The Best Books to learn Muay Thai

When it comes to learning Muay Thai, it’s great to train in person. However, sometimes you cannot physically train due to the busy nature of everyday life. This is where books come into play and can help you improve very quickly. Imagine getting a 30 minute train journey into work whilst doing nothing. Now, imagine doing the same journey whilst reading a book on how to improve your kicking technique. As said, nothing beats physical training.

However, reading and literature can massively supplement your training and help improve your technique. Remember, it’s always good to keep an active mind – even whilst you’re not training in person, as long as your mind doesn’t switch off then you can still learn.

These books are selected based on certain criteria. This criteria includes:

• Price
• Length
• Educational photographs
• Writing Style
• Quality content

Muay Thai Mastery by Jerry Laurita

This book is a great starting point for any newcomer to Muay Thai and can also supplement more experienced practitioners. It is also accompanied by over 600 demonstration photographs which make it easier to understand and digest. As well, author Jerry Laurita is has been training Muay Thai since 1980. With this in mind, we’re literally talking several decades of experience that is poured into this book. Overall, it covers a bit of everything. From stances, to knees, to clinches and even self defense – it is a very comprehensive guide.

Muay Thai: The Footwork by Tony Yuan

As this book suggests, it is based entirely on footwork. As Yuan says, whether it’s punches, kicks or any form of striking – the power is always generated from your feet. This means it’s vitally important as a beginner to master footwork and it can be one of the most frustrating and important aspects to learn. In short, if you get down good footwork then all of your other areas of Muay Thai will follow suit. This book is also supplemented with 160 instructional photos and is designed to simplify footwork for the common man to learn.

Muay Thai Basics by Christoph Delp

This book is ideal for newbies and beginners. It is self-described as an introductory course and teaches you the starting blocks and basics of Muay Thai. This is quite literal at times, as it even describes what to do in the opening seconds of a fight and what stances to use as well as other techniques and tactics. Interestingly, Delp also delves into the history and rules of Muay Thai. This means that if you plan on entering a Muay Thai fight, then this book is a good idea as it will prepare you with the rules. The last thing you want to do is dominate a bout and get disqualified on your debut. Overall, this is a fantastic starting point for anyone who is new to Muay Thai.

How To Fight Muay Thai by Jane Mosley

Jane Mosley is another author with bags of competition experience under her belt and knows Muay Thai incredibly well. Yet again, this is a decent starting point for any beginner in Muay Thai and helps to explain the basics. For example, Mosley even describes the process of wrapping your hands correctly, what to expect in your first class, and also how to train as efficiently as possible. It also goes into detail about the culture surrounding the martial art, explaining the headgear and terminology that is commonly used but may be alien to beginners.

Muay Thai: Peace, At Last by Michael Goodison

This book is a bit different compared to others on the list and is written from the biographical perspective of Michael Goodison. Here, he documents his literal Muay Thai journey that saw him train in Thailand, live in the jungle, and eventually enter his own fight. Although this book won’t teach you much in the way of technique, it is good to learn about the culture and lifestyle that surrounds Muay Thai. This is well written and is a fun read from the perspective of a westerner who goes deep into the Muay Thai way of life.

Muay Thai Unleashed by Erich Krauss

Muay Thai Unleashed isn’t just written by Erich Krauss, it also features extracts from professional fighters such as Glen Cordoza and others. This is a technique guide on how to improve your Muay Thai and focuses on the basic areas such as footwork, clinches, knees and many other areas of attack. Importantly, this book also looks at combinations that are arguably the most important aspect of any fighter’s arsenal. It’s one thing learning the odd punch or kick, but throwing it all together will help with your progression massively.

Muay Thai Boran by Marco De Cesaris

At over 400 pages in length, this is literally one of the biggest Muay Thai books out there with no detail spared. In short, this offers a comprehensive guide of everything you need to know about the martial art. It has all aspects of Muay Thai covered and even goes into great detail on the grappling side of things. Obviously, grappling has always been a key part of the martial art, but is sometimes glossed over in favor of striking. Nonetheless, this has everything you would want in a book. The term ‘Boran’ means ancient boxing and is commonly used to describe Muay Thai in Thailand. However, there is nothing ancient about this book.

Preparing For Your First Muay Thai Fight by Johnathan Puu

As you may have gathered, this book is based on the preparation aspects of your first fight. Going into your first fight can be mentally and physically tiring, so it’s best to get everything done as correctly as possible. Speaking from experience, Puu offers first hand insight on how you should prepare for the big day. It should be noted that this book is only 60 pages in length. However, it’s probably the only book out there that is based solely on preparing for your first Muay Thai fight. With this in mind, it’s actually quite comprehensive when it comes to what to look out for and covers everything you’d like to know.

Muay by Master Lee

This book is interesting as it’s devoted to submission holds from the feet. Although this is incredibly rare in Muay Thai, it’s still something that can happen in fights so is worth learning, especially if you’re more experienced. So far, a lot of the books on this list are for beginners, but this is geared towards those who want to learn more intricate details of the art. There are various standing submissions here that are similar to those you’d find in Japanese or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Just make sure these are legal whether training these techniques in the gym or in a Muay Thai fight.

Muay Thai Counter Techniques by Christophe Delp

Christophe Delp returns, this time showing you how to counter techniques commonly found in Muay Thai. For instance, if someone throws a kick, you can potentially counter with a punch. This information is particularly useful when using the Thai clinch, as there’s a lot of stuff going on and counters need to be learned. At the same time, this book is probably suited more towards advanced practitioners rather than complete beginners. The reason for this is that when you first start training, rarely will you focus on counters beyond one or two moves or combos. With this in mind, it’s an ideal companion for those looking to elevate their Muay Thai skills to the next level.

Muay Thai by Panya Kraitus

This book is written by those who love Muay Thai and so the foundation of this is based on the spiritual side of things. Because of this, this probably isn’t the best book to learn technique from in all fairness. Instead, it’s good to learn the culture from and truly understand what it’s about. This means that if you’ve never been to Thailand or trained under a Thai coach, then you may be missing out on the culture. If you want the next best thing, then this book fits the purpose.