Muay Thai - Thai BoxingI remember while on trip to Thailand, in 2004, that Thai Boxing was constantly on the tv. The Thai people love watching their Thai boxing. It is a full contact ring sport and arguably produces some of the most well conditioned athletes in the world. Techniques The main tools used in Thai Boxing are the hands, elbows, knees and shins. It is one of the few full contact ring sports that allow the use of the knees and elbows. Many Western countries, practice a 'watered down' version of Muay Thai and will often not allow either knees or elbows. Being a ring sport, most of the techniques are loaded with a lot of power that is aimed to hurt the opponent as much as possible. This focus on power means that the techniques are different to most martial arts in that there is extra hip and body rotation to generate the additional power. Knees and elbows  Knees and elbows are used in close
range fighting (trapping range) in
Thai boxing. Unlike boxing, where opponents are separated
when they are clinched up, in Muay Thai the elbows and knees will start
to fly.Controlling the opponent effectively in clinch range is an important part of Thai boxing. I believe this aspect of opponent control in close range is missing in many other traditional martial arts styles. Many bouts will be ended by a knockout elbow or knee. Kicks Thai boxers are renowned for their devastating, powerful kicks to the thighs, body and head. The shin is the contact area of choice, rather than the foot, as the foot has many small bones that are more easily broken on contact. Video Clip To illustrate how devastating some of the techniques are, I have included the following highlight clip. These knockouts are quite common in Thai boxing. Body conditioning I would consider Thai boxers to be one of the most well conditioned athletes on earth. Not only in terms of endurance and power but the amount of punishment that their bodies can take. Their bodies can take many rounds of full contact punches, elbows, knees and kicks. Training involves lots of running, skipping, sparring and intense pad and bag work. Functional training In my opinion, ring combat sports, such as Muay Thai, have a distinct advantage over many traditional martial arts in that the techniques are put into functional practice. What do I mean by functional practice? What I mean is that the techniques are tested against real human reactions. This is in contrast to other training methods, where techniques are pre-arranged and practiced into the air or on a cooperative opponent. In functional training, techniques and attributes (such as timing, speed, power) have to be developed so that they are effective against a live, fighting opponent. Anything, that does not work in the ring is disregarded. It is almost like a evolutionary process for techniques and training methods. Muay Thai in Mixed Martial Arts Competitions As a testament to the effectiveness of Thai Boxing, many mixed martial artists use it as part of their stand up/striking game. Fighters, such as Vanderlei Silva and Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, incorporate thai boxing heavily in their training and fighting. My recommendation I would recommend Muay Thai for someone wanting to do a tough, full contact style of martial art. It is not a style for the faint hearted. In terms of street self defense, it is effective in a one-on-one stand up confrontation, however, it lacks many aspects such as weapons training, dealing with multiple opponents and ground fighting application. Return from Muay Thai Page to Martial Arts Styles Page Back to Home Page
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