Ancient Muay Thai Part I

"Muay Boran" means Thai Boxing old-style.

Muay Boran literally means ancient boxing, or boxing old-style. It is a traditional form of Muay Thai still taught in Thailand. As Muay Thai boxing became standardised and internationalised, absorbing many elements of Western boxing some looked back fondly to the days of fewer rules and Muay Kaad Chuek (bound-fist fighting). And so, Muay Boran is essentially an effort to preserve the boxing techniques from Muay Thai's history before the introduction of formalised rules and gloves in the 1930s. Muay Boran is the predecessor to modern day Muay Thai boxing.

Many other ancient techniques are now forbidden in Muay Thai for safety reasons.Even in Thailand it is difficult to find school's that teach Muay Boran. Most camps and gyms prefer to focus on modern Muay Thai, which is more easily exploitable as a form of income. Some schools outside of Thailand who claim to offer Muay Boran instruction simply teach Muay Thai and sell it under the name of Muay Boran.

Muay Kaad Chuek - No gloves boxing

During the Ayuthaya era came the introduction of Muay Kaad Chuek. That is the use of unrefined hemp wrappings to protect the fingers and wrists. A length of around 20 metres was enough to bind one hand. The use of Muay Kaad Chuek quickly spread, as a bound fist is tougher, stronger and better protected against injury than an unbound one. It is said that before a contest fighters immersed their fists in water. This would cause the binding to harden when it dried, making it capable of producing serious injury. Some people go further and claim that fighters dipped their hands in glue and ground glass. Such a contest would certainly have made a gory sight! To this day an annual Muay Kaad Chuek contest with Laos is held in Nong Khai near the NE border with Laos, on the Thai side of the Mekong River. A Muay Kaad Chuek contest with Burma is staged in the Mae Sot, western Thailand, during the Sonkran (Thai New Year) festivities (April 12-14). Boxers fight until knockout. If both competitors remain standing at the end of the bout a match is declared a draw.

The Battlefield

Historically, the purpose of Muay Thai was to help a warrior survive a battle. It's style is efficient in that it maximizes the damage the body's natural weapons can impact on an opponent. Muay Boran emphasizes combinations of powerful elbow and knee techniques thrown at full force and speed, the idea being to completely overcome one's adversary as quickly as possible.