Some Pictures are taught by Kru Tong and Kru Preang from Kru preang’s album.

Show some technique in Throwing , Smashing , Grappling and Breaking.

Pahuyuth, Muay Chaiya and Pichaiyuth

Foreword

…..When I was asked to write about “Ancient Thai Boxing and Muay Chaiya”, I felt it was a difficult task because the society at large has lost interest in the subject. But after thorough consideration, I have come to the decision to do so, in order to honor and show my gratitude to my teachers who have patiently taught me and to my homeland, the Kingdom of Thailand.

…..Please note that the following articles (and the ones that follow) are based on what I have learned from my teachers. So there may be different teachings from different teachers, or different interpretations from the same teacher. The beauty of Muay Thai is that it is a flowing style, open to change as long as the basics are strong.

…..“To my dear young ones. Remember that he who has taught you even only one step, one day, one month, and one year is considered your teacher for life. Be grateful to him. Repay and treat him with respect.”

With this in mind, I would like to pay full respect to all my teachers who have taken their time to share pass their wisdom to me.

…..All living creatures, human in particular, have, since the age of dawn, fight for survival. Each has their own ways of fighting to protect themselves and to hunt for food.

…..Animals fight based purely on instincts and brawn, while human beings used their intelligence and developed their fighting skills with bare body and weapons.

…..If we believe in the theory that mankind evolved from apes, then they should have started fighting approximately one million years ago. With their primitive inheritance, historic man fought similarly to animals. They fought with their natural instinct using biting, kicking, snatching, scratching, punching, kneeing, throwing, breaking, etc. Their fights were purely a means of survival.

Historic Men fought for two reasons:

…..Food and territory

…..Jealousness

…..In the Stone Age, when men still lived in caves, brawls usually occurred because of jealousy and lust. Later on, men formed a more complex social group, starting with small communities and eventually on to nations. In the process of doing so, they also developed more civilized approaches, such as rules and regulations, to resolve their conflicts.

…..However, with each nation having its own set of beliefs and needs, there are inevitably more conflicts and violence. The in individual brawls thus turned into battles and wars.

Birth of Pahuyuth and Ancient Thai Boxing

…..Prior to the Sukhothai era, Thai civilization dated as far back as those of the Egyptians, Babylonians, and the Assyrians. They were established before the Buddhist era in a land called “Aay Loa Kingdom” one the river banks of Huang Ho and Yang Jue rivers, presently known as Schezuan, Hubei, Anhui, and Kiangsi in China. There were later defeated and had to continue migrating south to maintain their freedom.

…..Thais are known to be liberal and great warriors. They have always been an independent nation and have evidently fought to protect their right and loved ones. During those times, villagers along the Thai borders prepared themselves by engaging young men in physical activities like wrestling, boat race, and bull race.

…..For practice of self-defense, many generations of old masters continuously assembled and developed the fighting techniques passed on from their ancestors for thousands of years. They finally established a fighting system for Thais called “Ching Kom” and “Pan Lam”, both well-known.

Master Ketr Sriyapai (the author’s senior teacher) once said that “boxing means punching as taught by your teacher or fighting to survive”.

Thai boxing is “an art that has been developed by our ancestors as a national heritage to their children for thousands of years.” The genuine Thai boxing is best performed by Thais. Unfortunately, the Thai boxing we see today in rings is not the true Thai boxing.  (Grand Master Kert Sriyapai)

By Kru Praeng

(Napapob Pramual)

Muay Chaiya Foundation

A lot of people have asked me whether Ancient Muay Thai Fighters, in an attempt to sharpen their body weapons, did in fact dip their gloves into a glue mixture of broken glass (as most would have seen in Van Damme Movies).

Before answering the question, I would first like to present the following set of facts for your consideration:

- The old time fighters’ gloves were made of soft, raw hemp which were bound in a special way as to create knots. The way in which the fists and arms were covered-bound with hemp differ in accordance to style and region and can be generally summarized as follows:

1. Northeast style: Bound from the fist all the way to the elbows.

2. North style, Central Plains: From the fists to mid-arm length.
3. South style (Chaiya): only the fist portion is covered.
This is a reflection of the kind of weapons and tactics that comprise each style.

- There is no requirement that a boxer must cover his fists. If they choose, they may fight bare knuckles.

Grandmaster Ketr Sriyapai (at age 72 yrs), himself, has also asked that during his trip to the province of Nakorn Pathom to meet with Kru Too Thaiprasert (78 yrs) (the younger brother of Kru Daeng Thai Prasert – the key representative of the Muay Korat style who was also bestowed the title of “Muen Chagad Cherng Chok” by the King Rama 5), the truth regarding gloves covered with broken glass. According to Kru Too, who is also a fighter in the Suan Kularb Days, he has never witnessed such act since he was involved with boxing.

While still alive, Ajarn Ketr was very concerned that this misunderstanding would lead outsiders to view Ancient Muay Thai as being barbarious.

If we also consider the backgrounds of these two masters:

Ajarn Ketr – Muay Chaiya of the South + Muay Pra Nakorn (he was also a long time student of Ajarn Kimeng Taweesith) Kru Too – Muay Korat Style of the Northeast

We can see their experiences already covers 3 of the 4 major styles of Ancient Muay Thai. It is therefore highly unlikely that the ancient boxers dipped their gloves in broken glass.

By Lamp-S

Muay chaiya lukmai

Muay Chaiya is an ancient style of Muay Thai. Historical records reveal the art to be at least 200 yrs old, but it is believed the art originated and has evolved along with the Kingdom of Siam (Thailand) some thousands of years ago.

The art flourished most during the years of Muay Kad Chuek (Hemp bound fist fighting) where opponents were allowed to use any technique they see fit. In addition to Muay Chaiya, the other notable styles of ancient Muay Thai are Muay Korat (Northeast), Muay Ta Sao (North), and Muay Lopburi (Central) – each representing the best of their respective regions. Due to its name “Chaiya” (a province in the South of Thailand), most recognize Muay Chaiya as the Southern style of boxing, but in fact – Muay Chaiya originated within the royal compounds and was brought to the South by a warrior general-turned-monk named Tan Poh Ma. Thus, it can be said that Muay Chaiya actually a style of boxing as used by elite generals and warriors close to the royal family.

Given the continual deterioration of the modern Muay Thai techniques and rituals, we hope to provide to the public a true picture of the greatness of Muay Thai as it once was.

Muay Chaiya lukmai 1