Thai boxing on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai
The earliest origin of Muay Thai dates back to the 657 AD Haripuñjaya period of a hermit named ''Sukatanata'' who established his school of liberal and martial arts consisting of Muay Thai, which will be mentioned in order of history compiled officially by The Institute of the Art of Muay Thai, Department of Physical Education National Stadium of Thailand (DPE).
From 738 AD in the
The ascension of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) to the throne in 1868 ushered in a golden age not only for Muay but for the whole country of Thailand. Muay progressed greatly during the reign of Rama V as a direct result of the king's personal interest in the sport. The country was at peace and Muay functioned as a means of physical exercise, self-defense, attacking, recreation and personal advancement.
To increase interest in Muay Thai, King Chulalongkorn implemented nationwide tournaments and established a Royal Boxing Center, known as Muay Luang or Royal Boxers, similar to the Muay Fighters Regiment during the Ayutthaya Period, to administer the training of both Muay Thai and Krabi–krabong. He also bestowed the title of Muen, a
Modern Muay Thai arose from the local form of bare-hand fighting historically known simply as ''muay'', and became recognized as a distinct martial art form in the early 20th century, when the term ''Muay Thai'' ('Siamese boxing' in English) was introduced in physical education curricular documents to distinguish it from international boxing (''muay sakon'' in Thai).
The officially recognized history of Muay Thai was largely codified in the late 20th century, when the sport gained widespread popularity and became recognized as a national sport and cultural heritage. The term Muay Boran was coined to describe the pre-modern historical martial art form of Muay Thai, and they came to symbolize a warrior spirit seen as a core component of Thainess.
In 1910, the King requested ''muay'' fighters from outlying provinces to fight matches at the funeral of his son Prince Urubongse Rajasombhoj, and granted the noble rank of ''Muen'' to the three best fighters, who were from Lopburi, Khorat and Chaiya. These would later become codified as regional styles of Muay Boran.
1913: British boxing was introduced into the curriculum of the Suan Kulap College. The first descriptive use of the term "Muay Thai".
From 1914 to 1918 during 
Muay Thai was at the height of its popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. Top fighters commanded purses of up to 200,000
In 2014, Muay Thai was included in the
The elbow can be used in several ways as a striking weapon: 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 diagonal elbows are faster than the other forms but are less powerful. The elbow strike is considered the most dangerous form of attack in the sport.
There is a distinct difference between a single elbow and a follow-up elbow. The single elbow is a move independent from any other, whereas a follow-up elbow is the second strike from the same arm, being a hook or straight punch first with an elbow follow-up. Such elbows, and most other elbow strikes, 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.
Elbows can be used to great effect as blocks or defences against, for example, spring knees, side body knees, body kicks or punches. When well connected, an elbow strike can cause serious damage to the opponent, including cuts or even a knockout.
The two most common kicks in Muay Thai are known as the ''thip'' (literally "foot jab") and the ''te chiang'' (kicking upwards in the shape of a triangle cutting under the arm and ribs), or roundhouse kick. The Thai roundhouse kick uses a rotational movement of the entire body and has been widely adopted by practitioners of other combat sports. It is done from a circular stance with the back leg just a little ways back (roughly shoulder width apart) in comparison to instinctive upper body fighting (boxing) where the legs must create a wider base. The roundhouse kick draws its power almost entirely from the rotational movement of the hips, counter-rotation of the shoulders and arms are also often used to add torque to the lower body and increase the power of the kick as well.
If a roundhouse kick is attempted by the opponent, the Thai boxer will normally check the kick, that is, he will block the kick with the outside of his lower leg. Thai boxers are trained to always connect with the shin. The foot contains many fine bones and is much weaker. A fighter may end up hurting himself if he tries to strike with his foot or instep. Shins are trained by repeatedly striking firm objects, such as pads or heavy bags.
The foot-thrust, or literally, "foot jab", is one of the techniques in Muay Thai. It is mainly used as a defensive technique to control distance or block attacks. Foot-thrusts should be thrown quickly but with enough force to knock an opponent off balance.
In Western boxing, the two fighters are separated when they clinch; in muay Thai, however, they are not. It is often in the clinch that knee and elbow techniques are used. To strike and bind the opponent for both offensive and defensive purposes, small amounts of stand-up grappling are used in the clinch. The front clinch should be performed with the palm of one hand on the back of the other. There are three reasons why the fingers must not be intertwined. 1) In the ring fighters are wearing boxing gloves and cannot intertwine their fingers. 2) The Thai front clinch involves pressing the head of the opponent downwards, which is easier if the hands are locked behind the back of the head instead of behind the neck. Furthermore, the arms should be putting as much pressure on the neck as possible. 3) A fighter may incur an injury to one or more fingers if they are intertwined, and it becomes more difficult to release the grip in order to quickly elbow the opponent's head.
A correct clinch also involves the fighter's forearms pressing against the opponent's collar bone while the hands are around the opponent's head rather than the opponent's neck. The general way to get out of a clinch is to push the opponent's head backward or elbow them, as the clinch requires both participants to be very close to one another. Additionally, the non-dominant clincher can try to "swim" their arm underneath and inside the opponent's clinch, establishing the previously non-dominant clincher as the dominant clincher.
Muay Thai has several other variants of the clinch or ''chap kho'' , including:
*Arm clinch: One or both hands controls the inside of the defender's arm(s) and where the second hand if free is in the front clinch position. This clinch is used to briefly control the opponent before applying a knee strike or throw.
*Side clinch: One arm passes around the front of the defender with the attacker's shoulder pressed into the defender's arm pit and the other arm passing round the back which allows the attacker to apply knee strikes to the defender's back or to throw the defender readily.
*Low clinch: Both controlling arms pass under the defender's arms, which is generally used by the shorter of two opponents.
*Swan-neck: One hand around the rear of the neck is used to briefly clinch an opponent before a strike.
Defences in muay Thai are categorised in six groups:
*Blocking – defender's hard blocks to stop a strike in its path so preventing it reaching its target (e.g., the shin block described in more detail below)
* Parry/block – Parrying or blocking uses the kickboxer's hands as defensive tools to deflect incoming attacks. As the opponent's punch arrives, the boxer delivers a sharp, lateral, open-handed blow to the opponent's wrist or forearm, redirecting the punch.
*Avoidance – moving a body part out of the way or range of a strike so the defender remains in range for a counter-strike. For example, the defender moves their front leg backward to avoid the attacker's low kick, then immediately counters with a roundhouse kick. Or the defender might lay their head back from the attacker's high roundhouse kick then counter-attack with a side kick.
*Evasion – moving the body out of the way or range of a strike so the defender has to move close again to counter-attack, e.g. defender jumping laterally or back from attacker's kicks
*Disruption – Pre-empting an attack e.g. with defender using disruptive techniques like jab, foot-thrust or low roundhouse kick, generally called a "leg kick" (to the outside or inside of the attacker's front leg, just above the knee) as the attacker attempts to close distance
*Anticipation – Defender catching a strike (e.g., catching a roundhouse kick to the body) or countering it before it lands (e.g., defender's low kick to the supporting leg below as the attacker initiates a high roundhouse kick).
In 2016, 9,998 children under the age of 15 were registered with Board of Boxing under the Sport Authority of Thailand, according to the Child Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention Research Centre (CSIP). Some estimates put the number of child boxers nationwide at between 200,000 and 300,000, some as young as four years old.
The Advanced Diagnostic Imaging Centre (AIMC) at Ramathibodi Hospital studied 300 child boxers aged under 15 with two to more than five years of experience, as well as 200 children who do not box. The findings show that child boxers not only sustain brain injuries, they also have a lower IQ, about 10 points lower than average levels. Moreover, IQ levels correlate with the length of their training. Beyond brain damage, the death of young fighters in the ring sometimes occurs.
Adisak Plitapolkarnpim, director of CSIP, was indirectly quoted (in 2016) as having said that muay Thai practitioners "younger than 15 years old are being urged to avoid 'head contact' to reduce the risk of brain injuries, while children aged under nine should be banned from the combat fight"; furthermore, the Boxing Act's minimum age to compete professionally was largely being flouted; furthermore, quoted indirectly, "Boxers aged between 13 and 15" should still be permitted to compete, but "with light contact to the head and face". He said that "spectators and a change in the boxing rules can play a vital role in preventing child boxers from suffering brain injuries, abnormality in brain structure,
According to a ''Bangkok Post'' columnist, "...Thai professional boxing is all about gambling and big money. Gambling on muay Thai boxing is estimated to worth about 40 billion baht a year....all the talk about the promotion of Thai martial arts is just baloney." Rob Cox, the manager of a boxing camp just east of Bangkok claims that "Without the gamblers, the sport would pretty much be dead. They're killing it off, but they're also keeping it alive".
The practice of fixing fights is not unknown. Boxers can earn from 60,000 to 150,000 baht for purposefully losing a fight. A fighter, later arrested, who threw a fight at Rajadamnern Stadium in December 2019, is an example. An infamous alleged case of match-fixing was the bout on 12 October 2014 in
Training specific to a Thai fighter includes training with coaches on Thai pads, focus mitts, heavy bag, and sparring. 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 that involves practicing punches, kicks, knees, and elbow strikes with a trainer wearing thick pads covering the forearms and hands. These special pads (often referred to as Thai 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 in a live situation. The trainer will often also wear a belly pad around the abdominal area so that the fighter can attack with straight kicks or knees to the body at any time during the round.
Focus mitts are specific to training a fighter's hand speed, punch combinations, timing,
martial art
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...
and full-contact
A contact sport is any sport where physical contact between competitors, or their environment, is an integral part of the game. For example, gridiron football. Contact may come about as the result of intentional or incidental actions by the playe ...
combat sport
A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the opponent (''knock ...
that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinching
In metalworking, clinching or press-joining is a bulk sheet metal forming process aimed at joining thin metal sheets without additional components, using special tools to Deformation (engineering), plastically form an interlock between two or mo ...
techniques. The name “Art of Eight Limbs” refers to the combined use of fist
A fist is the shape of a hand when the fingers are bent inward against the palm and held there tightly. To make or clench a fist is to fold the fingers tightly into the center of the palm and then to clamp the thumb over the middle phalanges; i ...
s, elbow
The elbow is the region between the upper arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and t ...
s, knee
In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...
s and shins. Muay Thai became widespread internationally in the late 20th to 21st century, when Westernised
Westernization (or Westernisation, see spelling differences), also Europeanisation or occidentalization (from the ''Occident''), is a process whereby societies come under or adopt what is considered to be Western culture, in areas such as industr ...
practitioners from Thailand began competing in kickboxing
Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...
and mixed-rules matches as well as matches under Muay Thai rules around the world. The professional league is governed by the Professional Boxing Association of Thailand, sanctioned by the Sports Authority of Thailand.
Muay Thai is related to other martial art styles of the Indian cultural sphere such as Musti-yuddha
Musti-Yuddha (Sanskrit: मुष्टि युद्ध) is a traditional combat sport originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term literally means "fist combat", from the Sanskrit words ''muṣṭi'' (fist) and ''yuddha'' (fight, battle, ...
, Muay Chaiya
Muay Chaiya is a style of traditional Thai boxing, founded about over 200 years ago. The founder was believed to be an army leader of the Rattanakosin Kingdom in the age of King Rama V. He taught Muay Chaiya to the governor, his son, and to regu ...
, Muay Boran, Muay Lao
Muay Lao (, lit. "Lao boxing") is a combat sport from Laos based on ancient Lao martial arts. It incorporates punches, kicks, elbow, and knee strikes. It can be traced back to the 15th century when it was used for military combat during the Lan ...
, Lethwei
Lethwei (; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) or Burmese boxing is a Full contact fighting, full contact combat sport originating from Myanmar and is considered as one of the most brutal martial arts in the world.}
*
*
*
*
*
* Lethwe ...
, Benjang and Tomoi. A practitioner of Muay Thai is known as a ''Nak Muay''. Western practitioners in Thailand are sometimes called ''Nak Muay Farang
Farang () is a Persian word that originally referred to the Franks (the major Germanic people) and later came to refer to Western or Latin Europeans in general. The word is borrowed from Old French or Latin , which are also the source of ...
'', meaning "foreign boxer".
Etymology
The term ''Muay Thai'' is a Thai term. The word ''Muay'' derived from theSanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
word Williams, M. (1899). ''Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English dictionary''. p. 1,072.
* Prayukvong, K. and Junlakan, L. D. (2001). ''Muay Thai: A Living Legacy Vol. 1''. Bangkok: Spry Publishing. p. 16.
* Böhtlingk, O. N., and Roth, W. R. (1865). ''Sanskrit-Wörterbuch: Heraushegeben von der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften''. St. Petersburg: Vierter Thiel. p. 383.
* Liamputtong, P., La Trobe University Australia. (2014). ''Contemporary Socio-Cultural and Political Perspectives in Thailand''. New York: Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht. p. 242. ''mavyati'' () meaning "to pull together", the word ''Thai'' comes from the word ''Tai'', meaning "Tai-Kadai speakers". The term ''Muay Thai'' is successor of the term ''Ram Mut Ram Muay'' () since the reign of King Rama II (1809–24), and has thus entered into the global vocabulary.
The oldest text of term ''Muay'' ever recorded, found in the palm-leaf manuscripts in Northern Thai language called ''Mungrai Law 1839 BE'', enacted 1296 AD. And the pronunciation of the word ''Muay'' existed in Thai people since prior Nanzhao
Nanzhao ( zh, t=南詔, s=南诏, p=Nánzhào), also spelled Nanchao, , Yi language: ꂷꏂꌅ, ''Mashynzy'') was a dynastic kingdom that flourished in what is now southwestern China and northern Southeast Asia during the 8th and 9th centuri ...
period (738–902 AD) said in ''The History of Muay Thai'' by The Institute of the Art of Muay Thai, Department of Physical Education National Stadium of Thailand (DPE).
The historical term ''Tha Nai Lueak'' (, ), meaning "Nak Muay for the King's guard, the name of division to be in charge of Nak Muay." The term was adopted in ''the Law of the Military and Provincial Hierarchy 1998 BE'' since 1455 AD reign of King Borommatrailokkanat and repealed in 1851–68 AD reign of King Mongkut
Mongkut (18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama IV. He reigned from 1851 until his death in 1868.
The reign of Mongkut was marked by significant modernization ini ...
.
History
7th century
The earliest origin of Muay Thai dates back to the 657 AD Haripuñjaya period of a hermit named ''Sukatanata'' who established his school of liberal and martial arts consisting of Muay Thai, which will be mentioned in order of history compiled officially by The Institute of the Art of Muay Thai, Department of Physical Education National Stadium of Thailand (DPE).
From 738 AD in the Nanzhao
Nanzhao ( zh, t=南詔, s=南诏, p=Nánzhào), also spelled Nanchao, , Yi language: ꂷꏂꌅ, ''Mashynzy'') was a dynastic kingdom that flourished in what is now southwestern China and northern Southeast Asia during the 8th and 9th centuri ...
period. Muay Thai had been trained from variant movements of dance; ''Fon jerng'' or ''jerng'' means "tactics" or "finesse", () included weapons and bare hands, showing the art of men's fighting, which is similar to Lei tai
The ''lei tai'' is an elevated fighting arena, without railings, where often fatal weapons and bare-knuckle martial arts tournaments were once held. "Sanctioned" matches were presided over by a referee on the platform and judges on the sides. ...
due to the war engagement with China for a long time. It is said to be the earliest stage of Thai people forming, and Muay Thai had been training for generations along the ''Fon jerng'' dance. The ''Fon jerng'' also became one of the recreational Thai classical dances in Northern Thailand
Northern Thailand, or more specifically Lanna, is a region of Thailand. It is geographically characterized by several mountain ranges, which continue from the Shan Hills in bordering Myanmar to Laos, and the river valleys that cut through them. ...
, existing nowadays.
10th century
After the Northern Tai people, led by King Lavachakkaraj, who ruled the town of Fang () (now Uttaradit province, Thailand), founded the Singhanavati Kingdom, known as Yonoknakhon (757–1188), they continued to expand their territory by seizing and establishing kingdoms, such as theLan Na Kingdom
The Lan Na kingdom or the Kingdom of Lanna (, , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; , , ), also known as Lannathai, was an Indianized state centered in present-day Northern Thailand from the 13th to the 18th centuries.
The cultural developme ...
, Phayao Kingdom, Haripuñjaya, and Lampang.
From 947 AD onward, they conquered various ethnic groups, including the Khom ethnic groups, aboriginal Siamese (known as Siam-asli, Saimi-mandala, Siamese Lavo, Xiān, or Siam at that time), and Mon-Khmer in the upper part of the Chao Phraya River
The Chao Phraya River is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand.
Etymology
Written evidence of the river being referred to by the ...
basin, using their martial arts skills (Muay). The Tai people then moved down northwest and successfully established the Sukhothai Kingdom
The Sukhothai Kingdom was a post-classical Siamese kingdom (Mandala (political model), ''maṇḍala'') in Mainland Southeast Asia surrounding the ancient capital city of Sukhothai Historical Park, Sukhothai in present-day north-central Thaila ...
(1238–1438) under the rule of King Si Inthrathit, who was a descendant of King Phrom, a descendant of the Singhanavati Dynasty (King Lavachakkaraj). This is mentioned in the folklore, ''the Legend of Singhanavati''.
The ''Mungrai Customary Law 1296 CE'' (Mungraiyashastra), one of the oldest palm-leaf manuscripts written in the Northern Thai language
Northern Thai (), also called Kam Mueang (, กำเมือง) or Lanna, is the language spoken by the Northern Thai people of Thailand. It is a Southwestern Tai languages, Southwestern Tai language. The language has approximately six mill ...
during the reign of King Mangrai
Mangrai (; ; c. 1238–1311) was the 25th king of Ngoenyang (r. 1261–1292) and the first king of Lanna (r. 1292–1311). He established a new city, Chiang Mai, as the capital of the Lanna Kingdom (1296–1558).Wyatt, D. K. Thailand, A Short Hi ...
, who established the town of Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...
(1292–1311), also mentioned the Tai martial arts (Muay) in section 7, under the article of 18 types of quarrels, for the first time in the Lan Na Kingdom. In the folklore, ''the Legend of the Phayao Kingdom'' (1094–1338), the version by Wat Sriboonrueng mentioned the Tai martial arts (Muay) known as ''jerng tiw khui'' during the reign of King Chueang Maharat (1115–1162).
13th century
During the Pre-Ayutthaya era (Ayodhya period) before 1351, the ''Royal Chronicle of the North'' documented King Uthong's importation of Muay boxers from the city of Sri Phalo (now Chonburi province, Thailand) to the city-state of Ayodhya. This occurred during his reign from 1253 to 1289,The Fine Arts Department of Thailand. (1958). ''Phraratchaphongsawadan Nuea พระราชพงศาวดารเหนือ'' oyal Chronicle of the North, version by Phra Wichianpricha (Noi)(in Thai). Bangkok: Thai Khasem. pp. 124–5. and a Muay boxing match between a Siamese boxer and a Chinese boxer also took place during the late reign of King Suwanracha, who ruled Ayodhya from 1301 to 1310. Furthermore, the Siam-Thai of Ayutthaya (known as Gywan and Siam-Asli) launched an attack on the Thaton kingdom in 1056 CE. They expanded their territory southward and used their martial arts skills (Muay) to penetrate deep into theMalay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...
before 1160 CE. These events are recorded in various historical sources, including the Burmese chronicle, ''Hmannan Yazawin
''Hmannan Maha Yazawindawgyi'' (, ; commonly, ''Hmannan Yazawin''; known in English as the ''Glass Palace Chronicle'') is the first Burmese chronicle, official chronicle of Konbaung Dynasty of Burma (Myanmar). It was compiled by the Royal Histori ...
'', the ''Malay annals'' (Sulalatus Salatin), and the ''History of the Malay Kingdom of Patani'' (Sejarah Kerajaan Melayu Patani).
During the Sukhothai Kingdom
The Sukhothai Kingdom was a post-classical Siamese kingdom (Mandala (political model), ''maṇḍala'') in Mainland Southeast Asia surrounding the ancient capital city of Sukhothai Historical Park, Sukhothai in present-day north-central Thaila ...
from 1238 to 68, Muay Thai was highly regarded as an art form and was even included in the curriculum for members of the royal family. It was seen as a way to train brave warriors with exceptional physical fitness, as well as prepare them for leadership and warfare against neighboring kingdoms. King Si Inthrathit sent his second son, aged 13, Prince Ram Khamhaeng
Ramkhamhaeng (, ) or commonly known as Pho Khun Ramkhamhaeng Maharat (, ) was the third king of the Phra Ruang Dynasty, ruling the Sukhothai Kingdom (a historical kingdom of Thailand) from 1279 to 1298, during its most prosperous era.
He is c ...
, to study Dharma
Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...
, liberal arts, and martial arts (Muay) at the Samo Khon School in Lawapura town (now Lopburi province, Thailand), Lavo Kingdom
The Lavo Kingdom () was a political entity (Mandala (Southeast Asian political model), mandala) on the left bank of the Chao Phraya River in the Upper Chao Phraya valley from the end of Dvaravati civilization, in the 7th century, until 1388. The o ...
. It was here that Prince Ram Khamhaeng formed a close bond with Prince Ngam Mueang, who would later become the King of Phayao Kingdom in 1258, as mentioned in the ''Yonok Chronicles'':
The Samo Khon school was founded in 657 AD during the Haripuñjaya period by a hermit named Sukatanata (). He taught a variety of subjects, collectively known as ''Maiya Shastra'' (ಮೈಶಾಸ್ತ್ರ), which included martial arts (Muay), sword fighting, archery, and elephant and horse control. One of the most notable alumni of the school was King Mangrai. The Hermitage of Sukatanata still exists today and can be accessed at Wat Khao Samo Khon in Lopburi province, Thailand.
King Ram Khamhaeng also composed a war strategy manual during his reign that also mentioned Muay Thai. Later, King Maha Thammaracha I
Maha Thammaracha I (, ), born as Li Thai (, ), was a king of the Sukhothai Kingdom, and the first Buddhist philosopher to write in the Thai language. He reigned from roughly 1347 until his death in 1368. Li Thai was the son of Loe Thai and the g ...
was trained in essential subjects as well as practical skills, including martial arts (Muay) for self-defense with bare hands and the use of weapons. Muay Thai was also taught at temples, which served as learning centers for the Tai peoples, following the guidelines of King Ram Khamhaeng's war strategy manual.
15th century
In 1431 AD, King Borommarachathirat II, the King ofAyutthaya Kingdom
The Ayutthaya Kingdom or the Empire of Ayutthaya was a Thai people, Thai kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city), Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. Europe ...
, led Siamese forces and included groups of Siamese boxers to assault the Khmers plundering Angkor Thom, also known as the Fall of Angkor in 1431. King Borommarachathirat II built an inscription of Khun Sri Chaiya Raj Mongkol Thep for the victory monument and Siamese warriors' commemoration, which inscribed a list of Siamese warriors and assault record in the inscription after the Angkor had already been captured, as well as written in ''A Lost Chronicle of Ayutthaya'' by Michael Vickery, stanzas 9–11.
The inscription of Khun Sri Chaiya Raj Mongkol Thep (N.M. 78, Face 2) 1431 AD reads:
From 1455 AD in the Ayutthaya period, Muay Thai was officially integrated with Siamese royal courts of Ayutthaya called The King's Guard Department () since the reign of King Borommatrailokkanat enacted the Law of the Military and Provincial Hierarchy 1998 BE (1455 AD), which consisted of two director generals with noble titles, Khun Phakdeeasa () and Khun Yothaphakdee () in the hierarchy. There were countless skilled Siamese boxers in The King's Unarmed Guard Division (), a sub-division of The King's Guard Department, picked from competition by the king to be his private guards and patrol the royal palace as major missions. The boxing competitions occur in peace situations as well as to safeguard the king at war.
There was also the law mentioned of Muay in the reign of King Ekathotsarot
Ekathotsarot (, , ) or Sanphet III (); 1560 – 1610/11) was the King of Ayutthaya from 1605 to 1610/11 and overlord of Lan Na from 1605 to 1608/09, succeeding his brother Naresuan. His reign was mostly peaceful as Siam was a powerful state thr ...
(1590–1605), called Miscellaneous Laws (Phra Aiyakan Betset), which states:
The well-known Siamese boxers during the Ayutthaya period include King Naresuan
Naresuan (1555/1556 – 25 April 1605), commonly known as Naresuan the Great, or Sanphet II was the 18th Monarchy of Thailand, king of the Ayutthaya Kingdom and 2nd monarch of the List of monarchs of Thailand#Sukhothai dynasty (1569–1629), S ...
, King Suriyenthrathibodi, and Nai Khanom Tom.
16th century
According to history, Muay Thai had been developed by the Siamese army as a form of self-defense and to date back at least to the 13th century, according to King Ram Khamhaeng's war strategics manual. In Ayutthaya Kingdom, the war strategics manual was recomposed in 1518 by King Ramathibodi II called ''Tamra Phichaisongkram'' (). KingNaresuan
Naresuan (1555/1556 – 25 April 1605), commonly known as Naresuan the Great, or Sanphet II was the 18th Monarchy of Thailand, king of the Ayutthaya Kingdom and 2nd monarch of the List of monarchs of Thailand#Sukhothai dynasty (1569–1629), S ...
practiced martial arts and rearranged his soldiers for 15 years at peacetime.Damrong Rajanubhab
Prince Tisavarakumara, the Prince Damrong Rajanubhab (; Full transcription is "Somdet Phrachao Borommawongthoe Phra-ongchao Ditsawarakuman Kromphraya Damrongrachanuphap" (สมเด็จพระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธอ พ� ...
. (1966). ''The Concise of The Royal Chronicle Vol. 23 The Legend of Military Conscription and The Legend of 4th Infantry Division : The Chronicle of King Naresuan's Military Affairs ประชุมพงศาวดาร ภาคที่ ๒๓ ตำนานการเกณฑ์ทหาร กับตำนานกรมทหารราบที่ ๔ : ว่าด้วยเรื่องพงศาวดารตอนทหารสมเด็จพระนเรศวร'' (in Thai). Bangkok: Phra Chan. p. 33. He had learned warrior fighting techniques from Burmese royal courts after he was raised on his age 9 by King Bayinnaung
, title = King of Toungoo
, image = Bayinnaung.JPG
, caption = Statue of Bayinnaung in front of the National Museum of Myanmar
, reign = 30 April 1550 – 10 October 1581
, coronation = 11 January 1551 at Taungoo, ...
for 6 years in Burma after the invasion by Bayinnaung's army to Ayutthaya Kingdom in the Burmese–Siamese War (1563–1564)
The Burmese-Siamese War of 1563–1564, also known as the War over the White Elephants (), was a war between the Toungoo dynasty of Burma and the Ayutthaya Kingdom of Siam. It was the second of twenty wars fought between the Burmese and Siam ...
. King Naresuan also improved the war strategics manual version of King Ramathibodi II to the version of King Naresuan after he was backed to Ayutthaya Kingdom to be capable of self-defense in war engagements during his reign.
In 1687, Simon de la Loubère
Simon de la Loubère (; 21 April 1642 – 26 March 1729) was a French diplomat to Siam (Thailand), writer, mathematician and poet. He is credited with bringing back a document which introduced Europe to Indian astronomy, the " Siamese method ...
, a French diplomat to Siam of King Louis XIV
LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
, handwrote that Muay Thai was one of the occupations of Siamese people in his famous book, '' Du Royaume de Siam'', during the reign of King Narai
King Narai the Great (, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the Prasat Thong dynasty. He was the king of Ayutthaya Kingdom from 1656 to 1688 and arguably the most famous king of the ...
, which reads:
In 1698, according to the second French mission to Siam by King Louis XIV, who after appointed Guy Tachard to be in charge of the French ambassador to Siam. Muay Thai was being trained to prepare for an engagement with a French expeditionary force after the Dutch captain informed the Siamese Royal Court of the news about French battleships to siege Puducherry and Myeik seaports of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya in the reign of King Phetracha after the Siamese revolution of 1688
The Siamese revolution of 1688 was a major popular uprising in the Siamese Ayutthaya Kingdom (modern Thailand) which led to the overthrow of the pro-French Siamese king Narai. Phetracha, previously one of Narai's trusted military advisors, took a ...
.
''Monsieur Braud's letter to Directors of the International Affairs Kingdom of Ayutthaya (June 9, 1699)'' reads:
18th century
In the 1702 reign of King Suriyenthrathibodi. The king questioned his vassals about the Siamese people festival held outside the boundary of Ayutthaya Royal Palace. The government official responded to the king that the temple fair will be held at Khwaeng Wiset Chai Chan (now Ang Thong province, Thailand). Tomorrow, there are Buddhist monastery celebrations, grand competitions, and amusements. King Suriyenthrathibodi then responded back that he had not punched Muay boxing for a long time since enthroned, and he decided to join Muay boxing competitions tomorrow. On the next festival day, King Suriyenthrathibodi disguised himself as the general public with a few royal police and went to the festival by boat to join the Muay boxing competitions, and he won both the first and second matches during the competition, as the ''Royal Chronicle of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya'' reads: The ''Royal Chronicle of the Kingdom of Rattanakosin: First Reign'', documents the arrival of two French boxing brothers in Bangkok in 1788. They had come to compete in a boxing match for a monetary prize. Seeking to compete with a Siamese boxer, they enlisted the help of an interpreter to convey their request to a Siamese nobleman, Chaophraya Phra Khlang (Hon). This nobleman then brought the matter to the attention of King Rama I. The King, in turn, consulted with his younger brother, Prince Maha Sura Singhanat of theFront Palace
Krom Phra Ratchawang Bowon Sathan Mongkhon , colloquially known as the Front Palace (, ), was the title of the ''uparaja'' of Siam, variously translated as "viceroy", "vice king" or "Lord/Prince of the Front Palace", as the titleholder resided ...
, and made a plea:
Since the foreigners have made a challenge, it would be considered an insult if we did not come up with Thai boxers to compete against them. It would be said that no Thais in all the capital could fight. Our reputation would suffer. The dishonor would spread abroad. I beg you to find a Thai boxer skillful enough to inflict a resounding defeat.Kraithat, Panya, and Kraitus, Pitisuk. (1988). ''Muay Thai: The Most Distinguished Art of Fighting''. (6th ed.). Phuket: Asia Books. pp. 23–24.King Rama I accepted his brother's advice and asked a nobleman to inform the Frenchmen that a match would be arranged with a purse of fifty Chang (equivalent to 4,000 baht at the time). Prince Maha Sura Singhanat personally supervised the construction of a suitable arena and prepared the Siamese boxer. On the day of the boxing competition, King Rama I, his younger brother, and many members of the Siamese royal court were present as spectators near the western theater of
Wat Phra Kaew
Wat Phra Kaew (, , ), commonly known in English as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and officially as Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, is regarded as the most sacred Wat, Buddhist temple in Thailand. The complex consists of a number of buildings ...
. Prince Maha Sura Singhanat arranged for a Siamese boxer from the Front Palace King's Guard Department named Muean Phlan to compete against the younger of the French brothers. During the match, Muean Phlan constantly evaded his opponent, making it difficult for the younger French brother to get a hold of him. As the elder French brother rushed to assist his younger sibling, Prince Maha Sura Singhanat also joined the fight and knocked the elder brother down. All the umpires rushed to help the Siamese boxer, and the Frenchmen were treated harshly. After Rama I had the two French brothers receive physical therapy, they soon departed.
Folklore of Nai Khanom Tom
According to the popular folklore story, in 1767, after the second fall of Ayutthaya Kingdom from theBurmese–Siamese War (1765–1767)
The Burmese–Siamese War of 1765–1767, also known as the war of the second fall of Ayutthaya () was the second military conflict between Burma under the Konbaung dynasty and Ayutthaya Kingdom under the Siamese List of Thai monarchs#Ban Phlu ...
, the invading Burmese troops rounded up thousands of Siamese citizens and brought to Burma. They then organized a seven-day, seven-night religious festival in honor of Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),*
*
*
was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...
's relics. The festivities included many forms of entertainment, such as costume plays, comedies, and sword-fighting matches. King Hsinbyushin wanted to see how Thai fighters would compare to his fighters. Nai Khanom Tom was selected to fight against the King's chosen champion, and the boxing ring was set up in front of the throne. When the fight began, Nai Khanom Tom charged out, using punches, kicks, elbows, and knees to pummel his opponent until he collapsed.The King supposedly asked if Nai Khanom Tom would fight nine other Burmese champions to prove himself. He agreed and fought one after the other with no rest periods. His last opponent was a great kickboxing teacher from Rakhine State
Rakhine State ( ; , ; ), formerly known as Arakan State, is a Administrative divisions of Myanmar, state in Myanmar (Burma). Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State to the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Re ...
whom Nai Khanom Tom defeated with kicks.
It had been said that King Hsinbyushin was allegedly so impressed that he remarked in ''The Royal Chronicle of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya'':
This historiography was largely extrapolated from brief mentions in written records, including four episodes in the royal chronicles of the 18th century: one where King Sanphet VIII fought an incognito match at a temple fair, Khwaeng Mueang Wiset Chai Chan in 1702; one where Nai Khanom Tom, as a war captive following the fall of Ayutthaya, fought in front of the Burmese king and defeated ten Burmese fighters; one of the military commander Phraya Phichai Dap Hak, who in his youth was a Muay Thai fighter; and one of Muen Phlan, who was chosen by King Rama I
Phutthayotfa Chulalok (born Thongduang; 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), also known by his regnal name Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (now Thailand) and the first King of Siam from the reigning Chakri dynasty. He asc ...
to fight against two French challengers in 1788.Wenk, Klaus and Stahl, Greeley. "The restoration of Thailand under Rama I, 1782-1809," ''Asian Studies by the University of Arizona Press, Tucson'' 24(1968): 120–121.
To commemorate the story of Nai Khanom Tom, the Muay Thai Festival and Wai Khru Muay Thai Ceremony are staged annually every year on March 17 as "Muay Thai Day" in Thailand.
The popular folklore story of Nai Khanom Tom is widely celebrated in Thailand and around the world and the character is referred as the "father of Muay Thai." Several scholars have critically examined the legend of Nai Khanom Tom, suggesting it is mythological
Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...
rather than historical. Scholars suggest that the story of Nai Khanom Tom probably emerged in the 20th century, coinciding with efforts by Thai cultural institutions to construct a cohesive national identity. During the post-World War II era, figures like Luang Wichitwathakan
Major-General Luang (title), Luang Wichitwathakan (also known as just Wichit Wichitwathakan) (; zh, 金良) (11 August 189831 March 1962) was a Thai politician, diplomat, historian, novelist, and playwright. He is credited with changing the name ...
played pivotal roles in promoting Thai nationalism, often through the creation and dissemination of cultural myths. The legend of Nai Khanom Tom serves as a case study in the invention of tradition, where folklore is utilized to foster national unity and cultural continuity.
In his book ''Muay Thai: Inventing Tradition for a National Symbol'', Peter Vail argues that the story has been used to construct Thai national identity and serves more as a cultural symbol than a verifiable historical account. Similarly, historian Craig J. Reynolds, in his 1991 book ''National Identity and Its Defenders: Thailand, 1939–1989'', discusses how Thai historical narratives were shaped in the post-World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
era to promote national unity, including the elevation of figures like Nai Khanom Tom without historical documentation. Scholars emphasize the lack of contemporary sources and suggest the legend likely emerged or was amplified during Thailand’s modern nation-building period.
19th century
The ascension of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) to the throne in 1868 ushered in a golden age not only for Muay but for the whole country of Thailand. Muay progressed greatly during the reign of Rama V as a direct result of the king's personal interest in the sport. The country was at peace and Muay functioned as a means of physical exercise, self-defense, attacking, recreation and personal advancement.
To increase interest in Muay Thai, King Chulalongkorn implemented nationwide tournaments and established a Royal Boxing Center, known as Muay Luang or Royal Boxers, similar to the Muay Fighters Regiment during the Ayutthaya Period, to administer the training of both Muay Thai and Krabi–krabong. He also bestowed the title of Muen, a Thai nobility
The Thai nobility was a social class comprising titled officials (''khunnang'', ) in the service of the monarchy. They formed part of a hierarchical social system which developed from the time of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (14th century – 1767), thro ...
rank, to the victor of each match. In 1887, the Department of Education (now the Department of Physical Education, Ministry of Tourism and Sports (Thailand)
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports ( Abrv: MOTS; , ) is a cabinet ministry in the Government of Thailand. The ministry's primary areas of responsibility are tourism and sports. The ministry is in charge of managing the tourist industry and spor ...
) was established by King Chulalongkorn, with Muay Thai being included as a subject in the national curriculum for both physical education teacher training schools and the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy
Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy (CRMA) (; ) is the service academy of Royal Thai Army (RTA). Established in 1887 it has graduated the majority of Thailand's military leaders, many of whom have become Prime Ministers of Thailand, Thai prime m ...
(CRMA).
20th century
Modern Muay Thai arose from the local form of bare-hand fighting historically known simply as ''muay'', and became recognized as a distinct martial art form in the early 20th century, when the term ''Muay Thai'' ('Siamese boxing' in English) was introduced in physical education curricular documents to distinguish it from international boxing (''muay sakon'' in Thai).
The officially recognized history of Muay Thai was largely codified in the late 20th century, when the sport gained widespread popularity and became recognized as a national sport and cultural heritage. The term Muay Boran was coined to describe the pre-modern historical martial art form of Muay Thai, and they came to symbolize a warrior spirit seen as a core component of Thainess.
In 1910, the King requested ''muay'' fighters from outlying provinces to fight matches at the funeral of his son Prince Urubongse Rajasombhoj, and granted the noble rank of ''Muen'' to the three best fighters, who were from Lopburi, Khorat and Chaiya. These would later become codified as regional styles of Muay Boran.
1913: British boxing was introduced into the curriculum of the Suan Kulap College. The first descriptive use of the term "Muay Thai".
From 1914 to 1918 during World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Thailand sent troops to fight with its allies in France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. They taught people there Muay Thai, and later Thai boxing spread to others and became known internationally, so the word of ''Muay Thai'' had reached Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
by this time. A French magazine, ''Le Sport Orient'', published in Mainz
Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...
, observed:
Thai boxing is astounding but hard to get to see. The boxers are agile, strong, and tough. This sport is not just a thrilling, strange, and extraordinary form of entertainment. Once again, it makes the French feel that Siam is one of the truly remarkable nations of Asia.1919: British boxing and Muay Thai were taught as one sport in the curriculum of the Suan Kulap College. Judo was also offered. 1921: First permanent ring in Siam at Suan Kulap College. Used for both muay and British boxing. 1923: Suan Sanuk Stadium. First international style three-rope ring with red and blue padded corners, near Lumpinee Park. Muay and British boxing. King Rama VII (r. 1925–1935) pushed for codified rules for Muay and they were put into place. Thailand's first boxing ring was built in 1921 at Suan Kulap. Referees were introduced and rounds were now timed by kick. Fighters at the
Lumpinee Boxing Stadium
Lumpinee Boxing Stadium () is a arena, sporting arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Opened more than a decade later than Rajadamnern Stadium, Lumpinee is run by the Royal Thai Army. It has become the symbol of modern Muay Thai. Only Rajadamnern Stadiu ...
began wearing modern gloves, as well as hard groin protectors, during training and in boxing matches against foreigners. Traditional rope-binding (''Khat Chueak'') made the hands a hardened, dangerous striking tool. The use of knots in the rope over the knuckles made the strikes more abrasive and damaging for the opponent while protecting the hands of the fighter. This rope-binding was still used in fights between Thais but after a death in the ring, it was decided that fighters should wear gloves and cotton coverlets over the feet and ankles. It was also around this time that the term "Muay Thai" became commonly used, while the older form of the style came to be known as "Muay Boran", which is now performed primarily as an exhibition art form.
On October 29, 1970. King Bhumibol Adulyadej gave his speech to the Muay Thai Fund Raising Organizing Committee in support of Thai boxers on behalf of the Anandamahidol Foundation states:
Muay Thai was at the height of its popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. Top fighters commanded purses of up to 200,000 Baht
The baht (; , ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). Prior to decimalisation, the baht was divided into eight ''fueang'' (, ), each of eight ''at'' (, ). The ...
and the stadia where gambling was legal drew big gates and big advertising revenues. In 2016, a payout to a superstar fighter was about 100,000 Baht per fight, but can range as high as 540,000 Baht for a bout.
In 1993, the International Federation of Muay Thai Amateur, or IFMA was inaugurated. It became the governing body of amateur Muay Thai consisting of 128 member countries worldwide and is recognised by the Olympic Council of Asia
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a sports governing body, governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees. Talal Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah was elected as President of the OCA on 8 July 2023. However, on 3 ...
.
In 1995, the World Muaythai Council
The World Muaythai Council (WMC) is one of the oldest professional sanctioning organizations of Muaythai in the world for the sport. The organization was set up in 1995 by parliament resolution, and is incorporated by the Royal Thai Government a ...
, the oldest and largest professional sanctioning organisations of muay Thai, was established by the Thai government and sanctioned by the Sports Authority of Thailand.
In 1995, the World Muay Thai Federation was founded by the merger of two existing organisations, and established in Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...
, becoming the federation governing international Muay Thai. In August 2012, it had over 70 member countries. Its president is elected at the World Muay Thai Congress.
21st century
In 2006, Muay Thai was included inSportAccord
SportAccord is a global sports event organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, that is governed by stakeholders representing the Olympic and non-Olympic International Federations and has currently taken on some of the activities of the dissolve ...
with IFMA. One of the requirements of SportAccord was that no sport can have a name of a country in its name. As a result, an amendment was made in the IFMA constitution to change the name of the sport from "Muay Thai" to "Muaythai" – written as one word in accordance with Olympic requirements.
In 2014, Muay Thai was included in the International World Games Association
The International World Games Association, abbreviated as IWGA, is an international association, recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), that organises every four years, beginning in 1981, the multi-sport event called The World ...
(IWGA) and was represented in the official programme of The World Games 2017 in Wrocław
Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
, Poland.
In January 2015, Muay Thai was granted the patronage of the International University Sports Federation
The International University Sports Federation (FISU; ) is responsible for the organization and governance of worldwide sports competitions for student-athletes between the ages of 17 and 25. It was founded in 1949 as the world governing body of ...
(FISU) and, from 16 to 23 March 2015, the first University World Muaythai Cup was held in Bangkok.
In 2020, there are more than 3,800 Thai boxing gyms overseas.
Rules
According to IFMA rules, Muay Thai is a full contact martial art that uses the fists, elbows, knees and feet to strike an opponent. For a strike to count as a point score, it has to connect without being blocked by your opponent. Strikes do not score if they connect with your opponent's glove, forearm, shin or foot. Strikes to the groin were allowed in Muay Thai boxing until the late 1980s, and are still permitted in Thailand itself, and in club or competition events that abide to the traditional rules. While competitors do wear groin protection, such as cups, the rules for club level sparring and competition events may vary regarding the protective gear that may or may not be worn. Mixed-sex fights are not practiced at international level, but do occur in club and inter-club sparring and competition events. If the fight goes the distance and both fighters finish with the same score, then the winner is determined by which fighter landed the most full contact blows.Olympics
Timeline of International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA) from founding toInternational Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...
(IOC) recognition:
* 1992: National Federation of Muaythai Associations founded.
* 1995: International Amateur Muay Thai Federation (IAMTF) founded.
* 2012: Official request for International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognition launched.
* 2016: First endorsement received.
* 2017: Muaythai is included in the World Games.
* 2021: On June 10, the IOC Board of Directors agreed on the full endorsement of IFMA at the 138th IOC General Assembly in Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
.
* 2021: On July 20, the IOC General Assembly granted full recognition to the International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA) and Muaythai.
* 2023: On January 11, USA MuayThai has been officially approved by The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and was recognized by the organization's committee as the newest member with a chance to build on the 2028 Olympic in the United States.
* 2023: The European Olympic Committees (EOC) had officially announced the inclusion of Muay Thai, or Thai-style boxing, at the 2023 European Games to be held in Krakow, Poland.
* 2024: The International Federation of Muay Thai Associations (IFMA) granted Muay Thai to feature as a demonstration sport to be held in the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Traditional wear
The '' mongkhon'', or ''mongkol'' (headband), and '' pra jiad'' (armbands) are often worn into the ring before the match begins. They originated whenSiam
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
was in a constant state of war. Young men would tear off pieces of a loved one's clothing (often a mother's ''sarong'') and wear it in battle for good luck as well as to ward off harmful spirits. In modern times, the ''mongkol'' (lit. "holy spirit", "luck", "protection") is worn as a tribute to the fighter's gym. The ''mongkol'' is traditionally presented by a trainer to the fighter when he judges that the fighter is ready to represent the gym in the ring. Often, after the fighter has finished the '' wai kru'', the trainer will take the ''mongkol'' off his head and place it in his corner of the ring for luck. They were also used for protection. Whether the fighter is a Buddhist or not, it is common for them to bring the ''mongkol'' to a Buddhist monk who blesses it for good luck prior to stepping into the ring.
Techniques
Formal Muay Thai techniques are divided into two groups: ''mae mai'' (แม่ไม้), or "major techniques", and ''luk mai'' (ลูกไม้), or "minor techniques". 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 where the Thai style of exchanging blow for blow is no longer favorable. Almost all techniques in Muay Thai use the entire body movement, rotating the hip with each kick, punch, elbow and block.Punching (''Muay Mat'')
The punch techniques in Muay Thai were originally quite limited, being crosses and a long (or lazy) circular strike made with a straight (but not locked) arm and landing with the heel of the palm. Cross-fertilisation with Western boxing and Western martial arts mean the full range of western boxing punches are now used: lead jab, straight/cross, hook, uppercut, shovel and corkscrew punches and overhands, as well as hammer fists and back fists. As a tactic, body punching is used less in Muay Thai than most other striking combat sports to avoid exposing the attacker's head to counter strikes from knees or elbows. To utilize the range of targeting points, in keeping with the centre line theory, the fighter can use either the Western or Thai stance which allows for either long range or short range attacks to be undertaken effectively without compromising guard.Elbow (''sok'')
The elbow can be used in several ways as a striking weapon: 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 diagonal elbows are faster than the other forms but are less powerful. The elbow strike is considered the most dangerous form of attack in the sport.
There is a distinct difference between a single elbow and a follow-up elbow. The single elbow is a move independent from any other, whereas a follow-up elbow is the second strike from the same arm, being a hook or straight punch first with an elbow follow-up. Such elbows, and most other elbow strikes, 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.
Elbows can be used to great effect as blocks or defences against, for example, spring knees, side body knees, body kicks or punches. When well connected, an elbow strike can cause serious damage to the opponent, including cuts or even a knockout.
Kicking (''te'')
The two most common kicks in Muay Thai are known as the ''thip'' (literally "foot jab") and the ''te chiang'' (kicking upwards in the shape of a triangle cutting under the arm and ribs), or roundhouse kick. The Thai roundhouse kick uses a rotational movement of the entire body and has been widely adopted by practitioners of other combat sports. It is done from a circular stance with the back leg just a little ways back (roughly shoulder width apart) in comparison to instinctive upper body fighting (boxing) where the legs must create a wider base. The roundhouse kick draws its power almost entirely from the rotational movement of the hips, counter-rotation of the shoulders and arms are also often used to add torque to the lower body and increase the power of the kick as well.
If a roundhouse kick is attempted by the opponent, the Thai boxer will normally check the kick, that is, he will block the kick with the outside of his lower leg. Thai boxers are trained to always connect with the shin. The foot contains many fine bones and is much weaker. A fighter may end up hurting himself if he tries to strike with his foot or instep. Shins are trained by repeatedly striking firm objects, such as pads or heavy bags.
Knee (''ti khao'')
Source: *''Khao dot'' (Jumping knee strike) – the boxer jumps up on one leg and strikes with that leg's knee. *''Khao loi'' ( flying knee strike) – the boxer takes a step(s), jumps forward and off one leg and strikes with that leg's knee. *''Khao thon'' ( Straight knee strike) – the boxer simply thrusts it forward but not upwards, unless he is holding an opponent's 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 ''khao dot'' or ''khao 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 which are sometimes dipped in water to make the rope much stronger. This explanation also holds true for some of the following knee strikes below as well.Foot-thrust (''teep'')
The foot-thrust, or literally, "foot jab", is one of the techniques in Muay Thai. It is mainly used as a defensive technique to control distance or block attacks. Foot-thrusts should be thrown quickly but with enough force to knock an opponent off balance.
Clinch and neck wrestling (''chap kho'')
In Western boxing, the two fighters are separated when they clinch; in muay Thai, however, they are not. It is often in the clinch that knee and elbow techniques are used. To strike and bind the opponent for both offensive and defensive purposes, small amounts of stand-up grappling are used in the clinch. The front clinch should be performed with the palm of one hand on the back of the other. There are three reasons why the fingers must not be intertwined. 1) In the ring fighters are wearing boxing gloves and cannot intertwine their fingers. 2) The Thai front clinch involves pressing the head of the opponent downwards, which is easier if the hands are locked behind the back of the head instead of behind the neck. Furthermore, the arms should be putting as much pressure on the neck as possible. 3) A fighter may incur an injury to one or more fingers if they are intertwined, and it becomes more difficult to release the grip in order to quickly elbow the opponent's head.
A correct clinch also involves the fighter's forearms pressing against the opponent's collar bone while the hands are around the opponent's head rather than the opponent's neck. The general way to get out of a clinch is to push the opponent's head backward or elbow them, as the clinch requires both participants to be very close to one another. Additionally, the non-dominant clincher can try to "swim" their arm underneath and inside the opponent's clinch, establishing the previously non-dominant clincher as the dominant clincher.
Muay Thai has several other variants of the clinch or ''chap kho'' , including:
*Arm clinch: One or both hands controls the inside of the defender's arm(s) and where the second hand if free is in the front clinch position. This clinch is used to briefly control the opponent before applying a knee strike or throw.
*Side clinch: One arm passes around the front of the defender with the attacker's shoulder pressed into the defender's arm pit and the other arm passing round the back which allows the attacker to apply knee strikes to the defender's back or to throw the defender readily.
*Low clinch: Both controlling arms pass under the defender's arms, which is generally used by the shorter of two opponents.
*Swan-neck: One hand around the rear of the neck is used to briefly clinch an opponent before a strike.
Defence against attacks
Defences in muay Thai are categorised in six groups:
*Blocking – defender's hard blocks to stop a strike in its path so preventing it reaching its target (e.g., the shin block described in more detail below)
* Parry/block – Parrying or blocking uses the kickboxer's hands as defensive tools to deflect incoming attacks. As the opponent's punch arrives, the boxer delivers a sharp, lateral, open-handed blow to the opponent's wrist or forearm, redirecting the punch.
*Avoidance – moving a body part out of the way or range of a strike so the defender remains in range for a counter-strike. For example, the defender moves their front leg backward to avoid the attacker's low kick, then immediately counters with a roundhouse kick. Or the defender might lay their head back from the attacker's high roundhouse kick then counter-attack with a side kick.
*Evasion – moving the body out of the way or range of a strike so the defender has to move close again to counter-attack, e.g. defender jumping laterally or back from attacker's kicks
*Disruption – Pre-empting an attack e.g. with defender using disruptive techniques like jab, foot-thrust or low roundhouse kick, generally called a "leg kick" (to the outside or inside of the attacker's front leg, just above the knee) as the attacker attempts to close distance
*Anticipation – Defender catching a strike (e.g., catching a roundhouse kick to the body) or countering it before it lands (e.g., defender's low kick to the supporting leg below as the attacker initiates a high roundhouse kick).
Defences in practice
Defensively, the concept of "wall of defence" is used, in which shoulders, arms and legs are used to hinder the attacker from successfully executing techniques. Blocking is a critical element in muay Thai and compounds the level of conditioning a successful practitioner must possess. Low and mid bodyroundhouse kick
A roundhouse kick (also known as round kick or turning kick) is a kick in which the practitioner lifts the knee while turning the supporting foot and body in a semicircular motion, extending the leg striking with the lower part of the shin and/ ...
s are normally blocked with the upper portion of a raised shin (this block is known as a "check"). High body strikes are blocked ideally with the forearms and shoulder together, or if enough time is allowed for a parry, the glove (elusively), elbow, or shin will be used. Midsection 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 and techniques similar, if not identical, to basic boxing technique. A common means of blocking a punch is using the hand on the same side as the oncoming punch. For example, if an orthodox fighter throws a jab (being the left hand), the defender will make a slight tap to redirect the punch's angle with the right hand. The deflection is always as small and precise as possible to avoid unnecessary energy expenditure and return the hand to the guard as quickly as possible. Hooks are often blocked with a motion sometimes described as "combing the hair", that is, raising the elbow forward and effectively shielding the head with the forearm, flexed biceps and shoulder. More advanced muay Thai blocks are usually in the form of counter-strikes, using the opponent's weight (as they strike) to amplify the damage that the countering opponent can deliver. This requires impeccable timing and thus can generally only be learned by many repetitions.
Child boxers
In 2016, 9,998 children under the age of 15 were registered with Board of Boxing under the Sport Authority of Thailand, according to the Child Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention Research Centre (CSIP). Some estimates put the number of child boxers nationwide at between 200,000 and 300,000, some as young as four years old.
The Advanced Diagnostic Imaging Centre (AIMC) at Ramathibodi Hospital studied 300 child boxers aged under 15 with two to more than five years of experience, as well as 200 children who do not box. The findings show that child boxers not only sustain brain injuries, they also have a lower IQ, about 10 points lower than average levels. Moreover, IQ levels correlate with the length of their training. Beyond brain damage, the death of young fighters in the ring sometimes occurs.
Adisak Plitapolkarnpim, director of CSIP, was indirectly quoted (in 2016) as having said that muay Thai practitioners "younger than 15 years old are being urged to avoid 'head contact' to reduce the risk of brain injuries, while children aged under nine should be banned from the combat fight"; furthermore, the Boxing Act's minimum age to compete professionally was largely being flouted; furthermore, quoted indirectly, "Boxers aged between 13 and 15" should still be permitted to compete, but "with light contact to the head and face". He said that "spectators and a change in the boxing rules can play a vital role in preventing child boxers from suffering brain injuries, abnormality in brain structure, Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...
and early-onset Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
later in life...Children aged between nine and 15 can take part in haiboxing, but direct head contact must not be allowed". Referring to ''Findings f 2014on the Worst Forms of Child Labour'' as published by the US Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs
The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) is an operating unit of the United States Department of Labor which manages the department's international responsibilities. According to its mission statement:
''“The Bureau of International La ...
, he said, "We know Muay Thai paid fighters have been exploited in the past like child labourers and the matter still remains a serious concern."
At the 13th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion in 2018, it was revealed that up to three percent of the upcoming generation will grow up with learning disabilities unless an amendment is ratified that bans children under 12 from participating in boxing matches. International pediatricians have called on lawmakers in Thailand to help.
Injuries
Muay Thai is a combat sport that utilises eight different parts of the body (fists, elbows, knees and shins) so injuries are quite common in all levels of muay Thai. An injury is considered reportable if it requires the athlete to rest for more than one day. Many injuries in the sport go unreported as the fighters may not notice the injuries at first, refuse to admit that they need treatment, have a heightened pain threshold, fear that their instructor will perceive the injury negatively, or have confusion as to what is an injury. Similar to most sports, injury rates tend to be higher in beginners than amateurs and professionals. Soft tissue injuries are the most common form of injury in muay Thai, comprising between 80 and 90% of all injuries. These injuries are caused by repeated trauma to soft parts of the body. During matches there is little to no padding, leaving soft tissue vulnerable to strikes. The second most common injuries among beginners and amateurs aresprain
A sprain is a soft tissue injury of the ligaments within a joint, often caused by a sudden movement abruptly forcing the joint to exceed its functional range of motion. Ligaments are tough, inelastic fibers made of collagen that connect two or ...
s and strains. It appears that these injuries can be easily avoided or reduced. Many participants of a study admitted to inadequate warm up before the event of the injury. The third most common injuries are fractures. Fractures are more commonly seen with amateur and professional fighters, because they are allowed full contact, while beginners are not. The most common sites for fractures are the nose, carpal bones
The carpal bones are the eight small bones that make up the wrist (carpus) that connects the hand to the forearm. The terms "carpus" and "carpal" are derived from the Latin wikt:carpus#Latin, carpus and the Greek language, Greek wikt:καρπός ...
, metacarpals
In human anatomy, the metacarpal bones or metacarpus, also known as the "palm bones", are the appendicular skeleton, appendicular bones that form the intermediate part of the hand between the phalanges (fingers) and the carpal bones (wrist, wris ...
, digits and ribs
The rib cage or thoracic cage is an endoskeletal enclosure in the thorax of most vertebrates that comprises the ribs, vertebral column and sternum, which protect the vital organs of the thoracic cavity, such as the heart, lungs and great vessels ...
. The distribution of injuries differs significantly for beginners, amateurs and professionals, because as a fighter progresses through the different levels, the forces involved grow progressively higher, less padding and protective equipment is used, and athletes are likely to train harder, resulting in more serious injuries among experienced fighters.
Gambling
According to a ''Bangkok Post'' columnist, "...Thai professional boxing is all about gambling and big money. Gambling on muay Thai boxing is estimated to worth about 40 billion baht a year....all the talk about the promotion of Thai martial arts is just baloney." Rob Cox, the manager of a boxing camp just east of Bangkok claims that "Without the gamblers, the sport would pretty much be dead. They're killing it off, but they're also keeping it alive".
The practice of fixing fights is not unknown. Boxers can earn from 60,000 to 150,000 baht for purposefully losing a fight. A fighter, later arrested, who threw a fight at Rajadamnern Stadium in December 2019, is an example. An infamous alleged case of match-fixing was the bout on 12 October 2014 in Pattaya
Pattaya is a city in Eastern Thailand, the second-largest city in Chonburi province and the List of municipalities in Thailand, eighth-largest city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about southeast of Bangkok, and h ...
between top Thai boxer Buakaw Banchamek and his challenger, Enriko Kehl, at the K-1 World Max Final event.
Conditioning
Like most full contact fighting sports, muay Thai has a heavy focus on bodyconditioning Conditioning may refer to:
Science, computing, and technology
* Air conditioning, the removal of heat from indoor air for thermal comfort
** Automobile air conditioning, air conditioning in a vehicle
** Ice storage air conditioning, air conditio ...
. This can create a steep learning curve for newcomers to muay Thai but allows for rapid increases in fitness and stamina provided one avoids overtraining. Training regimens include many staples of combat sport conditioning such as running
Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion by which humans and other animals move quickly on foot. Running is a gait with an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is in contrast to walkin ...
, shadowboxing, rope jumping, body weight resistance exercises, medicine ball exercises, abdominal exercises and, in some cases, weight training
Strength training, also known as weight training or resistance training, is exercise designed to improve physical strength. It is often associated with the lifting of weights. It can also incorporate techniques such as bodyweight exercises ( ...
. Thai boxers rely heavily on kicks utilising the shin bone. As such, practitioners will repeatedly hit a dense heavy bag with their shins, conditioning it, hardening the bone through a process called cortical remodelling. Striking a sand-filled bag will have the same effect.
Training specific to a Thai fighter includes training with coaches on Thai pads, focus mitts, heavy bag, and sparring. 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 that involves practicing punches, kicks, knees, and elbow strikes with a trainer wearing thick pads covering the forearms and hands. These special pads (often referred to as Thai 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 in a live situation. The trainer will often also wear a belly pad around the abdominal area so that the fighter can attack with straight kicks or knees to the body at any time during the round.
Focus mitts are specific to training a fighter's hand speed, punch combinations, timing, punching power
Punching power is the amount of kinetic energy in a person's punches. Knockout power is a similar concept relating to the probability of any strike to the head to cause unconsciousness or a strike to the body that renders an opponent unable to ...
, defence and counter-punching and may also be 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
In metalworking, clinching or press-joining is a bulk sheet metal forming process aimed at joining thin metal sheets without additional components, using special tools to Deformation (engineering), plastically form an interlock between two or mo ...
and kneeing only, cutting off the ring, or using reach and distance to keep an aggressive fighter away.
Due to the rigorous training regimen (some Thai boxers fight almost every other week), professional boxers in Thailand 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 lower economic backgrounds, and the purse (after other parties have their cut) is sought as a means of support for the fighters and their families. Very few higher economic strata Thais join the professional muay Thai ranks; they usually either do not practice the sport or practice it only as amateur boxers.
Perspectives
Scholars have described this royalist-nationalist history as an invented tradition, constructed to serve the needs of Thai nationalism at the time. This tradition has caused Muay Thai to become strongly attached to the official Thai cultural institution and separated from other similar and closely related martial arts in the region, including ''muay Lao
Muay Lao (, lit. "Lao boxing") is a combat sport from Laos based on ancient Lao martial arts. It incorporates punches, kicks, elbow, and knee strikes. It can be traced back to the 15th century when it was used for military combat during the Lan ...
'' in Laos, and ''lethwei
Lethwei (; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) or Burmese boxing is a Full contact fighting, full contact combat sport originating from Myanmar and is considered as one of the most brutal martial arts in the world.}
*
*
*
*
*
* Lethwe ...
'' in Myanmar.
Famous practitioners
In popular culture
See also
* Muay LerdritNotes
References
Further reading
* * * * Moore, Tony. ''Muay Thai The Essential Guide to the Art of Thai Boxing''. New Holland. . * * * * Wei, Lindsey (2020). ''Path of the Spiritual Warrior: Life and Teachings of Muay Thai Fighter Pedro Solana''. Auckland, NZ: Purple Cloud Press,External links
* {{Authority control Mixed martial arts styles Sports originating in Thailand Thai sports and games