What is Muay Thai?

Muay Thai (Thai boxing) is a martial art and combat sport, which dates back to the 13^th century.

Known as the “science of 8 limbs, it incorporates strikes using the fists, knees, shins and elbow as well as an element of grappling.

With its roots in Thailand’s military, It is now trained across the world and numerous organisations broadcast Muay Thai ring fighting events to millions of fans globally. It’s also a key component of MMA styles such as the fighting you would see in UFC or Bellator bouts.

This guide will tell you everything you need to know about Muay Thai, from the strikes used, training methods, famous fighters, history and modern day developments.

Muay Thai is now predominantly a combat sport which is trained all over the world, but it is most popular in Thailand, where it is considered the national sport.

It is a “standing” or “striking” martial art, where combatants face each other standing up, and throw strikes at each other.

This differs from a grappling martial art like Judo or BJJ where opponents grapple with each other (often with both opponents on the floor)

Muay Thai strikes

The aim of the sport is to strike your opponent using the following methods.

Muay Thai punches

Similar to western boxing; Muay Thai punches are thrown with a closed fist towards the opponent’s head and body.

Fists are wrapped in hand wraps and boxing gloves to protect both the striker and the opponent.

This video shows the full range of punches available to Muay Thai strikers.

Jab – Throwing the lead hand straight out at the opponent’s head or body (a relatively tame shot, often used to stun the opponent before throwing one of the following…
Cross – Throwing the rear hand straight at the opponent
Hook – bringing the fist out and then back into the opponents’ sides, at either head or body level
Uppercut – Dropping the fist and driving it upwards towards the opponent’s chin (often a knock out shot)

Muay Thai kicks

Muay Thai is probably most famous for it’s devastating kicks.

Thai boxers throw their kicks in a round-house motion, bringing the shin bone crashing into their opponent’s body or head.

This video rounds up some of the kicks in a Thai boxer’s arsenal.

Low kick – A kick that aims to connect with the opponent’s thigh. It can wear them down over time, or even take them to the floor with one good connection
Body kick – a round house kick where the shin connects with the body
High kick – Connecting the shin with the head – this can often result in a knock out
Teep – also known as a push kick; the thrower plants the balls of their feet on their opponent’s body, and thrust’s it forward to push the opponent back (this can be used defensively as well as aggressively)

Muay Thai knees

Muay Thai knees can be thrown from many positions, as shown in the video below.

Straight knee – The knee is thrown from standing, straight into the opponent’s mid section
Clinch knee – Whilst in a clinch (see 2 sections below) knees are thrown from the side into the opponent’s ribs, and can also be thrown straight up to the opponent’s head.
Flying knee – The aggressor jumps into the air and aims to connect the knee with the opponent’s head, often from quite a distance.

Muay Thai elbows

Elbows are typically thrown to the head and whilst they are legal in “full Thai rules” some versions of the sport don’t allow them – and you won’t find them traded in a casual gym sparring session.

They often aim to cut the opponent and can be lethal in a fight.

This video shows some of the elbows used in Muay Thai

Horizontal elbow – bringing the elbow round to the side of the opponent’s head
Upward elbow – Driving the elbow upwards through the opponent’s guard, into the face.
Downward elbow – Raising the elbow high and bringing it crashing down on to the top of the opponent’s head
Spinning back elbow – An advanced technique, where the attacker spins 180 degrees, whilst flaring the elbow out, aiming to connect with the opponent’s face head-on

Muay Thai clinch

Whilst Muay Thai is a stand up striking martial art, there is also an element of stand-up grappling known as the clinch.

Combatants are allowed to jostle for advantageous positions, throw knees, punches and elbows – and limited throws are allowed.

Muay Thai guard and blocking

Whilst participants are aiming to land as many shots on each other as possible – they must also endeavour to evade the shots that are being thrown at them by their opponents.

This is done via guarding with the hands and arms to block punches and high kicks – whilst lower kicks are defended by raising the shin to take the impact of the opponent’s shin.

Muay Thai rules

Sanctioned Muay Thai fights have many rules and regulations, depending on the organisation, but here are some of the common guidelines.

Fights must consist of up to 5 rounds, each lasting 3 minutes
Contestants must wear shorts, hand wraps, boxing gloves, a groin protector and gum shield
No biting, eye gouging or headbutting
No wrestling or arm locks
No deliberate groin strikes

How to win a Muay Thai fight

To win a Muay Thai fight you must evade your opponents attacks whilst landing as many strikes against them as possible. A ring fight can be won via the following methods:

A knockout (KO) is awarded when the opponent is knocked down and is unable to continue within a 10 second count
A technical knockout (TKO) is awarded when a fighter is so seriously injured that they cannot continue – as decided by the referee
Winning on points – If the match finishes with neither party having been KO’d or TKO’d, the bout is decided by a team of judges. Points are awarded for various things such as landing strikes and aggressing within rounds. The fighter with the most points wins

Pre-fight Muay Thai traditions

Muay Thai maintains strict traditions from it’s Thai origins, and as such, the following activities will normally take place before every fight.

Mongkol/Mongkon

The Mongkol is headband that all Thai boxers must wear during their ring entrance – it is considered sacred and passed in from trainer to fighter.

Ram Mauy / Wai Kru

The Ram Muay and/or Wai Kru is a traditional dance that is performed by fighters prior to every fight. It is an ancient tradition that aims to show respect to teachers, parents, ancestors, and the king.

Muay Thai training

People who participate in Muay Thai need to be in great physical shape, and need to perfect their technique with years of consistent training.

Most training happens within dedicated Muay Thai gyms, and often MMA gyms nowadays.

Some people train for fun and fitness – and they may train once or twice a week at a moderate level.

People who are training to compete in fights will train intensely for 5-7 days per week.

Muay Thai training will typically consist of the following

Warmups

Before taking part in any physical training, Muay Thai trainers will perform short warm ups to prepare the muscles and joints for strenuous activity.

They will also stretch the muscles to improve flexibility and decrease the risk of injury

This dynamic Muay Thai warm up is fairly typical

Padwork

Padwork is a staple of Muay Thai training and requires one participant to hold a pair of pads (the pad man), whilst a second participant strikes the pads (the attacker).

The aim is to simulate fighting scenarios, where the pad holder moves around and sets the pads up to be struck with punches, kicks, kneed and elbows by the attacker.

The pad man also simulates strikes at the attacker to test their guard and movement.

The attacker must wear hand wraps and bag gloves for pad work.

Sparring

Sparring is another core activity in Muay Thai training, where 2 participants simulate a fight situation by throwing strikes at each other in a controlled environment.

Both people wear boxing gloves, shin guards, gum shields and groin protectors.

The aim is to throw strikes at reduced power rate, in a bid to test each other’s skill, technique and defence – it is not a competition to knock each other out.

Exercises

As fitness is a huge factor in the effectiveness of a Thai boxer, they incorporate HIIT style exercises into their training sessions.

Exercises like skipping, press-ups, squats, burpees, repeated kicks and punches, are tied together into sequences, with the coach often pressing classes to move faster and perform movements properly.

Running

For serious Muay Thai trainers (those looking to fight competitively) regular jogging is essential for building fitness levels that will help them last into the later rounds of a fight.

In Thailand some fighters jog several miles every morning before starting their gym training routine.

Muay Thai shin conditioning

Muay Thai fighters need tough shins, and they also need their shins to be somewhat desensitised to pain.

This is due to the fact that they connect with the shin when throwing kicks, and when a kick is blocked, there is shin-on-shin contact with their opponent.

So shin conditioning is a requirement for serious Muay Thai fighters.

In the past, Thai fighters would use pretty dangerous methods like kicking banana trees and rolling metal bars up the shin.

Nowadays a much more sensible approach is taken where fighters kick heavy bags and spar bare-shin, to toughen the shins over time.

The history of Muay Thai

Muay Thai dates back as far as the 11^th century, although much of its earliest records were destroyed in the 14^th century when the Burmese sacked the Thai capital (then known as Siam) – but here is an overview of Muay Thai history.

Origins of Muay Thai

In the 1200’s Thailand was known as Siam, and it was constantly at war with neighbouring tribes and developing countries like Cambodia and Burma (now Myanmar).

To fight these battles, the Siamese army was created, and young men were trained in hand-to-hand combat. The fighting style they were taught, gradually evolved into the Muay Thai fighting style we see in the ring today.

The eight body points were used to mimic the weapons of war at the time:

Fists and kicks became swords and daggers
Shins and forearms were conditioned to act as armour from enemy blows
Elbows became heavy blunt weapons like hammers or axes
Knees became spears to drive into an enemy’s body
Grappling became a means of flooring an enemy in order to go in for the kill

Due to the ever-present threat of war or invasion, the Siamese people built training centres across the kingdom to ready young soldiers for combat. These early versions of Muay Thai gyms became focal parts of Siam communities and so Muay Thai became ingrained in Siamese culture.

The development of a ring sport

Over hundreds of years, as the martial art developed – so did its role as a ring sport across Siam.

Soldiers returning from duty would organise and compete in tournaments in local villages and towns. Initially there were few rules, and no rings, protective gear or weight classes – but over time these fights slowly developed into the fully sanctioned ring bouts we see today.

Notable Muay Thai historic figures

Throughout Muay Thai’s history, a number of legends have arisen who have captured the hearts of the Thai people, and helped to forge the sports future.

King Naruesan – Legend has it that in 1560, the Thai King Naruesan was captured by the Burmese in battle. The Burmese king offered him his freedom if could defeat all of his best warriors. Naruesan famously defeated all of the Burmese fighters put before him and returned to Siam a hero.
Nai Khanom Tom – Nai Khanom Tom was taken as a slave by the Burmese after the sacking of Ayudhaya and forced to compete against Burmese fighters at shows for entertainment. After beating 10 fighters in quick succession, he was granted his freedom along with several Burmese women to take back to Thailand as his wives.
King Prachao Sua “Tiger King” – King Prachao Sua was an avid Muay Thai fighter who used to disguise himself as a commoner to take part in small tournaments in towns and villages. He is believed to have defeated some of the best fighters of his era.
King Rama V – King Rama ruled over the “golden age” of Muay Thai in the 1880’s where he promoted national tournaments and opened boxing gyms throughout the country

Muay Thai in the 1900s

During WW1 and WW2 Muay Thai gained exposure across the world as soldiers from many countries came into contact with Thai fighters and watched them compete amongst each other. Also, the sport began to evolve with stadiums and rings being built, along with gloves being introduced and rules being added to competitions.

By the late 1920s, Muay Thai was being trained all over the world, as well as continuing to be the national sport of Thailand.

Modern day Muay Thai

Muay Thai is now popular across the globe with numerous organisations running national and international competitions that are screened to millions of fans.

American style kickboxing is somewhat of a spin-off from Muay Thai and also draws very big crowds globally.

Nearly every city in the western world has a Muay Thai gym where anyone from the beginner to competitive fighter can train.

Muay Thai also plays a huge role in the fighting style of most MMA fighters in organisations such as the UFC and Bellator.

Famous Muay Thai fighters

Here is a list of some of the most famous and successful fighters in modern Muay Thai.

Buakaw Banchamek

Buakaw is arguably the most famous Muay Thai fighter in the world an is credited for putting Muay Thai on the map in recent years. He has won numerous titles and now mainly fights for K1.

Ramon “The Diamond” Dekkers

Ramon Dekkers is arguably the best non-Thai Muay Thai fighter in the world, having held numerous world titles and even received an award from the Thai royal family.

Samart Payakaroon

Samart is believed to be the best ever Thai boxer by most in Thailand – think of him as the Muhammed Ali of Muay Thai

Yodsanklai Fairtex

Yodsanklai Fairtex trains out the renowned Fairtex gym in Pattaya Thailand, and is the champion of The Contender Asia – he has held numerous Thai and world titles.

Saenchai

Saenchai is an exciting fighter, known for his flashy style of fighting. He has built his reputation by taking on fighters who are several weight division above him… and beating them.

Muay Thai in Thailand

Today Muay Thai is more popular than ever in Thailand, with children starting training as young as seven years old.

Thai boxing fights are televised nationally, huge stadiums are regularly sold out, and Thai boxers are hailed as national heroes.

Muay Thai stadiums

There are Muay Thai stadiums across Thailand where fighters compete to win the belts attached to them. Here are some of the top stadiums…

Lumpinee stadium

The Lumpinee in Bangkok is arguably the most famous Muay Thai stadium in the world, and it’s ranking system is considered the most important one in the sport.

They host 3 fight nights per week and the Lumpinee champion belt is the highest accolade a Thai boxer can achieve.

Rajadamnern stadium

The Rajadamnern is the second most popular stadium – also located in Bangkok

How to get started in Muay thai

If you want to get started in Muay Thai as a beginner, your best route is to join a reputable Muay Thai gym.

Although it can be a daunting experience to enter a gym for the first time – most gyms welcome beginners and even have classes exclusively for beginners.

When looking for a gym online, look for the following features;

Good facilities – Do they have padded floors? Proper rings, new gloves and other protective equipment? Punch bags etc?
Reputable teacher – Search for the gym coach online… Have they fought before? Are they known in the sport?
Good reviews – Look for reviews that show the gym is a safe place to learn and you can learn a lot
Beginner/intermediate sessions – you don’t want to start training at a gym which exclusively trains pros

Before you join a gym, it’s good to have a base level of fitness.

If you don’t exercise regularly already, it will be a good idea to do a couple of weeks of running or HIIT sessions before your first session.

Is Muay Thai safe?

If you are training casually at a good gym (just doing pad work and bag work) then training Muay – You may come away with a few bruises at worst.

However if you progress to sparring and competitive fighting, then the risk of injury from strikes becomes a lot greater.

I’ve written an article about the risks of Muay Thai training here, if you want to learn more.

Muay Thai equipment

The equipment needed to train Muay Thai will differ depending on the level you train at. For example, a casual trainer who just wants to do bag work once a week will need a lot less gear than somebody who spars 5 times per week.

Muay Thai first lesson gear

For your first lesson, all you need is:

A t-shirt or similar sports top
Shorts

That’s it – read more on what to wear for your first Muay Thai lesson here.

Muay Thai beginners gear

If you start to train regularly, you will need the following:

Muay Thai shorts – traditional shorts that most gyms will require you to wear
Hand wraps – long strands of material that wrap around the hands to protect the wrist and knuckles
Boxing gloves – Most gyms will provide these

Advanced Muay Thai gear

Those advance in training and wish to spar will need the following gear also:

Groin guard – to protect from wayward kicks and knees
Shin guards – most gyms will provide these
Gum shield

Will Muay Thai get you fit?

Muay Thai training is extremely demanding on the body, so if you train regularly, it’s likely to improve your fitness and strength – you may also lose weight.

It’s also a fun way to train, and should you leave you looking and feeling better after a few months of training.

So, what is Muay Thai?

Hopefully this detailed guide has given you a good grounding on what Muay Thai is, it’s history, how it’s trained, and what you can expect from getting involved in it.

Personally I think it’s an amazing sport to both participate and watch – and it has had a positive impact on my life.