Muay Thai
Thai boxing (muay Thai) or kick-boxing, as it is widely known outside Asia, is one of the several Asian martial arts that in the twentieth century enjoyed considerable popularity in the West. Thai boxing is believed to have developed in medieval Thailand, a time when wars between rival states were waged with bow and arrow, swords, pikes, and hand-to-hand combat involving the arms and legs, knees and elbows. Kickboxing was a component of military training and gained prominence during the reign of King Naresuan in 1560 CE. According to legend, Naresuan was taken prisoner during one of the many wars with neighboring Burma. He was given the opportunity to win his freedom by defeating Burma's best warriors in hand-to-hand combat. Using Thai boxing, he easily defeated all his opponents and was set free. Upon returning to Thailand, he established Thai boxing (then called Siamese boxing) as the national sport.
Thai boxing reached its greatest popularity in the eighteenth century during the reign of Pra Chao Sua when participants came from a broad spectrum of social classes and it was a regular form of entertainment featured at festivals.
In the twentieth century, the rules and equipment were systematized, arenas were built in every province, and the sport has been promoted as a Thai national treasure and then exported to many other nations. Kick-boxing is now popular internationally and there are national associations in the United States and Canada and many European nations. In its modern form, the sport is much like boxing, except that the feet and legs may be used as weapons. In Thailand, there are fifteen weight categories ranging from mini-flyweight (48 kilograms or less) to heavyweight (80 kilograms or more). While the sport originally required the use of bare or leather- or hemp-covered knuckles, participants now use regulation-weight boxing gloves but remain barefoot.
Muay Thai bouts take place in a raised square ring with a canvas surface and four ropes along each side. In addition to the boxers and the referee in the ring, at ringside are the handlers, judges, medical personnel, a timekeeper, a mediator, and other officials. Boxers wear red or blue boxing shorts and gloves. A sacred cord known as a mongkol may be worn around the head only during the prefight ritual, while amulets may be wrapped around biceps or waist if completely covered by cloth. In traditional matches, boxers pay respect to their teachers through a prayer ritual accompanied by Thai musical instruments: the pi ( Java pipe), glawng chana (drum), and ching (cymbals). These instruments are also played during the bout but not during the rest periods. A bout lasts no more than five rounds, each three minutes long, with a two-minute rest period between rounds. The objective is to hit or kick one's opponent with the hand, foot, knee, or elbow so as to injure him, knock him out, or win points from the referee and judges. A bout is won by knockout, technical knockout, decision, or foul and can also end in a draw.
There are two major muay Thai venues in Bangkok (Ratchadamnoen Stadium and Lumpini Stadium) and one in Samut Prakarn (Sam Rong Stadium) and smaller stadiums in every province, with bouts two or three nights a week.
Thai boxers in the early 1970s. (HULTON-DEUTSCH COLLECTION/CORBIS)Related to muay Thai is the martial art of krabikrabong, which is based on the use of swords, spears, and axes. Unlike muay Thai, it has not emerged as a modern sport but instead has become a form of performance ritual in which participants act out a script accompanied by traditional Thai music.
Further Reading
Tourism Authority of Thailand. (2000) A Traveller's Guide to Thailand. Bangkok, Thailand: Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Wagner, Eric A. (1989) Sport in Asia and Africa: A Comparative Handbook. New York: Greenwood Press.
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