What are the philosophical points of MT? I noticed that no one talks about it in the schools here, but obviosly its there in thailand, because before each MT match there, the guys do this little dance and start fighting. Anyone know anything? Philosophical as in philosophies for life and the 'thai' names for the attacks, and their translation.
Well the wai kru or ram muay (not sure if there is a difference...) are done to show respect for your teacher etc, and I think it has roots in Buddhism. You can probably find some of the Thai names for techniques online.
Indeed. Muay Thai is surrounded in Buddhist culture, although you don't really see a lot of it unless you train in Thailand. From what I can gather, Muay Thai has similar philosophies to most other traditional martial arts, betterment of the self, respect for the teacher and everybody else etc. One of the most interesting things I've found is the idea of the mentor, supposedly the one thing you must have to really experience Muay Thai. They are quite often considered second only to one's parents, in terms of respect and obedience. http://www.wmtc.nu/html/wmc03_mtwaikru.html
In order to understand MT you have to understand Thai culture and Buddhist principles. read through http://www.geocities.com/smartchai/muay_thai.html for a complete breakdown of gkon/cherng along with poetic names for mae mai and luk mai. Wish I knew the Thai translations for everything but sorry I only know some.
As far as i am concerned I am just learning to fight. I am not after spiritual enlightenment, I have no thai ancestors, I am not buddhist and I am not afraid of evil spirits. Therefore i learn only what I need to learn from it. In order to show respect to my teacher I will shake his hand. I have a lot of respect for muay thai and its roots but as an Englishman that is where I leave it.
Doesnt that mean 'the white warrior'? -i'll go with that, 'appy days! Changing the subject a bit; Thats another point about martial arts films. Why is it when an american (or lead character) goes and trains with an old master, kru, or sensai, all of a sudden he feels the need to go buddhist and start bowing at every religious artifact? :bang: Anyone else noticed this?
It's a movie, what can you say? I seriously doubt in real life if you went and trained with a Buddhist kru that he would make you convert to buddhism. Buddhism seems like a peaceful religion, not one that they would try to convert you with.
Spirituality? I thought Muay Thai was just about hitting people hard. lol. I am in complete agreement with Combatant, although i myself do not take MT
Well most films do depict the farang/foreigner as somewhat alien to the asian martial arts and life. While it may seem insulting, you can always look at it the other way around. The farang is actually WILLING to subject himself/herself to re-learning an entirely new way of life. Shows motivation and drive that even alot of Asians lack. That even an outsider is willing to learn. Case and point: Steven Seagal is practically Japanese. You don't HAVE to convert to anything to learn a martial art. That's mainly out of your own free will and is up to how far your instructor takes you. However, I think that if you immerse yourself into a martial art, you should have some idea about its traditions, rituals, background, terminology and where you are drawing your knowledge from. Without that, you're just a brawler. If you decide to teach one day, it would be very important. I don't know. If that's your angle and you're simply looking to stack up techniques for the next cage fight or just mixing it up for the street, that's fine. Another thing is that it would probably discourage a lot of folks from joining a gym since they have to receive history lessons. Bad for business so owners have to work with the lowest common denominator and cut corners. Screw the background and small details, you pay and you play.
Presonall Attack, Personal Attack! I bet if I had said this 16 cats would be up on my nuts. What's the IQ of a glass of water anyway? About 150?
IQ used to be mental age over / biological age *100, I believe. Its just a normailzed index these days.
Muay thai has nothing to do with religion. It is a system designed for defeating adversaries. THen it was a form of competition with the same goal. I agree that learning about the culture and history can help understand muay thai just like any other martial art. One way it can help is by showing its weaknesses (aswell as its strengths). But I don't see how else it will turn you into a good fighter (being able to defeat an adversary).
