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Many people are familiar with kickboxing,
thanks to popular films like Ring of Fire, but not
many have heard of muay thai, from which many of
the rules and moves of kickboxing originated. Muay
thai (pronounced mooay tie) is the national sport
of Thailand, and is widely known throughout
Southeast Asia. Muay thai was one of the first of
the Southeast Asian martial arts to be exported to
the West, and many of the earliest well-known
martial artists based their own fighting
techniques on muay thai. Bruce Lee, for instance,
analyzed muay thai moves in the early 1960s. In
Cambodia it is known as pradal seray, in Malaysia
it is called tomoi and in Myanmar it is called
lethwei. No matter where it is practiced, though,
it’s essentially the same sport – a martial art
that uses the hands, feet, elbows and knees as
points of contact and weapons.
Muay thai has been practiced in Thailand and other
southeastern countries for centuries. It gradually
evolved from bouts between different units in the
army to timed bouts with rules taking place in
arenas around the country. It originated in the
battlefield techniques of the Siamese army who
found themselves fighting in the rough, close
terrain of Thailand and Burma. They developed a
style of fighting that used combinations of fast,
furious punches, kicks, elbow and knee strikes to
make the best use of every part of the body. In
the late 1500s, King Naresuan the Great officially
made muay thai training part of all military
training.
Muay thai is intertwined with the history of
Thailand in many ways. One of the most popular
tales is that of Nai Khanom Tom and the ten
Burmese warriors. In 1767, the Thai capital fell
to Burmese warriors. The Burmese king was curious
to see how the field techniques of his own
soldiers measured up to those of the muay thai
boxers. Nai Khanom Tom was chosen to go head to
head with a Burmese solder, whom he easily
defeated. The king was so impressed with this
technique that he made an offer to the warrior. If
he could defeat ten Burmese warriors one after
another, Nai Khanom Tom would have his freedom –
and two wives. The Thai warrior was victorious,
and returned home a hero.
Muay thai is a national pastime – the most
passionately followed spectator sport in Thailand
and much of Southeast Asia. Its popularity has
spread throughout the world, and in 1995, the
World Muay Thai Council was established by cabinet
resolution to promote the ideals, techniques and
all other elements of muay thai.
Muay Thai Matches, Rules and Equipment
Muay thai is fought in five three-minute rounds
separated by two minute breaks. The fight is
presided over by a referee, and scoring is
determined by three judges who are trained
observers. Each of the judges awards points to
fighters based on their performance, and the
fighter with the most points is awarded the round.
At the end of the fight, the fighter with the most
rounds is declared the winner of the fight.
There’s more to a muay thai match than the
fighting, though. Each fight is accompanied by a
band playing next to the boxers’ ring. The band
consists of horn, drums and cymbals, and begins
playing with the opening dance. As the action in
the fight quickens, the tempo of the music
accelerates to keep up, bringing the audience’s
collective pulses along for the ride.
An important part of each match is the preliminary
dance of thanks and respect offered by each
opponent, called the wai khru. The styles of those
dances are very individual and often serve to
announce which school and instructor taught the
fighter his technique.
In the early years, the only protection worn by a
muay thai fighter was makeshift gloves – string
wrapped around the knuckles and fist. Today all
boxers are required to wear full safety equipment
when competing to lessen the chance of injuries.
Muay thai matches are held all over the world, and
there is a formal ranking system to recognize the
best and most accomplished muay thai fighters in
the world.
About The Author...
This article was prepared for this Muay Thai
Equipment site, please visit them for more
information.
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