So you want to learn Muay Thai?
As Mixed Martial Arts gains popularity, more men and women are beginning to train in this physically demanding sport. To be a true Mixed Martial Artist, you must learn many forms of fighting styles, such as jiu jitsu, Boxing, Judo, Wrestling, Karate and Muay Thai Kick Boxing.
Muay Thai in Thailand
Muay Thai Kickboxing has become a forerunner in hand and feet striking, as well as viscous knee and elbow attacks. The speed and power of a kick delivered from a well-well-knowntrained Muay Thai Fighter is a force to be reckoned with in the ring or octagon.
In Thailand where Muay Thai originated from, disciples of the fighting style begin their fighting careers as early as the age of eight years of age. A person from the Western World may find that a young child fighting in a very violent sport appalling. For Thai boys it is a right of passage and many times a way to support the family economically.
The history associated with Thai Kick Boxing is interwoven within the historical past of the Thai people. A gentle, peace-loving people, for centuries Thais had to protect themselves and their land from violent powers. They developed a method of close, hand-to-hand combat best suited to the type of rough-terrain combat people were fighting. Over time it grew to become a rite of passage for Thai males to take up training in this particular martial art. King Naresuan the Great (1555-1605), among the country's most well known warrior-heroes, is actually believed to have been an excellent boxer himself, and it was he who created Muay Thai a necessary part of military training. Another milestone in the history of Thai Kickboxing was the victory of Nai Khanom Tom over 10 Burmese fighters in 1774. Taken captive after the Thai capital fell in 1767, Nai Khanom Tom was picked to fight in front of the Burmese king. After beating ten of them in a row, he was liberated and went back home a hero.
As the number of mixed martial artist rise in the West, more and more of these western fighters are making the pilgrimage to Thailand to train at the numerous training camps located throughout the land of smiles.
Upon my own visit to Thailand I made it a point to visit several Muay Thai matches, some of the matches I witnessed were a display of highly skilled combatants. The power and the precision of their kicking style was a science into its own. I watched a 12-year-old kick boxer kick harder than most grown western men that I have sparred against. At one point the father of one of the young Thai Fighters jested for me get in the ring and fight his little champion, I preferred to keep my spleen intact and declined the offer, which was a wise choice after watching the ensuing match.
While watching a competition in Koh Samui, the promoters allowed some Australian MMA fighters to perform and exhibition between Muay Thai matches. All the Muay Thai fighters lined the outside of the ring and watched intently as the Australian MMA fighters showed off their fighting styles. There really was no comparison to the regimented and disciplined skill of the Thai Kick Boxers, watching the expression of the Thai Fighters they were not impressed by the display from the Australians. Compared to the Muay Thai Kickboxers the MMA fighters looked cumbersome and slow, the fights seemed more like a brawl you would witness in a country and western bar.
Muay Thai Kickboxing is infused with tradition and history, something the western world lacks. Before each match the Kick boxers perform the traditional Wai Khru or Ram Muay dance that honors the teachers of the fighters. The drums and the Asian style music set the tempo as the fighters both enter the ring and perform their dance in unison. The dance seems to function as a stretching and warm up session before the match as well, and is a delight to watch for the spectators.
With the western MMA fighters flocking to Thailand to study the fighting art of Muay Thai there have been several training camps opening throughout Southeast Asia. TheFighting Camps provide lodging, accommodations and usually meals based on a strict nutritional diet. Many of the camps incorporate Yoga, cardiovascular training and other forms of cross training. Many of the camps do not limit their training just to men; they also train women and children. There has been a sharp increase in the amount of female clients that sign on to train at the Muay Thai Kickboxing camps.
In all my travels throughout Thailand I have never seen such a gracious and humble country and this has been the general statements from those Western Fighters that attended Muay Thai Camps. Some of the fighters from the west have extended their stay indefinitely, after experiencing the rich culture and beauty that Thailand offers.
If you treat the Thai people with respect they will embrace you as family, this is one of the many reasons Thailand is called the Land of Smiles. Be warned though: If you join a Muay Thai training camp in the land of smiles, you may return home with a few teeth missing from that smile.
Muay Thai Training Camps - ThailandProduct List for Muay Thai Training Camps - Thailand
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