Abstract: In order to study the impact of thick coal seam mining methods on the prevention and control of rock burst, by comparing the characteristics of overburden rock structures and the stress distribution status of surrounding rock between thick coal seam layered mining and one-time top coal caving mining, the impact of these two mining methods on the prevention and control of rock burst is analyzed, FLAC^3D numerical simulation is used to study the stress distribution situations of the fully mechanized mining face and roadway surrounding rock, and the load reduction and shock absorption effect of one-time top coal caving mining in thick coal seams is analyzed. The results show that the stress peak value of layered mining is 30.2 MPa, while the top coal caving mining method in thick coal seams is only 25.8 MPa. Top coal caving mining weakens the stress concentration of the surrounding rock above the goaf, resulting in a reduction in the peak stress value of the surrounding rock around the stope. However, the range of peak stress is increased, and the peak stress point of the surrounding rock around the stope shifts deeper into the goaf; With the increase of mining height and the decrease of bottom coal thickness, the stress concentration around the roadway and coal wall rapidly decreases and then tends to stabilize. Therefore, one-time top coal caving mining can reduce the stress concentration around the roadway and coal wall, thus to reduce the risks of rock burst occurrence.