Old Style Muay Thai Round Kick

There are three key differences between the modern 'ring style' muay thai round kick and the old style, military muay thai round kick: the lean, the target and the bio mechanics. Ring style fighters tend to stand upright, back leg flat - old style requires the fighter's stance to remain leaning forward, which translates into every strike. In the ring, the goal is to score points or get the knock out, so kicks are aimed at the center of the thigh or thrown up high to the head. Never throw a high kick in the street, you're more likely than not to either slip or get caught. Ledrit and muay baron kicks are aimed lower towards the knee. In combat you won't lose a point for blowing you your opponent's knee, you survive. Thirdly, the bio mechanics between the two are completely different. I trained at a ring style school in Seoul and having never seen my style of kicks before, they continually tried to correct me.

I put this short video today to give a little demonstration of the difference between the ring and the old styles of muay thai. Pardon the production quality and the fact that my form is a little messy. Take a look...