The History of Muay Thai
Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) can be dated back to 1584 during the reign
of King Naresuan the Great, and played a role in restoring Thai freedom.
Even before that, when Thailand was in the process of forming, wars
were constantly being waged with neighboring countries. It could almost
be said that the Thai national profession was to prepare for conflict.
Attacks and invasions took place all the time. Combat weapons included
spears, javelins, and large curved-bladed pikes called khaw-ngao.
As more hand-to-hand combat took place, the fist, the elbow, the knee
and the foot came into play. The systemized use of these natural weapons
came to be called Classic Thai Boxing.
The use of the so-called "natural weapons" or open-handed
defense is essential to any warrior, ancient or modern. The famous
legend of "Phrayaa Pichai of the Broken Sword" has been
told in Thailand for centuries. When he was a child, he loved to practice
Thai boxing, though his parents forbade it. He was always running
away from home so he could practice. Later when he had risen in the
ranks of the Thai army to a commander-in-chief, he led a faction of
the common people in bravely resisting the enemy without a thought
to his own death. He fought fiercely, "forward, forward, always
forward," the Thai warrior's motto. In the midst of battle, his
sword broke, and he threw it down, continuing the fight with his fists,
knees, and elbows. Because of his knowledge of Thai boxing, he emerged
from the battle victorious.
In early times, Thai boxers had to fight without the boxing gloves
of today. Boxers used to bind their hands with raw cotton threads,
woven into a type of chain-mail knotted at the fingertips. Then the
hands were dipped into glue or tree sap and sprinkled with ground
glass or tiny rocks. This practice was used until 1929 when Thai boxers
switched to gloves used in international boxing.
Thai boxing became known outside of Thailand during WWI when Thailand
sent troops to fight with its allies. The French were amazed by the
sport, calling it a "thrilling, strange, and extraordinary form
of entertainment." Now Thai boxing can be found in virtually
every country. Thai boxers seem to be able to defeat almost any other
standup martial art, as long as the boxer is not forbidden to use
elbows or knees. Full Thai rules, which allow knees, elbows, shin
kicks and punches, put a Thai boxer at a definite advantage against
other traditional martial artists, for example, a karate or taekwondo
practitioner.
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