Muay Thai
In the battlefields of Ayutthaya, in 15th and 16th centuries, the Burmese and Thai armies faced each
other. Accounts from the Burmese of the period give reports of ferocious unarmed Thai soldiers who were trained to fight with
their feet.
In Thailand today, Muay Thai or Thai Kick Boxing is a highly organised and popular sport. Each bout begins with a period of Ram Muay (boxing dance) in which the boxer pays tribute to his teacher and
invokes the good will of the spirit of the ring.
The boxers wear a woven headband, which is removed during the fight, armbands containing tiny Buddha images,
tape round the ankles and feet and regulation boxing gloves and shorts.
The atmosphere at a Thai boxing event is full of noise and enthusiasm. An orchestra of Thai oboe and percussion
instruments plays continuously, with the tempo rising and falling in time with the action
When the Burmese faced the Thais there were no 'rules of combat' but modern Muay Thai is organised under a
set of well established regulations.
Any part of the body may be used to strike an opponant, except the head.
Although the boxers today wear gloves, punching is considered the weakest of all blows. It is the head kicks,
and knee and elbow strikes which are decisive in most matches.
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Muay Thai a system of unarmed
combat, Muay Thai (or Thai Boxing) originated in what is now Thailand over two thousand years ago. Its precise beginnings
are shrouded in legend, but early records show that monks trained novices to become bodyguards for the royal family. Exhibition
fights were frequently staged for the royal court, and they could be brutal. Fighters had their hands wrapped with rope, which
was coated with a sticky resin and then dipped into crushed glass. The bouts often ended in death. Thankfully, Muay Thai has
evolved over the centuries. Competitors now wear protective equipment as they try to score with punches, elbows, knees, and
kicks. Rugged and spectacular, Muay Thai is the national sport of Thailand. It is also enjoying a surge of international popularity
with practitioners is countries such as in England, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Australia, Brazil, the United States,
and Canada. Muay Thai differs from Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and Kung Fu in several respects; Kicks and punches are delivered with
full power and without holding back. Even today, boxers fight barefoot, wearing only cotton anklets on their feet and boxing
gloves on their hands. Patterns, or so-called "Katas", do not exist in Thai Boxing. Focus, power, timing, and reflexes are
developed by constant sparring practice, hitting the kicking and punching bags and pads, and participating in matches. Muay
Thai is primarily a pugilist (boxing) system, which uses basic, but powerful kicks, punches, knee and elbow strikes. Practitioners
of other martial disciplines because of its devastating effect revere the Thai swing kick (roundhouse). When aimed at an opponents
lower region (rib cage, thigh, or knee) the target area often becomes numb which may cause the recipient to drop to the ground
immediately due to the pain. Along with that, add punishing elbow and knee strikes that are commonplace in the Muay Thai arsenal
and this system becomes an almost unstoppable weapon for the stand up fighter in the ring or in the street.
Thailand has a proud fighting heritage. All year round, the stadium
throughout the Kingdom are packed with fans who gather to cheer on their boxing heroes. The Thai boxer uses his fists,
elbow, knees and feet as the weapons of attack. Muay Thai is fought over five frantic three-minute rounds with two minute
breaks. While knockouts do occur, most bouts go the distance. For these, two judges and the referee award points
for effective strikes. Before each fight begins, both boxers perform a graceful pre-fight dance of deep spiritual significance
known as the Ram Muay.
For a Thai boxer, the pre-fight Buddhist rituals are as important as the fight itself.
The rituals are the soft balance to the hard elements of ring warfare. A calm well of inner strength of fight skill
and fury that overflows into the ring. For the Muay Thai fighter, the pre-fight dance, know as the Ram Muay, is the
traditional method of focusing on the spirit, in order to understand all it's strengths and limitations. The dance rituals
are most important as they are a living performance of beliefs and the state of the spirit. It begins when the monkhon
is place on the fighter's head before he enters the ring. The monkhon is an elaborate stiff headband - made of hemp
- that extends down the back between the shoulder blades and end in the silk thread tassel. The
monkhon is a sacred object which has been blessed by seven Buddhist monasteries. It is not the property of the
boxer. Instead it belong to the teacher and his training camp. Placing of the monkhon on the fighter's head reminds
him that he represents not just himself and family but also his teacher and the camp for which he fights. Many believe
that the monkhon is blessed with magic spells to ward off injuries and evil spirits. The monkhon is not worn during
the fight. But Thai boxers often wear a piece of cloth around one biceps called the kruang rang with powers believed
to have emanated from spiritual charms, amulets, herbs and spells.
A kruang rang is given to the fight during the temple ceremony that he goes through, before being accepted into
his chosen training camp. It is blessed by the monks and becomes a fighter's talisman. No fighter wears a kruang
rang for dress purposes. Rather it is an object of deep spiritual belief. The
fighter enters the ring with his monkhon and begins to walk counter clockwise around the ring, sealing it against forces of
evil. For the fighter, it means that a psychic barrier is raised around the ring through which no one's desire for him
to lose can penetrate, thus ensuring that one fighting spirit can fight another fighting spirit without hindrance.
The wai kru begins with the boxer kneeling in
the centre of the ring facing towards his training comp. Gloves are brought together in a traditional manner clasped
at face height. The boxer then wais (bows) three times. Each wai pays homage at several levels-as with all pre-fight
rituals. The fighter bows in respect to the Buddha ( a man, not a god, who attained enlightenment through the complete
understanding of the human mind nature), the Sangha (the order of monks who are seeking enlightenment) and the Dharma
(the Buddha's teachings). At the same time he also pay homage to his teacher, training camp and his fighting ancestors.
It is for the fighters an intense moment of focus, a form of meditation that sends him inward to the clam well of the fight
fury. The Ram Muay dance follows. It is a beautiful, graceful slow dance which moves in each of the four directions,
seeking protection from each.
The four-fold movement also expresses the fighter's belief in the four noble truths of Buddhism which remains him that the
world is dukkha (impermanent and unsatisfying). The four virtues of compassion, temperance, prudence and justice are
expressed and balance the hard form of deadly Muay Thai. The gloves then circle the air above the kneeled fighter's
head, symbolically paying homage to the higher powers and asking for courage and protection in the battle ahead. Each camp has a distinct and different Ram Muay. While performing the Ram Muay, the Thai boxer
centres himself. His body awareness is total and shown by the control of his dance movements and the sense of power
that emanates from a forceful but well controlled performance. Moving inward to basic body and power awareness, the
fighter is able to focus the body in the dance and be warned of his physical limitations. At the same time he is put
in touch with his capabilities. Rarely does one fighter watch another's dance. Instead, they prefer to meet spirit
to spirit without prior knowledge gained by any close scrutiny of an opponents pre-fight dance.
Muay Thai traditions date back to the days when the skills in hand to hand combat were a survival necessity. Thailand
has a culture linked to the battlefield and these combative skills can seen with the rituals and fighting fury in the Muay
Thai ring. The rules of Muay Thai have changed over the years. A century ago Muay Thai was fought until only one of
the fighters remained standing. Each combatant had his hands wrapped in a covering cloth and in old times, the glued
and glass.
Muay Thai contests followed the way of western boxing with the introduction of a ring but it was only after World War II that
the rules of Muay Thai were finalized in today's form. Thailand's sporting authorities decided to standard the rules
of Muay Thai to make it acceptable world-wide and to establish recognized professional standards. It was decided that
a Muay Thai contest would be divided into five-three minute rounds with two minute breaks. Declaration of fouls is intended
to ensure the fighters use the weapons of Muay Thai unheeded i.e. the use of fists, elbows, knees, shins and feet as well
as fascinating, clean grappling. One referee and two judges keep a ten point scoring system and make the fifth round.
An even round is judged 10-10, slight advantage 10-9, wide advantage 10-8 and one side10-7. It's
the weapons that make the difference and in Muay Thai the combatants are free to use the body's most powerful weapons to their
best advantage. A Thai fighter refers to the two feet, two fists, two elbows and two knees as the eight weapons.
When combined together, these eight weapons are a dangerous combination. The feet are used for long distance body contact,
the knees and fists for medium range attacks, while the elbow is used exclusively as a short rage weapons. An experienced
Thai fighter has sound defensive techniques for protection against the eight weapons. One effective measure often used
as a counter manoeuvre in ring combat, is know as "the wall of defence", whereby the fighter protects himself by rising a
knee to make contact with a lowered elbow to form a protective shell. This human shell has the strength to absorb the
attacking thrusts emanating from any of the eight weapons. Whether they be short, medium or long range, any of the eight
weapons, if executed correctly, can strike an opponent with lightning speed and precision accuracy. When
it comes to strength in the ring, grappling is the big test. Unlike western boxing where the clinch is illegal, Muay
Thai allows the fighters to grapple for position and ascendancy. When two boxers cling to each other in combat they
use their knees, fists and elbow to attack their opponent. Grappling is strenuous work and requires a great deal of
conditioning to hang onto an opponent who has defensive techniques that can keep an opponents clinch without making any attacking
moves, the referee will separate the two combatants as grappling without action is not permitted in a Muay Thai contest.
With a wall of elbows, forearms and defensive knees, the Muay Thai 'wall of defence' is regarded as an impregnable
shield. In fact, so strong is this defence that Muay Thai rules state that both boxers must maintain aggression throughout
all five rounds.
Thai fighters are trained to defend against all forms of attack. Defensive moves are
precise and can be switched into attacks at any moment. Breaking through the Muay Thai defensive wall is difficult but possible.
Knee rams and roundhouse kick are key weapons for breaking down the wall.As Muay Thai is a close combat sport; skillful grappling
and knee techniques are required. A tough close-quarters fighter can be extremely effective in taking the wind and the
will to fight, out of an opponent. A knockout move is almost certain when an opponent's head is brought down to an upward-driving
knee. In Muay Thai bouts, the abilities of power punching is also demonstrated but doesn't score high points.
It's the elbow strike that singes out the Thai Boxer from the other martial artists. An elbow attack strikes its is
the weapon used for a fast knock out.
A big difference between international western boxing and
Muay Thai, is that the judges will award the decision to fighter consider to have proven himself the "ringmaster" after five
rounds. Point are not determined by the number of strikes but rather by the number of effective blows. Of prime
importance is the effectiveness of the strike, its strength, the target and, most importantly, how the much disadvantage it
causes the opponent. Among other, lesser aspects which impress the judges -and they are definitely taken into consider
action during scoring - are the defensive abilities of the two contestants.
At the end of contest it's the judge's task to identify who is the "ringmaster". The over- riding question to be determined
by the judgement is : which fighter dominate the contest? Thus the final fifth round is often the decider.
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