Sports & Fitness
Muay Thai
The roundhouse lands with the shin bone, not the top of the foot
The most common combat class in gyms, often taken as conditioning first, and one session leaves you soaked. Elbows and knees separate it from boxing, and the roundhouse lands with the shin, so shins hurt early and toughen slowly on the bag. Sparring is optional, since bag work and pad rounds with a coach carry you a long way. Shin guards and gloves are the purchases you cannot skip.
First stepBook a trial class with your own hand wraps; you'll throw round kicks and knees at pads, with no sparring.
Barriers
Cost to start
Under $50
Going deep → $2k–10k
Alone or with people
On your own
Effort
Demanding
Without a teacher?
Best with a class
One session takes
1–2 hours
Where
A venue
Why people take it up
Related guides
Keeping the spending in checkStarts at Under $50, going deep runs $2k–10kSkills
BuildsAerobic base ↗