Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) has a long history in Thailand and is the country’s national sport. Traditional Muay Thai practiced today varies slightly from the ancient art, Muay Boran, and uses kicks and punches in a ring with gloves similar to those used in Western Boxing.

As the hands, elbows, knees and shins are used extensively in Muay Thai, it is often referred to as “The Art of the Eight Limbs”. A practitioner of Muay Thai thus has the ability to execute strikes using eight “points of contact”, as opposed to “two points” (fists) in Western Boxing and “four points” (fists, feet) in other martial arts that place less emphasis on elbows and knees.

Muay Thai’s origin in Thailand can be traced back to its ancestor Muay Boran (“ancient boxing”). This was the form of unarmed combat probably used by Siamese soldiers in conjunction with Krabi Krabong, the weapon-based style.

The practice of Muay Thai was later kept up largely by Buddhist monks, who were the keepers and teachers of all arts, both practical and spiritual. As every Thai man was compelled to live as a monk at least once in his life, the art eventually grew in popularity among the common people. While continuing to function as a practical fighting technique for use in warfare, Muay Thai also became a spectator sport that made its way into local festivals and celebrations, especially those held at temples. It was even used as entertainment for kings.

The nobility increasingly esteemed skillful practitioners of muay, and invited selected fighters to live in the royal palace to teach staff of the royal household, soldiers, princes and the king’s personal guards.

With the ascension of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) to the throne in 1868, the popularity of muay spread even more as a result of the king’s personal interest in the art. The country was at peace and muay functioned as a means of physical exercise, self-defense, recreation and personal advancement.

In the 1920s, after the occurrence of a death in the ring, codified rules for Muay Thai were drawn up. These included the rules that the fighters should wear modern gloves and cotton coverlets over the feet and ankles. It was also around this time that the term Muay Thai became commonly used, while the older form of the style was referred to as Muay Boran.

Muay Thai, along with other martial arts including Savate (French Boxing), Karate and Taekwondo, heavily influenced the development of kickboxing in Japan, Europe and North America. Since the 1990s, Muay Thai has enjoyed increasing popularity worldwide as it has been very effective in mixed martial arts fights, such as those held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and PRIDE Fighting Championship.

At the Martial Institute Geneva, Muay Thai training consists of rounds on Thai pads, focus mitts and kicking shields, as well as resistance exercises, which help develop endurance, power, body mechanics and toughness.