History of Muay Thai or Thai Boxing

The Siamese developed their own writing system in the early 1200s which makes it difficult to obtain information on the early history of Thailand as well as Muay Thai. It is known that martial arts resembling Muay Thai have long been practiced throughout much of Southeast Asia. The origin of the Muay Thai can be traced back to the older Muay Boran ("ancient boxing"). This was the form of unarmed combat probably used by Siamese soldiers in conjunction with Krabi Krabong, the weapon-based style[1]. Since Thai culture was based on that of India, China and Cambodia, they would have had an influence on local martial arts. Indian boxing arts such as Adithada remarkably resemble both Muay Boran and Muay Thai and it has been said that every move in Muay Thai has a similar equivalent in Shaolin kung fu. Muay Boran was divided to:

Muay Korat (Northeast) emphasized strength. A technique like "Throwing Buffalo Punch" was used. It could supposedly defeat a buffalo in one blow.
Muay Lopburi (Center region) emphasized movements. Its strong points were straight and counter punches.
Muay Chaiya (South) emphasized posture and defense, as well as elbows and knees.
Muay Pra Nakorn (North) emphasized speed, particularly in kicking. Because of its faster speed, it was called as well "Ling Lom" (windy monkey or Loris).
There is a phrase about Muay Boran that states, "Punch Korat, Wit Lopburi, Posture Chaiya, Faster Thasao. (หมัดหนักโคราช ฉลาดลพบุรี ท่าดีไชยา ไวกว่าท่าเสา)". It was from all these regional styles that the more general term Muay Thai (Thai boxing) was developed.

It grew in popularity among common people, so much so that it was said that any man worth his salt would practice the art. As well as continuing to function as a practical fighting technique for use in actual warfare, it became a sport in which the exponents fought in front of spectators who went to watch for entertainment. This kind of muay contests gradually became an integral part of local festivals and celebrations, especially those held at temples.It was used as entertainment to kings.

Royal Muay
Muay gradually became a possible means of personal advancement as the nobility increasingly esteemed skillful practitioners of the art and invited selected fighters to come to live in the Royal palace to teach muay to the staff of the royal household, soldiers, princes or the king's personal guards.

Some time during the Ayutthaya Period, a platoon of royal guards was established, whose duty was to protect king and the country. They were known as Grom Nak Muay (Muay Fighters' Regiment). This royal patronage of muay continued through the reigns of Rama V and VII.


The Muay Renaissance
The accession of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) to the throne in 1868 ushered in a Golden Age not only for muay but for the whole country. Muay progressed greatly during the reign of Rama V as a direct result of the king's personal intrest in the art. The country was in peace and muay functioned as a means of physical exercise, self-defense, recreaction and personal advancement.


Legendary Heros
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 Khanomtom was selected to fight against the Burmese champion. Nai Khanomtom 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 Khanomtom 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 Khanomtom freedom along with either riches or two beautiful Burmese wives. Nai Khanomtom 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 Khanomtom" to the King Naresuan, who was also once taken by the Burmeses.

References :
Muay Thai The Most Distinguished Art of Fighting (Text-book of Pahuyuth) , Panya Kraitus and Dr. Pitisuk Kraitus, Third Edition, Special Revised, 1992, Panya Kraitus, Phuket, Thailand.
Muay Thai Kickboxing - The Ultimate Guide to Conditioning, Training and Fighting, Chad Boykin, 2002, Paladin Press, Boulder, Colorado.
Thai Kickboxing For Beginners - Peter Belmar, 2006, Lulu Press. Muay Thai: A Living Legacy - Kat Prayukvong, 2006, Spry Publishing Co., Ltd.
From Wikipedia

Thai boxing or Muay Thai

Thai boxing or Muay Thai (IPA: [/muai32 tʰai32/]; Thai: มวยไทย) also known as Thai Boxing or The Art of the Eight Limbs is a form of hard martial art practiced in several Southeast Asian countries including Thailand. In Cambodia it is known as Pradal Serey, in Malaysia Tomoi and a similar style in Myanmar is called Lethwei and in Laos, Muay Lao. The different styles of fighting in mainland Southeast Asia are analogous to the different types of Kung Fu in China or Silat in the South East Asian islands. Thai military uses a modified form of Muay Thai called Lerdrit

Muay Thai has a long history in Thailand and is the country's national sport. Traditional Muay Thai practiced today, varies slightly from the ancient art Muay Boran and uses kicks and punches in a ring with gloves similar to those used in Western boxing. Muay Thai is referred to as "The Science of Eight Limbs", as the hands, shins, elbows, and knees are all used extensively in this art. A master practitioner of Muay Thai thus has the ability to execute strikes using eight "points of contact," as opposed to "two points" (fists) in Western boxing and "four points" (fists, feet) used in the primarily sport-oriented forms of martial arts.

References :
Muay Thai The Most Distinguished Art of Fighting (Text-book of Pahuyuth) , Panya Kraitus and Dr. Pitisuk Kraitus, Third Edition, Special Revised, 1992, Panya Kraitus, Phuket, Thailand.
Muay Thai Kickboxing - The Ultimate Guide to Conditioning, Training and Fighting, Chad Boykin, 2002, Paladin Press, Boulder, Colorado.
Thai Kickboxing For Beginners - Peter Belmar, 2006, Lulu Press. Muay Thai: A Living Legacy - Kat Prayukvong, 2006, Spry Publishing Co., Ltd.
From Wikipedia

Pre-fight rituals of Thai Boxing or Muay Thai

Even before entering the ring many fighters perform rituals. Some may kneel before the ring, others might pray with their coach or by themselves or perform a series of repetitive movements, such as touching the ring ropes 3 times. Thai boxers always climb over the top rope when entering the ring, because in Thai culture the head is considered to be more important than the feet, which are thought to be dirty. It is therefore important to always have the head above the feet while entering the ring. Once in the ring, a fighter might go to the center and bow to each side.


Ram Muay before an amateur Muay Thai match

Now begins the Wai Kru ritual or (Wai khru ram muay). The Wai Kru usually starts with the fighter walking around the ring, counter-clockwise. This could be described as "sealing the ring", showing that the match is between only these two combatants. The ritual is both practical and spiritual. In a practical sense, it prepares the body for combat. During the Wai Kru there are many different movements and steps that a fighter might perform before the match, along with stretches. Some motions imitate, for example, a swallow, a hunter, a soldier or an executioner. Some fighters use this ritual to attempt to scare their opponents, commonly by stomping around them. But in a deeper sense, the fighter is expressing religious devotion, humility and gratitude. Transcending both physical and temporal limitations, he opens himself to the divine presence and allows it to infuse his heart and soul. In ancient times, the ritual was intended to show devotion to the King and the fighter's mentor. Today, that devotion is given to the organizer of the match and the fighter's trainer.[1] The ritual also gives the fighter some time alone before the fight to collect his thoughts and concentrate on the task ahead.

After this dance, the fighter walks over to his coach who removes the Mong Kon and the Pong Malai. The match begins after a review of the rules by the judge and a glove shake.

References :
Muay Thai The Most Distinguished Art of Fighting (Text-book of Pahuyuth) , Panya Kraitus and Dr. Pitisuk Kraitus, Third Edition, Special Revised, 1992, Panya Kraitus, Phuket, Thailand.
Muay Thai Kickboxing - The Ultimate Guide to Conditioning, Training and Fighting, Chad Boykin, 2002, Paladin Press, Boulder, Colorado.
Thai Kickboxing For Beginners - Peter Belmar, 2006, Lulu Press. Muay Thai: A Living Legacy - Kat Prayukvong, 2006, Spry Publishing Co., Ltd
From Wikipedia

Pra Jiad

Pra Jiad is a type of armband worn by Muay Thai athletes. In the past, their use was to give confidence and luck to the athletes. Nowadays, some gyms will give Pra Jiad to their athletes to boost their confidence. Some fighters wear one Pra Jiad, some wear two. Some schools also use color coded pra jiads to show rank, similar to belts in karate. Traditionally, pra jiads were kept in high or well reverend places, as it was thought that if someone stepped over it, it would lose its mystical power.
From Wikipedia

Mong Kon

Mong Kon is a type of headgear worn by Muay Thai athletes. The Mong Kon was given after the trainer saw that the student had become an experienced fighter and learned a great deal of knowledge about Muay Thai. Mong Kon was never to be, in any way, close to the ground or else it would lose its magic.
From Wikipedia

Elbow techniques of Thai boxing or Muay Thai

Elbow techniques
The elbow can be used in seven ways: horizontal, diagonal-upwards, diagonal-downwards, uppercut, downward, backward-spinning and flying. From the side it can be used as either a finishing move or as a way to cut the opponent's eyebrow so that blood might block his vision. The blood also raises the opponent's awareness of being hurt which could affect his performance. This is the most common way of using the elbow. The diagonal elbows are faster than the other forms, but are less powerful. The uppercut and flying elbows are the most powerful, but are slower and easier to avoid or block. The downward elbow is usually used as a finishing move.

There is also a distinct difference between a single elbow and a follow-up elbow. The single elbow is an elbow move independent from any other move, whereas a follow-up elbow is the second strike from the same arm, being a hook first with an elbow follow-up. Such elbows, and most other elbows, are used when the distance between fighters becomes too small and there is too little space to throw a hook at the opponent's head

References :
Muay Thai The Most Distinguished Art of Fighting (Text-book of Pahuyuth) , Panya Kraitus and Dr. Pitisuk Kraitus, Third Edition, Special Revised, 1992, Panya Kraitus, Phuket, Thailand.
Muay Thai Kickboxing - The Ultimate Guide to Conditioning, Training and Fighting, Chad Boykin, 2002, Paladin Press, Boulder, Colorado.
Thai Kickboxing For Beginners - Peter Belmar, 2006, Lulu Press. Muay Thai: A Living Legacy - Kat Prayukvong, 2006, Spry Publishing Co., Ltd.
From Wikipedia

Kicking techniques of Thai boxing or Muay Thai

Kicking techniques
The teep (literally "foot jab," similar to a front kick) and Cutting the tree (kicking upwards in the shape of a triangle cutting under the arm and ribs) are the two most common kicks in Muay Thai. The Muay Thai roundhouse kick has been widely adopted by fighters from other martial arts. The roundhouse kick uses a rotational movement of the entire body. A Thai fighter uses this to his advantage, and if a round house kick is attempted by the opponent the fighter will block with his shin. Thai boxers are trained to always connect with the shin. While sensitive in an unconditioned practitioner, the shin is the strongest part of the leg. The foot contains many fine bones and is much weaker. A fighter may end up hurting himself if he tries to attack with his foot.

Muay Thai also includes other varieties of kicking, such as the crescent kick, side kick or spinning back kick etc. Another misconception is that the round house kick is the main kick of Muay Thai and that other kicks are rarely used. This only applies to foreigners who adopt the style and don't know the original teaching of Muay Thai.

References :
Muay Thai The Most Distinguished Art of Fighting (Text-book of Pahuyuth) , Panya Kraitus and Dr. Pitisuk Kraitus, Third Edition, Special Revised, 1992, Panya Kraitus, Phuket, Thailand.
Muay Thai Kickboxing - The Ultimate Guide to Conditioning, Training and Fighting, Chad Boykin, 2002, Paladin Press, Boulder, Colorado.
Thai Kickboxing For Beginners - Peter Belmar, 2006, Lulu Press. Muay Thai: A Living Legacy - Kat Prayukvong, 2006, Spry Publishing Co., Ltd.
From Wikipedia

Defense against punches and kicks of Muay Thai

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. Blocking is a critical element in Muay Thai and compounds the level of conditioning a successful practitioner must possess. Low and mid body roundhouse kicks are normally blocked with the upper portion of a raised shin. High body strikes are blocked with the forearm/glove, knee/shin. Mid section roundhouse kicks can also be caught/trapped, allowing for a sweep or counter attack to the remaining leg of the opponent. Punches are blocked with an ordinary boxing guard. More advanced Muy Thai blocks are usually counters, used to damage your opponent before he can attack again.
From Wikipedia

Techniques of Thai boxing or Muay Thai

Techniques

The basic offensive techniques in Muay Thai use fists, elbows, shins, feet, and knees to strike the opponent. To bind the opponent for both offensive and defensive purposes, small amounts of stand-up grappling are used: the clinch. The clinch is applied by holding the opponent either around the neck or around the body. In Western Boxing, the two fighters are separated when they 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. Blocking is a critical element in Muay Thai and compounds the level of conditioning a successful practitioner must possess. Low and mid body roundhouse kicks are normally blocked with a raised shin. Mid to high body strikes are blocked with the forearm, knee/shin. Roundhouse kicks to the mid section are often blocked/accepted by a slight rotation of the torso so that the attacking shin strikes the back 1/4 of the rib cage. Mid section roundhouse kicks can also be caught/trapped, allowing for a sweep or counter attack to the remaining leg of the opponent. Muay Thai is often a fighting art of attrition, where opponents exchange blows with one another. This is certainly the case with traditional stylists in Thailand, but is a less popular form of fighting in the contemporary world fighting circuit. With the success of Muay Thai in mixed martial arts fighting, it has become the de facto martial art of choice for competitive stand-up fighters. As a result, it has evolved in order and incorporated much more powerful hand striking techniques used in westen style boxing, and the Thai style of exchanging blow for blow is no longer favorable. Note: when Muay Thai fighters compete against fighters of other styles (and if the rules permit it), they almost invariably emphasize elbow (sok) and knee (kao) techniques to gain a distinct advantage in fighting.

Two Muay Thai techniques were adopted by fighters from other martial arts: The Thai low kick and the Thai roundhouse kick. They are actually variations of the same kick, but hit at different heights. The low kick uses a rotational movement of the entire body to hit the opponent's outer thigh or side of knee with the shin. When not properly defended against, this technique often leads to the end of the fight, as the opponent has great difficulty standing after a few powerful 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. At close ranges, Thai boxers strike with the shin; at longer ranges, the foot makes contact.

Some knee techniques ("kao")

Kao Dode (Jumping knee strike) - the Thai boxer jumps up on one leg and strikes with that leg's knee.
Kao Loi (Jumping or Flying knee strike) - the Thai boxer jumps up or takes step(s), springs up off one leg and in mid-air switches to the other knee to strike. A quite spectacular sight when it connects.
Kao Tone (Straight knee strike) - the Thai boxer simply thrusts it straight upwards. According to one written source, this technique is somewhat more recent than Kao Dode or Kao Loi. Supposedly, when the Thai boxers fought with rope-bound hands rather than the modern boxing gloves, this particular technique was subject to potentially vicious cutting, slicing and sawing by an alert opponent who would block it or deflect it with the sharp "rope-glove" edges or sometimes by the glass glued onto the "rope-gloves". This explanation also holds true for some of the following knee strikes below as well.
Kao Noi (Small knee strike) - the Thai boxer hits the inside upper thigh (above the knee) of the opponent when clinching. This technique is used to wear down the opponent or to counter the opponent's knee strike or kick.
Almost all techniques in Muay Thai use the entire body movement, rotating the hip with each kick, punch, and block. The rotation of the hips in Muay Thai techniques, and intensive focus on "core muscles" (such as abdominal muscles and surrounding muscles) is very distinctive and is what sets Muay Thai apart from other styles of martial arts.

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

References
Muay Thai The Most Distinguished Art of Fighting (Text-book of Pahuyuth) , Panya Kraitus and Dr. Pitisuk Kraitus, Third Edition, Special Revised, 1992, Panya Kraitus, Phuket, Thailand.
Muay Thai Kickboxing - The Ultimate Guide to Conditioning, Training and Fighting, Chad Boykin, 2002, Paladin Press, Boulder, Colorado.
From Wikipedia

Knee techniques From Wikipedia

Knee techniques
Some knee techniques ("kao:เข่า")

Kao Dode (Jumping knee strike) - the Thai boxer jumps up on one leg and strikes with that leg's knee.
Kao Loi (Flying knee strike) - the Thai boxer takes step(s), jumps forward and off one leg and strikes with that leg's knee. A quite spectacular sight when it connects.
Kao Tone (Straight knee strike) - the Thai boxer simply thrusts it forward (not upwards, unless he is holding an oppenents head down in a clinch and intend to knee upwards into the face). According to one written source, this technique is somewhat more recent than Kao Dode or Kao Loi.[citation needed] Supposedly, when the Thai boxers fought with rope-bound hands rather than the modern boxing gloves, this particular technique was subject to potentially vicious cutting, slicing and sawing by an alert opponent who would block it or deflect it with the sharp "rope-glove" edges or sometimes by the glass glued onto the "rope-gloves". This explanation also holds true for some of the following knee strikes below as well.
Kao Noi (Small knee strike) - the Thai boxer hits the inside upper thigh (above the knee) of the opponent when clinching. This technique is used to wear down the opponent or to counter the opponent's knee strike or kick.
From Wikipedia

Conditioning of Thai boxing or Muay Thai

Like most competitive full contact fighting sports, Muay Thai has a heavy focus on body conditioning. Muay Thai is specifically designed to promote the level of fitness and toughness required for ring competition. Training regimens include many staples of combat sport conditioning such as running, shadowboxing, rope jumping, body weight resistance exercises, medicine ball exercises, abdominal exercises and in some cases weight training.

Training that is specific to a Muay Thai fighter includes training with coaches on Thai pads, focus mitts, heavy bag, and sparring. The daily training includes many rounds (3-5 minute periods broken up by a short rest, often 1-2 minutes) of these various methods of practice. Thai pad training is a cornerstone of Muay Thai conditioning which involves practicing punches, kicks, knees, and elbow strikes with a trainer wearing thick pads which cover the forearms and hands. These special pads are used to absorb the impact of the fighter’s strikes, and allow the fighter to react to the attacks of the pad holder. The trainer will often also wear a belly pad around the abdominal area so that the fighter can attack with straight kicks to the body at anytime during the round.

Focus mitts are specific to training a fighter’s hand speed, punch combinations, timing, punching power, defense, counter-punching and are also used to practice elbow strikes. Heavy bag training is a conditioning and power exercise that reinforces the techniques practiced on the pads. Sparring is a means to test technique, skills, range, strategy, and timing against a partner. Sparring is often a light to medium contact exercise because competitive fighters on a full schedule are not advised to risk injury by sparring hard. Specific tactics and strategies can be trained with sparring including in close fighting, clinching and kneeing only, cutting off the ring, or using reach and distance to keep an aggressive fighter away.

Due to the rigorous fighting and training regimen (some Thai boxers fight almost every other week) professional Muay Thai fighters have relatively short careers in the ring. Many retire from competition to begin instructing the next generation of Thai fighters. Most professional Thai boxers come from the lower economic backgrounds and the fight money (after the other parties get their cut) is sought as means of support for the fighters and their families. Very few higher economic strata Thais join the professional Muay Thai ranks; they usually practise the sport as amateur Muay Thai boxers.


Kickboxing
Muay Thai, along with savate and karate, and taekwondo heavily influenced the development of kickboxing in Japan, Europe, and North America. However, unlike Muay Thai, many kickboxing competitions do not allow elbow strikes, knee strikes, or kicks below the waist. These rule changes have led some martial artists to consider kickboxing a 'watered down' version of Muay Thai.


Mixed Martial Arts
Starting in the 1990s, Muay Thai has enjoyed a boost in popularity worldwide as it has been very effective in mixed martial arts fights, such as those held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and PRIDE Fighting Championships. Mixed martial artists such as Marco Ruas (of Ruas Vale Tudo), Wanderlei Silva, Anderson Silva and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (of the Chute Boxe Academy) have combined many striking elements of Muay Thai with grappling, submission, and choking elements from Judo, Wrestling, or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu into a hybrid synthesis that has been highly effective in defeating practitioners of "pure" martial arts, at least in a sports-centered context. Other fighters that have used Muay Thai as their primary style in mixed martial arts include Duane "Bang" Ludwig, Yves Edwards, Kit Cope, and Spencer Cooper. Shoot-fighters and professional wrestlers who have trained and been influenced by Muay Thai include Satoru Sayama (the original Tiger Mask and founder of shooto), and Yoshiaki Fujiwara.

References :
Muay Thai The Most Distinguished Art of Fighting (Text-book of Pahuyuth) , Panya Kraitus and Dr. Pitisuk Kraitus, Third Edition, Special Revised, 1992, Panya Kraitus, Phuket, Thailand.
Muay Thai Kickboxing - The Ultimate Guide to Conditioning, Training and Fighting, Chad Boykin, 2002, Paladin Press, Boulder, Colorado.
Thai Kickboxing For Beginners - Peter Belmar, 2006, Lulu Press. Muay Thai: A Living Legacy - Kat Prayukvong, 2006, Spry Publishing Co., Ltd.
From Wikipedia