Origins:Muay Thai

Of course I chose Muay Thai to be the first post about knowing the history of your art. I believe it is important to know the history of the art form you practice. That knowledge really rounds out a fighter and gives them a better understanding. So here we go. Muay Thai, originally called Muay Boran, was created by Siamese soldiers for use when they would lose their weapons on the battlefield. At the same time a weapons based art form called Krabi krabong was also created and used by the siamese soldiers. Eventually Muay Boran gained popularity as a sport. Challengers fought using the techniques of Muay bare fisted in front of spectators and festival goers. The bare fists at some point gave way to lengths of hemp rope wrapped around the hands. In the 19th century under King Rama V Muay Thai became nationally recognized and use as a form of excercise, as well as recreation. Camps began to spring up all over the country and much like sports in the ghettos of the U.S. it has been used to create financial gains for those fighters that train and compete regularly. Before every match the fighters do a ceremonial dance called the Wai Kru to show respect for their teachers and ancestors. These fighters often took the last name of the camp they trained at out of respect. This is still somewhat common in the modern age. As the years went on, Muay thai lost such strikes as the headbutt, and groin strikes and made way for strict rules, time limits and weight classes. The hemp rope also slowly went the way of the dinosaur to make way for cotton wraps and boxing gloves. Also more western boxing hand strikes have come in to play in the modern age. As the sport grows the natural progression will change however the true spirit of the art will always be there if we chose to keep it alive. Even if it is just passing the history on verbally or in writing it must be preserved. Kob-khun-krap (Thank you)