Learn the basic principles and techniques of Muay Thai at home and whether you will be able to achieve perfection in this single combat on your own. Many fans of martial arts consider Muay Thai to be the most perfect style of fighting. This art was born in Thailand more than two decades ago and it harmoniously combines the spiritual, religious and national values of this state. If you manage to visit the Kingdom of Thailand, then be sure to go to the Muay Thai competition. This is an indescribable sight, you can believe us. Today we will talk about this sport in more detail, and also pay attention to the rules for conducting home Muay Thai training.
The history of Muay Thai
The ancestor of modern Thai boxing is the ancient martial arts - Muay Boran. Translated into Russian, its name means "duel of the free". In the modern version of Thai boxing, athletes strike with their elbows, knees, shins, and hands. At home, this kind of martial arts is often called "the battle of eight arms."
Unlike most martial arts, Muay Thai lacks combinations of punches and blocks similar to, say, kata from karate. During the training, athletes work out several basic strokes. At home, Thai boxing has been extremely popular since the sixteenth century. World recognition for this type of martial arts came in the middle of the last century, when fighters from Thailand were able to defeat many representatives of other martial arts.
The popularity of Muay Thai continues to grow, and this is largely due to the high interest in mixed martial arts, where athletes use many elements from Muay Thai. Muay Thai is also popular with American filmmakers.
It is quite obvious that at home this type of martial arts is extremely popular and, in fact, is a national sport. According to official statistics in Thailand, about 120,000 people practice Muay Thai at an amateur level, and the number of professionals is about ten thousand. Do not forget about law enforcement officers and military personnel who study Thai boxing without fail.
Despite its high popularity in the world, Thai boxing has not yet been accepted into the "Olympic family". However, the country's leadership is doing everything possible to correct this situation. At the same time, there are many international Muay Thai federations. Perhaps the absence of this martial art at the Olympics is due to the presence of a large number of versions of Muay Thai. At the moment there is no single international federation.
However, let's get back to the history of the development of this art of fighting, because it is quite interesting. The first mention of Muay Thai dates back to the thirteenth century. Then the locals mastered the art of unarmed combat, called Mai si sok. Gradually, it was transformed into martial arts plow, which literally means "multilateral battle" in Russian. This coincided in time with the emergence of the state of Siam. Then this type of martial arts was called Muay Thai and became extremely popular throughout the country.
The best fighters were accepted into the ranks of the royal guard and received titles of nobility. The entire aristocracy of Siam was obliged to master Muay Thai. For a long time, Thai boxing has been positioned as a tough type of hand-to-hand combat. Warriors who were proficient in Muay Thai could freely continue the battle, even having lost their weapons.
Nai Khan Tom is considered one of the legendary warriors in the history of the development of Thai boxing. During the war with Burma, he was captured, and this happened in 1774. Burma at that time had its own art of fighting without weapons - parmu. Once the king of this eastern state decided to arrange a competition between the masters of Muay Thai and Parma.
Nai Khan Tom had to take turns to face the ten best hand-to-hand combatants from Burma. As a result, he turned out to be the unconditional winner and was allowed to go home as a sign of respect. Since then, Thailand has celebrated the "Boxing Night" annually on March 17, in honor of this illustrious warrior.
The meeting of Europeans with Muay Thai took place in 1788. Then two French boxing masters, while traveling across Asia, asked the King of Siam for permission to meet with Muay Thai fighters. The challenge was accepted by the country's defense minister, Muen Plan, who was able to defeat each of the Europeans.
Much more widespread understanding of Muay Thai in Europe was gained during the First World War. Thailand in those years was an ally of the Entente. The Thais, in comparison with the European soldiers, were extremely weakly armed, but made an indelible impression due to their physical form and hand-to-hand combat skills.
Since 1921, Thai boxing has been actively developing as a sport in Thailand. It all started with the organization in one of the colleges of the capital, a training center for Muay Thai fighters. In 1929, some changes were made to the rules. Today, Thai boxing continues to be considered one of the most brutal types of martial arts, and earlier, serious injuries to athletes during fights were considered the norm.
In the mid-sixties, a real Thai boxing boom began in the United States. At this time, the best Muay Thai fighters challenged the representatives of various martial arts. The challenge was answered by the Kekushinkai Karate masters. In the course of stubborn fights, the victory went to the representatives of the Japanese martial arts, who at the same time highly appreciated the skill of the Thai boxers.
Muay Thai technique and fights
Before talking about the rules for conducting home Muay Thai training, you should pay attention to the peculiarities of the fighting technique. Experienced athletes feel equally well in close combat and at long distances. However, they pose the greatest danger precisely at close and medium distances.
According to the main principle of Muay Thai, the elbow always beats the fist, and the knee is stronger than the leg. These body parts are actively used in close combat. One of the favorite techniques of Thai boxers is a low kick - a circular kick with the shin to the thigh area.
In almost all martial arts, the striking surface of the leg is the rise of the foot. In Muay Thai, the knee is preferred. To strengthen this part of the body, athletes use various exercises and as a result, an experienced fighter is able to break a baseball bat with his knee.
If we talk about the work of the hands, then it is similar to European boxing, but at the same time it is more diverse. Today in Muay Thai it is customary to distinguish two styles:
- Muay like - the fighter always strives to take a stable position, and his movements are rather slow. Previously, this style was popular among the peasants, but today it is used extremely rarely.
- Muay kieu - the style is based on various feints, deceiving movements and escapes.
Basic principles of muay thai
Throughout its existence, Thai boxing has undergone a lot of changes. At first, the fighters fought with their bare hands, but then strips of leather, cotton ribbons or hemp rope began to be wound around their hands and forearms. This was done not only to improve defense, but also to increase the force of the blow. Hollywood directors have added broken glass here, but there is no historical evidence for this.
The main changes in Muay Thai concerned the rules. Today, the winner can be determined by points, and in ancient times, the loser left the place of the fight dead or badly beaten. Also, now in Thai boxing, strikes to the groin, suffocation techniques are prohibited. However, this is quite understandable, because this art was created for fighting, and now it is a sport.
Thai boxers have their own code of honor, according to which one cannot offend an opponent. In addition, there are several unspoken rules. Before each fight, the fighters perform a ritual dance called Ram Muay, and also say the Wai Kru prayer. This shows their respect for the ancestors and teachers who created the won. However, this is both a kind of psychological relief and an opportunity to tune in to the upcoming fight.
During the performance of the above ritual actions, on the head of each athlete there is a special bandage - mongkon. Before the start of the fight, it is removed by the coach or the second. Mongkon is a finger-thick rope that consists of 108 strands. It is rolled up in the shape of a hoop and tied at the back of the head in the form of a pigtail.
Another mandatory attribute of Muay Thai is a shoulder strap (pratyat). She stays on the fighters throughout the fight. In ancient times, this bandage symbolized the sacred protection of a warrior. Today, according to the rules of the International Muay Thai Federation, mangkon and pratyat are used to classify athletes according to their skill, similar to belts in karate.
Home workout muay thai
For your home Muay Thai workout to be effective, it must be done at high intensity. A typical lesson plan is as follows:
- warm-up;
- work with a rope;
- a fight with a shadow;
- work on sports equipment;
- working out tactics and techniques of fighting with a friend;
- strength training;
- exercises to increase flexibility and stretching.
This is a general scheme for home Muay Thai training, which can be used by all athletes at the initial stage of training. Then it is necessary to select a training program on an individual basis and a professional trainer can do this.
During the warm-up, attention should be paid to all the muscles and joints of the body. Then you should do a good job with the rope, which will improve your jumping ability and increase your endurance indicator. After completing the warm-up, move on to specialized exercises. Each movement is performed in several sets of three minutes each. The pause between sets is 60 seconds.
To get a good shot, take the time to work with a punching bag. However, do not hit with full force. Also at this time it is necessary to monitor your stand, which is quite difficult to do at home. Training with a boxing bag is also shadow boxing. You should not just hit, but also dodge, block, etc.
However, the real "shadow boxing" is still ahead and for this you should sit in front of the mirror. As a result, you will be able to see all the errors made and take measures to eliminate them. I would like to note right away that without sparring with a real partner, your home Muay Thai workout will not be complete. You can pound the air for a long time, but only during real sparring can you progress as a fighter. Each session should end with stretching and flexibility exercises.
A set of exercises for training Muay Thai in the video below:
