Eat Sleep Play Magazine (Thailand) -October Issue | Page 14

???? HISTORY OF MUAY THAI Throughout centuries, Muay Boran (Ancient Boxing) has evolved from a brutal battlefield hand-tohand fighting style to today’s Muay Thai fighting style. Muay Boran was a martial art used on the battlefield to compensate if a soldier lost their weapon, they would resort to hand-to-hand combat using various body parts such as the elbows, knees, arms and hands as weapons. The history of Muay Thai and where it originated from is debatable as during the 14th century the capital city of Thailand, Ayuthaya, was looted and burned to the ground. Many books and volumes of written historical knowledge were lost forever, including Muay Thai history.Nevertheless, in spite of controversy as to where Muay Thai originated from, it is agreed upon that Muay Thai began as a hand-to-hand combat battlefield skill. The two main theories regarding Muay Thai and its historical heritage are:One says that the art developed as the Thai people moved down from China; honed in the struggle for land. As tribes migrated south from the steppes of China, the major tribes of that period, one of which was the (Tai) Siamese, fought fiercely to survive as they moved south and encountered other smaller tribes in what is now northern and central Thailand, and as far south as Malaysia. Through training, loss of life, military tactics, and hand-to-hand combat, technique and tactics were honed to a razors edge, and the rudimentary elements of a “fighting-style” began to take root.The second theory states Muay Thai was developed to defend the land and people from constant invasion threats from Burma and Cambodia. Muay Thai training was mandatory in a soldier’s life due to the constant real threats from neighboring countries. Eat Sleep Play OCTOBER ISSUE : 14 ?????????????????????????? ?????, ???????????????????????? ???????????, ?????????????????? ?????????????????????????????? ???? ????????????????, ????????? ???????, ???14??, ???????????????? ?????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????? ??????????? ????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????????? ??????????????? ?????????????????????????? ???????????????“????”????????? ?????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????