How did Muay Thai Evolved?

Many people might think, Muay Thai is just a form of striking for Kickboxing and MMA. Truth is, Muay Thai has been around for several hundred and it’s a sport of it’s own from Thailand!

Muay Thai, translated as, (Thai Boxing), came from Thailand and is a form of martial arts. Muay Thai techniques were used in battle by the Siamese military, ( Thai Military).  Muay Thai was evolved from Krabi Krabong, that utilized weapons, such as: various types of swords and bladed staffs, that was used on the battlefield. Eventually, the siamese military started substituting their hands for swords and daggers, elbows for mace and hammer, Kicks and knees for staff and axes, the forearms and shines were conditioned, to be used as a shield and armor, against hard blows.  They would use these tactics, when they were unarmed or at a close range. The idea was using the entire body as a weapon. From here Muay Boran, (Ancient Muay Thai) was born. Bouts were matched with different branches within the Siamese military against each other; in hand-to hand combat with barley any rules. The purpose of this was the keep the soldiers strong and prepared for the battlefield. These Muay Boran matches became a common interest for the people, it developed to be a form of entertainment. As time went on, Muay Boran matches were being hosted through-out the country. There were limited rules and many consider this to be too brutal, they use to fight with hemp rope around their hands and everything was pretty much legal.  Around the late 1920s was when boxing glove were Incorporated in Muay Thai, time limits and more rules were added to the sport.  Fun fact, groin strikes were still legal up until the 1980s. For those of you that don't know, the first UFC fight back in 1993 also allowed groin strikes and addition to that, these were bare-knuckle matches. As you can see combative sports has evolved quite a bit over the years.