The History of Muay Thai is somewhat controversial. There are two main theories of how this art came to be. One being that the immigrants from China to Thailand had to learn to fight in order to occupy the new land. The other theory is that once the new immigrants were in place they learned to fight to defend and maintain their new land. Either way the development of the system came to life.
Muay Thai is basically the transformation of the human body into a weapon. The system was inspired by weapons of the time. The shin became the staff of the pike, used to block and strike. The arms became the raised twin swords of defense. The fist functioned as the jabbing tip of the spear. The elbow developed into the battle axe, used to smash and crush. The knee, too, axed its way through enemy’s defenses. Finally, there was the transformation of the flashing foot into pike, arrow, and knife. As each part of the body became a weapon unto itself, a new close-combat fighting skill was born. Since its initial development, Muay Thai has changed in many ways. It is now a modern sport, rather than a battlefield skill. But in its heart are carried old traditions and an ancient fighting spirit.
