Muay Thai Boxing

All over the world, people have heard about it and possibly even witnessed it first hand or on television, the furious punches, bone crushing elbows, lethal and piercing kicks, and the unforgettable knees of muay thai... Although watching it on tv is great, nothing begins to compare to seeing these powerful moves executed live, with thousands of fans cheering the ring fighters on.

Welcome to the wonderful and exciting world of Muay Thai Boxing, a martial art that is unlike any other, rich in the proud heritage of an entire nation, and interwoven into the history of south east asia... The Thai's, even though they are gentle and fun loving people, have had to defend both themselves and their land for many years against aggressive powers and thieves.

Muay Thai began it's origins as Krabi Krabong, the Siamese weapons based martial art style... When disarmed, Krabi Krabong practitioners would resort to unarmed fighting techniques centred on kicks and wrestling like throws... Developing through time and natural evolution of the art, it gave birth to Muay Boran, the ancient style of Muay Thai.

Protecting what they had, the Thai people used the Muay Boran fighting system of close combat techniques, as it was suited to the type of rough terrain they would be fighting in... Muay Thai as we know it today, is also known around the world as Thai Boxing, has become a sporting martial art, kept alive in Thailand as a competitive sport, and for many a way of life.

Traditional Muay Thai Boxing, as it is practiced today, varies slightly from the original art, using kicks and punches, in a ring with gloves similar to those used in boxing... Muay Thai is also referred to as 'The Science of Eight Limbs', as the hands, shins, elbows, and knees are all used extensively in this fighting art.

Also, the training and conditioning found in thaiboxing is nothing short of legendary for the intensity and rigorous training aimed at hardening the weapons used... This is why students practicing for many years can absorb a beating, yet if they land a shin kick it will feel as if you've just been hit by a sledgehammer.

In conclusion, Muaythai is a very dangerous art that teaches punishing blows with little grappling... Stylists are physically strong and capable of taking an opponent out with just one well placed strike, which is why you shouldn't hesitate to study Muay Thai.

During all stages of training in Muay Thai, the Wai Kru is a vital part of the students overall journey... The martial art of Muay Thai from past to present, has a long standing tradition that every fighter must perform the Wai Kru before every match.

The ritual is performed as a means of paying respect to the chairperson of the competition, or as in the past, a way to pay homage to the King who would normally be a spectator on almost every occasion... To the fighter it symbolizes gratefulness towards their mentor who had trained them, and as a means of concentrating oneself mentally for the competiton.

Wai Kru Ram Muay is the pre-fight ritual conducted after the initial Wai Kru... In ancient times, the Ram Muay was used as a warm-up before a fight, and is still performed prior to the beginning of a Muay Thai Boxing match... It is a dance that the fighter performs to traditional music.

Music is an integral part of Muay Thai Boxing and because of it, this martial art of self defense has become an extension of one of Thailand's dramatic arts... Musical instruments orchestrated in the background of Wai Kru rituals and at competitions are the Ta Pong or Glong-Kag (Two face drum), toe Pee Java (Javanese flute) and the Ching (cymbals).

Wai Kru usually starts with the fighter walking around the ring, counter-clockwise... Described as 'sealing the ring', the ritual is both practical and spiritual... During the Wai Kru there are many different movements and steps that might be performed, in a deeper sense, the fighter is expressing religious devotion, humility and gratitude.

The most important question today is how are we to preserve the beautiful and gracious art of Muaythai from disappearing or from losing its authenticity? There are many ways to answer this, but first we must fully understand the importance of the Wai Kru ceremony.

For those who have studied or have trained in muay thai, many are still quite confused and have asked why do we have to do the Wai Kru ritual? Is it for beauty, commemoration, entertainment or exercise? Not all these answers are wrong, but to go deeper into why we do the Wai Kru and Ram Muay, visit the source for this article here... World Muay Thai Council

Almost all techniques in Muay Thai Boxing use the entire body movement, rotating the hip with each kick, punch, and block... This hip motion during techniques, and intensive focus on 'core muscles', such as abs and surrounding muscles, is very distinctive and is what sets Muay Thai apart from other martial art styles.

Kicking is a major part of the muaythai arsenal, the two main types being the the Thai roundhouse kick and Thai low kick... The roundhouse kick is executed by a straight leg and the entire body rotating out from the hip, which is locked shortly before the thrown leg makes impact with the opponent.

They are actually variations of the same kick but hit at different heights, the low kick using extra rotational movement of the entire body to hit the opponent's outer thigh region... After a few well placed low kicks, the opponent will be unable to put pressure on his legs due to bruising, and therefore loses the fight.

Another favored kick known as the 'teep', is literally a foot jab, similar to a front kick found in other martial art styles, and is used for both offensive and defensive moves... Muay Thai Techniques also include other kicks, such as the crescent kick, side kick or spinning back kick, but are rarely used compared to the teep and roundhouse kicks.

When thai boxers compete against fighters of other styles, rules permitting, they almost always invariably emphasize elbow and knee techniques to gain a distinct advantage in fighting... They have a devastating selection of forward elbows, back elbows, plus guards, not forgetting downward elbows, jumping elbows, and inside outside elbows.

As mentioned, knees are a major part of the Muay Thai specialists repertoire, consisting of a variety of straight and curve knees, jumping and flying knee strikes... To execute certain types knees, elbows and short kicks from the inside, the fighter makes great use of the 'clinch' to tie up opponents on their feet.

Clinching involves a small amount of grappling on the feet, in order to bind the opponent for both defensive and offensive reasons... Usually applied by holding the opponent either around the neck and head or around the body, the clinch is used extensively in Muay Thai and can go on for a whole round.