Muay Thai Kickboxing for MMA by Gregg DePasquale



Gregg DePasquale Training with Aitsara Tamnanchiwit



The head trainer eyes the camera as his student passes on his gyms knowledge

My main focus for the past 3 weeks has been Muay Thai Kickboxing.  While it is a sport in which I am passionate about and really enjoy training, my primary training for almost my entire life has been Wrestling, Submission Grappling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  I have been blessed with the luck to train with, and by some of the best combat sports participants in the world, whether it is Olympic wrestlers, Kickboxing world champions or Mundial (BJJ) and Abu Dhabi (ADCC) world champions.  


With that being said the training that I have been getting in Thailand has been top notch.  Some of my trainers include Lumpinee Stadium Champions, Ratchadamnoen Stadium Champions and K1 Champions...these guys know their stuff, and have been perfecting their craft since they were old enough to strap on their own gloves.  That being said, from a striking for MMA standpoint I feel Muay Thai must be modified to some extent, for example (in my humble opinion) the hand position in the stance is a little loose, the hands are kept a bit too far apart which could allow for small professional size mixed martial arts gloves to sneak through.  And one of the most important aspects of the stand-up game is the ability to not get taken down and dictate where the fight takes place which again the traditional Thai style stance is not conducive to (and why should it be after all, they don't have to worry about ground and pound or submissions in Thai fighting). 


The point is, this game that we all love is truly Mixed Martial Arts and EVERYTHING has to be modified from its original form...when it gets put together as a whole the sum of its pieces are reflective of their pure discipline but refined in order to adapt.  This is something that at D'Arce Jiu Jitsu and MMA in Long Island New York we do better than anyone.  After all of my travels and training with the best of the best I can say this from true experience.  If you are in the Long Island area and have an interest in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Kickboxing, or Mixed Martial Arts you have to see our trainers in action...I guarantee you will leave impressed not with just the skill set each possesses but the atmosphere in which everyone learns.