Karate Vs Muay Thai – Which is better

When it comes to striking martial arts, there are two that distinctly come to mind. These are Karate and Muay Thai. In short, these two martial arts both have a decorated past and are known around the globe. However, there are some big differences between the two.

Here, we shall discuss the pros and cons of either martial art and ultimately, which one is better. For the record, this article is neutral and we don’t favor one over the other. Instead, we’re just going to be honest. Regardless of what discipline is better, it’s also fair to say that if taught correctly, both Karate and Muay Thai are incredibly effective when it comes to fighting and self defense.

What is the main difference between Karate and Muay Thai?

Differences in clothing and cultures

Ultimately, both martial arts involve striking, but like every discipline, they’re shaped by their rules. This means a Karateka will usually wear a Karate gi when fighting, whereas a Muay Thai fighter will wear shorts and nothing else.

Not only this but generally, Karate is a bit more serious. This may be due to Karate coming from Japan, whereas Muay Thai is from Thailand. Basically, Karate has tradtitional martial arts customs such as bowing and uniforms, whereas Muay Thai is a bit more casual and relaxed. Aside from uniform and cultural differences, there’s more that they don’t have in common.

Differences in striking

Firstly, you cannot strike with your elbows or knees in Karate. You can kick and punch, but not hit with elbows or knees. This differs from Muay Thai where there’s a big emphasis on elbows and knees which changes the dynamic of fighting massively. In Muay Thai, this is known as using your 8 limbs – whereas Karate prohibits such attacks.

Typically, Karateka’s will be better at landing kicks from distance, whereas Muay Thai is better at using punches from close range.

Differences in takedowns

Both styles actually have a few things in common though, which revolves around takedowns. Although they’re both primarily based on striking, takedowns are also used. In Muay Thai, this mostly involves foot sweeps which are also used in Karate, as well as takedowns which are similar to those used in Judo. In other words, it’s fair to say that Karate has more takedowns but these are dependent on the gi, whereas Muay Thai’s trips are used without the gi.

Differences in the clinch

Obviously, Muay Thai has a big emphasis on clinch work as this is where a lot of elbow and knee strikes come from. However, in Karate – sometimes clinching isn’t allowed and isn’t part of the rules. It should be noted that the toughest form of Karate (Kyokushin) does allow clinches, but most forms do not. This is once again an example of how the rules dictate the martial art.

Often in Karate, you can clinch but you can only punch below the shoulders which takes away a lot of the benefits of clinch fighting. It also doesn’t allow for low kicks to the calves, whereas this is fully legal in Muay Thai. Thus, a clinch is much more dominant in Muay Thai compared to Karate.

Differences in styles

One of the biggest differences is the interpretation of how to strike your opponent. In Karate, there’s often an emphasis placed on speed and precision. The point is to try and accurately hit the opponent as quickly as possible to avoid retaliation.

In Muay Thai, there’s a far greater emphasis on hitting with power. Often, the kicks won’t be as flexible in Muay Thai, but the punches will be thrown with more force and impact. The negative of this is that it means you’re more likely to miss or get hit with a counter. Ultimately, each style has its own pros and cons.

Has Karate been watered down compared to Muay Thai?

As mentioned earlier, if you want a brutal form of Karate, then learning Kyokushin is a great place to start. In fact, back in 1963, three fighters from Kyokushin fought three Muay Thai fighters in a challenge. The Karateka’s won 2-1 overall. Sadly, since then the international reputation of Karate has suffered and in some circles, Karate is even laughed at.

The reason for this is the watering down of Karate. Due to movies such as The Karate Kid, Karate ballooned in popularity in the 80s and 90s. This also led to strip mall dojos opening up with questionable sensei’s and techniques. Because of this, the overall standards fell across the board. These days, it can be quite difficult at times to find a legit Karate dojo because of this.

In other words, Karate as a whole slipped into a McDojo culture where money was prioritized over legitimacy. Whilst not always the case, Karate became so popular that it was hard to police. Thankfully, this never happened with Muay Thai which has maintained its tough reputation to this day. One reason for this may be its lack of belts, which mean frauds aren’t attracted to Muay Thai to gain recognition

What is better, Karate or Muay Thai?

Firstly, it really depends on your own personal preference and what you want from training. On the one hand, you could argue that Muay Thai is better than Karate for self defense. On the other hand, Muay Thai may feel too intimidating and may be too hard on the body if you’re older or less serious about training. This is where the benefits of Karate come in.

The good news is that if you want to train Karate then there are still real places around, you just have to be careful in picking your dojo. Remember, not everywhere practices Kumite (sparring) so you may need to ask around before starting. As well, we can also be thankful for Kyokushin which still keeps the legacy of Karate alive.

To sum up, if you were to take the average Muay Thai fighter and put them against a Karateka under MMA rules (where neither has an advantage) – then the average Muay Thai fighter would win most of the times, because of more realistic training and being able to use other limbs.

However, this doesn’t mean that Karate is a joke. If you were to pair up a Muay Thai fighter against a Kyukoshin fighter too, then it would suddenly become more even. As a result, it’s fair to say that both are great martial arts in their own right. But, since its creation, a lot of Karate has become less realistic, whereas Muay Thai has maintained its original effectiveness.

If you’re looking to improve your fighting skills then check out this book which is focused on kicks. It offers kicking techniques for both Karate and Muay Thai practitioners.