Kickboxing Classes in Singapore: Why Muay Thai Is the Better Place to Start

If you are searching for kickboxing classes in Singapore because you want to learn to punch and kick properly, Muay Thai teaches all of it, and more. Pineapple MMA at 139 Cecil Street, two minutes from Telok Ayer MRT, does not run kickboxing classes. We teach Muay Thai and boxing, and a $38 trial class is the simplest way to find out whether Muay Thai gives you what you were looking for.

That is not a sales trick. Muay Thai is the striking art that kickboxing borrowed its kicks from, and a Muay Thai class covers every punch, kick and defensive habit a kickboxing class does. This guide explains what kickboxing actually is, where it differs from Muay Thai, why the cardio kickboxing sold in studios is a different product, and why most beginners who start out searching for kickboxing are better served by a Muay Thai syllabus.

What People Mean by Kickboxing

Kickboxing in Singapore means two quite different things depending on which door you walk through. In a fitness studio it is a cardio class built around punching and kicking a bag to music. In a combat sports gym it is a striking sport with a syllabus. Both are sold under the same name, and only one of them will teach you to strike.

As a sport, kickboxing combines boxing punches with kicks, and there are several rulesets. K-1 style, the most widely practised competitively, allows punches, kicks and knees with very limited clinching. American kickboxing restricts kicks to above the waist. Dutch-style kickboxing is known for heavy combinations of punches finished with low kicks. What they share is a stance closer to boxing, plenty of head movement and a fast, combination-heavy rhythm.

Every one of those styles drew on Muay Thai. The roundhouse kick, the low kick, the teep and the knee all come from Thailand. So the real question for a beginner is not which sport is better, but which one teaches the most complete version of the skills you want.

Kickboxing Versus Muay Thai: What Is the Same

The overlap is much bigger than the difference, which is why the switch is easy.

• Punches: the jab, cross, hook and uppercut are taught the same way in both, with the same guard and the same footwork

• Kicks: the roundhouse kick to the legs, body and head is the core kick in both. In Muay Thai you learn it with the shin, which is how kickboxers throw it too

• Defence: blocking, slipping, checking kicks and keeping your hands up are drilled every session in both

• Conditioning: both are trained in timed rounds on pads and bags, so the fitness you build is the same

• Coaching: in a proper gym, a coach corrects your stance, balance and technique in both. That is the part that makes you better

If you walk into a Muay Thai class expecting kickboxing, the first half hour will feel familiar. You will be throwing jabs, crosses and roundhouse kicks within your first session. We have broken the kick down step by step in our guide to throwing a Muay Thai roundhouse kick.

Kickboxing Versus Muay Thai: What Is Different

The differences are all additions on the Muay Thai side.

• Elbows: Muay Thai uses them at close range. Most kickboxing rulesets ban them

• Knees: Muay Thai uses straight and curved knees, from range and from the clinch. Kickboxing allows some, with tight limits

• The clinch: Muay Thai has a full standing grappling range for controlling posture and balance. Kickboxing breaks the clinch almost immediately

• The teep: Muay Thai's push kick is a main weapon for controlling distance. It barely features in most kickboxing

• Stance: Muay Thai stands a little taller and squarer so you can check kicks with your shin. Kickboxing sits lower, closer to boxing

None of those is an obstacle for a beginner. They are extra tools, taught one at a time once the basics are in place. You can start Muay Thai, learn exactly what a kickboxer learns, and pick up the rest as you go.

Why Muay Thai Is the Better Place to Start

For someone who wants kickboxing skills, there are four practical reasons to choose Muay Thai.

You learn the complete toolkit

Muay Thai is often called the art of eight limbs: fists, elbows, knees and shins. A kickboxing syllabus teaches four or six of them. Starting with the full set means nothing is missing later, whichever direction you take your training.

The skills transfer one way more easily

Someone trained in Muay Thai who tries a kickboxing class only has to put tools away. Someone trained in kickboxing who moves to Muay Thai has to learn the clinch, elbows and kick-checking from scratch, and often has to raise a stance built too low to check kicks.

Your defence is more complete

Because Muay Thai includes knees, elbows and the clinch, you learn to defend against them. That makes you a calmer, more balanced striker at every range, and it matters if part of your reason for training is being able to look after yourself.

There is a clear path from your first class

At Pineapple MMA a beginner starts in the Muay Thai Foundations class, which covers stance, guard, footwork and the basic punches and kicks. From there you move into the main Muay Thai classes and, when you are ready, technique, sparring and clinching classes. You always know what the next step is.

If It Is the Punching You Love, We Teach Boxing Too

Some people searching for kickboxing really want the hands. If combinations, head movement and footwork are what draw you in, our boxing classes teach exactly that, from the same studio at 139 Cecil Street. Plenty of members train both, and the punching you learn in boxing makes your Muay Thai sharper. If you cannot decide between the two, our comparison of Muay Thai versus boxing in Singapore sets out who each one suits.

Cardio Kickboxing Is a Different Product

Studio kickboxing, sometimes sold as cardio kickboxing or boxercise, is a fitness class. Lights down, music up, an instructor calling combinations to a full room hitting bags or air. It is genuinely good exercise and there is nothing wrong with it.

But nobody in that room is correcting your kick. You will get fitter without getting better, because the class is not built to teach you. The test is simple: if nobody adjusted your stance, your guard or your hip rotation during the hour, it was a fitness class. That is fine if a workout is all you wanted. If you wanted to learn to strike, a coached Muay Thai class gives you the same workout and the skill.

What Your First Muay Thai Class Looks Like

A class runs about an hour and follows a consistent shape, so a kickboxing beginner will recognise most of it.

• Warm up and movement: skipping, shadow work and mobility for hips, shoulders and ankles, with your stance and guard set here

• Technique: one or two techniques broken down and drilled slowly, usually the jab and cross, the roundhouse kick or the teep

• Pads and bags: timed rounds applying what you have just drilled, with a coach on pads or on one of our 18 YOKKAO bags

• Conditioning and stretch: core and bodyweight work, then a guided stretch to finish

If you want the trial walked through minute by minute, we have done it in our guide to booking a trial Muay Thai class. What runs when, and which classes are open to beginners, is on the schedule.

Who Makes the Switch

The people who come to us after searching for kickboxing tend to fall into a few groups.

• People bored of the gym who want an hour with structure, a coach and something to get better at

• People who want to get fit without steady-state cardio. The rounds format does the work for you

• Desk workers with tight hips and shoulders. Kicking and rotating through the trunk is unusually good for people who sit all day

• People who want a basic ability to look after themselves, without wanting to compete

• People who tried a cardio kickboxing studio and wanted someone to actually teach them

Everything is scalable. You choose the power on the bag and the pace of the round, and sparring is optional and only introduced once your defence is reliable. You do not need to be fit, flexible or coordinated to start.

What It Costs

Studio cardio kickboxing typically sells as class packs or a studio membership. Muay Thai at a combat gym sells as a membership, with the weekly rate falling as the term lengthens. Our rates are published in full, including GST, on the pricing page, and a trial class is $38 including GST. When you compare gyms, compare the total cost of a term rather than a headline weekly rate, and check whether there is a structured beginner class rather than a single mixed-level session.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Pineapple MMA offer kickboxing classes?

No. Pineapple MMA teaches Muay Thai and boxing, not kickboxing. Muay Thai covers every punch, kick and defensive skill taught in kickboxing, and adds elbows, knees and the clinch. Most people who come to us looking for kickboxing start in the Muay Thai Foundations class, and anyone who mainly wants to punch can join the boxing classes instead.

Is kickboxing the same as Muay Thai?

No, though they overlap heavily. Both are stand-up striking sports built on punches and roundhouse kicks, trained in timed rounds on pads and bags. Muay Thai also uses elbows, knees and clinch work, and stands taller so you can check kicks with the shin. Kickboxing sits lower and breaks the clinch quickly. Muay Thai includes everything kickboxing teaches.

Is Muay Thai harder than kickboxing for a beginner?

Not at the start. A beginner's first month of Muay Thai covers the same ground as kickboxing: stance, guard, footwork, the jab, the cross and the roundhouse kick. Elbows, knees and the clinch are added gradually once the basics are steady. At Pineapple MMA the Muay Thai Foundations class exists so that complete beginners are never thrown in at the deep end.

Can I switch to kickboxing later if I start with Muay Thai?

Yes, and it is the easier direction. A Muay Thai student moving to kickboxing mostly has to stop using elbows and the clinch and lower their stance slightly. A kickboxer moving to Muay Thai has to learn those skills from scratch. Starting with Muay Thai at Pineapple MMA keeps both options open.

Do I need to be fit to start Muay Thai?

No. Every drill is scalable, because you control the power and pace on the bag, and the first weeks focus on stance, balance and footwork rather than conditioning. Fitness follows from training regularly. A $38 trial class at Pineapple MMA, 139 Cecil Street, is the easiest way to see how a session feels before committing.

Try Muay Thai Instead

If you came looking for kickboxing and you want coaching rather than a playlist, try a Muay Thai class with us. A trial class is $38 including GST, and you can see every class we run on the classes page.

We are at 139 Cecil Street, #14-01 YSY Building, two minutes from Telok Ayer MRT and under ten minutes from Tanjong Pagar and Raffles Place. Open 6.30am to 10pm on weekdays and 9am to 4pm at weekends, with classes seven days a week.