Thailand Home > A - Z > Muay Thai Kick Boxing

Thailand Muay Thai Kick Boxing

Muay Thai is Thailand's most loved and now world famous national sport where it is most often known as Thai Kick boxing. Less often known as the "science of 8 limbs", so called because elbows and knees are used as well as the punching and kicking.

Muay Thai Kick Boxing History

Muay Thai is an ancient martial art, widely believed to have started 2000 years ago, but historians cannot agree on a fixed date. King Naresuan the Great (1555-1605) is a great hero to Muay Thai fighters; he was held hostage by Burmese invaders in 1571 at the age of 8 yrs old as was common custom at the time, and started to train in the techniques of Muay Thai boxing. When he was sent back to Thailand on an allowed brief visit, he never returned back to his Burmese captors, declaring that Thailand would no longer be a colony of Burma and Thailand would fight for its freedom. King Naresuan made it conditional that everybody enlisted in the Thai military would have to learn the art of Muay Thai boxing, and it is rumoured that he used to disguised himself so he could fight in the local Muay Thai contests, several of which he won.

Muay Thai become notorious when one of the most famous Muay Thai boxers, Nai Khanom Tom was captured in a battle with neighbouring Burma (Myanmar) in 1774 and was given the chance to fight for his freedom, and after dispatching ten of the most skilled of the Burmese warriors returned home a hero and Muay Thai become a national sport.

Modern Day Muay Thai Kick Boxing

Since that time it grew in popularity in Thailand and alongside football is the nation's most watch sport with televised matches held every Sunday at the main Bangkok stadiums. Thai Kick boxing was briefly a banned sport in Thailand during the 1920s due to a large spate of injuries but was revived in 1937 with a new set of rules designed for the safety of the competitors, including boxing gloves, groin guard and weight categories. Before this time it was common for the fighters to wrap their hands in hemp rope, dipped in glue and rolled in fragments of glass.

Similar to boxing in the West, Muay Thai is a sport that brings many fighters from the poorer parts of the country, a means to escape poverty and become a famous Muay Thai boxer is many a child's dream. Starting off in the local stables learning the art at early ages, often as young as 7-8 yrs old and hoping one day to be proficient enough to fight at the top Muay Thai stadiums of Ratchadamnoen and Lumphini and become a champion.

Many foreigners now travel to Thailand every year to develop their skills in this martial art in the hands of the most expert Thai kick boxing trainers in the world.

Thai Kick boxing has increased in popularity hugely in recent times outside of the country, and training camps have been set up in many western countries including the U.S. and the former Soviet States. In 1995 the World Muay Thai Council was established to promote the sport both within the country and internationally. The Muay Thai Institute was set up not so long after in 1997 and is the only training school recognised by Thailand's Ministry of Education.