Muay Thai (Thai Boxing)
One of the most popular spectator sports in Thailand, and now gaining
world renown, is the martial art of Muay Thai. Exciting enough on
TV - the furious punches, crushing elbow strikes, lethal kicks and
artful feints are even more exciting when seen live. Witness the
passion and drama of one of Thailand's historic sports amidst crowds
of onlookers whose cheers blend with the strains of Javanese clarinets,
drums and cymbals that accompany the fight from beginning to end.
Phuket Boxing Stadium on Phuket Road, Amphoe Muang, Phuket Town
features live matches on Fridays at 8.00pm. For tourists in the
Patong Beach area, nightly displays of Thai Boxing are carried out
in a specially built stadium on Soi Bangla.
If you don't mind the violence, a Thai boxing
match is worth attending for the pure spectacle and the wild musical
accompaniment, the ceremonial beginning of each match, and the frenzied
betting around the stadium.
The training of a Thai boxer and particularly the
relationship between the boxer and teacher is highly ritualized.
As the boxers enter the ring, they perform a special pre-fight dance
known as the "ram muay". During the dance, they wear a
headband given by their trainer. It is a sacred talisman earned
after many years of dedication to the art. The dance starts with
"wai khru" -- each boxer kneeling and bowing three times,
a show of respect to his teacher. With the ceremonies complete,
the fight begins.
Each fight consists of five rounds of three minutes
each. Accompanying the fight is music stimulated by action in the
ring, rising and falling as the boxers battle it out. All surfaces
of the body are considered fair targets, and any part of the body
except the head may be used to strike an opponent. Common blows
include high kicks to the neck, elbow thrusts to the face and head,
knee hooks to the ribs, and low crescent kicks to the calf. A contestant
may even grasp an opponent's head between his hands and pull
it down to meet an upward knee thrust. Punching is considered the
weakest of all blows and kicking merely a way to ‘soften up'
one's opponent; most matches end with a knee or elbow strike.
The origins of this martial art and sport are thought
to stretch back to the wars with the Burmese during the 15th century.
Thailand's first famous boxer was one, ‘Nai Khanom Tom'
who was said to have single-handedly defeated a dozen Burmese fighters
in a wager for freedom. A Thai king, Phra Chao Seua (The tiger King)
is said to have been an incognito participant in many boxing matches
in the early part of his reign. The sport has changed a lot from
the days when boxers would wrap their fists in thick horsehide trimmed
with cotton soaked in glue and broken glass for maximum impact with
minimum knuckle damage. Many changes initiated to make the sport
safer have reduced the high incidence of death and injury. But Thai
boxing is still a violent contact sport and considered by many as
the ultimate in unarmed combat.
 Thai
Boxing matches are held every Friday night at the Boxing stadium
in Phuket town. Occasional matches are held in Patong.
Demonstrations of Muay Thai are held in many of
the tourist areas but they are mostly for show.
Learn original Muay
Thai kickboxing from expert ex Thai Champions while relaxing
on your vacation in Phuket.
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