to cross-training K1 is that it gets you accustomed to longer combinations and boxing-influenced offenses, which are more common in K1 than Muay Thai. People with a K1 background have really good hands and learning to defend against those kinds of strikes will cross-over to Muay Thai. Consequently, K1 gets a B.

Aikido – Grade: D

Aikido involves a lot of joint manipulation, and you need the use of your hands to perform these moves. It’s not really applicable when you put your gloves on. This is why it gets a D.

Tai Chi – Grade: D

Tai chi can do wonders for your mental health, and it is more active than meditation. However, it’s not going to level up your Muay Thai game. It also receives a D.

Savate – Grade: D

Savate is a style of kickboxing from France that involves kicks with shoes on and some boxing. Similar to Shotokan karate, it’s only going to improve your Muay Thai after a major investment. Consequently, Alby gives it a D.

Sanda – Grade: D

Sanda is a kickboxing art from China that is an amalgam of various martial arts from China. There are a lot of similarities to Muay Thai (many of the throws in one are legal in the other), and Alby has found that the only major difference between the two is that the side kicks that get thrown in sanda’s are extremely powerful. That said, one move is not enough to warrant cross-training and you’re probably better off sticking with Muay Thai. That’s why Alby gives it a D.

Lethwei – Grade: D

Again, there is a lot of overlap between Lethwei and Muay Thai, which means the two complement one another, but you aren’t going to learn many techniques in a Lethwei class that you can’t learn in a Muay Thai class. Moreover, many of the moves from Lethwei you won’t find in Muay Thai because they’re illegal (like headbutts). Consequently, it’s a D.

Wing Chun – Grade: C

Wing Chun hasn’t really demonstrated its efficacy on a huge stage. However, it does focus on the practice of “sticky hands”, and this technique can improve your reflexes, clinching, and hand fighting abilities. Ultimately, this is going to benefit your Muay Thai game, even if you do Wing Chun for just a few months and concentrate exclusively on the sticky hands training exercise. As a result, it gets a C.

In the second part of this post, we’ll take a look at judo, freestyle wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling, Western boxing, capoeira, Tang Soo Do, Tae kwon do, wushu, kung fu, sumo, and sambo.