Articles

Muay Thai Boran - Ancient Muay Thai

Page 4 - The Right Direction

The art of ancient Muay Thai was essentially the empty-hand techniques of the Krabi-Krabong system. The old Muay Thai styles were (and still are) divided, with different parts of the country each having it’s own version containing techniques and strategies unique to each area. The southern style is called "Chaiya", the eastern style is called "Korat", the northern style is called "Paa Nua" or "Taa Nua", and the Bangkok style is called "Paak Klang".

"Muay Thai can continue to evolve."

Because of the variety of styles, ancient Muay Thai (Muay Thai Boran) was much richer in technique; each Ajarn (teacher) also made unique variations to the style, effectively creating his own distinctive style of Muay Thai. This often made the art much more interesting to learn. Competitions were held in small villages, each having their own champions. Style was pitted against style, sometimes fighters even put their own lives on the line to win.

Ancient Muay Thai is the base and the roots of Siam (Thailand). It is our job to keep things in order so that Muay Thai can continue to evolve in the right direction, improving continuously and not just ending up as a simple gambling game.

This article was written by Pedro Villalobos for "Siam Combat" magazine (published in the September 2003 edition).