The historical roots of Muay Thai

The origin of the wildly popular Muay Thai, colloquially but not quite rightly called Thai boxing, has unfortunately been lost in the mists of time. However, it is certain that Muay Thai has a long and very rich history and emerged as one Close Combatdiscipline used by the Siamese troops on the battlefield in hand-to-hand combat.

A combat branch in which the entire body was used as optimally as possible in battle. Over time, fists, elbows, legs and knees became the fixed components of the 'Art of the Eight Limbs' as Muay Thai was originally called. Much, if not all historically relevant literature on the origins and development of this unique discipline was irretrievably lost after the Burmese skillfully plundered and destroyed the Siamese capital of Ayutthaya in 1767.

Most historians assume that the roots of this fighting style most likely lay with the Dai peoples who moved from Yunan in the south of what is now the People's Republic of China to the fertile plain of the Chao shortly after the beginning of our era. Phraya migrated. This immediately makes this combat sport one of the oldest in the world. The Dai were familiar with chuan-fa, a number of traditional fighting techniques from which karate, among other things, would later arise. They would, out of need for defense rather than aggression, get out of this one Close Combattechniques Muay Thai that in combination with Krabi Krabong - the armed martial art - turned out to be a very successful story. However, it was not only a purely defensive technique but also a way to stay in shape physically and to cultivate mental and physical discipline. Things that came in handy in armies that in those days consisted mainly of 'volunteers', forced or not, instead of professional soldiers...

Originally this fighting style was known as Muay Boran (ancient boxing) but other names such as Mae See Sawk and Muay Pahuyut were also given to it. The designation Muay Thai is quite recent. It only dates back to 1913 when English boxing was introduced into the curriculum of Suan Kulap College in Bangkok and they wanted to differentiate it from Muay Boran.

The first soldiers to be systematically trained in this combat technique were the Siamese infantrymen who defended the kingdom of Sukhothai in the thirteenth century. They received their training in training camps where they were also trained in the use of conventional weapons Close Combattechniques. For example, we know from an ancient chronicle that Pho Khun Si Indarith, the first ruler of Sukhothai, sent his two sons Pho Khun Ban Muang and Pho Khun Ramkhamhaeng to a training camp in Samakorn. It was perhaps during this period that the warrior cues began to bind their hands with bandages and later hemp cords. These cords were covered with resin to harden them. Fighting this way is known today as Muay Khat Chueak. In times of war it often happened that, in order to increase the impact of the blows, this resin was mixed with broken glass….

The soldiers of early Siam, like their opponents, were fairly sparsely armed with swords, bows and arrows and spears. They were, with others, evenly matched. Knowledge of Muay Thai was therefore definitely in Close Combat added value and could be decisive on the battlefield. It became one of the most efficient combat techniques in the world. However, as conventional armaments expanded and firearms and artillery, among other things, gained importance and especially began to play a decisive role in combat, hand-to-hand combat declined and the focus shifted from the martial aspect of Muay Thai to the sporting, the athletic. Young war veterans returned to their villages after the battle and started organizing competitions for sport and fun. Older, battle-hardened veterans became their Kroo Muay, their trainers and teachers.

Legend has it that Muay Thai played a key role in a succession to the throne in the northern kingdom of Lanna. This story is also interesting because it proves that Muay Thai was also practiced beyond the geographical boundaries of Siam. In 1411, Sen Muang Ma, the king of Chiang Mai, had died without naming an heir to the throne. Both his sons, Yi Kumkan and Fang Ken claimed the throne and a bloody succession war broke out that dragged on for years. To get out of the malaise, Fang Ken suggested to 'to old usage' having the matter settled by single combat with their Muay Thai champions deciding the fate of the throne. Oh said, done and after a tense match that lasted for hours, Fang Ken's champion suffered a small wound on his foot and Yi Kumkan was declared dead. firstbloodprinciple the new ruler.

Muay Thai experienced a huge boom under the reign of King Naresuan of Ayutthaya (1590-1605). He explicitly and successfully appealed to Muay Thai warriors to fight as guerrilla units against the Burmese invasion forces. Their military victories earned him the nickname 'the Great'. The first truly documented historical mentions of Muay Thai as a sport and not as a soldierly skill date back to the reign of King Phra Chao Sua or 'the Tiger King' (1697-1709), of Ayutthaya. He himself practiced Muay Thai and it is said that his love for the martial art was so great that he often competed incognito in local competitions in far-flung villages to compete with the local champions. It was probably due to his enthusiasm that large-scale Muay Thai competitions first appeared in Siam.

A Muay Thai boxer of legendary, almost mythical proportions was Nai Khanomtom. He was one of thousands of Siamese prisoners of war who were taken away by the Burmese after the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767. During a grand victory celebration, the victorious Burmese king Hsinbyusin (1736-1776) wanted to decide once and for all who were the best warriors: the Siamese or the Burmese. He would let fate decide in the form of a duel. Nai Khanomtom was selected to represent Siam against the Burmese champion. The latter was eliminated in no time and when Hsinbyusin tested Nai Khnomtom further by confronting him with nine other champions without interruption, they all turned out to be a size too small for the Siamese. It is not for nothing that this undefeated champion is ceremonially commemorated every year on March 17 during the Nai Khanomtong Day.

(somsak suwanput / Shutterstock.com)

Of equally historic proportions was the battle that took place in Bangkok in the autumn of 1788. The Dupont brothers, two French Savateboxing champions had made a name for themselves in Indochina by beating just about every local champion Close Combatbeat techniques. They wanted to do this all over again when they arrived in Bangkok. Their reputation had preceded them and Somdetch Chao Fa Isarasdundorn, the Crown Prince was only too eager to prove the superiority of his Muay Thai champions by inviting them to a fight on the grounds of the palace. The Crown Prince had selected Muen Plan, one of the members of the Royal Guard, as the challenger for this historic match. The Frenchman immediately targeted Muen Plan's neck and collarbones, but no matter what he tried, his defense made it impossible. Frustrated by his brother's inability, the second Dupont—against all etiquette—also joined the fray where he was promptly knocked down by a Muay Thai fighter from the Guard. Finally the two Frenchmen were carried KO back to their ship….

The sport reached a new peak of popularity under the reign of Rama V (1868-1910). He was very interested in the sport and saw it as a means of physical and mental self-development. He would go down in history as the monarch who not only modernized Muay Thai but also Muay Thai. Until then there were different styles such as the classic Muay Thai Boran in which the 15 traditional and historically handed down Mae Mai techniques were used or the even more complicated techniques of Muay Thai Kheaw or Muay Thai Crope Krueng. Rama V introduced uniformity by formalizing three regionally colored styles in 1910: Lopburi, Korat and Chaiya boxing. With the opening of the first boxing ring in Suan Kulap (1921) and the first stadium in Suan Sanuk (1923), uniform rules were established for the whole country and beyond and the use of Western boxing gloves was mandatory. It was in the same period that it was also decided to settle the matches in five rounds of three minutes each with a two-minute break.

Since then, this sport has not lost an ounce of popularity, on the contrary….