Muay Thai vs Dutch Kickboxing: Understanding the Key Differences
What is Dutch kickboxing?
Dutch kickboxing is a striking martial art that originated in the Netherlands in the 1970s. It is a style of kickboxing that combines elements of traditional Muay Thai, karate, and boxing, and emphasizes powerful strikes, footwork, and technical sparring.
Dutch kickboxing was developed by Dutch martial artist Jan Plas, who trained in Muay Thai in Thailand and adapted the style to suit his own fighting style and preferences. He incorporated boxing techniques and footwork to create a more fluid and dynamic style of kickboxing that emphasized movement, speed, and precision.
Dutch kickboxing is known for its focus on powerful punching combinations and low kicks, which are delivered with speed and accuracy. It also places a greater emphasis on footwork and movement, with fighters using angles and feints to evade their opponents' attacks and set up their own strikes.
Dutch kickboxing has produced many successful fighters, including multiple K-1 and Glory Kickboxing champions such as Peter Aerts, Ernesto Hoost, and Rico Verhoeven. It has also become popular in the MMA world, with many fighters incorporating Dutch kickboxing techniques into their striking repertoire.
Today, Dutch kickboxing is practiced in gyms and martial arts schools around the world, and is known for its practicality and effectiveness in real-world self-defense situations as well as in combat sports competitions.
What is the difference between Muay Thai and Dutch kickboxing techniques?
Muay Thai and Dutch kickboxing share some similarities in their techniques, as both are striking martial arts that involve punches, kicks, knees, and elbows. However, there are also significant differences in their techniques. Here are some of the main differences:
Use of elbows and knees - Muay Thai places a greater emphasis on using elbows and knees, and is sometimes referred to as the "art of eight limbs". Muay Thai fighters use a variety of elbow and knee strikes from different angles and distances, often in the clinch or close range. In contrast, Dutch kickboxing emphasizes punching combinations and low kicks, and does not permit elbow strikes to the head or knees to the head.
Footwork and movement - Dutch kickboxing places a greater emphasis on footwork and movement, with fighters using angles, footwork, and feints to create openings for strikes and evade their opponent's attacks. Muay Thai also uses footwork and movement, but tends to rely more on maintaining a strong base and clinching to control the opponent.
Striking - Muay Thai fighters are often trained to focus on individual strikes such as elbows, knees, and kicks, which are designed to cause significant damage and potentially end the fight with a single blow. As a result, Muay Thai fighters may be more likely to look for openings to land these powerful strikes, and may not rely as heavily on combinations. Dutch kickboxers, on the other hand, often incorporate more Western-style boxing techniques, such as jab-cross combinations, into their striking arsenal. These combinations allow the fighter to string together multiple strikes and keep their opponent off balance, making it more difficult for them to mount an effective defense. However, there are many exceptions to this rule and the preference for single powerful strikes or combinations is largely dependent on the individual fighter's training, style, and strategy, as well as the particular ruleset and context of the fight.
Stance - The stance in Muay Thai is typically more squared off, with the lead foot turned out slightly to allow for greater mobility in the clinch. In Dutch kickboxing, the stance is often more bladed, with the lead foot pointed straight ahead to facilitate fast lateral movement.
Target areas - Muay Thai and Dutch kickboxing have different rules and target areas. Muay Thai permits strikes to the head with elbows and knees, while Dutch kickboxing prohibits these techniques to the head. In Dutch kickboxing, the target areas are typically the head, body, and legs, while in Muay Thai, the target areas also include the arms and shins.
Clinching - Muay Thai places a greater emphasis on clinching, which involves grappling with the opponent in close range and using knee strikes and sweeps. Dutch kickboxing permits clinching but does not allow knee strikes or sweeps from the clinch.
Overall, while both Muay Thai and Dutch kickboxing share similarities in their techniques, they have distinct differences in the use of elbows and knees, footwork and movement, stance, target areas, and clinching.
Who are the most famous Dutch kickboxers?
Dutch kickboxing has produced many famous and successful fighters over the years. Here are some of the most notable Dutch kickboxers:
Ramon Dekkers - Widely regarded as one of the greatest kickboxers of all time, Dekkers was a multiple-time world champion in Muay Thai and kickboxing, with a record of 186 wins, 33 losses, and 2 draws.
Peter Aerts - Known as "The Dutch Lumberjack", Aerts was a four-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion and a three-time IKF World Heavyweight champion, with a record of 105 wins, 30 losses, and 1 draw.
Ernesto Hoost - A four-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion, Hoost was known for his powerful low kicks and devastating knee strikes, and had a record of 99 wins, 21 losses, and 1 draw.
Remy Bonjasky - A three-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion, Bonjasky was known for his high kicks and aerial attacks, and had a record of 95 wins, 12 losses, and 1 draw.
Semmy Schilt - A four-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion, Schilt was known for his towering height (he stands at 6'11") and powerful striking, and had a record of 43 wins, 6 losses, and 1 draw.
Rico Verhoeven - The current Glory Kickboxing heavyweight champion, Verhoeven has a record of 58 wins, 10 losses, and 1 draw, and is known for his well-rounded striking skills and powerful low kicks.
These are just a few of the most famous and successful Dutch kickboxers. Dutch kickboxing has a rich history and tradition of producing top-level fighters, and continues to be a dominant.