Muay Thai
History
All forty-nine clubs within
the Scottish Thai Boxing Association proudly bare the name of Nai
Khanom Tom who was one of the great heroes of the Thai nation, as
William Wallace is a national hero to we Scots, Nai Khanom Tom is
such a figure to the people of
The legend of Nai Khanom Tom is taught to all children in Thai Schools and this is his story:
In the year of 1774, the
lands of
King Mangra (the then
king of
King Mangra was greatly
impressed by the feat he had just witnessed stating "Every part
of the Thai is blessed with venom, even with his bare hands he can
fell ten opponents". Legend has it that along with gaining his
freedom Nai Khanom Tom was offered a prize of either a purse of gold
or two beautiful women, the warrior chose the women stating that
wealth was easier to come by, he then returned to
To the present day Nai Khanom Tom is still honoured and a Muay Thai competition is held in his name in the Lumpini stadium on the 17th March each year. Muay Thai boxing is the national sport of the nation of Thailand, just as most kids in our country aspire to be professional football players Thai youngsters dream of being great Muay Thai champions. When the art actually began is not quite certain as the Thai people were constantly at war with other nations and much of its historical records were destroyed, but there are records of Muay Thai competitions being held as far back as 1257 A.D. The art was sustained by successive royal families who ensured that the military trained in Muay Thai , and perfected the techniques in hand to hand combat on the battlefield.
Certain figures are always credited in Thai history in playing a vital role in it`s development such as the Tiger King who often fought in local village contests, beating the local champions and ensuring that the military continued training in the art in times of peace.
History shows that all Thai people young and old, male and female were encouraged to learn Muay Thai which ensured that it became a source of both local and national pride. Muay Thai is now practiced throughout the world and although Muay Thai technique has remained largely unchanged there have been great changes in both rules and equipment. Up until the year of 1923 fighters wrapped their knuckles in rope until the interior minister ordered that fighters should wear gloves and groin protection, even then groin strikes were still allowed until the 1930`s (how hard were these people!!).
In 1995 the International Amateur Muay thai Federation inaugurated the first world amateur Muay thai championships and in 2000 the International Federation of Muay thai Amatuer staged the world cup 2000 in which all fighters compete wearing protective helmets and vests. Muay Thai has evolved from a battlefield art into a world wide participant sport, it was recently accepted into the Asian games and hopefully will soon be accepted as an Olympic sport.
The development of Muay Thai saw the transformation of the human body into a multifaceted weapon inspired by the weapons common to the time.
The shin became the staff of the pike, used to block and strike. The arms became the raised twin swords of defense. The fist functioned as the jabbing tip of the spear. The elbow developed into the battle axe, used to smash and to crush. The knee, too, axed its way through enemy's defenses. Finally, there was the transformation of the flashing foot into pike, arrow, and knife. As each part of the body became a weapon unto itself, a new close-combat fighting skill was born: MuayThai. Since its initial development, MuayThai has changed in many ways. It is now a modern sport, rather than a battlefield skill. But in its heart are carried old traditions and an ancient fighting spirit.
Muay Thai is part of the cultural heritage of the Thai people.
Their histories are intertwined.
But their historical development is difficult to discern clearly.
When the Burmese sacked the Thai capital of
There are, however, two main theories.
The first suggests that
the art of MuayThai developed as the Thai people migrated from
The first great upsurge in interest in Muay Thai
as a sport and not just
a military skill occurred in the
While MuayThai has always been popular, there have been times when it has been especially popular. The reign of King Rama V was one such golden age for the sport. Many boxing camps were set up and talent scouts, under royal command, recruited fighters from around the country to fight for the King. Match makers arranged grand bouts, which were fought for large prizes and honour.
At that time, the matches were not staged in a ring as they are now.
Any available space - a courtyard or village clearing, for instance - would be used. It was not until the reign of King Rama VI that the standard ring surrounded by ropes came into use, as did time keeping by the clock. Before that time, time keeping was done by floating a pierced coconut shell in a tank of water. When the shell sank, a drum signaled the end of the round.
Muay Thai has always been a sport for the people as well as a military fighting skill.
Regardless of social position,
the Thai people have always practiced Muay
Thai Kings, of course, have been powerful forces in the development of the sport.
One such prime mover was King Prachao Sua, or the Tiger King. He not only influenced fighting styles, but also the equipment that was used. At the beginning of his reign, the hands and forearms of fighters were bound with strips of horse hair. This both protected the fighter and inflicted more damage on the opponent. Horse hair strips were later replaced by hemp ropes or starched strips of cotton. For particular challenge matches, and with the fighters' agreement, ground glass was mixed with glue and spread on the strips.
Changes in the sport since that time have primarily been changes in equipment rather than radical changes. For example, while Thai fighters have always worn groin guards to protect against kicks or knees to the groin (which were legal moves until the 1930s), these guards have evolved from tree bark or sea shells held in place with a piece of cloth to triangular shaped pillows tied in place, which have subsequently been replaced by the modern groin protector which was brought back from Malaysia by a Thai boxer who traveled there.
The most radical changes in the sport occurred in the 1930s.
It was then that the sport was codified and today's rules and regulations were introduced. Rope bindings of the arms and hands were replaced by boxing gloves, a change that can be attributed to the growing success of Thai boxers in international boxing. The introduction of weight classes was also inspired by international boxing. These and other innovations - such as the organization of fights into five rounds - substantially altered the fighting techniques employed by fighters. Some techniques have disappeared.
The establishment of stadiums,
instead of makeshift rings, began during the reign
of King Rama VII before World War Two. During the war, they gradually
disappeared only to return with a strong presence afterwards. Boxers
from up-country once again headed toward fame and fortune in
Muay Thai truly has evolved from a battlefield art into a popular sport.
It has recently been accepted
as an official sport in Asian Games competition and the push is on
to have it accepted as an official Olympic sport. It is becoming
increasingly popular outside of
