Thai boxing or muay thai: everything you need to know about this martial art

Qu’est-ce que la boxe thaï ou le muay thaï ?

A true national sport in Thailand, Thai boxing, also called muay thai, is considered foot-and-fist boxing in Western countries. It allows eight points of contact between its practitioners: punches, elbows, knees and feet. Only head and shoulder hits are prohibited.

Origin and history

Muay Thai was created in the 16th century for Thai military. Il s’agit d’une dangerous boxing.

His practice is inspired in particular by two other ancestral martial arts: muay boran and the krabi krabong.

Muay Boran focuses on simple techniques. However, they are extremely powerful for injuring your opponent in the hand, therefore without a weapon, during war.

Conversely, krabi krabong refers to working with weapons to attack and defend effectively and precisely on the battlefield.

Muay Thai is thus a combat sport which combines both technicality, skill And strength.

In the 18th century, this art became popular on the initiative of King Phra Chao Sua, himself a boxer. This discipline then becomes the favorite pastime of Thais.

À cette époque, il n’y a ni catégorie de poids ni limite de temps dans les combats. Ils ne s’arrêtent que si un combattant, appelé Nakmuay, decides to give up or if he is knocked out

Plus, the rules aren't really defined. In some fights, pieces of glass are thus added in the bandages of the fighters' hands. Over time, muay thai is considered more and more dangerous or even fatal. In 1921, his practice simply became prohibited.

This art only reappears almost 10 years later with different regulations. Thai boxing now follows new rules inspired by the rules of boxing. 

Among these rules, we find in particular: 

• the obligation to wear boxing gloves
• the fight on a ring with regulated dimensions
• the establishment of rounds to structure official fights
• the ban on giving head shots
• the ban on hitting an opponent down

It is these new directives that will allow muay thai to be exported throughout the world. 

Aujourd’hui, le muay thai est la boxe la plus populaire parmi les Southeast Asian boxes. This set also includes the Burmese boxing, Chinese, Vietnamese, Laotian and Khmer. 

As a bonus, Thai boxing is THE national sport in Thailand. Its market is very lucrative in the country, both in tourist towns and in the countryside.

  L’internationalisation du muay thaï

On a global scale, Thai boxing has become known thanks to tourism development in his country of creation. 

In 1966, Japanese karateka Kenji Kurosaki challenged a Thai boxer to a fight. Beaten in the first round by KO, he went to Thailand for several months to learn more about Thai boxing. Following his stay, he introduced the discipline to Japan under the name of Japanese kickboxing.

A decade later, in 1975, it was the Frenchman Patrick Brizon who went to Kenji Kurosaki's studio in Tokyo. After his training and his fights with the best Japanese boxers, he opened the first boxing club. kick boxing in France, in Clermont-Ferrand.

In Europe, however, it is The Netherlands that Thai boxing is enjoying the greatest success.

Its globalization is such that in July 2021, the discipline is recognized olympic sport by the International Olympic Committee at the same time as kickboxing.

Why do Thai boxing?

If muay thai has many followers around the world, it is not for nothing. No matter your level, whether you are a man or a woman, practicing Thai boxing is beneficial for you. Discover the many benefits that this martial art gives you, both on your physical and on your mental.

You burn calories

We don't teach you anything: practicing a sporting activity makes you lose calories. Muay Thai is therefore no exception. 

A Thai boxing session lasts on average between 1 and 2 hours. It is divided into several parts: warm-up, shadow boxing, muscle strengthening, punching bag work.

In one session you can burn up to 1000 calories !

You improve your physical condition

Muay Thai is a high intensity combat sport. It allows you to improve both your cardio and your endurance.

In addition, your whole body is used during practice. So you will deeply tone your muscles. Arms, legs, back, or even abdominal belt, no muscle will be put aside.

You strengthen your mental strength

We're not going to lie to you, doing muay thai won't be easy every day. Sometimes you will have to overcome your fears and fears. In these cases, only your motivation will push you to not give up.

With muay thai, you go beyond your physical but also mental limits. It's yours perseverance which will emerge consolidated.

You develop your self-defense

Thai boxing is a set of attack and defense techniques designed to injure an opponent while preserving oneself.

It is therefore ideal if you want to learn the self-defense.

You take care of your mental health

Practicing Thai boxing will allow you to relieve your stress and improve your self-confidence. 

The possible exercises in Muay Thai are very varied. Your workouts will then be more dynamic And fulfilling, while remaining effective. You will simply enjoy practicing this martial art. During the session, you release endorphins, the pleasure hormone. In other words, you will simply feel a feeling of well-being and you will be more relaxed.

How does a Thai boxing match go?

Before you can move on to practice, you must first understand what the rules of this martial art. Its organization is managed by many different federations. Although a common basis is well and truly defined, its regulations may vary from one country to another.

The progress of a meeting

How many rounds are there in Thai boxing? Officially, a Thai boxing match is divided into 5 rounds of 3 minutes each. 

In Thailand, allow 2 minutes of rest between each round. 

In France, this rest time can be lowered to 1 minute 30 depending on the category in which the Nakmuay plays. For seniors, from 18 years old to 40 years old, the “classes” range from A to class D depending on the number of points gained in combat.

During the rounds, the match ends, among other things, if a fighter: 

• abandoned (or his coach gives up for him)
• is no longer able to continue (decision of the doctor)
• is put KO and doesn't get up within 10 seconds
• East hurt and can no longer continue the fight
• East disqualified for serious misconduct

If both boxers are still able to fight at the end of the 5 rounds, the final decision rests with the two judges and the referee. Between them, they gave victory to Nakmuay who collected the highest score during the fight.

Rituals before the fight

Before the fight, each Nakmuay must perform a traditional ritual. This graceful ritual is called the Wai Khru Ram Muay.

It is divided into two parts: first the Wai Khru, the salute to the coach, then the Ram Muay, a tribute dance.

The first part is mandatory before each meeting while the second is optional. The Thai Nakmuays nevertheless have a tradition of always performing both parts.

As a whole, the ceremonial ritual lasts between 2 and 5 minutes.

It is done directly in the ring. Throughout, the Nakmuays are accompanied by traditional Thai rhythmic music, the Sarah.

What equipment to do Thai boxing?

As in all sports, any good training also requires equipment. With good equipment, you will be able to practice in good conditions and in complete safety. 

The outfit of the Nakmuays

In Muay Thai, practitioners simply wear a traditional shorts of discipline.

This outfit is appropriate because it does not interfere with throwing knees or kicks. 

In Thailand, men's boxers are shirtless due to the heat of the country. In other nations, male and female fighters generally wear a tank top or one T-shirt.

All Nakmuays must, however, be barefoot in the ring. 

Boxer protections

To practice Muay Thai, the regulations require the wearing of boxing gloves during the fights. 

Otherwise, Nakmuays are also authorized to wear: 

• a helmet
• a mouth guard
• elbow pads
• bandages around their ankles
• protections for sensitive parts: chest protectors and shells
• shin guards without reinforcement
• an armband, said prajeet, above the biceps

The traditional mongkon

When arriving in the ring, and to perform the Wai Khru ritual, wearing the mongkon is obligatory for the boxer. 

This sacred headgear is specific to Thai boxing. Always handled with care, it is believed to bring protection And good luck to its wearer before his fight.

Traditionally, mongkons are made by hand with cloth and rope. Sometimes they are even blessed by monks in a specific ritual before being given to the fighter.

To conclude

You understood, Thai boxing, or muay Thai, is a martial art Very full with a rather mixed history.

This discipline notably has the bad reputation of authorizing all blows and of being particularly dangerous compared to more Western boxes like French boxing.

However, here are the few particularities that are important to remember for Thai boxing:

1. She is called theArt of the Eight Limbs because it allows kicks, knees, elbows and punches
2. His practice is strongly imbued with Thai culture and traditions (Wai Khru Ram Muay ceremony, wearing the mongkon)
3. L’équipement est simple (short, t-shirt)
4. It not only strengthens your body but also your spirit
5. His practice is accessible to everyone, no matter your gender, your age and your level

The Boxing Circle, to start boxing gently

If you want to practice a combat sport without immediately finding yourself facing an opponent, we have the studio you need.

At the Circle, we offer you workouts inspired by English boxing, where only punches are allowed. And what's more, you're hitting aqua-bags. So you have no risk of getting hit in return!

During 50 minutes, you let off steam, you have fun and you strengthen all your muscles in depth. All on super motivating playlists with coaches who push you to give your best.

Let yourself be tempted by the immersive experience of the Circle! We're waiting for you in the Tigers round!