Muay Thai

Muay Thai pronounced as ‘moy thai’ is a combination of martial arts and boxing. It was developed and used by the royal Thai family and the Thai army, but is now popular around the world.

Muay Thai is a close contact combat sport, requiring quick and efficient movements. It uses only eight parts of the body: elbow, fist, knee, head, shin, ankle, upper arm and forearms. The prime objective of this sport is to take on the opponent and disable him even if he is in close contact with you.

An important part of the game is the surprise element, which comes from the eye contact that has to be maintained with the opponent at all times. That ensures that your quarry does not anticipate the direction from which you will attack. This requires sharp focus and some guesswork.

Is it different from boxing?

Boxing does not involve as much close contact as Muay Thai and there is more leg movement in boxing.

Muay Thai, on the contrary, demands more flexibility because to attack from close contact, you need to be flexible and be able to grapple swiftly. In fact, grappling can continue for long, when in a contest. This needs sheer strength.

Liked what you read? Share it!