Muay Thai

Muay Thai, or Thai boxing, is a martial art and the national sport of Thailand.

Most records and traditions of the art of Muay Thai were destroyed in the 1767war between Siam (now Thailand) and Burma (now Myanmar) for the conquest of the former capital of Ayutthaya. Some sources report that Thai boxing dates back to the year 1560, when King Naresuan of Siam was captured in Burma. They told him he could earn his freedom if he defeated Burma’s champions in a duel. The king was successful, and thus Thai boxing became the national sport.

But there is also another theory that states that archaeological excavations have found evidence that the indigenous people of Thailand already knew Muay Thai or similar techniques. What we know for sure, however, is that Muay Thai has evolved from the ancient martial arts of the Thai soldiers.

The art of Muay Thai developed from regular martial arts. When swords and spears were useless to the warrior, he used his legs, fists and elbows to fight. The classical, traditional kind is called Muay Boran (Boran means traditional or old; a word borrowed from the Pali language). Muay Thai Boran is a traditional, complex, martial art, which not only fights with different weapons, but also includes movements that go far beyond the unarmed techniques of modern Muay Thai.

Krabi Krabong (short and long gun) refers to the fighting with various weapons, such as krabi (sword), daab (sword), or sri plong sock (stock), ngauw (stick with a short sword), manure, kaen, may sun and loh (plate).

The first official ring was used in 1921, and boxing gloves were used for the first time in 1929. Previously they had been fighting with hand wraps. The jock strap was made from coconut shells. As a measure of the time it takes for things to change, the coconut shell strap was valid until 1929.

Starting this year, set lap times were introduced. Depending on the weight class they were from 2 × 2 minutes up to 5 × 3 minutes.

Dissemination

After the Second World War, the introduction of fixed rules for Muay Thai became increasingly important. Since it is only run as a full contact sport, it is often condemned at the “bash them up sport”. This caused the formation of a lot of different, independent governing bodies, which were constantly in conflict with each other.

The arguments came to an end when the World Muay Thai Council (WMC) was founded in 1995. Now, all Muay Thai associations around the world are subject to that organization. The first official title fight was held on June 26, 1995.

Since currently many Muay Thai fighters only fight for their schools to achieve good bets in the ring and win, the traditional style has been moved increasingly into the background. The King of Thailand supported pure Muay Thai academies, such as the Muay Thai Institute, “in which the pupils do not have to worry about money and instead learn the classical style, and can fight the traditional way”.

Combat Style

Stylistically, striking features of Muay Thai are the elbows, knees and clinching techniques. The best-known Muay Thai technique is the kick with a bare shin, targeted mostly at the thigh or rib area. Depending on the regulations and professional level of the fighter, knee kicks to the head can be allowed. The head of the opponent may be considered his fists if moving towards the floor.

When clinching, one keeps the opponent standing up, trying to upset the balance and connect with one’s knees against the chest or the thigh of the opponent. Some regulations allow for the capture and subsequent holding of the opponent’s leg.

Due to the high risk of injury from elbow and knee techniques, Muay Thai is known as one of the toughest martial arts in the world. The punch techniques are similar to those of traditional European boxing, but shots from the rotation are also allowed, where the head of the opponent is hit with the back of a fist. Some styles allow litters, but since most of Muay Thai litters are very dangerous, most of the regulations prohibit it.

Other Asian martial arts have never had a major impact on the Thai martial art, because their own martial art was so advanced that the Thais saw no point in adding strangers’ techniques to their own.

Motive

Thai boxing is exerted for different motives, the main reasons being for fitness, as a competition sport, and for self-defense or martial arts. In Thailand, the contestants often receive a portion of the wager, and Thai boxers are respected and honored idols.

In May 1984, the Muay Thai Federation of Germany was founded in Stuttgart, which was the only association in Germany recognized by the European Muay Thai Association.

Naming the combatants

As a rule, almost all martial arts combatants from Thailand bear a nickname plus the name of the gym where they are from. Buakaw Por Pramuk and Kaoklai Kaennorsing, for example (both of which are active in the K-1) are called with the nicknames Sombat Banchamek and Ahtit DamKam.

As mentioned in the rule, the naming of the fighters from Thailand with the surname, as is the colloquial use of people, is often controversial. When, for example, Semmy Schilt is fighting Peter Aerts, one might say, “Schilt vs. Aerts.” In a fight between Peter Aerts and Kaoklai Kaennorsing, one would tend to say “Kaennorsing vs. Aerts,” but this is not true. The proper description is “Kaoklai vs. Aerts.”

The Thai athletes with nicknames should always be addressed with the first name because it has a meaning. “Buakaw” for example, means “White Lotus” and “Kaoklai” means “have a good future”; Por Pramuk and Kaennorsing are only the names of the gyms where they train, but have nothing to do with the person. Either one would say “(Mr.) Banchamek” or “(Mr.) DamKam” or “Buakaw” or “Kaoklai.

Competition Rules

Permitted techniques:
Kicking with the shin and/or feet.
Fist techniques; Backfist (top impact).
Holding the opponent’s leg with follow-up technique.
Clinching.
Blows to the head.
Knee and elbow techniques.

Unauthorized techniques:
Head shocks (in the original form they had been allowed).
Look it, if the opponent is kneeling or lying on the ground; in Thailand, (in part) this is tolerated.
Punching and kicking techniques against the back of the knee and the abdomen.
Punching and kicking techniques against the back.

Ramon ‘The Diamond’ Dekkers