Muay Thai F.A.Q

I don't know much about muay thai either, but I have seen a few videos of Ramon Dekker's fights. He sometimes uses a spinning hook kick.

 

muay thai has the 2 kicks mentioned above,ie spinning back kick and spinning hook kick,the spinning back kick is called in thai "gwang liaw lang",the spinning hook kick is called "jorake faad hang",thai fighters rarely use them in the ring prefering to use round kicks to leg body and neck targets,this is due to the round kick being a higher percentage efficient movement than the spinning kicks which are harder to time and to recover from if missed,i will add however that thai teachers i have spoke to think that the spinning kicks are beautifull to watch and if performed correctly can be very efficient,they also consider boxers who can land these blows to have mastered the art of muay thai.one boxer i trained with called hippy sigmanee would use these kicks in the final round of fights that he knew had won already so as to entertain the crowd,fighters in previous eras of muay thai would use a lot more technique than is generally used in the modern era now

 

Hippy is one of legendary muaythai fighters, and FC was fortunate to have trained with him. His gym is not far from Jitti gym, and also Jareonthong gym (another legendary fighter from the south). Remarks by FC are very true.

 

I'd say that Khmer or Cambodians are better known for their knowlwdge of magic arts.

I beg to add that in old days, Thais did not wear neck lace, and Pa Prachiat was conveniently used to wrap amulet or charm.
"consists of thin, high-quality white cloth called "pha salu". It is sometimes red" Thais would call it Pa Yanta. See below.
"In general, the "praciat" contains numbers or symbols called "maha amnart" or "chatri mahayanta" infused with magical powers by a teacher or a master of the magic arts".
Nevertheless, MKD's post is generally correct, and factful.

 

thanks for that sport muay,i was indeed very fortunate to train with hippy,i sparred daily with hippy and worked on my clinch,also i was so lucky to be taken on the pads every day by sagat porntawee,sagat is a great pad holder,he and hippy are like brothers,i had a great experience with them both,hippys tricks are superb!,i will be there again in 3-4 weeks,cant wait!

 

Hey there Ikken hisatsu, great bit of info i just wanted to add a little on the history of Muay thai.. Krabi Krabong is the ancestor of muay thai this was a system used on the battlefields utilizing weapons. (staff, swords, bladed staff) When a thai warrior was to lose his weapon(s) on the battlefield he would then switch to Muay Boran, the knees, elbows head would replace the lost weapon. Muay boran is thailand's real "Martial art" Where as muay thai is thailand's combative sport, muay boran is a very devastating art with the intent to kill or seriously disable your opponent as quickly as possible, with such moves as flying albow blows (double elbow blows to the top of head) flying knees breaking of limbs e.t.c locks, throws, and presure points. Muay thai is a decendent of muay boran it is a sport with rules and regulations although still a devastating sport nothing compared to the lethality of Muay boran.

 

i have a question... does muay thai have 1 style? or is it just like karate where there are different styles of it?

 

A very good questions.

Ok, I'll start it this way.

Muay Thai today, as you can see inside the ring is being modified and change. Although the main system is still there, they modified it to apply the rules of the sport, like the fights at the Lumpinee stadium.

Since then, Muay Thai has so many styles, it differs from Kru to Kru(master who teaches). Returning back through the age, Muay Thai styles differ, in which they focus a certain goal.

Here are some styles that was used throught the ancient times:

Paak Tai - Southern Styles

Muay Chaiya

Muay Chaiya is the style of the South, created in Chaiya city in the province of Surathani in the South of Thailand. The style was created by a soldier named Por Tan Mar from Bangkok who eventually became a monk in the temple of Wat Tung Jab Chang in Chaiya city, where he remained until his death.It is believed that the style of Muay Chaiya is more than 250 years old. The Muay Chaiya stance is very low and compact, with the center of gravity between the legs. Both knees are bent and all the joints are facing forward, ready to be used as a shield against any incoming attack. In Muay Chaiya, the fists are placed one higher than the other, facing upwards. Proponents of the style usually lead with the right side of the body but can use both sides very well.

Muay Chaiya specializes in blocking with the elbows and knees. Every leg or arm is bent, even when the boxer attacks. Limbs are never extended completely. Some people call it the "Durian Style", named after a fruit covered in very sharp spikes.

The footwork is fast and smooth, and sometimes the body weight is placed entirely on one leg. The Muay Chaiya boxer often moves in a springing motion. The attacks are very quick and come as a series of machine-gun like blows coming from all angles. Muay Chaiya is considered by some teachers to be a hybrid style. This is because the person who developed the style, Ajarn Por Tan Mar, brought the style from Bangkok.

Muay Maa Yang

Muay Maa Yang is another less well known southern style of Muay Thai. The name "Maa Yang" translated from Thai means "The Horse's Walk". The master of this style was called Kruu Tankee.

The classic stance of this style has the boxer with one leg raised up in a guard position, with the same hand held close to the hip, the other hand in front of the face also in a guard position.

Paak Eesaan (The eastern style of Muay Thai, also known as Muay Korat)

Muay Korat is named after the place where the style originated; Na Khorat Rachasima which is located in the center of Thailand towards the east. The style of Muay Korat appears to the public around the time of King Rama IV (date needed), but perhaps the Korat people have had this style for more than a thousand years. Muay Korat is considered to be the Muay Thai of the East.

The stance in Muay Korat is quite different from other styles. The stance is quite long and very narrow with both feet almost in one line, both pointing forward. The hands are placed one in front of the other, lined up together in front of the nose. The front, or lead leg is straight and the knee is locked. The back leg is also straight, tensed and ready to kick upwards, or to use footwork to change the angle against the opponent. The back leg heel is also up off the floor. The body's center of gravity is close to the front leg with the head positioned over the front foot, body leaning forward.

Muay Korat kicks and punches are completely straight. The kick travels in an upwards arc, twisting a little bit to reach your opponents head or neck.

This style of Muay Thai prefers to intercept an attack by simultaneous block and strike, or to choose to evade an attack by moving out of range. Rarely does the Korat style teach students to block and then attack. The kind of footwork used is "Suua Yang", which means "Tiger Walk". These techniques are closely guarded. The most powerful weapon in Muay Korat is called "Viang Kwai", means "Swing of the Buffalo". This technique is executed after a kick and uses the knuckles to strike the opponent behind the ear. Another famous attack is called "Taa Krut" which is used as a counter-attack, launching two strikes simultaneously.

Paak Klang (The central style of Muay Thai, also known as Bangkok Style)

The stance in Muay Paak Klang is not so wide. The arms are held low and the fists are clenched facing upwards. Both arms are placed at the same height, parallel to each other pointing forward, with the left hand held forward slightly.

Sometimes the front foot is held off the ground, extended outwards, but pointing down towards the opponent. The footwork in this style is very interesting; when the Muay Paak Klang boxer steps, his feet come together with his hands held in front of his Muay Paa Klang Boxerface in a high guard position, then the boxer steps outward again, feet separating and the guard lowering again. The style is sometimes known as the "Ghost steps" as Muay Paak Klang boxers move so quickly and smoothly with little effort, seemingly covering ground in many places at the same time.

Paak Klang - Muay Lopburi

The typical stance of Muay Lopburi looks almost identical to that of a western boxer around the 1900's, the classic upright stance with both arms extended outwards, both forearms pointing forwards. This style is based in very accurate and deadly punches. The most dangerous weapons of Muay Lopburi were the upper cuts to the opponents adam's apple and the thumb strikes to the eyes. This style was nominated as one of the most Muay Lopburi Boxerclever and tricky styles of the era. Sometimes the boxers would fake an injury waiting for an opportunity to attack. Some say that this style was part of another style called "Muay Paak Klang" or the central style.

Muay Lopburi wrapped the arm only halfway in cotton twine, and sometimes no wraps were used.

Sadly, this style has been lost completely. The premier Ajarn (teacher) of this dangerous style was called "Muun Men Mat", meaning "Ten Thousand Accurate Punches". Legend has it that Ajarn Muun Men Mat didn't teach Thai people his art because in one of his last fights he killed a man with a fatal blow. After this he decided to stop teaching and lived in a Buddhist Temple helping Monks. This was in the Ayuthaya Period.

Paak Klang - Muay Ayuthaya

One of the characteristics of this style is the stance of the boxer, who has the left shoulder raised up, close to the chin, protecting the face. Muay Ayuthaya used to attack with two weapons at the same time in order to counter other styles effectively. One of the most common counters against Muay Chaiya was left-roundkick and a short chopping downward right-cross.

This style was not very famous but became well known because the master of Muay Paak Klang learned Muay Ayuthaya before going to Bangkok.

Paak Nuua (The northern style of Muay Thai)

Muay Paak Nuua boxers were famous for having extensive knowledge about vital points in the body. Muay Lampang boxers would often strike using the hands in a pincer-like action, grabbing and exerting pressure on vulnerable parts of the body.

Paak Nuua - Muay Uttaradit

The guard in the Muay Ta Sao is long and the weight it goes in the back, so the front foot is barely touching the floor. It is a fast and quick style were the long range is preferred when fighting. The front hand is far from the face and the front shoulder is elevated, the rear hand is lower resting on the side of the mandible. The stance is almost sideways and the feet are positioned one in front of the other.

The main philosophy in the Muay Ta Sao style is to finished the opponent as soon as possible; His attacks are extremely explosive and effective.


Athough you didn't ask on their history, I just include it, so that others might ask it in the future.

 

Up until now, people are preserving those Muay Thai techniques I've mentioned above.

Some people are still practicing/mastering them. Like Muay Thai Chaiya, there was even a movie showcasing the style.

Here's the link of the movie: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muay_Thai_Chaiya

 

Hello! And very nice article! I actually have a cousin who is half Thai and sometimes stays in Thailand with family over the summer. He is a huge fan of Muay Thai and a practitioner of it, and everything in your article seems to match up with what he has told me

 

Thanks a lot for the great ebook Khun Khao. A treasure for sure!!

 

Iv never heard of these other types of Thai boxing
Iv lived and trained in Bangkok the north and north east,
All train the same in a bid to get on local shows and hopefully be spotted by a talent scout to take the to the big stadiums
It's funny so many people have such a massive interest in the sacred meanings and ancient history of Muay Thai yet know very very little about modern day muaythai , it's scoring and how is evolving as a sport
Perhaps there should be a Muay boran section as it's totally different to Muay Thai the sport

 

Isn't "Muay Boran" a bit generic IIR?

Also I always meant to ask if you had ever played Krabi daggers...have you?

 

I know your not asking me Hanibal but I have trained KK and its great fun but hard work 8 hours a day in the sun till the sword handles stuck to the skin on my hands,I had the great fortune to train in the kings Palace in Bangkok (where the Army train) as well as several other places In Thailand

 

Muay boran and moden day ring rules Muay Thai are totally different
If you understand Muay boran completely it doesn't mean you understand Muay Thai and vice versa

 

Very true Daggers,personally I like to try to understand know the whole of Thailands Martial arts and sports and see them as parts of the same whole but your point that sport Muay is its own animal now is true, also Id take any stadium boxer to beat any of the Boran guys under any rules because fight experience is the main thing

 

Absolutely! Yes Muay boran has a wider veriety of moves and some may be dirty tactics but it's not about quantity it's about quality and you get that from stripping down to the basics and getting unstoppable with them as you said.. Experience! yodsenklai basically uses a straight right and left punch and a good solid roundhouse kick and he's one of the best fighters in the world

 

Are there any places that still teach muay boran?? I've only seen Muay thai.

 

Yes there are places all over the world teaching muay boran
Check out world Muay Thai federation (WMF)
In fact there is the first world Muay boran championships being held in ayutthayahthailand this march
Www.worldmuayboran.com

 

If you want to gain something useful from 'Muay Boran' I'd look for the individual styles (Muay Chaiya, Korat etc.) but even in these finding good teachers is difficult.

In my experience (11 years in Thailand learning and teaching) Muay Chaiya is the only old style that has survived in a complete form.

Beware of people teaching 'Muay Boran' without knowing which style they have learnt. It would be like learning chinese martial arts from a person who teaches 'kung fu' without knowing what style he specialises in.

Unfortunately a majority of Muay Boran is pretty much Ring Muay Thai with more fancy moves sprinkled on top. The original old style each had a full system of it's own.

And Fire Cobra, I'd disagree about a Muay Thai guy winning under any rules... experience is important, but it can also set you in habits based on rules.