The influence of Dutch kickboxing on modern Thai fighters

The bell rang and it could be said that something was wrong. Not in a bad way, only different.

Instead of the usual game of chess at a slow pace that defined the traditional Muay Thai, the fighter in the red trunks came out by launching quick combinations: JAB-Cross-seacing. No Wai Kru. No slow burning. Only pressure, corners, volume. It seemed … western.

Rajadamnen’s crowd was not sure of how to react. The rhythm was faster. The leg of legs? Unorthodox. The fighter guard was tall and narrow, more boxing than Thai. He didn’t seem wrong, but he didn’t seem even Thailand to whom we were used to.

It was years ago, but he marked a change. Because whether or not he likes Purristi, Dutch kickboxing has changed the rhythm of the modern Muay Thai.

Wait, what is Dutch kickboxing anyway?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrjsbs5byi

Let’s make it clear it: Dutch Kickboxing is not just kickboxing from the Netherlands. It is a specific and aggressive style developed in the 70s and 80s by Dutch pioneers such as Jan Plas, Rob Kaman and subsequently Ernesto Hoost and Ramon Dekkers. They mixed Kyokushin Karate, Boxing and Muay Thai in something solely brutal-clox to high-volume punching football combinations, narrow guards and relentless pressure.

Where the traditional Muay Thai is rhythmic, reactive and imbued with scores (kicks more of punches, balance issues, etc.), Dutch -style kickboxing is more guided. It is a matter of breaking down the opponent, round for round. Less “art of eight arts”, more “storm of arts”. And it works.

Ramon Dekkers: the Dutch Tornado who shaken Thailand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh2rxzr7r-W

No article on this topic is complete without mentioning Ramon Dekkers, a man who has not simply influenced Thai fighters; Forced sport to evolve.

At the beginning of the 90s, Dekkers went up to the ring against some of the best Thai fighters in their courtyard. Sometimes he won, he sometimes lost, but he has always brought the struggle. His low kicks were punishing, his sharp boxing and his incessant rhythm. The Thai public had never seen anything like him.

He did not fight for points. He fought to finish. And while the traditionalists at the beginning remained behind, many in Thailand took notes, in particular the younger generations who have passed the ranks.

What borrowed Muay Thai fighters from the Dutch?

The best fighters of Muay Thai today, in particular those who compete in international formats such as a championship do not train in the void. The sport is global and the best fighters are the tactical gates, stealing the best pieces from every style.

Here’s what Dutch Kickboxing added to the mix:

• High volume combinations: Instead of one or two shots at a time, the modern fighters launch 4–6 strikes of strike. Think: JAB -Cross – Driving – Madio football football – head kick, not launched only once, but still and again to break down your defense.
• Flow flow on boxing: See narrower and more compact boxing techniques combined with head movement and corners that were rare in Thai gyms.
• Emphasis on legs of the legs: While Muay Thai has always had kicks for the legs, the Dutch style has emphasized them in sequences, not as autonomous attacks, but as finalists for the combinations.
• Forward pressure fight: Confohters as nong-o, Superbon and Rodtang (in their most aggressive fights) all elements of this: aggression on foot, boxing inside, cut-off footprints.

And it’s not just the adaptation of Thailand, it is a two -way exchange. Western fighters now train in Thailand more than ever, mixing their Dutch or K-1 roots with traditional Thai mechanics. A really deadly combination.

A clash of cultures that created a hybrid beast

What you are seeing now is not Dutch vs Thai. It is both. The best modern strikers obscure the line. They hook up like Thai, boxes like Dutch, kicks like wild and rebound between the set of rules.

Fighters like Tukkatatong Petpayathai, Sagetdao Petpayathai and others of Evolve Mma, many of whom compete in the Muay Thai rules of a championship, had to adapt to both styles. It is no longer a question of marking well in Thailand. These are versatility. What is honestly? Sport is better for this.

What does it mean for you (yes, you – the one who reads this on the fence on training)

The modern Muay Thai allows you to merge the tradition with versatility: the Thai rhythm with Dutch combo and adapts your style from the first day.

You don’t need to be a purist to start training Muay Thai. You don’t even need to choose one side.

The modern fighter and by extension, the modern student can take the best from both worlds.

• Do you want tradition, rhythm and flow of Muay Thai in Thai -style? It’s there.
• Do you want to launch combos and boxes on quick focus like a Dutch kickboxer? Also there.
• Do you want to move between the two depending on your opponent, your goals or mood? Now we are talking.

This hybridization is not only happening in the ring. It is happening in gyms, in classes and how people learn to move from the first day.

Muay Thai’s future is not just Tai – it is global

The beauty of Muay Thai is not only in its history. It is in its ability to evolve without losing its soul. What started in the battlefields of the Siam, sharp in the stadiums of Bangkok and challenged by Dutch flocks such as Dekkers … is now a form of global art. The fighters learn from each other. Mixture styles. The leg of legs becomes more clear. The hands become faster. And if you are launching your first jab or your 10,000th low football, even you are part of that evolution.

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