History Muaythai
As a part of Thai legacy, Thai boxing played a role in restoring of Thai freedom in 1584, in the reign of King Naresuen the Great and has continued over 400 years into the present day.
It has been studied regularly by soldiers since early times. Whether in times of war, when it was necessary to confront enemies, or in peaceful times, self-defense techniques have always been of great importance to military leaders and to the monarchy.
During the reign of King Rama VI, Thai boxing, starting to receive serious attention, with the build of boxing stadium so as to organize Thai boxing competition. Since such moment, Thai boxing has been viewed as a national sport.
Thai boxing is a martial art and a method of self-defense, with rules different from those of international boxing. International boxing holds to the principal of having a strong upper torso and of tricking or misleading the opponent.
On the other hand, skills in Thai boxing depend on a full range of factors consisting of the qualities of obedience genuine knowledge, courage, endurance, patience, compassion, gratitude, and honesty. Thai boxers can easily fight across classes and categories. It is common for small, light boxers to wallop large, heavier opponents.
It is an art of fighting with bare hands. In the old time, even the use of the head was permitted in addition to hands, feet, knees, and elbows. In 1929, Thai boxing underwent the transformation.
Rules and regulations were introduced. The equipment and training method of Thai boxing have been adapted from time to time. The use of glue, glass, and raw cotton gradually stopped.
With a switch of wearing of boxing gloves and groin guards. However, the traditional form of Thai boxing, making use of feet and elbows in a fight has not been abandoned. Whenever a quarrel arose, the contenders would still only use their bodily strength in combat without having recourse to weapons.
Thai boxing is both a sport and a martial art, a strong and vigorous art that has been passed down through the history of Thai as part of Thai cultural heritage.
Besides that, it has been interested by other natives in Asia such as Burmese, Indonesian, Malaysian, Chinese, and Indian. Western countries have been caught their eyes in Thai boxing for at least 70 years. During the First World War, Thailand sent troops to fight with its allies and Thai boxing became known in the world.
By now, Thai boxing is known all over the world. Training schools have been founded throughout Asia, Australia, Europe and America.