Basic Muay Thai - Thai Boxing

Thai boxing is a sport and a skill. I started with Judo and Karate but that was not for me. If you know my story then you know I did quite well many years ago in Thailand. I was welcomed by the Thai’s. I had earned a place to go train in Thailand after beating a Thai champion in Paris again many years, long before martial artists earned a millionaire life style. My story of Thai boxing is about achievement and progression as is the Thai way of sport.

First of all Muay Thai translates to ‘fighting – Muay’ and ‘Thai – Thai’. 

Here I talk about East meets West.

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In Cambodia a very similar system call ‘Muay Cam’ could be found or Bokatoa. All these relate to the fact that many 100’s of years ago the whole land of Laos, Cambodia Vietnam Burma and Thailand was one land Siam, often at odds and warring against each other. The traditional martial arts from these areas and times evolved from the battle field into the sports arena.

 

 

Thai boxing is a sport played out in a ring for spectators to view. Not like in a school play ground or for non active arm chair viewers. Similar in heritage to local towns and cities playing in a football league that was started a 100 years ago across the UK. The arm chair viewers turn to and enjoy their national sports as we do. Thai boxing is the Thai’s national sport. Any young Nak Muay Thai could be poached or scouted to a better place. That place could be from a tiny small and very poor village, yet if the Nak Muay Thai – ‘young fighter’ turns out to be a national hero of his sport then that poor little village could have a new life and thrive from this sport.

 

About10 % of the nation of Thailand lives and works around the capital Bangkok. This means many people must have migrated to the centre of their world to live a better life, hopefully… The same as in the west, with the added exception that fighting is allowed and not scorned upon. If you understand the Asian way of looking at combat you will understand.

 

In the west it’s violent, in the east it’s all about the sport. If you lose you know why you lose and that makes you better. Yes I was good but I wanted to be better.

 

As the Thai’s welcomed me in, a black man from Manchester England playing their sport their way, their rules and I did do it their way. I enjoyed it and they in returned thanked me for my involvement of their sport. I did not walk away like ten men from Thailand. I walked a way a better person realising that aggression is easy to control. Its origins are from the battlefield so the moves were meant to be deadly.

The Thai’s practice to take the power out of the moves so as to enjoy a better sport, safely. Yes you may see loads of blood at times but please understand that the heat of Thailand affects your body, blood thins in heat and a small cut can look much worse than it looks. Like miners in the west down the pit, it’s very warm,. The body heats up under the ground and then any small cut or graze just keeps on bleeding. Yes at time in all sports conflict create trauma on the body, there’s no ground and pound, and they don’t beat a man when they are down.

 

Muay Boran is for the battlefield or as known now a way of translating the arts of traditional Thailand to the main stream. Trying to be a Thai champion in Thailand is not main stream – these guys the Thai fighters – are thorough bread athletes. Martial arts across the globe now, have made sure the Thai people are not involved. Like K1 and MMA, what’s it all about? It’s new but old. The west has always been below par with martial arts, but guns aggression and now capitalist martial artists is modern warfare and an entertainment sport.

The west are too aggressive and love to create rage… Rage that the media has help promote.

 

 

Yes UFC and MMA is a sport and a part of martial arts, but not a self defence for those that truly understand real combat. If you lived your life hating a school playground fight with a crowd of angry spectators then Thai boxing is for you. Also understand this, if the rules of MMA and UFC allowed eye strikes and groin strikes then I believe the Chinese martial arts would be on top - even against much larger opponents.

So the rules dictate the fight. Here we are only concentrating ourselves with the striking arts in competitive martial arts with a view and belief that you are really here to defend your self, then when you are good you can move on to better and better competitions until you become a humble world beater.

 

Not a beef cake that’s just big… Consider this, which is better or the best the motor bike or the big truck?  Very tough question without some context. Is best the speed? Is best the amount they can carry? Same as which is the best martial art?

 

Answers: The best that suits you!

 

K1 got cut down to 3 rounds and no elbows or knees until in latter rounds, now Thai’s are not really allowed thanks to the domination of Bukaw. I didn’t see too many Thai heavy weights in the camps of Bangkok as big as Brock Lesnar.

Most top champions in Thai boxing around Asia don’t even train at throws  locks or holds. Thai grappling must be so wrong to Dana White and the UFC’s  ‘200 large’ marketing team – since the Thai’s do it stood up.

Remember Thailand took out the dangerous moves and Thai’s have respect when a man goes to the ground.

 

 

Now back to the street – you probably wouldn’t see the motor bike it’s too fast nimble and sharp.

 

 

 

We thank Paul Wood for his art work. Now that you understand a little of the origins of Thai boxing and the massive growth of mixed martial arts you will learn that Thai boxing to us at Ronniegreentv is a superior competitive striking art. Similar we could argue that Karate is better for controlled aggressive assertiveness in real world combat. We are not here to argue, only to help you understand mixed martial arts and our own martial arts experience here on my website.

Our dream is that all martial arts should grow but not be tarnished. I know what I can do and what others can do in fighting but some martial arts are being considered weaker than others.

Beef cakes are only for eating. I didn't get paid much over the years, so watch yourself.

This make Thai boxing a much harder place at the top particularly 30 years ago. We did what we did for pride not money. I meet about 3 or 4 westerners in Thailand 30 years ago

Motives and athletes change when it comes to cash, but anger shows lack of confidence. I am confident i can tell you this and experienced enough to pass it forward free of charge for you to pass it on and include Muay Thai is your bag of mixed martial arts. Careful you don't learn too much, your bag will be heavy and slow? Do Thai the correct way not the west way.

Below are a few photos of me back in the day.

 

 

Back to the Thai fight, put first things first, the Ram Muay her performed by Antuan Siangboxing.

Many years ago this was played out before a fight. K1 decided to remove this part of the ritual of combat which is a shame, its a bit of a warm up for the Thai's and a way of paying foward his achievements to his camp. Warm ups in MMA and UFC seem to be at the weighin and press conference. Remember I still have the up most respect for anyone entering any ring and I always enjoy a good clean agreed fight. I aim to open your mind that is all. Once you understand this mind set then you will learn the fight game. Sitting watching is learning put you must go to a good instructor. This web site is hopefully a glossary of information about all martial arts. This will give you all more choice. Muay Thai is just the art I preferred at the time, but the art has not changed. That's good and bad. Thai boxing must get more into MMA as should western boxing - that also is an art and probably the best self defence, ask Big Joe Egan. Hence be prepared to learn from many mixed martial artists on this site, we actually love them all but must promote our own art - Thai Boxing.

That's why we at Ronniegreentv thank Randy Couture for our plug in the back of his new book 'The Last Round' and a big thanks to Joe Egan for joining in on our conquest.

Joe talks boxing to Randy and crowd

Ronnie Green

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Have a look at the Thai's, below are two contrasting Thai Boxing camps filled with stories photos and videos.

Real Muay Thai Warriors

 

The Muay Thai Ambassadors

 

 

Muay Thai Fundamentals