M.O.K.

My interests are: God, Music, MMA, Girls, and "Good Times"...

-Origin of Muay Thai Kickboxing The martial art, Muay Thai, originated in Thailand over 2,000 years ago, when the Thai people used it to defend their country from invaders. Muay Thai is often called the "Science of Eight Limbs" due to its wide spectrum of offensive attacks. This full-contact sport utilizes hands, elbows, feet, and knees, using various strikes, kicks, grapples, and holds.
Muay Thai focuses strongly on the fighter's mind and spirit, while developing all of the body's natural weapons. It has roots in Buddhism, which influence the training techniques, and the pre-fight spiritual ceremony in the ring.
Muay Thai is not standard "kickboxing", which is a sport developed in the last century in America and Japan. Muay Thai is practiced in its modern form by over 300,000 people across the world. Pre-fight Ceremony When two Thai boxers enter a ring to fight, they first enter by going over the top rope. This ties into the Thai culture that a person's head is viewed as "holy ground" so to speak. The head is the most sacred part of the anatomy. By entering the ring over the top rope, the fighters are not allowing anything to pass over their heads.
Muay Thai matches are generally preceded by a traditional ceremony during which the contestants pay homage to their teachers by praying while accompanied by traditional Thai instruments. The significance of this ceremony is that it is a show of respect for both the art of Muay Thai and its teachers.
Upon entering the ring, both fighters will start in their own corner, and proceed to circle the ring with a hand placed upon the top rope. This is calling "sealing the ring", and serves to symbolically tell each fighter that no one else is present in the fighting arena except for the two competitors.
Each fighter will then kneel in the center of the ring, facing the direction of his home town or gym, and bow three times. This is called the "Wai Kru":

* First bow: Pays respect to ancestors, family and Muay Thai * Second bow: Pays respect to parents, family and ancestors * Third bow: Pays homage to religious and/or spiritual beliefs

Lastly, each fighter will perform a "Ram Muay", a dance-like ritual during which they will go through motions which imitate various fighting movements, animals, and professions (e.g. a soldier with a spear, an executioner). The Ram Muay has evolved into a unique routine developed by many gyms, which serve as an identifier of a fighter's gym or camp. The movements emulate many of the basic Muay Thai fighting positions. The Ram Muay also serves to loose up the two fighters and give them extra time to collect and focus themselves on the match at hand. Music Music is an integral part of Muay Thai. It is in the background of Wai Kru rituals, and most notably, during competitions. The musical intstruments played during Muay Thai events consist of the Two-Faced Drum ("Ta Pong" or "Glong-Kag"), the Javanese flute ("Toe Pee Java"), and the cymbals ("Ching"). The music continues throughout the match, stopping only during the breaks between the rounds. It is an integral part of the traditional ceremony that occurs before Muay Thai matches and during them, as well.

Muay Thai focuses strongly on the fighter's mind and spirit, while developing all of the body's natural weapons. It has roots in Buddhism, which influence the training techniques, and the pre-fight spiritual ceremony in the ring.

Muay Thai is not standard "kickboxing", which is a sport developed in the last century in America and Japan. Muay Thai is practiced in its modern form by over 300,000 people across the world.