The thrilling close-combat sport of Muay Thai has snowballed into an international sensation in the recent years. The Art of Eight Limbs – referred thus because using eight points of contact the body mimics weapons of war – is now all strapped up to storm Doha as nine of the finest Thai fighters and trainers will teach and present live first-hand combats at the upcoming Muay Thai Roadshow Qatar.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Royal Thai embassy in Doha, in co-operation with Evolve: Mind Body Soul and Grand Hyatt Doha, is organising Muay Thai Roadshow in Qatar on August 20, from 1.30pm to 5pm, at Grand Hyatt Doha.
Nine Thai boxing masters and trainers from Thailand will share their expertise with Qatar’s Muay Thai enthusiasts who might want to learn the basics or even advance themselves to a higher skill level by learning from the Thai masters.
Soonthorn Chaiyindeepum, ambassador of Thailand to Qatar, told Community, “This event is not just to promote awareness about the art of Muay Thai among people in Qatar but also to provide an opportunity to learn and being trained by professional Thai boxers and trainers from Thailand. Hopefully, this will be the first step towards setting up of an association of Muay Thai lovers and boxers in Qatar, which will promote the spirit of this sport in Qatar.”
The programme will consist of Wai Kru ceremony show, major techniques of Muay Thai demonstration, training workshop (by registration) and Muay Thai demonstration between Thai boxers and local boxers. While Workshop 1 will encompass Teacher Training and Learn from the Best; the programmes for Workshop 2 and Workshop 3 are Striking, and Defensive Techniques & Clinching, respectively. After the Doha event, the nine Muay Thai experts will travel to Kuwait and Oman to present these workshops.
To make the news sweeter, the entry is free. Those interested to be part of this Muay Thai workshop can reserve a place on a first-come-first-serve basis for free with Evolve: Mind Body Soul at 50403234 or info@evolvemindbodysoul.com.
In the Land of a Thousand Smiles, Muay Thai boasts of a fascinating history and a remarkable return to the fore over the years. While several versions of the history of this national sport of Thailand exist – precious Muay Thai history was lost, for instance, when the Burmese ransacked Ayutthaya, Siam’s capital city, during the 14th century – they are all unanimous in their inference of how Muay Thai was “the primary and most effective method of self-defence used by Thai warriors on the battlefields of conflicts and wars that occurred countless times throughout the history of the nation now known as Thailand.”
In one account, the history of Muay Thai is traced back to the middle of the 16th century. “During the battles between the Burmese of the Konbaung Dynasty and Siam, the famous fighter Nai Khanomtom was captured in the year 1767,” says a note about Muay Thai on the website Thaiboxing, “The Burmese knew of his expertise in hand-to-hand combat and gave him an opportunity to fight for his freedom. Soon after winning the match, he was freed by his captors and allowed to return to Siam. He was acknowledged as a hero, and his fighting style became known as Siamese-style boxing, later to be known as Muay Thai.”
In Muay Thai, all parts of the body unite towards a common purpose, mimicking weapons of war – the hands become the sword and dagger; the shins and forearms get hardened in training to act as armour against blows, the elbow turn into a heavy mace or hammer; the legs and knees become the axe and staff; and the knees and elbows constantly search for an opening while grappling and trying to spin an enemy to the ground for the kill.
The modern Muay Thai fighters wear padded gloves similar to small boxing gloves, but back in the day, they only wore hemp ropes and threads or cotton wrapped around the hands and forearms as protection. Two of the most famous and frequented spectator stadiums for Muay Thai fights are Lumpinee Stadium and Rajadamnern Stadium, both in Bangkok.
According to the International Federation of Muay Thai Amateur, “In recent years, Muay Thai, both amateur and professional, has swept across the world like wildfire and developed into a premier ring sport – a fighting art with no equal in terms of unarmed combat and spectator appeal, as well as being a form of self-defence and a fitness programme.”