Changing Perceptions Are Encouraging More People to Try Muay Thai

Millions of Americans practice some form of martial art. Karate and Taekwondo are arguably the most popular, but Muay Thai is gaining traction as well. There are a number of reasons that Muay Thai is becoming a much more popular martial art.

Why is Muay Thai More Popular?

Muay Thai has historically struggled to gain acceptance in the United States, but that has changed significantly over the last few years. The following trends are playing a role in making it more popular.

MMA

Most mixed martial arts (MMA) styles were based primarily off of taekwondo. However, many new MMA styles have incorporated Muay Thai instead. Many students first exposure to Muay Thai is through MMA, which is a concept that they are highly familiar with. They have witnessed fighters such as Anderson Silva perform, which has shown them the power that Muay Thai practitioners can develop if they train regularly.

Changing Views on Boxing

Many people used to believe that the boxing style used in Muay Thai would be ineffective in competition or actual combat. Those views have changed after people have been exposed to Muay Thai competitions on mainstream television and video streaming. They realize that it can be a highly effective style, which is encouraging more Americans to experiment with it.

Boxing

Change of Priorities

Many people were drawn to martial arts for superficial reasons. They see a variety of people in formal competitions and believed that stage fighting is what martial arts is all about. The lack of professional Muay Thai athletes had deterred people from trying it. More Muay Thai practitioners are competing, which should spur interest in the style.

However, another factor driving interest is that people’s priorities are changing. Rather than training to compete, many people want to learn to defend themselves and strike a balance in their lives. Muay Thai is focused more on practical self-defense than impressing spectators.

Will Muay Thai be the Next Major Martial Art in the United States?

There are a number of reasons that Muay Thai is gaining popularity in the United States. Some experts are still skeptical that it will ever be a mainstream style, but even they are recognizing that it is gaining acceptance in the western world.

Regardless of the rest of the country’s interest in Muay Thai, you should consider its benefits. It is a remarkably effective style of people that want to learn to defend themselves. It is also great exercise, so you should try taking Muay Thai classes in Portland if you want to experiment with the martial art.

Priya

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Priya is a technology blogger. She loves to blog about blogging, business, gadgets, social media, latest tech news and wordpress.

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