Muay Thai 101

Many Southeast Asian countries such as Thailandcontact when fighting, this being their hands and feet.
practice a form of martial arts known as Muay-Thai.Boxers have two points of contact, namely their
More commonly known as Thai Boxing. Muay-Thai ishands. Muay-Thai however have 8 points of contact.
steeped in history and is the national sport of Thailand.As with other forms of martial arts, Muay-Thai is a
Muay-Thai today differs quite a lot from the ancient artgreat way to lose weight and stay in shape.
which was known as Muay Boran. Today you wearMuayThai can be a very intensive workout. It is
gloves similar to boxing gloves, and throw kicks andpossible to burn off lots of calories in a short time. You
punches in a ring.can start off slow and speed up as you improve. This
Muay-Thai has its own set of rules for fighting in thecould be good for anyone to try.
ring. But if you are learning Muay-Thai at some gyms,Typically in MuayThai you would warm up and go on
you will still practice techniques that would be illegal into resistance training. Do a little Base work then a
the ring. This shows the difference of Muay Thai as ancooling off routine. But if you are just a beginner you
art compared to Muay Thai as a sport.could go easier on the resistance training and increase
Because you use your hands, knees, shins and elbowsthe base workout.
extensively in the art of MuayThai. It is referred to asA typical base workout is shadow boxing, pad work
ÒThe Science of eight limbsÓ.and sparring. Sparring however is normally for more
Normal exponents of martial arts have four points ofadvanced exponents.