Muay Thai (also frequently referred to as simply Thai Boxing) is a martial art from Southeast Asia, and is the national sport of Thailand.  Muay Thai is referred to as “The Art of Eight Limbs” due to its extensive use of the hands, feet, elbows, and knees.  The art is well known for its extremely brutal attacks and its sheer effectiveness as a striking art.  It has gained prominence in the United States in recent years as it has proven itself a key component in Mixed Martial Arts competition (also a few recent Tony Jaa movies have helped bring it into the spotlight).  In Thailand, Muay Thai is not just a sport – it is a highly ritualized, and even spiritual, practice.

History: Muay Thai can be traced back to a martial art practiced by the Siamese military, called Muay Boran.  Eventually Muay Thai progressed from something used for sport and combat to a means of societal advancement.  Particularly talented practicioners would be invited to live in the Royal palace and teach the household and staff.  Modern rules for Muay Thai (things like gloves) began to go into place in the 1920s, and around this time is when the name “Muay Thai” was more commonly adopted.

Training: A large amount of focus in Muay Thai is placed on conditioning.  Modern Muay Thai training is based around preparing the trainee for ring fighting (competition).  In particular, this tends to involve a great deal of nerve deadening – repeatedly striking hard surfaces with shins/forearms/etc to toughen them up.  As a result of both the strenuous training regimes and near-constant competition schedules, most Muay Thai fighters have very short careers – with the more successful moving on to training and coaching other fighters.

If you are interested in Muay Thai, you can discuss it on the forums.