Thai Martial Arts

Fighters

2008-06-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

Muay thai has given born to many great fighters who are now known all over the world. Samart Payakaroon is one of the best among legendry muay thai heroes; he held the title of “Baby Face Tiger”. He accomplished both Muay thai and World Super Bantamweight championship in his carrier. One of the most promising muay thai boxer is Buakaw Por Pramuk. He won the title of K-1 Max World Champion two times till now. First in 2004 at the age of 22 and he reclaimed this title again in 2006. The K-1 Grand Prix is a famous competition which is held in Japan to determine the single best standup fighter in the world. In Atlanta Olympics 1996, Somrak Khamsing is the first Thai boxer who won a gold medal in feather weight class. He is well known, from then for his swiftness and his reflexes. Another Muay thai hero in K-1 world competition Kaoklai Kaennorsing once held the title of K-1 grand prix championship in 2004. He is talented at quick maneuver and effective hit. He was called the giant killer after he beat tougher competitor by his technique.

Training Basic Element

2008-05-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

Thare are 10 basic elements in Muay Thai traning to build up the skills and abilities to become succesful in Thai boxing

1. Warming up - Warming up is an important part of the Muay Thai training. This can help waking up the muscle, making them more flexible, and loosing the joint, so the body is ready for the heavy training.
2. Building Endurance - If you just getting started in Muay Thai boxing training, it should take about 6-8 weeks of Muay Thai kickboxing training for a new student to reach the point where he can have a good enough endurance.
3. Training Session Duration - Muay Thai training session length should not be too short or too long to prevent the counterproductive effect of over training or under training. For the beginners, the Muay Thai boxing training should not be too long. The length should not be more than two hours for a single session. If you are the trainer, you should make sure that the trainee is not too tired which can result in muscle pain or damage in muscle tissue.
4. Physical Ability Limits - Different Boxers have different limitations and they need different resting period to recover from exhaustion.
5. Physical Strength - This is one of the important requirement for Muay Thai boxing training. Therefore, a boxer should work on the strength. After the boxer’s strength increase, speed and endurance will increase also.
6. Persuasive Powers - The teacher or trainer has to prepare the new type of training for him so that he does not become bored with the training
7. Intensity - An increase in intensity of the training exercises can increase a strength and ability. However, when the intensity of training increase, the length of the session should decrease proportionately
8. Special Exercises - This exercise can help develop the physical strength, flexibility, and relaxation. The exercise should be practice after training sessions.
9. Massage - Massage can help increase blood circulation and reduce stress.
10. Regular Exercise - This exercise help increase the physical capabilities. The examples of regular exercises are shadow boxing, workouts with the punching bag, etc.

Muay Thai Training

2008-05-31T12:53:00.000-07:00

Muay Thai training is not different from other kinds of sport. The trainee need a discipline and train regularly with a strict and intensive program. The trainee has to listen to what his trainer says.
Here, I will update the information that you need for Muay Thai kickboxing training. My information is for everybody who interests in Muay Thai including trainers, boxers, trainees and Muay Thai lovers.

Wai Kru

2008-05-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

In Muay Thai, the boxer will always preface the fight with Wai Kru and this tradition is still practiced nowadays. This ceremony is usually performed to rousing Thai music from pipes and drums, and with the initial Ram Muau (the boxing movement). The Wai Kru and Ram Muay are useful, since the boxer gains encouragement from paying homage to his teachers and feels that he is not on his own: he has his teacher and the other teachers of the discipline to support him. The Wai Kru process will also give him time to concentrate and revise what he has learned, as well as display the nature of his weapons and the high degree of his skill. The steps, movement and use of his weapons are designed to warm up the bodyґs muscles, survey the field of play, and conceal the contestantґs style of fighting. "Wai" means to pay respect by putting both hands together in front of the chest.

Defensive techniques

2008-05-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

It as categorized into six groups:
Blocking: Defenders hard block to stop a strike in its path, so preventing it reaching its target.
Redirection: Defenders soft parries to change the directions of a strike so that it misses its target. Avoidance: Moving a body part swiftly out of the way or range of a strike, making the position of the opponent for a counter strike.
Evasion: Moving the body out of the way or range of a strike.
Disruption: Pre-aiming an attack.
Anticipation: Defender catching a strike or countering it before it strike.

The Arm Clinch Position

2008-05-30T04:42:00.000-07:00

There is a difference in Muay Thai from the western Boxing. During the arm clinch position the fighters are separate in western boxing; however they are not in Muay Thai.
There are several clinching techniques in Muay Thai including:

Arm Clinch
Side Clinch
Low Clinch and
Swan Neck.

Foot Thrust Techniques: (Theep)

2008-05-29T04:15:00.000-07:00

It is also known as ‘Push Kicks’ and is commonly used in Muay Thai. It is mainly used to attack opponents’ attack, and get the opponent off balance.

English - Thai
Straight Foot Thrust -Teep Dhrong
Sideways Foot Thrust - Teep Kang
Reverse Foot Thrust - Teep Glab Lang
Slapping Foot Thrust - Teep Dhob
Jumping Foot Thrust - Gra-Dode Teep

Knee Techniques: (Dhe kao)

2008-05-29T04:03:00.000-07:00

English - Thai
Straight Knee Strike - Kao Dhrong
Diagonal Knee Strike - Kao Chijang
Curving Knee Strike - Kao Kouwng
Horizontal Knee Strike - Kao Dhad
Knee Slap - Kao Dhob
Knee Bomb - Kao Youwn
Flying Knee Strike - Kao Loi
Step up Knee Strike - Kao Yiep

Other Knee Techniques:
Kao Dode: (Jumping Knee Strike) Jump on one leg and strike with that legs knee.
Kao Loi: (Flying Knee Strike) Take step(s), jump forward and off one leg and strike with that legs knee.
Kao Tone: (Straight Knee Strike) Thrusts it forward. Not upward unless the fighter is holding opponents head down in a clinch and intend to knee upward into the face.
Kao Noi: (Small knee Strike) Hitting the inside upper thigh (above the knee)of the opponent while clinching.

Kicking Techniques

2008-05-29T03:47:00.000-07:00

The most common kick in Muay Thai are Foot Jab (Theep) and the Kick (Tae), upward in the shape of a triangle targeting the ribs and arms (Chieng). This angle kick in Muay Thai has been adopted by many other forms of martial arts as it is very effective.The round house kick is almost similar to the kicks used in karate or taekwondo. Many Muay Thai fighters also uses a counter rotation of his arms to enhance the power of his kick. A Muay Thai fighter is always taught to hit with his shin. Although the shin is very sensitive for an untrained person the shin is the strongest part of the leg than the foot as it contains fine bones and is much weaker.

Straight Kick -Dhe Dhrong
Nutcracker Kick -Dhe Paa Maak
Round house Kick -Dhe Dhad
Diagonal Kick -Dhe Chivang
Half-spin, half knee kick -Dhe Krueng Kheng Krueng Kao
Spinning hill Kick -Dhe Glab Lang
Down Round house kick -Dhe Kod
Axe Hill Kick -Dhe Khouk
Jump kick -Gra-Dode Dhe
Step Up Kick -Yiep Dhe

Elbow Techniques

2008-05-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

The elbow is used in seven ways in Muay Thai, horizontally, diagonal upwards, diagonal downwards, uppercut, downward, backward spinning and flying. The elbow is also used from the sides as a finishing move or to cut the opponents’ eyebrow so that he bleeds. Bleeding blocks the vision and also affects the fighter’s performance.

English	Thai
Elbow Slash	Sork Dhee
Horizontal Elbow	Sork Dhad
Upper Cut Elbow	Sork Ngad
Forward elbow Thrust	Sork Poonk
Reverse Horizontal elbow	Sork wjang Glab
Spinning Elbow	Sork Glab
Elbow Chop	Sork Sap
Double Elbow Chop	Sork Glab Koo
Mid Air Elbow Strike	Gra-Dode Sork

Punching

2008-05-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

The judges in Muay Thai fights scores less to the fighters for the punching techniques as they are generally less effective and powerful than kicks or knee strikes.
Body punching is also used less in Muay Thai as it exposes the fighters head to the strikes of knee or elbow from the opponent

English	Thai
Straight punch	Mud Dhrong
Hook	Mud Wjang San
Swing	Mud Wjang Yao
Spinning Back fist	Mud Wjang Glab
Upper Cut	Mud Seub
Cobra Punch	Kra-Dod Chok
Over Head Punch	Mud Khouk

Basic Tecniques

2008-05-28T07:01:00.000-07:00

The Martial art of Muay Thai has its own unique techniques. It consists of the use of nine weapons. The head, fists, elbow, knee and feet are collectively known as Na-wa arwud. But today the use of head is no longer allowed in the Muay Thai fights.
In Muay Thai small amount of grappling is used (The Clinch) for both defending and attacking purpose.
Muay Thai techniques are divided into two groups: Mae Mai or Major techniques and Luk mai or Minor techniques.
All techniques in Muay Thai use the entire body movement, rotating the hip partially or fully with every punch, kick and block. This is the reason which sets Muay Thai apart from other forms of martial art.

Pre Fight Ritual - Paprachiat

2008-05-06T06:25:00.001-07:00

Fighters also commonly wear a cord around their bicep called the Kruang Ruang (armband) or Paprachiat (Good Luck Charm). These are usually given to the fighter as good luck charms by close family or by monks as talismans to ward off harm. These armbands are worn throughout the entire fight.
Anyway, the above traditions and rituals are the most common practices associated with Thai boxing. Though all of these traditions and rituals have been influenced by Thai religion (Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam), they are not religious in nature. These rituals and traditions transcend a Thai's religious beliefs, as they are part of the greater culture that is Thailand.

PRE FIGHT RITUAL - MONGKON

2008-05-06T05:33:00.000-07:00

When fighters enter the ring, they traditionally are seen wearing a Mongkon on their heads, and Pong Malai around their necks.The Mongkon (or Mangala) is the traditional head band which is always worn by Muay Thai fighters . It is usually made from a special cotton yarn, which has been carefully bound together in a special way. This item is used to represent the gym that you are fighting out of. It is essentially a crown.
Fighters never own the Mongkon themselves, it is gym property. Also, fighters are not to touch the Mongkon. It is placed on their heads and removed by their Kru or trainer. It serves to remind the fighter that he is in the ring representing his gym or camp, not himself. In the past, each gym had a distinct Mongkon, and one could identify what gym a fighter was from by the Mongkon worn.

MUAY THAI HISTORY

2008-05-06T04:56:00.000-07:00

The history of Muay Thai was lost when the Burmese army sacked and razed Ayuddhaya to the ground. With them, much of the early Muay Thai history also went. The little we do know about Muay Thai comes from the writings of the Burmese, Cambodian, early European visitors and some of the chronicles of the Lanna Kingdom - Chiangmai.

What all sources agree on is that Muay Thai began as a close combat battlefield fighting skill. More deadly than the weapons it replaced. The sources aren't clear and often contradict each other. But there are two main theories. One says that the art developed as the Thai people moved down from China; honed in the struggle for land. The other theory of the history of Muay Thai says that the Thai people were already here and that Muay Thai developed to defend the land and people from constant invasion threats.

The history of Muay Thai second theory, while controversial, has considerable academic backing and archaeological evidence. The first is, however, possible as the area opened up to the early pioneers. What is known is that the history of Muay Thai was an essential part of Thai culture right from its dawn. And in Thailand, it's the sport of kings.

Thailand’s capital was situated at Sukhothai from around the Buddhist years 1781-1951 (1238-1408 CE). Inscriptions in stone columns at Sukhothai indicate that Sukhothai fought with its neighbors quite often. Consequently, the city had to instill in her soldiers knowledge and skills concerning the use of weapons such as swords and spears, and also how to use the body as a weapon in situations of close person-to-person combat. Skills such as kicking, kneeing, punching, and elbowing were thus developed.

During peacetime, young men in Sukhothai practiced MuayThai to build character and their self-defense skills. These skills would serve them well during their time in the military and thus the practice of MuayThai became a good custom. MuayThai training centers arose around the city, for example, the Samakorn Training Center in Lopburi. Some were in temple areas where monks doubled as instructors.

During this period, MuayThai was considered a higher art and was a part of the royal curriculum. It was intended to develop good and brave warriors with great physical fitness into great and brave rulers. The first King of Sukhothai, Phokhun Sri In Tharatit, believed in the benefits of MuayThai so much that he sent his two sons to train MuayThai at the Samakorn Training Center to prepare them to take the throne. In B.E. 1818-1860 (1275-1317 CE) Phokhun Ram Khamhaeng wrote a war text that included the teachings of MuayThai as well as instruction in other fighting skills.