Muay Thai vs. Dutch Kickboxing
Quick answer
Dutch Kickboxing grew out of kyokushin, Japanese kickboxing and Muay Thai in the Amsterdam gyms Mejiro and Chakuriki, and its fighters have faced Muay Thai since the seventies. Muay Thai fights with elbows, knees and in the clinch, which the referee breaks with the command yaek, while the Dutch rules and Glory prohibit elbows and break the clinch after 3–5 seconds. The Muay Thai federation IFMA has had full IOC recognition since 2021, neither is Olympic.
At a glance
| Muay Thai | Dutch Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Thailand | Netherlands |
| Origin | 20th century (present form) | 20th century (present form) |
| Contact | Full contact | Full contact |
| Sparring | Full contact | Full contact |
| Competition format | Full contact | Full contact |
| Olympic status | Not Olympic | Not Olympic |
| Ranks | No | – |
| Rank recognition | fragmented | – |
| Attire | Shorts and guards | Shorts and guards |
| Weapons | No weapons | No weapons |
| Forms | No forms | No forms |
| Relative cost | medium | medium |
| Techniques in the encyclopedia | 14 | – |
Scales 1–5
Rated for the typical training of an adult beginner in an ordinary club, calibrated across all arts.
What each art is built from
Editorial rating 0–3: how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
History and relationship
Dutch Kickboxing grew out of kyokushin, Japanese kickboxing and Muay Thai in the gyms of Amsterdam. No source names a single founder, and some authors see it more as a training trend than a distinct style.
- 1965: Jon Bluming becomes the first non-Japanese to receive the 6th dan in kyokushin from Masutatsu Oyama.
- 1966: Kenji Kurosaki, who had earlier fought a Thai boxer at Lumpinee, spends eleven months in the Netherlands with Jon Bluming.
- 1972: Thom Harinck founds Chakuriki Gym in Amsterdam, in 1976 the NKBB association with Jan Plas, and in 1983 the Dutch Muay Thai association MTBN.
- 1978: Jan Plas, a student of Kurosaki, opens Mejiro Gym in Amsterdam.
- 1990: on 18 February in Amsterdam Rob Kaman defeated Changpuek Kiatsongrit, and in April at Lumpinee both Kaman and Ramon Dekkers lost on points.
- 1993–2012: Dutch fighters won 15 of the 19 K-1 World Grand Prix titles.
Technique
- Eight limbs: fists, elbows, knees and shins.
- Punches and elbows to the head are allowed (IFMA).
- The clinch is allowed, and the referee breaks it with the command yaek.
- Prohibited (IFMA): strikes to the groin, to the ankle, to the back of the head, intentional headbutts.
- Fists, kicks and knees, boxing combinations open the guard for a kick.
- Dutch rules: elbows prohibited unless the fighters agree, knees to the head prohibited, the clinch at most 5 seconds.
- Glory rules: knees allowed, elbows and throws prohibited, the clinch at most 3 seconds.
- Dutch gyms stressed punches and low kicks.
Kicks to the legs, trunk and head are common to both. The difference is at close range: in it Muay Thai works with elbows and knees from the clinch, while the Dutch rules and Glory break the clinch after a few seconds and exclude elbows. After the losses in Thailand in 1990, Dutch gyms added the clinch, elbows and knees to their training.
Training
| Muay Thai | Dutch Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | running, shadow boxing, skipping rope, pads, medicine ball | we have not been able to document the structure of a lesson |
| Rounds | 3–5 minutes with a 1–2 minute break | we have not found it |
| Pads | various drills alternated with the trainer | repetition of the same series of up to six techniques |
| Sparring | the Thais call it len cheng, playful sparring | harder sparring than in Thailand |
The difference in sparring and pad work is a description by ONE Championship, not a measurement. We have not been able to document the ratio of technique, sparring and conditioning.
Progression and ranks
| Muay Thai | Dutch Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| Grades | there are no uniform ones, some schools use the pra jiad | we have not found a system of grades |
| Milestone | the trainer hands over the mongkhon headband | we have not found one |
| Path to competition | IFMA youth from 10 years, Lumpinee over 15 years | we have not found the rules of the NKBB and of amateur competitions |
Neither art has a documented uniform examination system. In both, level is shown mainly by fights and by the gym in which the fighter trains.
Physical load and risks
- Strotmeyer et al. 2016 (195 fighters): injury in the last fight in 55.4%.
- Limbs 58%, head and neck 30.6%, concussion in 5.4% of fighters.
- Sieńko-Awierianów et al. 2016 (40 practitioners of one club): injury in training in 55%.
- We have not found an injury study of the Dutch style.
- Lystad 2015 (kickboxing, Nevada, 15 years): 390.1 injuries per 1,000 exposures, 57.8% to the head.
- Bilgoe, Kerkhoffs, Gouttebarge 2025 (Amsterdam UMC, 45 current and 29 former elite kickboxers): psychological distress in 57% of current and 36% of former ones.
Who it suits
| Muay Thai (IFMA) | Dutch Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest competition age | categories from 10 years | we have not found the rules of the association |
| Seniors | 17–40 years | we have not found it |
| Veterans | not in the IFMA rules | we have not found it |
| Women | the same weights and rules as men, mandatory chest protector | we have not found women’s categories of Dutch competitions |
Children
| Muay Thai | Dutch Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| Competition from | IFMA 10 years, the Thai law of 1999 states over 15 years | we have not found the NKBB rules for children, in general WAKO: children aged 7–9 on the tatami only, ring from 15 years |
| Prohibited | we have not found special technique bans for children in the IFMA rules | we have not found any |
| Protection | trunk protector, helmet, shin and elbow guards | according to the description of one club in Utrecht (7–15 years) gloves, shin guards and a mouthguard |
| Length of a fight | 3 × 1 to 3 × 2 minutes depending on age | we have not found it |
| Studies on children | abstract (333 child boxers and 200 controls): lower IQ, declining with the years of boxing | we have not found a study on children |
| Positions of physicians | Ramathibodi hospital: no contact up to 10 years, no strikes to the head up to 15 years | we have not found any for kickboxing, AAP and CPS (2011) speak about boxing |
Self-defence
- Sparring and the clinch against a partner’s resistance.
- Fists and elbows to the head, kicks, knees.
- Modern Muay Thai does not develop ground fighting and weapons.
- Sparring against full resistance at the distance of punches and kicks.
- The clinch is limited to 3–5 seconds, and the rules exclude elbows and throws.
- We have found neither a source on self-defence nor a programme.
Both arts train against full resistance standing. Muay Thai additionally covers elbows and a longer clinch. Neither covers the ground, and we have not found a study of transfer into real self-defence.
Practical use
| Muay Thai | Dutch Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| Programmes for adults | IFMA lists fitness classes for every level | we have not found a programme specific to the style |
| Fitness studies | we have not been able to document any | we have not found any, ACE (Kravitz, 15 women) measured cardio kickboxing alone: 75–85% of maximum heart rate |
| Older age | 30 seniors aged 60–70, Muay Thai dance: improved mobility and strength after eight weeks | we have not found any |
| Professional use | we have not found any | we have not found any |
For Muay Thai it is one small study with an adapted dance, for Dutch Kickboxing we have not found a study, and the figure on cardio kickboxing does not concern competitive training. No general conclusion about suitability can be drawn from this.
Competition
| Muay Thai | Dutch Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| Olympic status | full IOC recognition 2021, not on the Olympic programme | non-Olympic |
| Amateur fight | IFMA 3 × 3 minutes | we have not found the rules of the NKBB and of amateur competitions |
| Professional fight | Lumpinee at most 5 × 3 minutes | Glory 3 × 3 minutes, title fight 5 × 3 minutes |
| Scoring | ten-point must, three or five judges | Glory: the round is scored by the damage caused, blocked strikes do not score |
| Clinch | allowed | Dutch rules at most 5 seconds, Glory 3 seconds |
Rob Kaman, nicknamed Mr. Low Kick, fought Thais under Muay Thai and WKA rules. Since 1991 Ramon Dekkers has defeated several leading Thai boxers in main events at Lumpinee.
Gear and costs
| Muay Thai | Dutch Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| Gloves | IFMA 10 ounces, Lumpinee 8 or 10 depending on weight | gloves in training, we have not found the competition weight |
| Protective gear | shin and elbow guards, helmet, groin guard, mouthguard | shin guards and a mouthguard, Glory a mouthguard |
| Clothing | shorts and a red or blue T-shirt (IFMA) | shorts, Glory short trunks above the knee without pockets |
| Relative cost | medium | medium |
Availability and organisations
| Muay Thai | Dutch Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| Organisation | IFMA, WMC for professionals (with IFMA since 2019) | the Dutch association NKBB (1976), Glory for professionals (since 2012) |
| Gyms | Thai camps and gyms around the world | the Mejiro (Jan Plas) and Chakuriki (Thom Harinck) lines |
| Grades when moving abroad | there are no uniform ones | we have not found a system of grades |
Switching and combining
- Kicks, knees, punches and the habit of full contact carry over.
- Unlearn elbows and the long clinch, the referee breaks it after 3–5 seconds.
- Add boxing combinations and tempo from the first round.
- Punches, low kicks and hard sparring carry over.
- Learn the clinch, and elbows and knees from the clinch.
- Get used to Thai scoring and to the pacing of a fight.
On the left is the move from Muay Thai to Dutch Kickboxing, on the right the opposite direction. Rob Kaman of Mejiro Gym held titles in kickboxing and in Muay Thai. Ramon Dekkers trained in Breda with Cor Hemmers and won his titles mainly in Muay Thai.
Training culture
- Wai khru ram muay before a fight, the mongkhon headband as a tribute to the gym.
- 17 March is Muay Thai Day.
- At Rajadamnern betting with hand signals is legal.
- Gym culture: Mejiro and Chakuriki were rivals.
- Major Glory events took place in Rotterdam (Ahoy) and in Arnhem (Gelredome).
- A Thai boxing paper called Ramon Dekkers Turbine From Hell.
Common misconceptions
- The label Dutch Muay Thai is a misunderstanding: it arose from Ramon Dekkers fighting in Thailand under Muay Thai rules, and it was gradually replaced by the name Dutch Kickboxing.
- Dutch Kickboxing is not Muay Thai, but the two have more similarities than differences.
Which to choose
Frequently asked questions
Is Dutch Kickboxing the same as Muay Thai?
No. It came out of kyokushin, Japanese kickboxing and Muay Thai, but the Dutch rules and Glory prohibit elbows and break the clinch after a few seconds. The label Dutch Muay Thai is a misunderstanding.
Who founded Dutch Kickboxing?
No source names a single founder. It rests on the gyms Mejiro of Jan Plas and Chakuriki of Thom Harinck, who founded the NKBB association together in 1976.
How did the fights of the Dutch against the Thais turn out?
Mixed. In February 1990 in Amsterdam Kaman defeated Changpuek Kiatsongrit, and in April 1990 at Lumpinee both Kaman and Dekkers lost on points. From 1991 Dekkers defeated several leading Thais at Lumpinee.
Is either of them Olympic?
No. IFMA has had full IOC recognition since 2021, and neither is on the Olympic programme.