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An Introduction To Muay Thai

All across the world, people have heard about it and possibly even witnessed it first hand or on television - the furious punches, bone crushing elbows, lethal and piercing kicks, and the unforgettable knees.  Although watching it on television is great, nothing begins to compare to seeing these moves executed live - with thousands of fans cheering the fighters on.

This is the wonderful world of Muay Thai kickboxing.  Muay Thai is a martial art that is unlike any other, rich in the proud heritage of an entire nation.  The style is interwoven into the well known history of the Thai people.  Even though they are gentle and fun loving people, they’ve had to defend both themselves and their land for many years against the aggressive powers and thieves.

To protect what they had, the Thai people developed a fighting system of close combat techniques that were suited to the type of rough terrain they would be fighting in.  Over the years, it eventually become a rite of passage for all Thai men to train in this amazing martial art.

In the beginning, Muay Thai proved to be a dangerous and deadly art, with the fighters having no safety gear or protection - all they had were lengths of cords in which they would wrap around their fists as gloves.  As the years progressed, rules were written into the equation to establish some protection for the fighters.

Over the years, Muay Thai has progressed as both a martial art and a style, attracting people from all over the world.  There are training facilities in Russia and the United States, with qualified instructors to help teach Muay Thai to interested students.

These days, Muay Thai is one of the most popular sports in the world.  There are a lot of television networks that broadcast Thai bouts on a weekly basis, pleasing avid fighting fans from all over the world.  International boxing is another popular sport, although most successful International boxers got their start in Muay Thai.  This goes to show why Muay Thai training is so popular - and so lethal as well.

Normally, Thai bouts are fought with 5 three minute rounds, with a two minute rest period in between the rounds.  All fights are preceded by a dance, which gives the contestants the opportunity to pay homage to their teachers.  The dance is an excellent exercise to warm up with, with plenty of symbolic meaning towards the style.

During the fights and even with training, you’ll see that each Thai boxers wears armbands and a headband.  The headband that fighters wear is believed to have been blessed by a monk or teacher, and will bestow luck upon the fighter.  Thai boxers take a lot of pride in their training and fighting, with the headband being a source of inspiration and pride for the fighter.

During training, Thai fighters will learn a lot about their spiritual well being, the history of Muay Thai, and the skills they need to survive.  Fighters that plan to compete in Thai fights will need to practice a lot, as the fights can be very demanding.  Thai training can be very brutal, all depending on where you study.  If you are studying the ancient arts of Thai boxing, you can count on the training to be very rigorous and demanding.

Although Muay Thai can be a tough art to practice, it is one of the best martial arts that you can study.  The techniques are lethal, the training is tough - yet the competitions make it all worth while!

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Chinese Martial Arts

Throughout the world, Chinese martial arts are well known and well respected.  China is a pioneer to martial arts, founding several excellent styles.  Although Kung Fu is the most well known Chinese martial art, there are others that are just as good.  Below, we will look at some of the other Chinese martial arts that aren’t as well known as Kung Fu.

HSING-I
This is actually one of the internal styles of Kung Fu, very closely in relation to Tai Chi.  It teaches students to subordinate their bodies, creating powerful movements with a very little expense of energy.  HSING-I isn’t well known about, although it is very powerful and well known throughout China.  The United States and other areas aren’t that familiar with it, with little to no schools or dojo’s out there that teach it.

Just like Tai Chi, HSING-I has deep roots in Chinese medicine and the Chinese perceptions of nature.  The blows that come from HSING-I come from the five elements of the Chinese - metal, fire, earth, water, and wood.  Similar to other forms that originate from Kung Fu, HSING-I offers complex, dance like movements that are adapted from the way animals react and move.  Due to the training being so demanding and rigorous, and the breathing exercises being so demanding, those who practice this martial art have astounding physical skills and amazing endurance.

Tai Chi
To those who live outside of China, Tai Chi resembles more of a dance.  The slow and calm movements it teaches are balanced and exact, performed while the stylist is in a deep state of relaxation.  While in this deep state of relaxation, the stylist will be fully aware of what he is doing and his movements, although he will appear to those around him to be asleep.

In reality, Tai Chi is an energy exercise that promotes strength, stamina, and flexibility.  By using the deep state of relaxation, Tai Chi enables stylists to benefit emotionally and spiritually as well.  Tai Chi also uses deep states of mediation as well, helping stylists to learn how to reach their high level of peace.

Chinese martial arts
Even though Kung Fu is the best martial art in China, there are many different forms and styles that originate from it.  There is the Shaolin style as well, which offers several different styles of Kung Fu as well, including the world famous “5 animals system”.  The five animals system is among the most popular in China and well known around the world for their devastating techniques and amazing power when used in combat.

Along with Kung Fu, both HSING-I and Tai Chi are great martial arts that help with endurance training and flexibility.  A lot of Kung Fu students in China choose to study one of these arts as well, as it helps to add to their physical and emotional power.  Students who study Tai Chi or HSING-I as well as Kung Fu, have a higher state of endurance and spirituality that simply cannot be matched.

All around the world, China is well known for martial arts.  China brought Kung Fu and Tai Chi to the world, which is something we are all thankful for.  Even though Japan offers their unique blend of martial arts, many consider China to be the founding father of martial arts.  The Chinese have been using martial arts for hundreds of years - providing just how dominant it can be as a means of self defense and a way to live your life in a peaceful manner.

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Martial Arts