Keep Muay Thai’s roots alive

For decades, most people have known Thai boxing, or Muay Thai, through televised matches, whereas the sport has an ancient legacy of diverse traditions that are obscured in the familiar ring fights.

- Somsak Wiwatpaisal

Decades ago, athletes color-termed Muay Thai were seen as professional Western-style boxers. Muay Thai was not a widely practised discipline. Parents were reluctant to let their children endure its physical toll, and so Thai youths tended to learn foreign martial arts like Tae Kwon Do.

Then in 2003 came the hit movie Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior, starring Tony Jaa, or Tatchakorn Yeerum, a local actor.

This feature brought Muay Thai’s “ancient style”, or Muay Boran, into the spotlight. The sport’s popularity began to grow as was adapted for fitness training or preserved for entertainment and other commercial purposes. This trend attracted more young people to train.

Ever since its beginnings centuries ago, the sport has been developed in diverse ways by traditional martial arts groups in various locales.

Among those known today are Muay Chaiya Ban Krutin (Praeng Muay Chaiya Boxing House of Master Praeng), Muay Eua Lek Ban Chang Thai (Master Lek Boxing House of Ban Chang Thai), Muay Tha Sao Phraya Phichai (Tha Sao Boxing of Phraya Phichai), and Kru Tui (Master Ban School of Korat Boxing at the Temple, led by Master Tui). In 2003, these traditional schools suddenly received more attention.

Some groups simply copied what they saw, neglecting rigorous training and research. Other groups, such as the Muay Thai Preservation Association and Siam Yut Association, researched historical texts, but they focused on selecting only the most practical techniques for real-world application. These trends obscured the authentic styles and moves rooted in the legacy schools and practices.

Today there are three main regional styles of the sport, each with its distinctive moves, as per the saying: “Muay Khorat, Clever Lopburi, Spiteful Chaiya”.