Issue 082

December 2011

Fighters Only gets to grips with one of the world’s most destructive and effective martial arts.

1. Eight ways to win

Muay Thai is sometimes called ‘the art of eight limbs’ because it utilizes the hands, feet, knees and elbows in its techniques. All eight of these body parts can be used to devastating effect, as much of Muay Thai’s focus is on power strikes.

2. Big up your kru

Muay Thai is as much about tradition as it is about fighting. One element of tradition in the sport is the requirement for fighters to wear a mongkol (a special circlet headpiece) to the ring. Each gym has its own mongkol which represents the strength of the gym and its head trainer, or Kru. Every mongkol is made by hand, representing the fighter’s respect for his or her gym and teacher.

3. Are we dancers?

The wai kru ram muay is a pre-fight ritual resembling a dance performed by Muay Thai fighters when they enter the ring. The purpose of this is to bless their corner and thank their trainers, and also to bless their opponent’s corner in the hope that they won’t be badly hurt. Then they punch, kick, knee and elbow one another in the face. 

4. Stadium champions

There are many Muay Thai stadiums throughout Thailand, the most prominent being the Lumpinee and Rajadamnern stadiums in the capital city of Bangkok. Stadium champions are seen as the elite among Muay Thai practitioners, with the champions of Bangkok’s two biggest stadiums being considered the very best of the best.

5. Ridiculous records

Because so many fighters start at such a young age (often five years old) and competitions are held so frequently in Thailand, most combatants have around 150 fights by their late teens. Veteran fight commentator Michael ‘The Voice’ Schiavello says he has “commentated guys with over 300 fights.” Dan Severn doesn’t seem like such a ‘Beast’ now. What? 124 fights? Easy.

6. Superman

The Superman punch is one of Muay Thai’s flashier techniques and, in the sport’s native Thailand, promoters will pay fighters more money if they finish a fight with this move. This powerful punch also recently earned UFC heavyweight Travis Browne some extra cash when he used it to KO Stefan Struve at UFC 130, winning him his first ‘Knockout of the Night’ bonus.

7. Keep it simple

Although it does have the odd fancy maneuver in its repertoire, the majority of techniques in Muay Thai are geared towards doing maximum damage with basic movements. Spinning-cartwheel kicks might look impressive, but all that acrobatic ability is useless if your opponent has you in a clinch. That’s when short and simple strikes using knees and elbows can make a big difference.

8. You gotta be tough

With such high numbers of fights and bone-shattering techniques, ‘eight-limb’ fighters are arguably the toughest around. Some of the more dated training methods are especially harsh on the human body, such as bone conditioning. This involves kicking solid objects with the shin in order to harden the bone, making it more proficient for kicking.

9. Street savvy

Muay Thai is one of the most practical forms of fighting for defending yourself on the street, if not the most practical. Combining a solid defensive game with brutal and efficient striking, this lethal art is your best bet if you want to stay safe in dangerous, no-holds-barred situations.

10. Dutch takeover

Although Muay Thai is still huge in it’s native Thailand, the Netherlands, renowned for its own modified Dutch-style of Thai boxing, has become a second home for Muay Thai. The famous Golden Glory gym in Holland houses some of the best strikers in the world, including present and former K-1 champs Alistair Overeem and Semmy Schilt.

Pro tip

The traditional methods of bone conditioning in the art’s native Thailand are to kick extremely solid objects such as banana trees. However, you can develop equal toughness in your shins by simply kicking a heavy bag. Doing this means there is far less risk of you doing serious and permanent damage to your bones in the early stages of your training, as a bag has a lot more give to it than a tree trunk!