Think of a sports branch that has laid its foundations with a great story of migration and struggle. Name: Muay Thai. Also known as Thai boxing…
In this story, which started with the migration of Thai people from the south of China, the people, who faced great resistance during the migration, struggled to survive. As a result of these struggles, a defensive art was developed that could be more practical against ancient weapons such as swords, spears, bows and arrows. Developing with elbows, fists, knees and feet, this martial art was used by the Thai people in battles and it worked.
Thai Boxing, which dates back to 2000 thousand years ago, has begun to be taught as a way of life beyond being a martial art. The first races in Thai Boxing, which is practiced in Southeast Asian countries such as Myan Mar, Cambodia and Laos, were held across the country by Siam King Parchao Sua between 1697 and 1709.
The rules of this boxing branch, where races were held until the 1700s, were determined in 1930, when 20 countries came together to put on the gloves. After the determination of the bases, Thai Boxing is divided into 3 in itself.
The first is the armed martial art Muay Boran, the second is the competition ring sport Muay Thai, and the third is Muay Aerobics, which is dance aerobic fitness.
Thai Boxing, which we will discuss in this article, will be Muay Thai, one of the world's popular ring sports.
Muay Thai Techniques
In Muay Thai, where the attacks are carried out with techniques developed with hands, elbows and knees, kicking is used together with the rotation of the whole body and hip in all punches and blocks.
In this sport where full-contact matches are experienced, effective technique, strategy and defense phenomena also evolve, revealing a tough and authentic stance. But it is worth noting that the main work in Muay Thai ends with fitness.
In this sport, where hardness and conditioning are important due to ring conditions, exercises such as running, shadow boxing, body resistance exercises, rope skipping, medicine ball exercises, abdominal muscle exercises and in some cases weight training are applied to prepare the body for a good fight in the ring. is being done.
The fighters who make their preparations present certain ceremonial dances for religious and warm-up purposes before the competition.
8 Organ Fights in Muay Thai
If you have been interested in Muay Thai, you must have heard about '8 organ fighting'. In fact, we can say that the basis of this fighting style dates back to 2000 years ago. As I mentioned above, Muay Thai is a sport that was formed by the Thais to develop a practical martial art using their own bodies. Because of the knee, elbow, punch and kick kicks, the technique of fighting is called '8 organ fighting'. In some cases, traditional Muay Thai, Muay Boran and Marching systems have taken the name of '9 organ systems' with the introduction of head-stroke techniques.
“So what's the difference between Muay Thai and Traditional Muay Thai? “I can hear you say. We can explain it as follows;
In traditional Muay Thai, more emphasis is placed on technical parts. In this process, fighters perform different activities such as small target-oriented and ground wrestling, lock, fixation, headshots. At the end of these trainings, they show their talents with the bandage they wrap around their hands.
Muay Thai in Turkey
Muay Thai Sports Branch in Turkey, which is closely related to the martial arts, started its official activities by being affiliated with the Karate Federation in line with the decision taken by the General Directorate of Youth and Sports on 31.12.2002. Although it does not have its own federation, in this branch, which has approximately 15 thousand licensed and more than 20 thousand private sports school athletes from 7 regions of Turkey from 50-60 provinces, there are 1,150 licensed Muay Thai athletes and nearly 300 licensed trainers. .