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No one knows the exact time period when
Siamese boxing, today known internationally
as Muay Thai or Thai boxing, first began.
Although tied to Thailand's violent history,
the true nature and art of Muay Thai
embodies the grace, culture and deeply
religious aspects of the sport and fighting
style visible today.
Few written records of Muay Thai older
than 700 years still exist today, but it is
believed to be as old as, or slightly older
than some other fighting styles of the
"Pacific Rim" countries such as
Japan, China and Korea.
Many competitive sports that have
achieved popularity today have their origins
in ancient martial traditions and training
regimes, and Muay Thai is no exception. Muay
Thai, in fact, is a direct sport descendant
of the fierce weapons system krabi-krabong,
a component of which is empty hand fighting.
However, ancient military and political
leaders often learned and became experts in
such unarmed "martial arts," and
in turn taught those forces they commanded
in these styles, which is still true of the
armed forces soldiers in Thailand today.
The first king that reportedly invested
his time and effort into learning the art of
Muay Thai, was a king known as Pra chao Sua,
who later came to be known as the
"Tiger King." As it was punishable
by death to touch the king, he had to
disguise himself in order to compete in
local festivals. 32He repeatedly beat local
and national champions, and soon trained his
sons in this art as well. Muay Thai soon
became known as the "Sport of
Kings," and when the Tiger King died,
his sons settled their claims to his throne
in a Muay Thai bout.
Interest in Muay Thai quickly expanded
such that not only did soldiers and royalty
continue to train in the art, but also it
soon was declared the national sport of
Thailand. Yet, the training methods and garb
used in matches still was evidence of an
ancient culture yet to embrace new
technology. During this time period in the
continuing development of Muay Thai, the
fighters' hands were wrapped in horse hair
or thick strands of hemp to both protect the
hands, but also to inflict more damage.
Also, and only with consent from both sides,
the fighters' would spread glue onto their
wrapped hands and grind their knuckles into
ground glass, sand or small stones.
However, boxing gloves were adopted in
the early 1900's, and have become required
in many standup competitions today. Another
piece of equipment that soon began to see
regular use in training and matches was the
groin protector. While a kick or knee strike
to the groin was a legal attack during this
time, protection was still used; mainly in
the form of tree bark or a seashell tied
with cloth. Soon thereafter, a small
triangular pillow was used then abandoned in
favor of a "groin box," presently
known as a cup.
As the equipment evolved so did the
techniques. While allowed in early bouts,
head butting and groin attacks were outlawed
from regular competitions. While western
boxing has become known as "The Sweet
Science," Muay Thai has since become
known as the "Science of Eight
Limbs." The eight weapons of Muay Thai
are two hands, two elbows, two knees and two
feet.
A typical bout can be three to five
rounds long with amateur rounds lasting 2
minutes and professional rounds lasting 3
minutes. While not widely practiced outside
of Thailand, both fighters traditionally
preform the Wai Khru and Ram Muay before
each fight. The Wai Khru is a series of
practiced movements through which a fighter
shows respect and homage to their nation,
family, teacher, opponent and sport while at
the same time asking for protection from
harm while fighting.
The Wai Khru has deep Buddhist roots and
while oft overlooked in many fights abroad,
is a serious and spiritual part of many
matches. The Ram Muay is another series of
movements usually unique to each fighter of
training camp. The movements displayed
during the Ram Muay often serves to
highlight the fighters' specific style of
favorite techniques, and some say can help
those that bet on the fights to predict the
outcome.
Today, Muay Thai is a fast growing sport
that is gaining in both media exposure and
student following. People of many
backgrounds and other martial art
disciplines now train in this style of
kickboxing. Today, you can see Muay Thai
taught as both an effective self-defense
strategy and for competition. Today, Muay
Thai striking can be seen in events like K -
1, Pride fighting championships and the UFC.
For further information on the history,
training camps, clubs and several national
and international Muay Thai associations
please refer to the links listed in the
following section. You may also refer to the
glossary page through our website to learn
more about specialized terms and techniques. |
