What is Muay Thai?

Muay Thai delivers a barrage of fist and elbow strikes which use hands, elbows and feet. The principle of the technique is to attack with the largest force aimed at the most vulnerable points on the opponent's body. Muay Thai employs a great deal of coordination between the upper and lower body. Although Muay Thai may look similar to other martial arts, there are key differences that separate this art from others.

Unlike karate, jujitsu, boxing and other combative, Muay Thai is predominantly a hands-on tactical combat sport. One of the fundamental principles of this art is the use of elbows, shins and knees as weapons, with the use of elbows and shins as offensive weapons (with the exception of a few throws) being reserved for the end of a fight. Another fundamental principle is the use of constant rotation, or rotation around the body axis. Muay Thai is also unique in the way it employs knees, often one foot in front of the other, as a primary means of self-defense.

Muay Thai is a widely popular martial art in Thailand, with many amateur Thai fighters challenging authority on a national level. Most Thai fighters specialize in a particular style of fighting, selecting specific attributes of various styles to refine their strengths and exploit weaknesses. A typical fighter will start out with some strength training, perhaps doing some strength training in martial arts school before heading out into the ring and engaging opponents. However, the real essence of Muay Thai is its ability to adapt to the submission grapple, employing all hands and feet to restrain opponents.

Since Muay Thai is such a dynamic sport, it requires a lot of different techniques and approaches. This is one of the reasons why the various schools of muay Thai training differ in terms of style, with some focusing more on striking, some on submission grappling and still others on flexibility, mental conditioning and speed. Many of the different techniques originated from western disciplines such as boxing, with which Thailand first gained a lot of interest in the latter part of the 20th century.

The training muay Thai uses rounds instead of traditional rounds in a boxing match, with the two fighters standing or on a circle with two cages on opposite sides, both with a limit line of ten feet. Each person gets five rounds before the fight ends, with the round times running up to one minute. It is widely accepted that the longer the rounds, the more effective the contest, since a skilled fighter can tire easily in the short duration of a regular round.

During the actual combat, the fighters circle each other with a limited distance between them. Whoever manages to stay within three feet of the other is declared the winner. If there is an endless pursuit of the goal, the match can be called a draw. The winner is also declared the quickest fighter and the heaviest fighter, though that is not really the aim of the Muay Thai fight since all it wants to do is enjoy the contact, and nothing else.

While the techniques of Muay Thai fighting may sound simple, many aspects of the sport need strict discipline and dedication to master. The Muay Thai fights are very brutal and the fighters need to learn how to withstand the blows. Most people who have been to one of the traditional muay Thai fights have described the sound of the sticks being swung as deafening, and yet they are doing it for fun. So if you are looking for a fantastic alternative to brutal sports such as football, rugby and boxing, you should definitely try out muay Thai matches.