Muay Thai Techniques Growing Recognition Globally

Muay Thai techniques are more commonly known to Westerners as kickboxing. It is combative sport developed over many centuries in Thailand. Two fighters stand and clinch and strike each other. Legitimate strikes mat be delivered by the elbow, hand (fist), knee and foot.

It is the national sport in Thailand but does not have Olympic status. In its original form, contestants fought bare-fisted. Eventually, fighters began wearing lengths of hemp rope around their hands and forearms.

The term comes from the ancient Sanskrit mavya. It refers to as the art of eight limbs because the sport allows eight points of contact including fist, elbow, knee and foot strikes. In this sense, it is distinguished from boxing which is a two-point contact sport (fists) and the martial arts which is a four-point contact sport (hands and feet). It is similar to comparable sports developed within the Indochina or southeast Asian region such as tomoi in Malaysia, pradal serey from Cambodia and lethwei in Myanmar.

Despite the higher integration of punches into the sport of recent decades, body punching is used less in Muay Thai than most other striking martial arts. This avoids the attacker exposing his or her head to counter strikes from the opponent.

Back in history, the discipline became an avenue for personal advancement. Thai nobility grew to value skillful practitioners of the art. The best fighters were invited to join the royal court to teach the techniques to princes, soldiers, and personal guards. This strand of muay became so prominent that it was given its own name.

The peak of this royal recognition perhaps occurred within the Ayutthaya period, around the 18th century, when a special unit of royal guards was established to protect the king. This unit was known as the kick fighters regiment.

Formally, techniques used in Muay Thai divide into two main groups, mae mai (major techniques) and luk mai (minor techniques). Virtually all techniques involve movement of the entire body. Each striking or blocking move requires the contestant to rotate their hips as part of the move.

Muay Thai techniques are popular around the world. They are used both for defense training and to improve general fitness. The sport has enjoyed growing recognition. As of now however, it does not have Olympic status. Training using Thai pads is central to the physical conditioning undertaken by practitioners of the sport.

Learning Muay Thai techniques requires discipline and practice. The discipline is also known as kick boxing and requires simple Muay Thai gear for protection and safety.