Download - Muaythai (Thai Boxing)
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MUAY THAI (THAI BOXING)
By M.G. Edwards
I attended my first muaythai match January 2012
at the decaying Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in
Bangkok, Thailand. Also known as Thai boxing,
muaythai is a form of kickboxing that combines
martial arts with traditional hand-to-hand boxing
and is the national sport of Thailand. Many
kickboxing enthusiasts consider muaythai the
"King of the Ring," with fights that feature
punches, kicks, elbows, knees, grappling, and
head-butts intended to wear down and knock out
opponents.
The origins of muaythai are unclear, although
tradition has it that the sport emerged centuries
ago from the hand-to-hand (sword and baton)
battlefield tactics of the Thai army. The
Thailand-based World Muaythai Council
suggests that muaythai developed in rural
Thailand as a way for Thais to defend their lands
from foreign invaders or settlers.
The sport came into its own during the reign
of King Naresuan the Great (1590-1605) of the
Ayutthaya Kingdom. In 1584, the then-Crown
Prince called upon Thai soldiers to learn
muaythai in order to improve their combat skills.
According to the Thai Boxing Association of the
USA, early bouts pitted Thai army units against
one another with few rules, no weight divisions,
and no time limits. The matches were very
popular throughout the kingdom.
Thais generally consider muaythai an
essential aspect of Thai culture. During the
Ayutthaya Period, the sport became a favored
pastime among Thais, who went to muaythai
training camps to watch bouts and to train. A
betting culture developed around the sport that
persists today. The reign of King Rama V (1868-
1910) was a golden age for the sport as fighters
from around the kingdom competed in Royal
Command matches for the chance to earn fame,
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glory, and a military title bestowed by the king.
Muaythai adapted to changes in Thai
culture. For centuries, matches were held
wherever space was available until the standard
boxing ring with ropes was adopted during the
reign of King Rama VI (1910-1925). Muaythai
was part of the curriculum in Thai schools until
the 1920s, when it was discontinued because of
the high number of injuries sustained by
students. Stadiums replaced makeshift rings
during the reign of King Rama VII (1925-35). In
the 1930s, a uniform set of rules, time limits, and
weight classes were introduced, and fighters
began to use boxing gloves instead of rope
bindings on their fists. After World War II,
television introduced the sport to a larger
audience, and the sport gained an international
following. It is now practiced by hundreds of
thousands of people worldwide.
Muaythai fighters wear a combination of
boxing and martial arts equipment with some
ceremonial accessories. Where fighters once wore strips of horse hair, and in some cases,
hemp ropes or strips of cotton with ground glass on their fists and feet, they now wear
boxing gloves and cloth strips wrapped around
their upper arms. Fighters used to wear groin
guards made from tree bark, sea shells, or
coconut shell held in place by a strip of cloth.
Later, they wore a triangular-shaped red or blue
pillow, and later still, a groin box. In the 1930s,
kicking or kneeing the groin was banned, and
fighters donned the colorful red and blue boxing
shorts worn today.
Each muaythai bout begins with a short
ceremony with Buddhist rituals. Fighters remove
their bright red or blue ceremonial robes and
bow, pray, and walk around the ring, kissing and
bowing to the posts in each corner. They walk to
the center of the ring, remove their neck wreath
and ceremonial headband, and begin to stretch
with dance-like movements. When the bout
begins, the fighters wear only boxing gloves,
shorts, shoes, socks, mouth guard, and the cloth
strips on their arms.
Muaythai bouts feature five three-minute
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rounds with two-minute breaks in between.
During bouts, live musicians perform traditional
Thai music, a cacophony of sound dominated by
the taphon drum, finger cymbals, and an oboe-
like instrument called a pi. Judges determine the
winner based on how well fighters attack their
opponents and defend themselves. Winners are
awarded a trophy.
I enjoyed my first live muaythai match. I
saw amateur bouts between teen-aged fighters,
who went four rounds instead of five, and some
professional fighters in the lightweight divisions.
I was fascinating by the traditional muaythai
demonstration during intermission. Prices for the
Saturday night fights cost 2,000 Thai baht (about
$65) for ringside seats and 1,500 baht ($50) for
general admission (standing or sitting on the
concrete floor only). Getting unsuspecting
customers, mostly foreigners, to upgrade to
ringside seats was a trick the box office used to
fill seats. Those in general admission used chairs
and had fine views of the ring. The crowd was small but lively; more spectators poured in
later for the professional matches that were broadcast live on national television.
Although most muaythai fighters are male,
women also participate in the sport. Tradition
stipulates that women and men fight separately.
The ring in Lumpinee Boxing Stadium had a sign
that read, "Ladies Please Don't Touch the Stage."
If you're visiting Thailand for more than a
week, you might find watching a muaythai match
an interesting alternative to the usual tourist
activities. Thai boxing is an entertaining way to
experience an event ingrained in Thai culture.
M.G. Edwards is a writer of books and stories in the mystery, thriller and science fiction-fantasy
genres. He also writes travel adventures. He recently published a collection of short stories
called Real Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Stories available as an ebook and in print on
Amazon.com. His upcoming travel novel, Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill,
will be available in March 2012. He lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex.
For more books or stories by M.G. Edwards, visit his web site at www.mgedwards.com or his
blog, World Adventurers. Contact him at [email protected], on Facebook, on Google+, or
@m_g_edwards on Twitter.
© 2012 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or
transmitted without the written consent of the author.