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

As we explored in the first part of this post, cross-training can improve your Muay Thai game, but not all martial arts are the same. To better understand which martial arts are most suitable for cross-training, Alby Tam of Combat Culture created the video below ranking 21 different disciplines.

In the first post, Alby covered Shotokan karate, Kyokushin karate, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, K1 kickboxing, aikido, tai chi, savate (French kickboxing), sanda, Lethwei (Burmese kickboxing), and Wing Chun. In this post, we’ll see how he ranks judo, freestyle wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling, Western boxing, capoeira, Tang Soo Do, taekwondo, wushu, kung fu, sumo, and sambo.

To reiterate, Alby’s 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.

That brings us to our first martial art: judo.

Judo – Grade: C

You can’t do a lot of the moves from judo legally in Muay Thai. Moreover, judo uses open hands and you’ll be in a gi. That’s not going to transfer over once you put your gloves on.

However, judo does give you a very strong foundation that will make it very difficult for someone to sweep you or catch you off balance. Alby gives it a grade of C and says that you should do it if there’s a judo gym nearby and it makes sense given your schedule.

Freestyle Wrestling – Grade: C

There are two types of wrestling in the ranking: freestyle and Greco-Roman. Put simply, the major difference is that you can go for the legs when you’re wrestling freestyle, but Greco-Roman is restricted to just above the waist.

Both styles can improve your balance and give you a stronger base, which will enhance your Muay Thai game. While this is like judo, what makes both styles different is that there are no gis in wrestling, which means your grappling is not gi-focused. One major drawback with freestyle wrestling is that your center of gravity tends to be very low. If you do that in Muay Thai, you will get kneed in the face. This is why Alby gives it a C.

Greco-Roman Wrestling – Grade: B

Alternatively, Greco-Roman wrestling really centers upon clinching and spatial awareness. It can also up your hand-fighting abilities. Moreover, since you are more upright because you’re not worried about someone going for your legs, it is less likely that you will feel it natural being in a posture that gets you kneed in the face. As a result, Greco-Roman wrestling receives a B.

Western Boxing – Grade: S

Traditional Muay Thai fighters are typically strongest with their kick and knee attacks. However, this is changing. Muay Thai is becoming more popular around the globe and people from countries with a strong tradition in Western boxing are becoming more common. Therefore, you need to be able to defend against boxing attacks in a way that you didn’t have to just a few years ago. Additionally, learning some of the footwork and drills that are taught in Western-style boxing classes will up your Muay Thai game. As a result, Alby gives boxing an S.

Capoeira – Grade: D

Capoeira may be one of the more graceful martial arts on the list, but it is not going to help you become a better Muay Thai fighter. This is why it gets a D.

Tang Soo Do – Grade: D

Tang Soo Do is a Korean martial art that is a combination of Shotokan karate and Chinese martial arts. It has been called Korean karate. Like Shotokan karate, it can be useful, but only after you invest a lot of time. Because of the amount of effort that you need to put into it to get something valuable out, Alby gives it a D.

Taekwondo – Grade: D

Taekwondo and Muay Thai are complementary. They both have strong kicking components and people with a background in taekwondo can move into Muay Thai relatively easily, but learning tae kwon do is not going to level up your Muay Thai. As a result, it gets a D.

Wushu – Grade: D

Wushu is an umbrella term for several styles of Chinese martial arts, but what sets it apart from other martial arts like kung fu is its performative nature. It looks fantastic, which is why a lot of successful actors who are known for their martial arts skills have wushu backgrounds. However, it’s not really proven as an actual combat sport. That’s why it receives a D.

Kung Fu – Grade: D

Traditional kung fu and wushu are similar, but kung fu is more combative. It’s also centered on stances and form. However, everything that is practical and useful from the perspective of a Muay Thai fighter can be found in sanda, which is why Alby gives kung fu a D.

Sumo – Grade: D

There’s not a lot of overlap with sumo and anything else besides maybe football and rugby. Moreover, it’s not the kind of sport that someone can casually jump into. It takes a lot of time and effort (and food). While you will develop a strong core and exceptional balance, there’s not enough to make it worthwhile. Consequently, it gets a D.

Sambo – Grade: A

Sambo is a Russian grappling martial art that combines wrestling and striking. Similar to boxing and Greco-Roman wrestling, sambo is not going to take you to the next level offensively in Muay Thai, but it is going to sharpen your defensive skills in a way that no other martial art on this list will. That’s why it gets an A.

To summarize, Alby thinks there’s a lot of Ds and a lot of Cs, but some of these martial arts can be extremely useful while cross-training with Muay Thai. The most suitable options are Western boxing (S), sambo (A), Greco-Roman wrestling (B), and K-1 kickboxing.