Muay Thai (Kickboxing)
Muay Thai or Thai-Boxing as many know it, is an ancient martial art that was derived from the unarmed combat from the Siamese (the ancient name for Thailand). The Siam army employed sword, shield, bow and arrows, staffs, elbows, knees and shins during battle. This use of weaponry is still in existence today as Karbi Krabong, however, the unarmed form of combat was refined and called Muay Thai. It is common to here it referred to as the “art of 8 limbs” because of the use of legs, knees, elbows and hands.
Unlike American kickboxing, Muay Thai includes the use of elbow, knees and low leg kicks. Clenching and striking your opponent is also legal in Muay Thai. This clenched position where knees and elbows are thrown is called the plum. In recent years, Muay Thai fighters have included western boxing into their arsenal and become very proficient at it.
Muay Thai was made famous as an unarmed fighting method when in 1560 AD King Naresuan was captured by Burma during one of their many wars with that country. King Naresuan fought and defeated many Burmese warriors in a contest for his freedom. Upon his return to Siam he was hailed as a hero and the sport of Siamese-style boxing (as it was known then) became a national sport. The height of popularity was reached when Prachao Sua (King Tiger) promoted the art to all the classes of the population. Prachao Sua was such a skilled boxer and proponent of the art, that he would often disguise himself as a peasant and fight in small village exhibitions.
Ancient combatants in the sport wore hemp rope to cover their hands before the introduction of boxing gloves about 50 years ago. If both combatants agreed they would dip the rope in crushed glass. This was not a common occurrence and usually was for a very serious match concerning honor or recognition. Before the invention of time keeping and bells, to signal the end of a round, a coconut was placed in water with a small hole to determine the length of a round. It is traditional to hear a live orchestra playing at Thai fights, this signals the pace of the fight and predates to ancient times when drums were used to signal the end of a round.
Muay Thai is a prestigious national sport to the Thais, as is Baseball is to Americans. Boys begin their training at an early age and usually retire from active competition in their early twenties. Even females, who do not fight in the ring competitively, are trained in Muay Thai to some degree for self-defense reasons.
Today there are two major sports complexes that matches are held at: Lumpini and Rajdamnern. Professional matches are usually 5 rounds of 3 minutes each with a 2 minute break between rounds. Both contestants can use punches, kicks, knees, elbows and the plum position (clinched neck wrestling when knees are delivered) to knockout their opponent. Kicks to the groin are illegal and considered un-sportsman like.
Before the match begins, both contestants perform a ceremony (called the wai kroo) in the ring that pays respect to their teacher and the camp they were trained at. The fighters often wear a ceremonial headpiece called the mongkon during the wai kroo. The mongkon is considered so sacred that a Buddhist monk blesses it. Respect is always paid before training with a partner or a piece of training equipment, since many Thais used the art as means of survival on the battlefield. Today, many Thais earn their livelihood through competing in Thai Boxing.
Oscar Martinez in our Muay Thai instructor. Please click here for his bio.
