Comparishon of two sports

Traditional Karate is a beautiful, ancient, weapon less art of self defense that comes from Okinawa, Japan. It is based on using the body as a whole (synchronization of breath, muscle contraction, relaxation and body dynamics), and it’s rather not depend on muscular strength and hard force, both in technique (kata) and application (kumite). It is the art of giving up muscular strength. Moreover we have to give up ourselves to follow the opponent, or further we have to give up wining. In other words, the mind should not interfere. “By giving up control, we gain control and every thing we do we will do freely” H. Nishiama says.
In application, strategy and timing, combined with “flowing” mind and strong spirit, are important. You will learn to sense and follow the opponent, eventually controlling him, and to use the open space in his actions rather than resisting his movements.
In the practice of karate the mind and body are inseparable: They harmonize with each other. The practitioner develops self confidence, stable emotions and clear judgment so the body will respond naturally. Also by using all the tools that Traditional Karate gives, you make the size of the opponent irrelevant. Karate can therefore be learned by anyone, and it doesn’t matter if you are young or old, or how strong you are.
Through Karate one "unlearns" bad habits accumulated through modern lifestyle. These include: movement, posture, breathing, as well as mental and psychological obstacles.
The practice of Karate improves all aspects of one's physical condition; muscular strength, flexibility, speed, coordination and cardiovascular condition.

On the other hand Muay Thai, translated into English as Thai Boxing, is the national sport of Thailand and is a martial art with origins in the ancient battlefield tactics of the Siamese (or Thai) army. It evolved from Krabi-Krabong, literally sword and baton, the hand-to-hand tactics of the Thai army. The early Muay Thai bouts (boxing matches) pitted different companies within the Siamese army against each other with few rules and no weight divisions or time limits. They became quite popular and eventually were shown in stadia across the country. In the early 20th century, time limits, boxing gloves as well as a uniform set of rules were introduced. During the latter half of the 20th century Muay Thai was exported to many countries and is now practiced by hundreds of thousands of people all over the world.
Muay Thai is known as "King of the Ring" in kickboxing circles. These fights feature punches, kicks, elbows, knees and head-butts to wear down and knock out their opponent. Thai training methods develop devastating power, speed and so called fighting spirit. Muay Thai training is also supposed to be quite safe thanks to sophisticated pad training that evolved to keep fighters healthy between fights. Muay Thai has also proven very effective outside the ring and has been embraced enthusiastically by practitioners of a variety of self-defense, sporting, military and law enforcement activities.

Summing up – these two sports, even though either karate or Muay Thai are martial arts, are very different. Im my opinion karate is proving it’s worth far better, than any other martial art. Not only is karate developing your body – but also creates your character and has a big influence on your personality. Muay Thai makes you only figure out how to use your body to hurt other person though. As it is said, karate is the route (Makoto from japaneese) and the matter of what Thai boxing presents is only the first step.