"Every talent must unfold itself in fighting." (Nietzsche)
Though there is debate about its particular origins, Muay Thai, or Thai Kickboxing, is most like considered to have been developed out of necessity in Thailand's younger years. Muay Thai is considered by many to be an alteration of Krabi Krabong, a Thai weapons art. The theory is that if a Thai soldier were to lose his weapons in battle, he would still need a way to defend himself. This seems to be a natural thought, but the Thai people took this obvious conclusion and created a style of martial art out of it that has come to be known as the most violent of all martial arts. Also knows as the "science of eight limbs", Muay Thai simply translated many moves that might be associated with use of a weapon such as a shield and applied them to use of the elbows and knees in addition to the hands and feet. With eight points of possible contact and the ability to ruthlessly strike with any of those points, Thai fighters came to be known as some of the fiercest in the world.
Kris Noteboom.
Copyright © 2001 by University of North Texas. All rights reserved.
Revised:
05 Dec 2007 14:53:49 -0600
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