Shin breaks in muay thai?

padmakara

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After seeing Anderson's shin break last night, it got me to think: although there seems to be a pretty solid kickboxing tradition in Brazil (at least over the past couple decades, my knowledge of history in Brazil previous to that is lacking), the Brazilians do not seem to fight like more traditional muay thai artists do. One thing I note whenever I've seen documentaries or videos about muay thai is the focus on bone strengthening techniques, like kicking banana trees. Now I have no idea if they do any of these techniques in Brazil, but I've never seen them in Chute Boxe training videos, instead they work pads and heavy bags.

That got me to wonder if Silva's breakage would have been less likely had he trained his shins harder. And that brings to mind the question: how often has there been similar shin breakages due to check low kicks in muay thai fighters that trained extensively the traditional shin strengthening techniques? Can anyone name some fights were similar injuries happened?

Thanks!
 
Pros aren't kicking banana trees as part of regular training that's a big myth. Most shin conditioning comes from the heavybag.
 
Was expecting this topic to crop up....this is what happens when farang mess with power they no understand!
 
True, however it also helps to use other techniques such as this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0B05IG6hqs

I think this is especially useless. Yes your bone density increases if you put pressure on it regularly but that in the video isn't nearly enough pressure the only thing it does is killing the nerves but it doesn't make your bone harder. And if you don't feel anything on your leg but your bone isn't harder isn't it even more likely to break?
Kicking the heavy bag is most liekly a much better exercise to increase bone density, or running/sprinting a lot, doing stuff like heavy squats and consuming enough calcium.
It just makes no sense if you kcik a bag there's much more pressure on your bone than if you slap it with a little piece of wood I doubt that this is enough pressure to increase the bone density
 
It's not like the Thais are super humans, don't forget that their nutrition and strength/conditioning programs aren't as up to date as richer countries. Protein, supplements and milk are very expensive over there.

I think it has more to do with that they also don't throw full blast kicks at a high percentage block like the inside low kick.
 
Lol Banana tree kicking might've been done in the past, but as far as I know(and if you actually watched MT camp training videos) everyone uses Heavy bags to condition their shins. There are videos of Buakaw chopping down a banana tree with his kicks, but this wouldn't be a normal thing.

Nak Muay would have stronger legs than an MMA fighter with a Muay Thai base though because they train more in the art. Plus, you don't really hear about shin breaks in Muay Thai because you actually very rarely even see low kicks in MT especially thrown with any kind of force(without a set up) like Silva did. You might see guys like Petchartchai Chaorai-Oi or Pornsanaeh Sitmonthchai throw them after a punch combo, but on average you just don't see them because guys in MT actually have the sense to do what Weidman did which is check the kick.
 
If you watch Anderson training he looks lazy,he never seems to be kicking pad,bag or anything with full power.
So add age to that and poor conditioning and you get a snap.
It really is a pain when the UFC talk about what an epic Muay Thai fighter Anderson is when which world class Muay Thai fighter did he fight full Thai rules?
I think his style was more tricky kickboxing.
Conditioning is the key.
 
what about twig legs=more chances of shin break?

is that a myth?
 
Nak Muay would have stronger legs than an MMA fighter with a Muay Thai base though because they train more in the art. Plus, you don't really hear about shin breaks in Muay Thai because you actually very rarely even see low kicks in MT especially thrown with any kind of force(without a set up) like Silva did. You might see guys like Petchartchai Chaorai-Oi or Pornsanaeh Sitmonthchai throw them after a punch combo, but on average you just don't see them because guys in MT actually have the sense to do what Weidman did which is check the kick.

Bingo. Not to mention most nak muay start lighter on the low kicks and start turning up the heat as the fight progresses and their opponent's leg gets more battered (and they are therefore less likely to check effectively).
 
If you watch Anderson training he looks lazy,he never seems to be kicking pad,bag or anything with full power.
So add age to that and poor conditioning and you get a snap.
It really is a pain when the UFC talk about what an epic Muay Thai fighter Anderson is when which world class Muay Thai fighter did he fight full Thai rules?
I think his style was more tricky kickboxing.
Conditioning is the key.

lol this annoys me as well
 
I recall a very similar event during Buakaw's match with Marco Pique in the 1st round; lower shin connects with the upper area of the opponent's shin. The sound it makes is frightening, you'd think for sure it would've broken like Anderson's, but Buakaw's shin remarkably remains intact as if it were made of titanium. There's no doubt a difference in how their shins are conditioned over there:

okzu3a.gif


@ 2:33

 
I've also got a question. Would someone's shin be less or more likely to break if they had a larger muscle and fat mass, but weaker bone density? Or would the extra fat and muscle be insufficient to protect them? Just wondering.
 
I don't think being fat would help protect your tibia, it is all about bone vs bone contact.
Anderson's shin is just not that well conditioned, and his offensive striking has always been
his weakness. He threw strikes without setting them up so Weidman got full counter.
If it is Anderson instead of Buakaw above, his shin will probably break.
 
He threw strikes without setting them up so Weidman got full counter.
This!

A lot of MMA guys look at checks like they're just a block but they can be used offensively to hurt the kicker. Anderson was already getting his kicks checked and continued to telegraph them without setting them up with hand combinations or feints. That's on him, not a freak accident IMO.
 
This!

A lot of MMA guys look at checks like they're just a block but they can be used offensively to hurt the kicker. Anderson was already getting his kicks checked and continued to telegraph them without setting them up with hand combinations or feints. That's on him, not a freak accident IMO.

Post this in the heavies, a lot of mouth breathers are saying the win doesn't count since it's a "freak accident".
 
I recall a very similar event during Buakaw's match with Marco Pique in the 1st round; lower shin connects with the upper area of the opponent's shin. The sound it makes is frightening, you'd think for sure it would've broken like Anderson's, but Buakaw's shin remarkably remains intact as if it were made of titanium. There's no doubt a difference in how their shins are conditioned over there:

okzu3a.gif


@ 2:33


Sure, buakaw undoubtedly has harder shins.

But Anderson fights at 185 where Buakaw fights at ~155. Anderson definitely cuts more weight too. He has more mass, and can thus generate more absolute force. His build is skinny and long.

The physics of situation are entirely different, its not just a matter of kicking technique or training style
 
Shinbreaks occur in all sports with lowkicks. Thai Nak Muay are not immune and anyone claiming otherwise is full of BS (and usually nut-clinging hero wordhip).
It is rare everywhere but it happens everywhere. K-1, kyokushin, Sanda, Muay thai, Shootboxing ...and MMA. And as far as I know there is no study made about in which, if any, one it happens with the highest frequency.
Sometime shit just happens!
 
you don't really hear about shin breaks in Muay Thai because you actually very rarely even see low kicks in MT especially thrown with any kind of force(without a set up) like Silva did.

I thought about that - and it was very telegraphed (silva's kick). I think anderson has gotten away with a lot based on his speed and athleticism in the past and now he is slowing down he can't get away with it.

similar to roy jones imo.
 
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