It is estimated that muaythai history began about 1500 years ago, when several warring kingdoms dominated what is now called South East Asia. From the mountains of Western Myanmar to the Mekong's delta in South Vietnam, historical records show that the area was a constant battlefield. Three main races were constantly fighting, switching their allegiances, betraying their own people while protecting their own fragile kingdoms. These were the Burmese, the Siamese and the Khmer. They share a common history of wars, often fought for riches, farming land or for the beauty of a princess.

Initiation and acceptance as a trainee fighter
The ritual ceremony of Yok Kruu is the spiritual beginning of the young nak muay's life. It consist in paying homage to the teacher (kruu) in order to be accepted as his pupil and to be taught the secrets of muaythai. The beginning of the relationship between teacher and pupil is much deeper and bonding than in the West: to become a nak muay, regardless if successful or not, is an important choice which will shape the applicant's life. Therefore, its beginning is a very important moment and needs the appropriate ceremony. The pupils must bring incense sticks, candles, garlands of flowers (malai), and some coins. Such items are used throughout Thailand for all kinds of ceremonies: making merit to temples, paying respect to monks and to places where spirits are believed to reside, and so on. Sometimes such ceremonies, including the yok kruu, are accompanied by copious amounts of expensive food and whisky offered to all well-wishers attending. The teacher is presented with the offerings, graciously displayed on banana leaves and accompanied by jasmine flowers. He will pick up the sacred, old boxing gloves (or the mongkol) and will raise it above his head. The pupils will touch these objects, believed to have magical properties, and bow in a classic "wai" (both hands pressed in front of the forehead) to the master. The master will then bless the pupils by pronouncing the following mantra (in Pali): "Buddhang prasit, thammang prasit, sangkab prasit, narayana chao prasit pawantoot". Subsequently, the pupils will ceremoniously accept the gloves  by raising them above their head and bowing three times, then bowing to the master another three times. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the master may start explaining the first rudiments of the "yang saam khum". rituals Initiation and acceptance as a trainee fighter.

The oath of a nak muay
Such oath, very similar in principle to an knight's oath, is given by the pupil to his master as a promise to never betray his art, his master and his teaching. The oath says:

"I will take care of myself, so to be always clean, strong, and behave with integrity ... I will not take advantage of those weaker than me ... I will live and help my people whenever possible ... I will make good deeds for my people and help the nation ... I will avoid any trouble"

And they usually mean it. Nak muay don't boast about their strength and boxing skills, don't bully others and don't end up in street fights. Instead, they appear to be very humble about the all muaythai thing. Contrary to the scenario in the West, where even amateur boxers are considered "cool" and/or "tough guys", in Thailand people don't idolize boxers. A Lumpini champion will be treated as a semi-god in Europe, but as an ordinary, uneducated person in Bangkok, whose skills are good only for fighting. However, if the boxer is internationally recognized, such as the Olympic Gold Medalist Somluck Kamsing, or the nak muay manages to raise so much money to become a successful entrepreneur, he'll be greatly admired by his own people. Money, more than punches, talks in Thailand.

Nomme de guerre rituals
When a boxer is ready for his first appearance on the ring, he will "re-born", changing his name in a private ceremony hosted by his kruu. The fighting nickname may be a work of pure fantasy, like Diesel Noi (little diesel), or a name followed by the camp's name or its province. Often such name is sewed in fancy colors on the front of his shorts.

Approaching the ring
Some of the  rituals that ancient warriors performed before battle to ask spirits for good luck and protection have been absorbed by muaythai fighters. And for good reasons: during the years of muay kad chuak (early 20th century) it was not uncommon to be killed in fights with no time limits. Nowadays such rituals are still performed, in a more private form. For example, a fighter may ask for permission to enter the ring to the   (spirit) who may be guarding it as its own domain. Another ritual still performed by some fighters is to test the breathing, determining which nostril allows a better breathing. Then the nak muay will walk to the ring taking his first step on that side and avoiding the first step.

Women and muaythai
Female muaythai fighers are a consequence of Thai boxing enormous popularity in the West, but again in Thailand things are very, very diffferent,. Due to a strange episode happened in the past, when all fighters got bad cuts and bled profusely after a woman walked near them, women are barred from entering the ring. Actually, you'll hardly see any Thai woman near the fighters and their corner-men. Also, the nak muay's circle is "men only", where women don't belong and don't want to. Indeed, the all boxing environment is patronized by "macho" Thai men, such as gamblers, soldiers, policemen, tough guys and ex-fighters/trainers. Walk outside Lumpini Stadium at 6 pm, when people start too arrive, and you'll see what I mean.

Dust on the head rituals
A small superstition that is fading away is the nak muay act to put dust on his head. You may notice the fighter, while on his way to the ring, picking some dust from the ground and touch his hair with it. This may be from the times of muay boran, when boxers fought open air, on the ground, and needed to know the ground's composition (sandy or solid).

Tattoos rituals
The protecting power of sacred tattoos has been with Siamese warriors for centuries and it's still very much sought-after nowadays. It is very common to see Thai men covered with such tattoos, which of course are not decorative but protective. While not common anymore among muaythai fighters, the practice is still valid for whoever is involved with dangerous activities, like soldiers, policemen, mafia-types, bodyguards, etc. Even Angelina Jolie got two! In a temple near Bangkok, on an auspicious date, every year hundreds of people are tattooed en masse by the monks, who use a sharpened bamboo stick for all. Apparently, nobody is afraid of HIV infections as the ink is blessed, too.

Mongkol rituals
The power of magic arts is symbolized by the mongkol (pronounced mong-kon, means crown), worn by every nak muay during the wai kruu pre-fight dance. It is given, and removed, by the kruu only. It consisted of a narrow strip of cloth, with magic spells and Sanscrit symbols, rolled to form a string and tied up at one end with the sacred "sai sin". This was then inserted in a blessed cloth, to form a cord and to be put around the fighter's head like a bandana. It was worn by soldiers when on the battlefield. The two kinds of monkol available now don't have anything inside but still look good.

Prajiat
The prajiat is a protective charm worn arund one or both biceps. It is made of a thin string of cloth called paa salu. In ancient times, the prachat was worn by warriors around head and arms. It contained magic spells written in Sanscrit or Pali and was blessed by monks or witch doctors. Nowadays prajiat consist of a plated string of polyester nicely treaded and sold in pairs in any combination of colors. Many protective charms, together with the magic (or religious) rituals that made them powerful and thus effective in protecting the warrior's life, have long disappeared.

Wai Kruu or Ram Muay
The famous wai kruu, literally "pay respect to the teacher", reflects the feeling of gratitude for the master, who is often a fatherly figure for the young nak muay. The wai kruu, also known as ram muay (literally the boxer's dance) is also a  way to warm up and loosen up all muscles before the fight. In older times, each school had its own variations of wai kruu, so from the sequence of movements one could guess where the boxer was from. This is no longer true nowadays, but there are still a few styles of wai kruu, which usually last 3 minutes and ends with the practicing of saam yaam khum steps. Each wai kruu gesture has its own history and ritualized meaning.

Muaythai music 
Since the old times, each muaythai fight had to be accompanied by a peculiar, high-pitched music which seemed to be inseparable from the fighting. The rhythm and the speed of such strange music follows the action in the ring and contributes to the excitement of the rowdy crowds. It is played by a small group of 4 musicians. The classic  instruments used are called pi java (javanese clarinet); klong kek (2 drums), shing (cymbals) and kong (bongo). During the wai kruu the "Sarama" tune is played, to help fighters concentrate on their prayers and in the grace of wai kruu. It is a hypnotizing, relaxing music which manages to mesmerize for a moment even the noisiest of the audiences. During the most exciting moments of the fight the music will frantically incite the fighters to give their best, raising in a crescendo for the last moments of the fight. The match between music and fighting is is unique of muaythai and the two arts should always be enjoyed together.

Muaythai training has a competely different meaning here. In Thailand, any kid wishing to escape poverty by becoming a professional nak muay just needs to introduce himself to a training camp and ask to be accepted. It won't be far away from home as there are hundreds of such schools throughout the country. Sometimes they are near the village's wat (Buddhist Temple), or nearby an army compound. Aspiring fighters enter muaythai training at a very young age, often as young as six or seven. Upcountry camps are populated by kids that don't go to school too often and instead train, eat, sleep and grow up together, like little warriors. This is perhas the reason why non-Thai fighters are still struggling to be really competitive against the Thais and beat them at their own game. Which kid in the West would stop going to primary school to take on muaythai instead? Sometimes orphaned children, or children from very poor families, may be taken into a camp instead of being sent to a monastery. Due to this social environment, training in Thailand is a competely different story than elsewhere. The instructors are much more important than the word implies: the kruu is a mentor, a fatherly-figure loved and respected by their pupils for life. In an atmosphere of a big, extended family, the young fighters grow up and train everyday, fighting aginst others from nearby camps, sharing victories and discomforts. With time, the  cash prizes (always shared with the camp's management) will grow, the sponsorships will increase and some will become professional fighters, earning a living in the ring. The ones who will reach the lights of Bangkok's Lumpini or Rajadamnern arenas will become quite wealthy by Thai standards. In the old days, a retired champion either opened a restaurant or a kruu in a trainng camp. Nowadays, there is a lot more money to be made by fighting outside Thailand, against non-Thai boxers. And after that, by teaching abroad. It is somewhat puzzling to meet ex-fighters, who fought at Lumpini durig their heydays, earning now a living as taxi drivers or gambling on muaythai fights. Whilst they would be respected in the West as ex-champions, their place in Thai society isn't so high. Thais are proud of muaythai and regard it as a part of their cultural heritage, but middle and upper classes families will be prety much horrified if a son wished to become a professional nak muay instead of going to college. Muaythai is not for the educated middle classes.

The life of a nak muay
The daily routine at a training camp varies from place to place. Professional fighters usually train from 6:30 am till 10:30 am, then again from 3:30 pm until 6:30 pm. It is common for everybody to wake up at sunrise to take advantage of the cool morning air and do a run of minimum 40 minutes. After, there is shadow boxing. Then it's personal schedule: some fighters work on rubber tires to reinforce legs and knees, others start sparring or do some combinations at the banana bag. Every activity is timed by a bell at five minutes intervals. As an extra exercise for strengthening the body, some athletes may work with weights, or do sit-ups and pull-ups. A classic old-style training is the reinforcement of the neck's back muscles (to avoid being knee-ed in the chin): holding a bucket of water in his teeth, the nak muay lifts it for a certain number of times, developing an unbendable neck. After the morning session the fighters shower, eat all together (Thai or Lao food), and go back to their rooms. Everyday duties, like washing clothes, cleaning the room and relaxing, too, have to be performed during these hot hours of non-training. In the early afternoon the same training routine is repeated but in a more intensive way. This is the main factor that separates beginners/amateurs fighters from professionals: the intensity of every muaythai training activity, especially sparring.

Below there is an example of a professional muaythai training schedule - not for amateurs! muaythai training

Morning muaythai training
06:00 - Warm up
06:15 - 1 hour jogging
07:20 - Drills (knees, kicks, punches, elbows with training bag)
07:30 - Shadow boxing (5 to 6 rounds) muaythai training
08:00 - Training bag techniques (4 to 5 rounds)
08:30 - Kickpads workout (2 to 5 rounds)
09:00 - Clinching/Sparring (up to 5 rounds, alternate days)
09:15 - Drills (knees, kicks, punches, elbows with training bag) 
09:35 - Exercises (sit ups, push ups, chin ups)
09:50 - Shadow boxing (2 to 3 rounds) muaythai training
10:05 - Cool down, end of morning session, rest 

Afternoon muaythai training
16:00 - Warm up
16:10 - 3 to 5 km jogging muaythai training
16:35 - Skip (4 rounds)
17:00 - Shadow boxing (5 to 6 rounds)
17:30 - Training bag (6 to 8 rounds)
18:10 - Kickpads workout (5 to 6 rounds)
18:45 - Clinching/Sparring (5 to 6 rounds, alternate days)
19:15 - Drills (as in the morning)
19:35 - Shadow boxing (3 to 4 rounds) muaythai training
19:45 - Cool down, end of the day

Boxer's diet
Thai food is extremely various, rich and very healthy. Thai people, including muaythai practictioners, eat 3-4 dishes of steamed rice per day with small portions of whatever they fancy with it: curries, meats, seafood, vegetables and fruits, too. Thais don't eat a lot, but eat often. Most food is prepared using fresh ingredients and is highly nutritious without adding fat. A typical Thai young man will have rice porridge with pork or seafood for breakfast and a few snacks in the morning. At noon, for lunch, a dish of rice with a few spoonfuls of spicy curries will be enough. In the Nort East of Thailand, boiled rice will be substituted by balls of glutinous rice dipped in ultra-spicy chilli sauces, accompanied by roasted chicken or catfish. In the afternoon, fruits dipped in sour sauces will be the snacks of choice. Dinner, usually eaten at about 7 pm, can be a more aboundant version of lunch, according to the occasion. 

So you want to train in Thailand? muaythai training
For a foreigner wishing to train in Thailand, the choice is nowadays quite large, but still limited to the varous camps where enough English is spoken. The training equipment provided is often more basic than in the West: training bags, pao teh (kick pads), gloves, and a ring.  muaythai training

In comparison to the well known and professional muaythai camps opened in the West, the ones in Thailand appear rustic and more open-air, obviously due to the hot and humid climate. Fairtex camps in Thailand instead mantain very high standards and sometimes appear like "fitness resorts" for well-off tourists. The places where English is spoken are populated by dozens of devoted, passionate nak muay farang, often training for months in Thailand in order to be able to fight and/or teach in their own countries. Some of such camps, like the one opposite Kao San Rd in Bangkok, have updated equipment from the top manufacturers and sell it, too.

Many foreign practitioners who became world champions spent years in such environments, training and fighting with other foreigners and Thais, too. But very few non-Thais have actually tried the small muaythai camps upcountry, the ones alive with poor kids and so far away from tourists areas that a farang is still a walking attraction for all the villagers. Such places don't have a website welcoming aspiring nak muay farang to train in Thailand and may be reluctant to take on foreign trainees because of the language barrier. Thais, from all walks of life, always feel shy if unable to speak English. Being naturally kind peope, they may also worry that the foreigner, even though well motivated and passionate, will not be able to endure the harsh living and training conditions of the camp. 

If you want to test your determination, your humbleness and your fighting spirit, you may try to be accepted. The best way to persuade the kruu to accept you is to learn the rudiments of the language first (it takes about 4 months studying hard in Thailand) and then persuade him with your eloquence. When a farang speaks Thai, all doors may open and Thais will surely respect you much more. 

However, be prepared for a culture-shock. Forget about the nice, beautiful first impressions you had about Thailand (the land of smiles!) and the kindness of the ever-smiling Thai people. Be prepared instead to be challenged and tested in every possible way, not only physically but also culturally, by everybody. For them, you'll be an intruder, an outsider with a lot of money not necessarily always welcome. Your muaythai training will be the hardest. But the unique experience is worth the struggle. Chok dee (good luck)!

Another fad to hit the West?

Muay Chaiya, or Pahuyuth Muay Thai Chaiya, is a form of muay boran developed about 250 years ago in the town of Chaiya, in the South of Thailand (Surat Thani province). The historical record links this peculiar style of combat to a great soldier, Poh Tan Mah, who developed it by himself as a variation of the existing fighting styles. Poh Tan Mah fought so ferociously on the battlefields that he got his "nomme de guerre", bestowed by the King, as Mhng Muay, or "ten thousands figtgers". As it was not uncommon for retiring soldiers to enter the monkshood in a temple, Poh Tan Mah chose Wat Tung Jab Chang, in the town of Chaiya, and spent the rest of his life meditating, following the Buddhist precepts and also teaching his fighting style to others.

One of his disciples was Phraya Wajeesatayarak, the Governor of the province, who, as many other aristocratics of the time, had his education taught by the monks. But it was his son, Ajaarn Kriet Sriyapai, who become one of the greatest Thai fighters of all times and a living legend, respected and admired by all Thais. Ajaarn Kriet passed his teachings to many pupils, including Panya Kraitus, who wrote one of the most comprehensive books about muaythai  "Muaythai the art of fighting".

But it's Kruu Tonglor Yalae, knows as Kruu Tong, another disciple of Kriet Sriyapai, who continued teaching and practicing muay chaiya in its truest form up to the present, aided by his most famous disciple Kruu Preng who took over the academy after he passed away in 1996. Kruu Preng is at the moment the most advanced master of muay chaiya in the world.

At the moment muay chaiya is taught by a few schools, the most true to its origin is the one founded by Kruu Tong himself.

Surely there are great differences between modern muaythai and its original form called muay boran, but how muay chaiya differs from the latter is the basic question. Muay chaiya was invented by a skilled warrior, himself trained in the art of muay boran and krabi krabong at the Royal Palace in Bangkok; it was then transplanted in the South due to his preference for a monastry; therefore it is not an indigenous style of the people of Southern Thailand as commonly believed.

The most noticeable differences, for whoever is not deep into such obsolete forms of combats, are:

• Posture: Muay Chaiya fighters keep the limbs constantly bent, with joint facing out, as shields,

• Attack: Often carried by springing forward, using one leg as spring,

• Guard: Kept higher than usual, with one fist higher; one leg is often raised.

I'm sure the interest for muay chaiya will increase esponentially after the release of the movie "Muay Thai Chaiya" in the West. So far "Chaiya" (its Thai title) has been a moderate, expected success in Bangkok theaters (premiere on 30 Agust 2007). The plot is a classic tale of friendship and betrayal, with plenty of action fights which resemble previous muay boran movies. The most interesting part is the portrayal of the underworld connected to muaythai gambling rings. The movie starts well with some enlighting techniques proper of muay chaiya, but becomes an average action movie with plenty of shootings and drama, loosely connected with muay chaiya. Personally, I regret good old Panom was not in this movie. Golf, the main actor, is a Thai moviestar who obviously trained hard for this move, but Tony Jaa, who practices martial arts and stunts for 10 hours a day, is of another breed.

The promotion machine is alreday in full speed and Fairtex has smartly assured the rights to sell t-shirts and gadgets related to this movie in Europe and USA.

Rajaboxing also has updated his t-shirt catalogue with the words "Chaiya" appearing everywhere.

I forecast it's only a matter of months before young Westerners will fly to Thailand looking for muay chaiya training camps, which surely will pop-up overnight to fulfill the demand.

The legendary boxer dear to all Thai people

A beautiful, old story related to muay boran is the one of Nai Kanomtom, a real fighter-hero very dear to the heart of all Thais. He was captured after the fall of Ayutaya (1767) and took to Rangoon together with hundreds of Siamese prisoners. Burmese king Mangra was at the time holding seven days of religious festivities to honor the main pagoda. Fight contests were a popular form of entertainment on such jolly occasions. The king wanted to see how his fighters would stand against Ayutaya-style Siamese boxing. Nai Khanomtom volunteered to fight against the Burmese champion. He graciously performed a pre-fight dance, the wai kruu, to pay respect to his teacher. This mesmerized the Burmese, who never saw such ritual performed before. The fight resulted in his quick victory, but the Burmese couldn't accept the verdict, claiming the wai kruu was a sort of magic ritual. The King then asked if he would fight nine Burmese champions to prove that the "muay Ayutaya" was indeed superior to Burmese Let Wei. Nai Kanomtom agreed and defeated all Burmese champions in one day, one after the other. King Mangra was so amazed he granted the unbeatable fighter his freedom, plus the choice between a reward in riches or two beautiful Burmese wives. Nai Kanomtom chose the wives and went back to Ayutaya as a free man. Another version of this story adds that the Burmese king freed all Siamese prisoners too, as a gesture of goodwill among the two countries.

Let Wei, also known as Burmese boxing or Myanma traditional boxing, is a violent martial art recently "discovered" by muaythai fanatics. Sharing a common past with muay boran and praadal serey, Let Wei was practiced by Burmese warriors since the 12th century but not much was known about it until a few years ago. Myanmar's past fifty years of self-seclusion kept this ancient native form of combat hidden away from the attention of martial arts practitioners. It evolved from battlefields to matches held in round sand pits during temples' fairs or important events patronized by Burmese kings, similarly to those organized in old Siam. Nai Kanomthom's story comes from those times. More recently (beginning of 20th century), rudimentary wooden rings were erected on temple or royal palace's grounds.

Every fight used to be "to the end", with no time limit, often ending with one winner and an unconscious loser. Boxers were specifically trained to endure pain and to keep on attacking even after being repeatedly knocked down and revived during the match. Head-butts, gouging and biting were also allowed. Therefore, many fights resulted in the death of one contender.

Myanmar National Championship's belt

The Myanma Traditional Boxing, founded in 1996 with government support to promote Let Wei as a native sport, like the Thais did with muaythai, has defined the rules, the categories and the techniques allowed in the ring. Nowadays fights have 5 rounds of 3 minutes each on proper rings. Boxers still fight without gloves, using only cotton or elastic hand bands. Rules are now roughly similar to muaythai but still permit the use of head butts, wrestling and powerful take-downs. It is also allowed to strike an opponent when falling down (this used to be allowed in muaythai too). Elbows and knees are the weapons of choice for all fighters, used with full force without any protection. I personally saw a few teeth fly out of a guy's mouth in Yangon after a powerful reverse-elbow hit him. Amazingly, the referee allowed him to continue the fight even though he was bleeding profusely, could barely stand and was visibly spaced-out by the blow.

From a spectator's point of view, Let Wei is fast, messy and brutally violent. Often both fighters attack simultaneously, hitting each other with powerful combinations of punches, elbows and kicks; the focus doesn't seem to be on defending themselves against the opponents' powerful blows but rather on attacking, all the time.

Burmese fighting is not "clean", in terms of techniques, but appear a lot more exciting than the majority of Lumpini's muaythai fights, which in comparison appear static, almost dull. In a Let Wei fight you'll see plenty of jump-flying knees, pull downs and all sort of tricks involving elbows. And all those vicious muay boran moves not allowed anymore in Thailand. Unfortunately, the fights can only be viewed in Yangon on weekends and during festivities upcountry. It's not easy to move around Myanmar (compared to Thailand) and such events are not tourist-oriented like in Bangkok.

A few VCDs taken at this events exist in Yangon. As far as I know, they're unavailable outside Myanmar.

A beautiful opportunity to see something very similar to Burmese boxing falls every year in April, during the Songkran festivities shared by all Buddhist countries in South East Asia. In the Thai town of Mae Sot, on a ring near the border, Burmese fighters meet their Siamese counterparts for a ancient-style (no gloves, old rules) boxing competition. The rivalry between the two old foes becomes alive every year and it's boosted by the great amount of betting going on around the ring. This event is recaptured in the Thai movie "Ong Bak" (2004), a Thai-made budget movie which generated great interest and demand for muay boran. These semi-legal fights are ultra-violent and display lots of forbidden tricks, but there is no quality in terms of techniques or fighting styles.

Even though there are well known Let Wei champions actively fighting in Myanmar, due to the brutality of certain techniques and Myanmar's government travel restrictions on its citizens, they aren't allow to compete neither in Thailand nor anywhere else outside their country.