For decades, most people have known Thai boxing, or Muay Thai, through televised matches, unaware the sport has an ancient legacy of diverse traditions that are obscured in the familiar ring fights.
Decades ago, athletes who learned Muay Thai were often professional Western-style boxers. Muay Thai was not a widely practised discipline. Parents were reluctant to let their children endure its physical toll, and so Thai youths tended to learn foreign martial arts like Tae Kwon Do.
Then in 2003 came the hit movie Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior, starring Tony Jaa, or Tatchakorn Yeerum, a local actor.
This feature brought Muay Thai's "ancient style," or Muay Boran, into the spotlight. The sport's popularity began to grow as it was adapted for fitness training and presented for entertainment and other commercial purposes. This trend attracted more young people to train.
But since its beginnings centuries ago, the sport has been developed in diverse ways by traditional martial arts groups in various locales.
Among those known today are Muay Chaiya Ban Khru Praeng (Chaiya Boxing House of Master Praeng), Muay Khru Lek Ban Chang Thai (Master Lek Boxing House of Ban Chang Thai), Muay Tha Sao Phraya Phichai (Tha Sao Boxing of Phraya Phichai), and Kru Tui (Master Bua School of Korat Boxing at Im Temple, led by Master Tui). In 2003, these traditional schools suddenly received more attention.
Some groups simply copied what they saw, neglecting rigorous training and research. Other groups, such as the Muay Thai Teachers Association and Siam Yuth Association, researched historical texts, but they focused on selecting only the most practical techniques for real-world application. These trends obscured the authentic styles and moves rooted in the legacy schools and practices.
Today there are three main regional styles of the sport, each with its distinctive moves, as per the saying: "Heavy fist Korat. Clever Lopburi. Graceful Chaiya."
Another adage goes: "Straight punches, Lopburi. Kicks, Korat. Elbows and knees, Chaiya."
These sayings highlight the signature technique of each style, reflecting its unique stance and combat strategy. Muay Chaiya, from the south, has a tight, compact pattern of movement, where every joint serves as both weapon and defence.
Fist, elbow, knee and shin can all inflict damage merely by blocking. The stance is low and balanced. The Chaiya fighter is equally adept on a boat or muddy ground, reflecting the prevalent southern vocations of fishing and farming.
Muay Korat, from the northeast, is renowned for its precise and powerful short-range kick. Its swinging punches are devastating. Its basic stance grounds the front foot and tiptoes the rear foot, enhancing the momentum of the strike. In the Northeast, the earth is hot and dry, so a back-foot tiptoe is exactly right for directional shifts. Muay Lopburi excels in straight punches and tactical prowess, featuring uppercuts and concealed movements.
One reason that regional Muay Thai styles are not well known is the scarcity of local experts, who are keepers of traditional knowledge with a deep understanding. To sidestep this shortage, some groups have attempted to combine the assorted styles into one standard form, in the mistaken belief that this represents progress.
Meanwhile, others saw a business opportunity, and so they created a superficial "ancient" Muay Thai, borrowing movements from the regional styles and repackaging their amalgamation to capitalise on market trends. This approach lacks credibility.
The image shows Tai Khao Phra Sumen (Climbing Mount Meru) or Hanuman yiap Longka (Hanuman treads on Lanka), a demonstration fight by Master Thong Chueachaiya (Thonglo Yalae) and Dr Saknarong Mongkhon. (Photos courtesy of Royal Institute)
Misunderstandings
The commercialisers misinterpreted "ancient Muay Thai" when they merged and modified techniques taken from canonical Muay Thai manuals.
For example, they promulgated a supposedly new stance they called "Phrachao Tak Nang Thaen" by plagiarising a traditional stance known as "Phrachao ta nang thaen," which was developed by Kru Thong Chueachaiya.
The new name means "King Taksin sitting on a platform." But a king would sit on a throne, not a platform. It's a distortion of both history and traditional principles.
Keep in mind that certain advanced Muay Thai techniques are based on subtle methods and secrets that require serious practice to understand and execute properly. But some practitioners skip rigorous study and try to devise showy new moves.
For example, you might have seen a boxer bend his knee to allow his opponent to climb up over him easily and strike down with his elbow without falling. This contrived position, which was given the name "Ruesi bot ya" (Rishi grinding medicine), is a ridiculous piece of choreography that lacks credibility, unlike the real combat move that inspired it: "Hanuman treads on Lanka."
In this difficult technique, the boxer takes advantage of his opponent's kicking momentum to climb on top and land an elbow strike. The authentic move requires a grasp of the underlying mechanics for proper execution.
Loss of roots
What has happened in Muay Thai, unfortunately, is a sloppy attempt to merge all styles, based on a dubious claim that the sport is homogeneous and should not be divided. This approach shows a lack of proper study and a disregard for the origin, environment, and natural conditions that shape the unique identity of each regional style.
To compare this to cooking, turning Muay Thai into a hodge-podge of incompatible elements is like mixing kaeng som, a sour soup with garlic and shrimp paste, with tom yum, then adding ingredients of phalo, a Chinese sweet stew with soy sauce. This can only ruin all the flavors, erasing any trace of origin. If today's situation prevails, later research into Muay Thai history might find that the official Muay Thai standard emerged only recently.
The commercialisation of Muay Thai has obscured its traditions. The image displays Master Thong Chueachaiya (Thonglo Yalae) and Dr Saknarong Mongkhon, demonstrating an authentic move called Phrachao ta nang thaen (Sage sitting on platform).
Ensuring authenticity
It's time to re-affirm the authentic roots of our sport. The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports should undertake a project to consult folk experts and real authorities who have inherited traditional wisdom.
The group should also study academic research into historical documents. The focus should be on articulating and promoting the unique identity of each regional boxing style, developing guidelines to avoid the current mix of styles.
Alternatively, or in tandem, we can develop a contemporary Muay Thai by compiling and organising traditional techniques while ensuring that each is correctly named according to its regional origin, eg, Korat kick, Chaiya kick, or Tha Sao elbow.
This would be better than a formless "fusion". It's a bit like the campaign in the specialty coffee industry to preserve each original seed variety and offer single origin beans. These beans can be used on their own or blended with other varieties based on preference. Experts want to preserve the genetic diversity of coffee plants to ensure higher cup quality and better farming. Thai boxing should take a similar approach.
If we fail to take this matter seriously and wait until the experts and holders of traditional knowledge pass away, authentic Muay Thai will soon become mere entertainment -- reduced to a superficial performance lacking credibility. We can and should prevent this loss by treating it as an important cultural resource and working to preserve its heritage. Let's enrich our national sport by treating it with respect.
Somsak Wiwatpaisal, an apprentice of Khru Bua Wat Im (Lt Bua Nin-acha), heads the Korat Muay Thai Preservation Group. Heritage Matters is a column produced by The Siam Society Under Royal Patronage to advocate conservation of the architectural, cultural and natural heritage of Thailand and the neighbouring region. The views expressed are those of the author.