Muay Thai is the national sport of Thailand and a striking-based martial art that incorporates familiar aspects from other striking sports while standing out as something completely unique. If you’re new to Muay Thai or thinking about picking it up, you may be confused about what Muay Thai is, what makes it different from other martial arts, and what participation in the sport looks like. 

Muay Thai, also known as the Art of 8 Limbs, at its most basic level, is fighting. The 8-limbs aspect of Muay Thai refers to the eight points that participants can strike with; shins/feet, knees, elbows, and fists. 

If you had never seen Muay Thai before and went to an event, you would most likely recognize what’s happening in the ring as a fight. Participants use punches, kicks, knees, and elbows to score on their opponent, with the ultimate goal of either scoring a knockout or winning a decision at the end of the fight through the more effective use of their Muay Thai skills to damage their opponent.  

That basic recognition of what you’re viewing as a fight is just that – basic. Although Muay Thai involves fighting, the sport goes much deeper than just punches and kicks. Aside from the rich traditions associated with Muay Thai and put on display at events, Muay Thai is a unique art with specific aspects that separate it from other fighting sports and martial arts.

[Easton Muay Thai Ranking System]

Striking, not grappling

Let’s get this one out of the way: Muay Thai is a striking art, not a grappling one. This is the key thing that separates Muay Thai from arts like Jiu Jitsu, wrestling, Judo, Sambo, and others. 

In Muay Thai, many of the takedowns used in the above martial arts are outright illegal. There is no ground aspect of Muay Thai–if one or both fighters hit the floor, the fight is stopped and the fighters reset in the standing position. There are no submissions or pins allowed in Muay Thai. 

This also clearly differentiates Muay Thai from a sport like Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Although practitioners in MMA can use Muay Thai effectively in a fight, takedowns and ground work are a large part of MMA. It is not uncommon to see much of an MMA fight take place on the ground.

Muay Thai looks much more like boxing or kickboxing than it does MMA, and for the most part competitors wear traditional boxing gloves in fights, although you will see Muay Thai fought in different rulesets with different protective equipment used.

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Striking…but different

Muay Thai is a striking art that resembles boxing and kickboxing. It’s not considered a Traditional Martial Art (TMA) like Karate, Tae Kwan Do, or Kung Fu. Where these arts usually use traditional uniforms (Gis) and focus on specific sequences called Katas, Muay Thai is a more varied and open sport. 

Additionally, there are several key aspects that separate Muay Thai from boxing or kickboxing. 

First are the techniques allowed. In boxing, competitors are only allowed to punch their opponents. They can only employ specific punching techniques. All the competitors’ weapons are on their upper body. As boxing’s focus is to generate powerful punches, competitors also wear shoes in the ring and at practice. Both Muay Thai and Kickboxing are performed barefooted. 

Kickboxing allows for the use of kicks and knees in addition to punches. The scoring is different in Kickboxing than in Muay Thai, and favors different targets for landed strikes. Importantly, elbows are illegal in Kickboxing, whereas in Muay Thai they are a preferred and lethal weapon.

As we’ve mentioned before, Muay Thai is not a grappling art, but unlike boxing, kickboxing, and the TMAs, there is a grappling aspect of Muay Thai that truly makes it a sport unlike any other.

The Clinch

An important and vast aspect of the art of Muay Thai is the clinch. The clinch is essentially a form of stand up grapple-striking where competitors use their arms, hips, and legs to move and turn their opponent, break their opponents posture, and score effective strikes. 

The clinch can be used to sweep or “dump” an opponent, although these techniques must be initiated with a strike and do not score in the fight. 

A note on sweeps/dumps: These techniques typically don’t score, and the fighters will be reset on their feet immediately. However, a strong sweep can be demoralizing to an opponent while at the same time show dominance to the crowd and judges. Plus, it can be exhausting to have to get up off the mat after a hard sweep, especially when a fighter is already fatigued. Fighters can also be hurt or injured by a hard landing in the ring after an authoritative dump. 

In striking sports like boxing and kickboxing, clinching is used as a way to stall and prevent damage. Strikes are not allowed in the clinch in either sport, and referees tend to break up these exchanges immediately. In Muay Thai, as long as the action is not stalled, the clinch can go on for as long as it takes.

If you’re familiar with grappling sports like Jiu Jitsu and Wrestling, the clinching you’ll see in a Muay Thai fight will look strange and unfamiliar. In many grappling sports, competitors are bent at the waist to some degree, working to keep their hips away from their opponent, and focused on pulling and pushing an opponent to create openings for takedowns.

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In Muay Thai, competitors are usually standing tall in the clinch while keeping their hips close to their opponent to prevent powerful knees. There is a significant focus on controlling arms at the forearm, wrist, or bicep to prevent opponents from throwing elbows. 

The clinch battle is often that of pummeling to a strong position on the arms and neck and using that leverage to move, turn, and twist an opponent to create openings for clean knees and elbows.

Balance and posture are also keys to clinch in Muay Thai. Being off balance can result in a sweep or dump, and can lead to a competitor breaking their opponent’s posture. Once posture is compromised, a competitor’s ability to defend strikes and strike back is drastically reduced. 

Muay Thai is Muay Thai because of the clinch. Without the clinch, Muay Thai would be Kickboxing with elbows. This grappling aspect of the sport not only separates it from other striking arts, but gives it the unique flavor that makes it so appealing to so many people.

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Tradition

Many martial arts bring with them aspects of tradition — from the uniforms practitioners wear and techniques they practice, to the etiquette expected in the Academy, on the mats, and in competition. 

Muay Thai is no different. However, while many martial arts drop aspects of tradition as they become more mainstream, Muay Thai doubles down on those traditions. In fact, if you see a live Muay Thai event, you will most likely be confused about what you’re seeing before a fight takes place. 

Fighters will often enter the ring wearing a flower garland around their neck as well as the traditional Thai headband, the Mongkol. Thai culture is inherently connected with Buddhism, and you’ll see aspects of that in Muay Thai as well. Both the leigh and the Mongkol are traditionally blessed by Bhuddist monks and are meant to offer the fighter strength, confidence, and protection. 

The Mongkol is unique to the gym the fighter comes from and is put on the fighter’s head by their coach before walking to the ring. This symbolic gesture is meant to symbolize the fighter’s readiness and warrior spirit, both having been earned through hard training and preparation. 

Once in the ring, before the fight, the fighters will seal the ring by walking around it and touching each corner post before engaging in the Wai Kru. In the Thai language, “Wai” is a greeting and gesture of respect, and “Kru” is a teacher. The Wai Kru is a way of paying respect to teachers and coaches. It looks like a dance, with each fighter performing the ritual at the same time. 

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There are traditional pieces to the Wai Kru, but every fighter and gym will put their own flair on it, which means that while waiting for the fight to begin you’ll see two unique performances. 

The Wai Kru not only shows respect to teachers and coaches, but also warms the fighters up and helps shake off any nerves they may have. By the time the fight starts, both fighters have been in the ring for several minutes and have already performed in some respects. 

Once the fight starts, you’ll often hear the Sarama music being played. The Sarama is played by a traditional thai orchestra (or a recording of the Sarama is played) and helps to set the pace of the fight. 

Fighters use it to set their rhythm and pace and also to know where they are in the fight. The music picks up as the round goes on, and as each new round begins, the music starts again at a faster pace. By the time of the last round, the music is at its most frenetic pace, pushing the fighters through the final bell.

If you’ve never heard the Sarama, it will sound unlike anything you’ve heard before. It tends to leave a unique impression on first time viewers.

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Muay Thai’s place in martial arts

Muay Thai is both similar to many martial arts and at the same time completely unique, due to the techniques and traditions that make up the Art aspect of Muay Thai. One thing, however, that connects Muay Thai with many other martial arts is the tradition of respect.

Fighting is fighting, and there is always a winner and a loser. But in Muay Thai, respect is everything. Both before and after a fight it is not uncommon to see fighters sharing a moment and being respectful to one another. In Thailand, you will see competitors warming up and then sitting next to each other before the fight. After the fight ends, competitors will show respect to both their opponents and coaches. 

This is the one theme of many martial arts that make them so impactful. In practice, you learn the importance of respecting everyone and receiving that respect in return. In competition, that aspect doesn’t change. While the competition aspect does boil down to winning and losing, the respect shown before and after shouldn’t change. 

The Ultimate Guide to Muay Thai