Learn All About Muay Thai, A Popular Boxing Sport

Not many people know what is Muay Thai, if you are one of them, you have come to the right place. 

Muay Thai is a popular combat sport which is also known as Thai Boxing is a martial art form that originated in Thailand. Muay Thai is named as “art of 8 limbs” as it involves the use of feet, fists, elbows, shins, and knees, unlike kickboxing, which uses only kicks and punches. This sport has a long history stretching back to the 16th century and has become a popular sport worldwide. 

Unlike most martial arts sports, Muay Thai boxing has not lost its effectiveness. This is a full-contact sport and requires all the competitors to meet the fitness levels to take part in the competition. Muay Thai boxing is such a popular style that even MMA competitors train in this because of its tough training routine and effective striking technique. 

Objective Of Muay Thai Boxing

Muay Thai pits two fighters against one another in a boxing ring with the aim that one fighter has to win the contest by knocking the opponent. To win, the referee has to stop the fight and announce that the player is unfit to carry on the fight; therefore the hitting player wins the point.

A Muay Thai fighter can use their shins, feet, fists, knees, elbows, and occasionally utilize the grapple and clinch techniques to win the fight. Despite the extreme combative and physical nature of  Muay Thai boxing, it takes ample skills to become a proficient fighter and win higher levels of matches. 

Players & Equipment

According to World Muay Thai Council rules, to take part in this boxing sport, a fighter should be more than 15 years of age and should weigh at least 100 pounds.

The fighter is divided as per the weight classification when in the same fight there should not be a more than 5 pounds difference in both the player’s weight. 

Check out the weight divisions below:

• Super Heavyweight 209+
• Heavyweight 209
• Cruiserweight 190
• Super Light Heavyweight
• Light Heavyweight 175
• Super Middleweight 168
• Middleweight 160
• Junior Middleweight 154
• Welterweight 147
• Junior Welterweight 140
• Lightweight 135
• Junior Lightweight 130
• Featherweight 126
• Junior Featherweight 122
• Bantamweight 118
• Junior Bantamweight 115
• Flyweight 112
• Junior Flyweight 108
• Mini Flyweight 105

Muay Thai boxing competitions require players to carry very little equipment. All fighters should wear gloves as authorized by the WMC. Players should have the correct weight for a particular weight classification and wear half thigh-length shorts. 

A mouth guard and groin guard also needs to be worn; long hair and beards are not allowed. All boxers have to wear a Mongkol, a sacred headband before the fight commences, and also an inscribed cloth or a charm around the waist or upper arm. Players have to fight barefoot; no shoes are allowed. 

Muay Thai Scoring Rules

Scoring points in a Muay Thai fight is pretty straightforward is scored on a round basis. The winning fighter is given 10 points, and the loser gets 9,8,7 based on their performances. When both the fighters perform equally well, each gets 10 points. 

• 10:9- this round signifies that one fighter has won the round.
• 10:8- In this round, one fighter has clearly won the round.
• 10:7- this score states that the one player has won the round and the losing player has received a referee count.

If any of the boxers receive a warning from the referee during the match, they will lose one point. 

Winning the Fight

A Muay Thai Boxing fight is won in three different ways:

• Knockout- If one of the fighters knocks out the opponent player, they will be the winner automatically. 
• Technical Knockout- This is also known as a TKO. When the referee deems one of the players as unfit to carry on the fight, the other player will win. 
• Points- when the fight ends, if none of the players manages to stop the opponent player, then the winning depends on the scorecards. The Muay Thai fighter with the highest points will be the winner of the match. If both fighters score, the same points match is declared a draw. 

Rules of Muay Thai

• Muay Thai matches are organized in a boxing ring of 6.1m x 6.1m and 7.3m x 7.3m.
• Muay Thai matches involve two fighters competing in a professional match who are over the age of 15. The weights of the player should fall into the same category with no more difference than 5 pounds.
• Before the match commences, every boxer needs to pay homage as per the heritage of Muay Thai. this included a ritual dance on music played on a Javanese tom-tom drum, small pair of cymbals, and a Javanese Oboe.
• After paying homage, the match commences, and both fighters shake hands before starting the fight as a way of agreeing that they will fight as per the rules and with a sportsman spirit.
• Muay Thai has a total of five rounds, each comprising of 3 minutes each with two minutes rest between each round. 
• Once the fight begins, the fighters attempt to win the match by using their elbows, feet, fists, shins, and knees with an aim to defeat the opponent. 
• The player wins a fight once they knock out the opponent fighter or referee stop the fight as they deem one player unfit to carry the match. The winner is also declared on the basis of scorecards. 
• If the points of both players are equal on the scorecard, the match will be declared a draw. 

Final Words:

Muay Thai is a type of martial arts form. This boxing sport is very popular among people all around the world. This is a full-contact sport and involves the use of knees, fists, feet, shin, and elbows to fight the opponent player and win the match. The scoring rules are straightforward and simple; however, this game requires the competitors to highly fit. 

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