Muay Thai

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An insight into muay thai kick boxing

The exact date muay Thai kick boxing was started is hard to narrow down, but it does date back all the way to medieval times. King Nareasen made it famous in 1560 AD when he was given a chance to fight for his freedom. King Nareasan was victorious, freed, and returned home where he declared the fighting style (then called Siamese style boxing) a national sport.

The art of muay thai kick boxing is known as both a hard martial art and as "the deadly art." Muay thai kick boxing is a self defence art developed in Thailand and it enjoys immense popularity in many south-Asian countries as well. There is a wide variety of forms and styles, just like other styles of martial arts.

Muay thai kick boxing is the national sport of only Thailand, though it has become popular in many other countries. The main point that separates muay thai kick boxing from western developed boxing is the fact you are allowed to use shins, knees, elbows and fists. The fighter is able to use 8 parts of his body to strike his opponent.

About 50 years ago, boxing gloves where introduced - before this it was more common to bond smashed shards of glass to a rope binding around the hands. This practice was ended when international muay thai kick boxing tournaments began. This ultimate full-contact martial art, builds stamina and mental toughness. In Thailand, every boy is mandated to learn muay thai and most girls will learn at least some basic moves.

Muay thai kick boxing is designed to be performed unarmed, as every move can be done with combinations of eight body parts. Unlike other forms of martial arts where grappling is done on the floor, the grappling done in muay thai kick boxing is done while standing. The most common techniques used while grappling are attempts to hit the opponent's stomach or head with the knees. Muay thai kick boxing appears as an extremely violent form of martial arts. Contrary to how it appears, it actually provides you with anger control and a constant strive for peace and unity.

About the Author

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Kick Boxing

About Kick Boxing

Kickboxing is a martial art which was made for beating Muay Thai by Japanese boxing promotor Osamu Noguchi in 1950. Opponents are allowed to hit each other with fists and feet, hitting above the hip. Using elbows or knees is forbidden and the use of the shins is seldom allowed.

Kick Boxing History

"Kick-boxing" was created by a Japanese promotor of boxing matches in the 1950s, Mr. Osamu Noguchi. He wanted to introduce to the Japanese people what he had seen in Thailand. Therefore he sent some Thai boxers to Japan and founded the Japan Kickboxing Association. He named the new martial art "kick-boxing". The first kickboxer around the world is Tadashi Sawamura (real name: Hideki Shiraha) a Japanese karate fighter. Kick-boxing enhances cordination and fitness.

Legendary Heroes

Nai Khanom Tom was a famous practitioner of Muay Thai. Around 1774, he was captured along with other Thai prisoners, either in a skirmish or at the fall of the ancient capital of Siam of Ayutthaya. He was brought to Rangoon in Burma, where the Burmese King Mangra was holding a religious festival in honor of Buddha's relics. The festivities included many forms of entertainment. King Mangra was reported to be curious to see how the various fighting styles of Burma and other countries would compare. At one point, he wanted to see how Muay Boran would compare to the Burmese art Lethwei. Nai Khanom tom was selected to fight against the Burmese champion. Nai Khanom Tom did a Wai Kru pre-fight dance which puzzled all of the Burmese. When the fight began, he charged out and, using punches, kicks, elbows, and knees, quickly pummeled the Burmese.

The referee was reported to have stated that the Burmese opponent was distracted by the Wai Kru, so the knockout was invalid. The King then asked if Nai Khanom Tom would fight nine other Burmese champions to prove himself. He agreed and fought them all, one after the other with no rest periods between fights. The last Burmese was reputed to be a great boxing teacher. Nai Khanomtom defeated them all in a superior fashion.

King Mangra was so impressed that he remarked, "Every part of the Thai is blessed with venom. Even with his bare hands, he can fell nine or ten opponents. As his lord master was incompetent, the country was lost to the enemy. If his lord had been any good, there was no way the City of Ayutthaya would ever have fallen."

He granted Nai Khanom Tom freedom along with either riches or two beautiful Burmese wives. Nai Khanom Tom chose the wives as he said that money was easier to find. He then departed with his wives for Siam. Other variations of this story had him also winning the release of his fellow Thai prisoners. His feat is celebrated every March 17 as "Boxer's Day" or "National Muay Thai Day" in his honor and that of Muay Thai's.

Today, some have wrongly attributed the legend of "Nai Khanom Tom" to King Naresuan, who was once taken by the Burmese. However, Nai Khanon Tom and King Naresuan were almost two centuries apart.

There is also a legend of one Skeng Man Nang (ca. 700), a mutant child born with three legs. This deformaty made his parents abandon him, but he was taken in by a monastery in the north of the country. Here he was taught muay boran by the monks, and it soon became apparent that his extra leg gave him considerable fighting prowess against bipedal foes. Unfortunately, he committed suicide after becoming mentally unbalanced by the cries of "choi soi kap" ("three legged mutant" in ancient Thai). His existence only recently come to light, after the royal archives at Ayutthaya which were thought to have been destroyed by Burmese invaders were recovered. (Reference: Professor Peter Shaw, School of Oriental and African Studies, London)

Muay Thai

About Muay Thai

Muay Thai, also known as Thai boxing or Thai kickboxing, is a martial art originally from Thailand.

Traditional muay Thai has a long history in Thailand as a martial art used by the military. The military style of muay Thai is called Lerdrit, while today's "sport muay Thai" slightly varies from the original art and uses kicks and punches in a ring and with gloves similar to those used in boxing. Muay Thai is also known as 'The Science of Eight Limbs' as the hands, feet, elbows and knees are all used extensively in this art.

Muay Thai Techniques

The basic offensive techniques in muay Thai use hands, elbows, kicks and knees to punch and kick the opponent. To bind the opponent for both offensive and defensive purposes, small amounts of stand-up grappling are used: the clinch. Defensively, the concept of "wall of defense" is used, in which shoulders, arms and legs are used to hinder the attacker from successfully executing his techniques.

Though the high kicks at the head look spectacular during a competition, insiders of the sport claim that the elbows and the knees are the most damaging, sometimes deadly, to the fighters.

Two >muay Thai techniques became popular in other martial arts: The Thai low kick and the Thai roundhouse kick. The low kick uses a circular movement of the entire body to kick the opponent's leg with the upper part of the shin. When not correctly defended against, this technique often leads to the end of the fight, as the opponent can not stand anymore after a few low-kicks. The Thai roundhouse kick is also unique and was adapted for its efficiency. The kick is carried out with a straight leg and the entire body rotating from the hip, which is "locked" right before the leg makes contact to the opponent. Other martial arts, such as Shotokan Karate tend to prefer "snappy" kicks, which are faster but less powerful. Furthermore, Thai boxers kick with the shin instead of the foot.

Almost all techniques in muay Thai use the entire body movement, rotating the hip with each kick, punch and block. This results in most techniques being slower but more powerful than techniques from boxing or karate.

During a competition, the participants perform a lengthy ritual and ceremony before the fight (ram muay). The ritual is both for religious reasons and as a stretching warmup.

Muay Thai History

Muay Thai heavily influenced the development of kickboxing, which was later created in Japan, Europe and North America.

In the last decade, muay Thai has enjoyed a boost in popularity in the whole world as it turned out to be very effective in popular no holds barred events, such as the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) competitions. It is widely recognized that a combination of a grappling art, such as Judo or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, with muay Thai is very effective in such fights.