Thaiboxning is the national sport of Thailand and it’s referred to as the art of eight limbs because of its use of the fists, elbows, knees, and shins. This stand up combat sport has grown in popularity around the world for a number of reasons. It is a total mind and body workout and offers an incredible amount of health benefits.
It’s a brutal sport and many people are intrigued by it but hesitant to jump in because of the physical nature of the training. They also wonder if they are capable of handling such an intense and physically demanding sport. This is why they need to know a little bit about it before they commit to training.
The first thing to remember is that Muay Thai is not a’soft’ martial art. It is very brutal and physical, but it can be learned by anyone who is willing to put in the effort and time to learn it. It has been incorporated into a number of other martial arts and is used by MMA fighters and practitioners.
There are both amateur and professional Muay Thai competitions and tournaments around the world. There are also a number of major organizations that sanction and promote the sport. Some of the more well-known ones are the World Muay Thai Championships and ONE Championship.
In addition to being a competitive sport, Muay Thai has many practical applications for self-defense in everyday life. If you learn how to properly train and practice the techniques of the sport, you’ll be able to defend yourself against an attacker without getting hurt or killed in the process.
This is because the skills of the sport are designed to take down larger opponents and provide a good chance for survival in a real-life fight. The techniques of the sport are fast and effective. You can also incorporate a lot of different kicks into your fighting style.
The ‘teep’ (push kick) is a great example of this. This can be delivered either defensively to keep an opponent at a distance and disrupt their advance or offensively as a strike if delivered with power.
While the sport of Muay Thai has a long history in Thailand, its prominence reached an all-time high during the reign of King Rama V (Chulalongkorn). The king encouraged and promoted the sport and it quickly became a staple for exercise, recreation, and personal advancement amongst all social classes in society.