Muay Thai Chaiya

Prior to the Sukhothai era, Thai civilization dated as far back as those of the Egyptians, Babylonians, and the Assyrians. They were established before the Buddhist era in a land called "Aay Loa Kingdom" one the river banks of Huang Ho and Yang Jue rivers, presently known as Schezuan, Hubei, Anhui, and Kiangsi in China. There were later defeated and had to continue migrating south to maintain their freedom.

Thais are known to be liberal and great warriors. They have always been an independent nation and have evidently fought to protect their right and loved ones. During those times, villagers along the Thai borders prepared themselves by engaging young men in physical activities like wrestling, boat race, and bull race.

For practice of self-defense, many generations of old masters continuously assembled and developed the fighting techniques passed on from their ancestors for thousands of years. They finally established a fighting system for Thais called "Ching Kom" and "Pan Lam", both well-known.

Master Ketr Sriyapai (the author's senior teacher) once said that "boxing means punching as taught by your teacher or fighting to survive".

Thai boxing is "an art that has been developed by our ancestors as a national heritage to their children for thousands of years." The genuine Thai boxing is best performed by Thais. Unfortunately, the Thai boxing we see today in rings is not the true Thai boxing.

By Kru Praeng (Napapob Pramuan)
Siam Yuth Center
www.muaychaiya.com

Muay Chaiya was created in the ancient battlefields, when warriors still fought using sharp weapons and, in the event of being disarmed,body parts.As such, it is based on time-tested techniques and principles that were aimed at

1) ending engagements in the swiftest and surest manner

2) using minimal energy

3) ensuring that the learnt practitioner was least, if at all, hurt.

That certainly is not the case in Modern Muay Thai where boxers can be seen "splashing water at each other" (a phrase used to describethe useless and painful exchange of kicks and punches to entertain the crowd) with the end result of potential traumatic body injuries. As the core principle of Muay Chaiya states; before you learn how to inflict pain on others, learn how to protect yourself.

The Muay Thai one sees today at the weekly Lumpini Boxing Stadium matches and a host of other celebrated kickboxing events is a far cry from the true noble art of Muay Thai. The true ancient art of Muay Thai encompasses the full range of striking, grappling (not simply clinching), throwing, breaking, and smashing - each with its own infinite variations. Unlike today, where one can prepare for 6-8 months at a local Muay Thai camp learning the basic blocks and kicks and then enter competition, true old-style Muay Thai practitioners had to go through at least 2-3 years of footwork and stance preparation before being accepted by as true student. The purpose is two-fold: 1) to test the student's patience and diligence and 2) to ensure the student has fully grasped the ancient Muay Thai footwork, of which Modern Muay Thai's has no resemblance, before moving on. It can be said that one's skills can be judged solely by their footwork.

The footwork skills one attains from Muay Chaiya allows one to cope with an opponents force in any way one wishes - deflecting, parrying, neutralizing, pushing back, or just simply stepping away. However, the footwork is not the only gem of Muay Chaiya. All body weapons within the Muay Chaiya system are truly functional, simple, yet flexible enough that a skilled practitioner can apply an infinite number of variations. The grappling, throwing, locking, and smashing techniques are unlike those of other arts. A complete system in itself, Muay Chaiya allows its practitioners to change from striking to grappling to smashing seamlessly.

Thai national martial art is, naturally, MuayThai. But how many really know the true Muay Thai beyond the thought of two big, muscular boxers furiously exchanging kicks as seen at the boxing camps or the famous stadiums such as the Lumpinee and the Rachadumneun?

The original Muay Thai uses one's wits more than brute strength, and ends up with injury sustained by both sides. Muay Chaiya, a style of Muay Thai, has clearly illustrates this fact.

Muay Thai Chaiya, or as called by it's full name as Pahuyuth Muay Thai Chaiya, translated to be the way of Thai fighting, hand to hand combat, Chaiya style, can hardly be seen now a days. But there is a place where Muay Chaiya is taught to interested public, so the heritage of the old and traditional Muay Thai, or Muay Boran, can be passed down. This is to keep alive a true Thai tradition, which most people have only seen in books or movies.

Master Amornkrit Pramuan, or Kru Preang to his Muay Thai students, has carried on the intention of the masters, who had come before him, to continue the legacy of preserving Muay Thai in it's true form, which had been forgotten since the banning of fighting with rope, or hem binding as we called Muay Kad-Chuek. Many techniques, unique to Muay Thai, have been lost due to the imposing of rules adapted from western boxing.

Kru (teacher) Preang, was the close student of Kru Thong Chuer-Chaiya, who had inherited the Muay Thai Chaiya from the Grand Master Ketr Sriyapai (the last grand master of Muay Thai), who had learned from his father, Phraya Wajeesatayarak, the provincial governor of Chaiya. The Grand Master also learned from another 13 masters until he was well versed in MuayThai.

Muay Thai Chaiya, not only utilizes fists, feet, knees, and elbows as we commonly see in the main stream Muay Thai, but also uses the forgotten elements of throwing, pressing, grabbling or clinching and joint breaking (Toom-Tup-Jub-Huk), they are no less dangerous than the throwing and joint locking of other martial arts. There are other sets of techniques with names that rhyme and contain deep meanings. They are to lure, to mislead, to elude, to avoid, to deceive, and to tease (Lor-Lork-Lop-Leek-Lorklor-Lorlen), or to hug, to squeeze, to swing the opponent from side to side, and to cast or throw the opponent down (Kod-Rad-Fad-Wieng). These are the techniques for inside fighting, that we no longer see in today's Muay Thai. Even the way to fall, to get up, to roll on the ground, and to crawl (Lom-Look-Klook-Klan), which deal with proper way of rolling on the ground and falling so the practitioners wouldn't get hurt.

So, an exponent of the old and traditional Muay Thai, such as Muay Thai Chaiya, does not limit oneself to only one-dimensional fighting of stand up strike. If the fight takes one down to the ground, one still has to be able to fight effectively. Since the old traditional Muay Thai was created for the engagement in battlefields, being able to engage with several opponents at the same time has made Muay Thai Chaiya so formidable.

Classes are conducted in the old traditional and systematic way. Students will learn from basic. They will learn how to defend themselves by blocking or shielding, brushing away, covering, and opening (Pong-Pud-Pid-Perd), until one is proficient and confident enough to protect oneself from being attacked. Then one will gradually learn other extended Muay Thai techniques, or Look-mai. This is different from the main stream Muay Thai, where the boxer will train to take offensive posture of solely kicking, punching and to destroy one's opponent, and in return, by depending on the physical toughness of oneself, to receive kicks and punches from the opponent. As the teachers, or "Kru' of Muay Thai Chaiya have strongly affirmed that an exponent of an art of self defend has to be able to actually defend oneself from harm. One should not achieve winning status because of one's durability.

Corrections and changes were made through the wisdom of past Muay Thai teachers, Muay Thai is devastating with numerous trick techniques, extended techniques, and principal techniques. These said techniques can branch out, virtually, without limit. The learning of this devastating art of fighting, develops oneself to be a person with patient, strong determination, and yet, serene. All in all, to learn the way of fighting, will develop an exponent to be a good member of the society, who is always consciously alert, well behave, just as one who has been taught by a teacher.

Kru Preang has also drawn a curriculum for weaponry that co-exists with Muay Thai Chaiya. It is commonly known as Krabi-Krabong, or "sword and staff" which actually means the use of short and long weapons. They consist of two-hand swords, knife, long pole or staff, short staff, or elbow staff (mai-sork), as well as, all other old traditional Thai weapons, that one can not easily find a place to learn. This is a true combination of all the traditional Thai martial arts.

Muay Thai Chaiya and Thai Weaponry Conservation Foundation

Kru Preang (Napapob Pramuan)Muay Thai Chaiya and Thai Weaponry Foundation Offers Classes on the Chaiya Style of Muay Boran (the old traditional Muay Thai), Muay Kad-Chuek (the hemp bound fist fighting), Thai sword fight, and all other traditional weapons