May 2016

PROTECTION AND TRADITION
Before starting the fight, fighters are adorned with a headpiece called a mongkol
and armbands called prajioud. Both the mongkol and prajioud are blessed by Buddhist
monks and are believed to bestow the wearer with victory and protection in the ring.
Traditionally, the mongkol is never to be touched by the fighter and handled only by
his coach (kru). The mongkol is also never allowed to come near or touch the ground,
as it is believed doing so will cause it to lose its blessing. This is the reason all fighters
will enter the ring by going over the ropes, never underneath. After the wai kru is
performed, the coach will remove the mongkol while praying with the fighter before
the bout commences. Unlike the mongkol, the armbands may stay on the fighter while
fighting.
Upon entering the ring the fighter will first “seal” the ring to block out any outside
negative forces before commencing an important ceremony call the “Wai Kru”
ceremony. To do this the fighter will circle the ring counterclockwise and pray for
a short time in each corner. While transitioning from corners, the right hand always
remains in contact with the rope with the left hand raised to the fighter’s face. Once
the ring is sealed, the wai kru begins. The wai kru rituals has a deep meaning for
Muay Thai practitioners and is performed by fighters in order to pay homage to their
teachers and family and to bless themselves with victory in the ring. This ceremony
sometimes take up to five minutes to perform.
Each fighter’s wai kru is unique to their training camp and has been passed to them
by their teachers. Over time, fighters will slighty modify their wai kru by incorporating
different techniques in order to personalize the ritual. Some of these techniques
include stomping in front of their opponent’s corner or imitating shooting arrows at
the opponent’s corner. Both actions are seen as a show of confidence, challenge and
intimidation.
After the Wai Kru ceremony is done, the fight can start. Muay Thai is often called
“The Art of Eight Contact Points” because it uses the feet, legs, knees, elbows and
fists in stand-up striking thus employing “eight points of contact” as compared to
“two points” in boxing and “four points” (hands and feet) in kick-boxing. Over the last
decade there has been a surge in interest with the rise of popular culture from Thai
martial art action films like “Tom Yum Goong” (2005),
“Raging Phoenix (2009) and “Mortal Kombat” (2011). Normally, a Muay Thai match has
no more than 5 rounds, each round lasts 3 minutes, with a two-minute rest period in
between. No additional rounds are allowed. Boxers must wear gloves, each weighing
not less than 6 ounces (172 gram).
In Thailand, Muay Thai is both a defence martial art and a national sport. It has
always been a part of Thai peoples’ lives and they can watch live matches every week
end on Thai TV programs or by going to a stadium to cheer their favourite boxers.
泰 拳 —— 搏 击 的 艺 术
泰 拳 是 泰 国 延 续 数 百 年 的 历 史 文 化 遗 产 的 一 部 分 。 虽 然 其 来 源 存 在 着 许 多 不 同 版 本 , 但 普
遍 都 认 为 泰 拳 是 泰 国 战 士 在 战 场 上 最 主 要 且 最 有 效 的 自 我 防 护 手 段 。 在 1774 年 , 传 奇 人 物
Nai Khanom Tom 因 其 在 泰 缅 战 争 中 做 战 俘 期 间 使 用 泰 拳 对 抗 一 群 缅 甸 战 士 而 使 得 泰 拳 得
以 闻 名 。 他 传 奇 地 击 败 了 十 位 缅 甸 最 好 的 拳 手 , 途 中 没 有 任 何 停 顿 , 在 激 烈 的 比 赛 中 将 们
依 次 打 到 。 在 1930 年 代 的 早 期 , 泰 拳 被 正 式 地 制 定 了 规 章 制 度 , 并 最 终 引 入 到 了 体 育 世
界 。 根 据 国 际 拳 击 泰 拳 比 赛 融 合 了 八 种 格 斗 技 艺 。
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