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Krabi-Krabong - The Mother of Muay Thai

Page 3 - Weapons and Empty Hands

At the Thailand Arts Institute, Villalobos teaches many of the ancient system's weapons. "The weapons of Krabi-Krabong are for fighting at different ranges," he says. "There are close-range weapons such as the knife, mai sok ax and a variety of handheld farming implements. The middle-range, weapons include, but are not limited to, spears, single and double swords, and the long staff." For longer ranges, the Thai fighters relied on bows and arrows, as well as long spears, elephant spears and throwing spears. Some of those long-range weapons could also be used while mounted, Villalobos says. The empty-hand component of Krabi-Krabong is sometimes called Muay Thai Boran, which translates as "Old Muay Thai". Modern Thai Boxing is believed to have been extrapolated from Muay Thai Boran early in the 20th century. Not surprisingly, the two arts are built upon the same principles.

"Dispatch multiple enemies as efficiently as possible."

Krabi-Krabong footwork is similar to that of modern Thai Boxing, but it differs in directional orientation. While ring fighters face only one opponent at a time, battlefield fighters had to face violence from many opponents on all sides. Another major difference between the ancient way of fighting and the modern way of competing is intent, Villalobos says. Krabi-Krabong teaches students how to dispatch multiple enemies as quickly and efficiently as possible. In contrast, Muay Thai fighters strive only for the knockout. "As violent as today's Thai boxing may seem to Westerners, its brutality is just a shadow of its deadly parent art; Krabi-Krabong," Villalobos says.

Thai Boxing might rightly be called "Krabi-Krabong Lite." This observation takes nothing away from the art and sport of Thai boxing, Villalobos says, for it is without a doubt one of the most ferocious and effective ring arts of the modern world. The ancient and the modern way simply have different objectives.