Folk Games and Sports |181
Muay Thai
Art and Science of Boxing
Muay Thai is a long-standing intangible cultural heritage of Thai people and regarded
as a martial art that uses tactics in 9 different parts of the body called “Nawa Arwut” (nine weapons),
including two hands, two feet, two elbows and one head. The perfect and tactful combination
of all these nine weapons is considered a full-fledged and completely dangerous fight.
In the past, Muay Thai played a vital role in protecting the kingdom’s sovereignty. Most of
Thai men were trained in Muay Thai in addition to learning how to use weapons such as swords,
clubs, sticks, backsword, halberds, and lances. The most important thing in practicing Muay Thai
was to enhance the uses of weaponry and the ability to fight enemies in a close contact. Currently,
however, Muay Thai is mainly a martial art of skill training for sports.
The unique identity of Muay Thai is the foundation and self-defence skills at various levels:
Tha Rang, Choeng Muay, Mai Muay and Phleng Muay. For maximum effectiveness, those skills
should be mixed in both defensive and offensive moves. “Tha Rang” is the movement of body and
footwork. “Choeng Muay” refers to the mixed style of using the nine weapons for fighting, which
are divided into Choeng Ruk (offensive moves) and Choeng Rap (defensive moves). Choeng Ruk
includes fisting, kicking, shoving with feet, hitting with the elbow, and header; while Choeng Rap
comprises guarding, brushing off, blocking, opening, clinching, trapping, holding etc. “Mai Muay”
is the combination of both the Tha Rang and the Choeng Muay for the most effectiveness of
fighting. The tactics used in the defensive moves are called “Mai Rap” (defensive tactics), while
those used in the offensive moves are called “Mai Ruk” (offensive tactics). Mai Muay is further
divided into Mae Mai (basic tactics), Luk Mai (applied tactics) and Mai Kret (tricks). Mae Mai is
the fundamental tactics for both defensive and offensive moves which combine three elements:
Kam Lang (force), Phuen Thi (area) and Changwa Wela (timing). Luk Mai is the secondary tactics
as a sub-division of Mae Mai, subject to the variations of Tha Rang and Choeng Muai applied.
Mai Kret refers to the tricks that enhance the effectiveness of the Mae Mai and Luk Mai. Phleng
Muay is the versatile use of different tactics of Mai Muay in a continuous series during the fight.
• “Mural painting of “Ramayana” on the balcony of the
Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram or Temple of the
Emerald Buddha.
• “Tai Khao Phra Sumen”
(Climb the Mount Sumeru)
“Mae Mai Muay Thai” (Master Techniques) can be
created in many different techniques based on
the combinations of fists, feet, knees, and elbows.
The techniques are named to be easy-to-remember,
in relation to the stories in literature such as
“Montho Nang Tan” (Montho sits on a bench)
and “Kwang Liao Lang” (deer turns its neck to
look backward).”