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Muay Boran

As Muay Thai became standardised and internationalised absorbing many elements of Western Boxing many looked back fondly to the days of Muay Kaad chuek. Muay Boran is a traditional form of Muay Thai still taught in Thailand and never was real fight in the ring.

It is highly ritualised and training is a very long and involved process. Muay Boran students practice techniques for a long time before being allowed to progress to the next step. At the heart of Muay Boran is the Yaang Sam Khun (three strides). Muay Boran is both highly entertaining and effective. Pairings are done in the traditional style, not by weight, and all parts of the body are potential targets.

What is Muay Boran?

Many people have heard of Muay Thai but not many have heard of Muay Boran. Muay Thai does in fact come from Muay Boran. Muay Boran actually means “Ancient Boxing”. This was the martial art used in battle when a warrior lost his weapon and had to resort to hand to hand combat.

It is no surprise then, that Muay Boran is a much more brutal and effective martial art than Muay Thai. In fact, Muay Thai only came about when rules were applied to Muay Boran and made into a sport because of the serious and sometimes fatal injuries that resulted during bouts.

The techniques used in Muay Boran focus on efficiency and maximizing the amount of damage from each blow. The aim is to neutralize the enemy as quickly as possible because another might be close by ready to strike. Apart from hands and legs, elbows and knees are also used to deliver devastating blows which can quickly incapacitate or even kill and opponent.

Over the many centuries that Muay Boran developed, various regional styles sprung up:
Muay Thasao (North Thailand) – Emphasis on speed, especially fast kicks. This variation of Muay Boran was dubbed “Ling Lom” or windy monkey.
Muay Korat (East Thailand) – Emphasis on strength. A technique unique to this style is the “throwing buffalo punch” named because it is supposed to take out a buffalo in one blow.
Muay Lopburi (Central Thailand) – Emphasis on crafty, technical movements. This variation favours straight punches and hooks.
Muay Chaiya (South Thailand) – Emphasis on good posture and defence. This style favours elbow and knee strikes.

Since each style had it’s own strengths, a complete fighter was said to: “Punch Korat, Wit Lopburi, Posture Chaiya, Faster Thasao”.

Because it lacks a sporting aspect, Muay Boran is rarely taught and finding a school is hard. In fact, it was virtually unknown in the west until the release of the hit Thai martial arts movie Ong Bak.