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History of Thai Boxing

The second name, Muay Thai, is formed from words"Mavya" and "tai", which means "fight" and "freedom", that is, the name of the martial art itself is translated as "free fight." In the 13th century, the art of fighting with bare hands and feet existed on the territory of Thailand. But it penetrated into Europe only in the beginning of the 20th century, during the First World War, in which Thailand participated on the side of the Entente. Only in 1921 Muay Thai began to develop precisely as a sport. And in 1929 the "modernized" rules were adopted. Ground areas, which used to be the battle between Muay Thai soldiers, were replaced with a ring of 6 and 6 meters in size and guarded it with ropes. And the fights themselves were limited to five rounds for 3 minutes. Also, along with traditional leather belts, which the soldiers bandaged their hands, approved boxing gloves. In addition, introduced 7 weight categories, which previously simply did not exist. The current peak of popularity of Thai boxing falls on the 1960s. Imedo then this sport absolutely conquered Europe and the USA. And in 1984 the International amateur federation of Thai boxing, IAAMTF was established. Today it includes regional organizations of more than 70 countries and is the largest amateur association of Muay Thai. Today, fans of Thai boxing are taking steps to recognize it as an Olympic sport.

Thai boxing traditions

Thai boxing is a very tough kind of martial arts. Fights are in full contact, and the blows are applied at all levels: to the head and body, hands and feet, elbows and knees. That is why it is called "the battle of the eight limbs." In addition to fighting with their bare hands, they practice working with various types of daggers, sticks and throwing knives. The practice of muaythai is characterized by interesting traditions. For example, not the last role in the passage of the battle is played by live music, performed on four musical instruments. The melody sets the rhythm of the battle and introduces the fighters into a state close to trance, which allows them to concentrate better. Also each battle is preceded by the traditional pray of the wai cui and the ceremonial dance of the muay frames. Prayer is an expression of gratitude to parents for care and a coach who has invested in his disciple. And the dance, also demonstrating the veneration of the elders, is, in addition, also a good warm-up of the limbs. Great importance is attached to Thai boxing amulet. For example, pratyatu. This is a bandage with two loose ends, which is attached to the shoulder of the fighter, and protects him. In Europe and America, these amulets have found another use - they denote the rank of the athlete. And the International Amateur Federation of Muay Thai has introduced a color classification of pratyates.