Muay Thai is one of the most popular types of martial arts today. In fact, its so popular that people from all over the world are starting to enroll in gyms to learn Muay Thai. And, most MMA or mixed martial arts fighters are now incorporating Muay Thai techniques in their training because of its efficiency in attacking and defending.
Also known as the art of eight limbs, Muay Thai will enable you to fight with your fists, elbows, knees, and feet. Muay Thai techniques are different from Japanese and Chinese martial arts because of the use of elbows and knees in order to destroy or pound the opponent in to submission.
In Muay Thai, the risk of injuries from such blows is quite high, which is why many martial arts tournaments ban elbow strikes. In fact, elbow and knee strikes are so efficient in destroying the opponent that elbow and knee combinations are rarely used even in Thailand.
The Muay Lak and Muay Kiew are the two main categories in the art of Pahuyut. The former category is in the verge of extinction and only few master boxers today know about it and you wont be able to see it anymore inside the ring. This is because it emphasizes on lethal combinations of attack and counter attack where fighting happens at a very close range and in a straight line.
The Yang Saam Khum or three-step walk is perhaps the most important technique that every Muay Thai has to master before they start learning other techniques. This technique is learned as it is the basis of all footwork in Muay Thai. You will be able to see the graceful side of this technique when the Wai Kruu dance is being performed.
In Muay Thai, there are three basic kicking techniques that you need to learn. You have the low level kick which targets the thigh, calf, and the back of the knee. The medium level kick will target the ribs and torso and the high level kicks targets the temple, chin and neck. You also need to learn the basic kicks, which are the front kick, the pecking kick, the sweeping kick, the kick outside the knee joint, and the reverse back kick.
In Muay Thai, the kicks are delivered with a full range of motion. This means that they are delivered with a full swing of the hips and trunk in order to maximize the power of the kick, therefore, maximizing the damage. Also, the kicks in Muay Thai are delivered with the shin hitting the target instead of the foot. Because of this peculiarity in Muay Thai, you will be at high risk if the kick is not successful. In fact, broken shin is not uncommon in Muay Thai fights.
The elbows are also used in Muay Thai. The blows here are meant to cut the opponent and draw blood. When using the elbow, your aim here is to scratch the target and not to hit them bluntly. There are 8 elbow strikes that you need to learn in Muay Thai, which are the striking elbow, the cutting elbow, the levering elbow, the diagonal elbow, the chopping elbow, the pull down elbow, the double elbow, and the reverse elbow.
When used efficiently, you will be able to draw blood on your opponent and really do a lot of damage on their body. With a solid hit, elbow strikes can even knockdown your opponent and end the fight early.
These are just some of the techniques that you need to learn in Muay Thai. Here, you will also learn how to punch, which is not really that different from traditional boxing and also learn how to deliver knee strikes.