An article I wrote for Fighters in November/Decembers issue might be of relevance:

COMPETING IN MUAY THAI

By Kru Shaun Boland

‘Beyond the mountains there are mountains again.’
Haitian Proverb

Muay Thai as a competitive sport began its rudimentary beginnings in the late 1920’s and progressively developed throughout the 1930’s implementing rules and regulations. Prior to this the art was forged from the battlefield and an early form of competition called Dhee Muay could be witnessed at local events, festivals and celebrations. This form of Thai boxing (or Siamese boxing as it was also known) involved very little rules other than the fight was ended when one fighter would give in. The boxers (Nak Muay) fought bare fisted and techniques would involve punching, kicking, elbows, knees and head-butting. There was no clinch work in these early bouts as this was to be developed later. As the art of Dhee Muay developed fighters began to bind their hands with hemp rope to protect their knuckles and wrists from damage, in addition to adding extra attacking strength. This art then became what is known as Muay Kaad Chuek or bound fist boxing.

In 1926 a Nak Muay called Jia Kaegkhem died in the ring as the result of a bound fist match and this was to be the beginning of the end for Muay Kaad Chuek as a mainstream competitive sport. Over the decades Muay Thai has developed into the dynamic and explosive sport that we see today.

There are many ‘full contact’ fighting sports in circulation and, to the layman, it can be very easy to be confused as to what Muay Thai is and what is not.
Within the ‘stand- up’ full contact arena some of the popular arts are:

• Kickboxing
• San Shaou
• K1
• Kyokushinkai
• Shidokan
• Western Boxing

As if this is not confusing enough Muay Thai has developed its own variety of different rules that include:

• Full rules Muay Thai
• European rules Muay Thai
• A,B & C Class rules Muay Thai
• Amateur Muay Thai
• Interclub rules Muay Thai

The aim of this article is to hopefully clarify what is Muay Thai and to discuss the pros and cons of the other ‘diluted’ rules.

Full rules Muay Thai is fought in a boxing ring over 5 x 3 minute rounds with 2 minute breaks in between. It is compulsory for the Nak Muay to wear 8oz or 10 oz gloves (dependant upon their weight category), groin boxes and gum-shields.

Some boxers wear optional anklets to give support to the ankles but these are not allowed to be padded or doubled up.

The Nak Muay fight full contact using, elbows, knees, kicks and punches and are allowed to clinch and attack their opponent. Throwing, sweeping or tripping is not allowed but the Nak Muay may upset their opponents balance by pushing or lifting them to the ground.

Other than the eyes and groin the whole body is a target and can be attacked accordingly.

Of course the rules are more comprehensive than this especially regarding scoring but the important points are highlighted.

So what of the other fighting rules of Muay Thai? Before I continue I would like to add that in my opinion if it is not full rules Muay Thai then it is simply not Muay Thai!

We in the West have ‘bastardised’ or, more politely, ‘diluted’ the art of Muay Thai to suit the following:

• Western lifestyle
• Financial marketing

For clarification here is a brief overview of some Westernised rules:

• European rules Muay Thai removes the use of elbows to the head.
• In ‘C’ Class Muay Thai there are only 3 x 2 minute rounds, knees and elbows are not allowed to the head.
• Amateur Muay Thai is fully padded including body armour, head gear, shin pads and elbow protectors and generally full rules apply (although the scoring is somewhat different).
• Inter-clubs vary in protection but are generally ‘no win no lose’ light contact bouts.

So it is easy to see how the general public might be a little confused as to what they are actually watching.

For the Thais there is only one way to fight and this is Full rules Muay Thai. However as I write this, Thailand is trying to pursue acceptance of Muay Thai into the Olympic games and this will really need to be as Amateur Muay Thai rules which has adapted it’s scoring to accompany this.

The Thai Nak Muay lives, eats and trains on the Thai boxing camp and this is their livelihood. However for the Westerner most have full time jobs to go to following their respective fights. So the need for dilution is probably necessary to accommodate this.
Therefore B & C class fights can be a good way to build up towards fighting Full rules Muay Thai (‘A’ Class) and, although injuries do occur there is less chance of lacerations from elbows or broken jaws from knees to the head.
Marketability is another factor, the K1 is a great success and, although not Muay Thai in its general format, you will see Muay Thai techniques being used (Low kicks, Shin kicks, knees). However Muay Thai is also a very marketable and exciting art in its own right and with programmes such as ‘Now is the time for combat’ and ‘Fight factor’ on Channel 5 and Eurosport respectively, it is gaining more popularity.

For those who can only dream about being a champion fighter for various restrictions and commitments they can still test out their skills at the variety of inter-clubs throughout the country.
Inter-clubs do vary in their rules from club to club but generally are light to medium contact ‘no win no lose’ bouts that last between 1 – 1 ½ minutes over 3 rounds.

For some students this can be one of the most significant events in their Muay Thai ‘career’. They get to experience all of the nerves, build up and exhilaration in a safer environment. It is important however to have some rules in place for inter-clubs so as to protect the novice from serious injury and in addition to allow them to enjoy their bout without fear of serious harm.

I personally believe that all inter-clubs should insist that each student is fully padded up, head-gear, shin pads, and body armour in addition to gum-shields, groin protection and a minimum of 14oz gloves.

Full power shots, especially to the head should be discouraged. The idea being that students can put into practice what they have learned under some pressure but without fear of injury. Thus allowing them to return to work the next day and boast of their exploits.

I have noticed that some clubs allow the fighters a choice to use full power, offering different levels as an option and I personally think this is both dangerous and irresponsible. If the student is injured during one of these bouts they will find it very difficult to claim compensation. In addition, any full contact bout ‘must’ have a doctor, first-aid team and ambulance on their premises. This is the responsibility of the promoter/organiser to ensure full heath and safety regulations are adhered to.

To be honest if a student wishes to fight full power then the opportunity exists in the ring using full Muay Thai rules. As with all contact fights, rules are in place not just to ensure fair play but to also protect the fighters.

So to sum up, if you want to fight Muay Thai then you have to fight full rules Muay Thai anything else can only come second best to one of the most exhilarating, exciting, dynamic and devastating martial arts in the world today.

Elbowsmashingkneecrashingfistthumpinglegkickingopponentlickin’ – Muay Thai!