What is Muay Thai

What is Muay Thai:
 “Muay Thai” which is also known as Thai Boxing in some countries like the United States and England, is also well known as Thai Boxing and Muay  Thai is a martial art with over 2200 years old and the national sport in Thailand. called  “มวยไทย”. "Muay" is a derivation of "Mavya" from Sanskrit , an ancient Indian language Which means “to make things united”.
 Muay Thai  is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes along with various clinching techniques that make Muay Thai widely known as The Science of Eight Limbs. Thai ancestors had taught and passed on this legacy of Muay Thai to younger generations through a sacred tradition that captures the heart and soul of all Thais and continues to live on. Thai developed special skills by combining skills in using weapons like saber, sword ,etc with Muay Thai.

The history of Muaythai isn’t clear since the Burmese army sacked Ayutthaya, the archives of Thai history were lost. There are several theories about the origin of Muay Thai , But there are two main theories.One says that Muay Thai  developed as the Thai people moved down from China .But the other theory says that Thai people were already here.The second  says Muaythai was a part of Thai culture right from its dawn. it’s the sport of kings.
Muaythai was under King Naresuan in 1584, during Ayuddhaya period. every soldier trained in Muaythai, as the King did.In many periods of history Thai ,Muay Thai was very popular among Thais, especially in the period of King Pra Chao ,better known as "Tiger King". He was one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters in history. During his reign the Muay Thai was part of military training and was taught in all schools. He loved Muay Thai so much ,he often fought in contests, beating the local champions. Until around 1920 AD, the fighters did not wear gloves, nor any other type of protection. It was just used strips of cotton, hemp or strips of horsehair wrapped hands. Some former coaches say that in some fights, the fighters were using glue and ground glass in these bandages to hurt the enemy more effectively. However, this is not entirely confirmed by most historians. The coconut shells or shells were also used as a protection of the genitals. The fights were not divided by weights as well as there were no breaks during the fights, the boxers fought until one was knocked unconscious, suffered a serious injury or even death. The old rules of Muay Thai consisted simply of the ban to hit groin, pulling hair. Later rounds were used in combat .Due to the high degree of injuries that occurred between the fighters after the year 1920 AD, some rules have been adapted . Among them may be referred to the divisions by weight, the use of gloves, include the rounds and the referee along with the judges side. But many things remained of the old fights, such as the use of a musical ensemble with ancient instruments in order to give rhythm to the fight. Another tradition is maintained using the Wai Kru. Which is a dance ritual that serves to honor the coach, your parents, your school Muay Thai, former fighters of his gym, his teachers at school, etc. Another tradition that is kept in this magnificent martial art is the use of Mongkon and Praciat. The Mongkon is a band that is placed at the head of fighters to protect them before the fight and was take off  after the Wai Kru ritual. The "Praciat" is a braided rope that is placed in one or both arms of the fighter and it remains with the fighter throughout the fight.

Nowadays, Muay Thai is very  popular outside of Thailand. It has its practitioners in the Americas, Australia, Japan, Europe, as well as in many other countries around the world. . Many fighter train Muay Thai to self-defense, Some fighters train to fight on the ring to be champion while Western fighters popular train Muay Thai for use in Mix Martial Arts, MMA and UFC.