Televised matches are some of the highest-rated programmes on Thai telly, but ask your average Thai what they think of their national sport (muay Thai as it’s more properly known) and you’ll get much the same reaction as if you ask your average Englishman about cricket - for many it doesn’t even come on their radar, but for others it’s either a passion, or a damn good excuse to gamble some money.
Head into a local boxing stadium (there are two in Bangkok , and other smaller ones dotted about the country) and you’ll see throngs of excitable Thai men hovering around the cheap seats at the back, betting away their wages and chanting riotously for their fighter to win.
Down at the front, in the expensive seats (about 30 quid a pop – a fortune in Thailand), you’ll find the tourists – British, American, Japanese, German, everyone, basically. But very few Thais, if any. Here is where most ‘farang’ will have their only experience of muay Thai – what is considered one of the most extreme martial arts in the world. And most are shocked at the hard as nails Thais that get up in front of them.
The first bout on my visit to Rajadamnern Stadium in Bangkok features two 15 year old lads taking each other on. The Californian woman sat behind me can hardly believe it. I can almost hear her processing all kinds of child protection regulations as she tries to take it in. The fact one of them gets knocked out in the third round doesn’t help her any.
But these guys train from about the age of six. They’re more than used to it and know exactly what to expect and how to combat it. Although the guy in the first event is stretchered off, a near-knockout in the second event sees the stretcher rendered useless when the guy (a little older this time) gets up and walks off himself.
Altogether 10 bouts take place each evening at the Bangkok stadiums and each one throws up its own entertainment. Just when you think one fighter has the upper hand, one expertly placed move from the other one can destroy his confidence and swing the balance of power the other way.
Also interesting is the little Buddhist ritual that takes place before the fight. This is called the Wai Kru and it starts with the two fighters walking around the ring. This is them symbolically ‘sealing’ the ring, to say that the fight is only between them. They then go through various moves and stretches, such as kneeling on the floor and touching their head to the ground, or stretching their legs in various positions. It’s almost like a normal warm-up, but a little more intricate and thoughtful.
Even more entertaining, though, are the gamblers up on the third tier. Even in a half-empty stadium, their loud and infectious chanting can make you feel like you’re at the biggest sporting event in the world. You can tell when there’s a lot of money on a bout as well – the chanting gets louder, and the atmosphere much tenser.
The days when muay Thai was a national pastime, however, are long gone now. Despite its continued popularity, it’s much less a part of the cultural landscape than it has been in the past.
Not much is known about its origins. Most of Thailand’s historical records were destroyed when the Burmese sacked Ayuthaya in the 18th century. But the best known of the early fighters is Nai Khanom Dtom, a hardcore fighter who, having been captured by the Burmese won his freedom by defeating 12 of their soldiers in unarmed combat.
King Naresuan, a 16th century monarch who recently had a trilogy of Thai films made about his life, used muay Thai as part of military training, and later, when the kingdom was at peace in the early 18th century, the sport became a national pastime. It was during this period that they started wrapping hemp rope around their hands dipped in glue to harden it. With the agreement of both the fighters, the glue was sometimes mixed with ground glass. Nice. At the beginning of last century, muay Thai was taught in schools – until 1921 that is, when too many serious injuries and some cases of brain damage forced its prohibition. In the 30s the sport took on the international laws of boxing (weight divisions, groin guards, fighting in a ring etc) and modernised dramatically.
But it wasn’t until the 70s when it gained notoriety on a world stage. A host of martial arts black belts from Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong took on their Thai counterparts in a massive tournament. None of them lasted a full minute in the ring with a Thai boxer. The problem? None of them were used to being kicked in the face.
Despite this fearsome reputation, for some foreigners (like me) just watching isn’t enough. There are a few places you can train, either going along to a gym each day, or attending a training camp where you spend each day for a number of weeks. Having work to consider (and being a bit of a wimp) I opted for the former and started attending a foreigner-friendly gym by the name of Sor Vorapin Gym in Bangkok.
Four years of kickboxing training and one year of kung fu in the UK did very little to prepare me for the intensity of muay Thai training. (Factor in the humidity of Thailand and you have an interesting challenge on your hands.) They say it takes about six to eight weeks to reach the level of endurance you need for muay Thai, and that’s with constant training every day. Attending twice a week on my afternoons off I’ve never got near it. But I keep going, mostly because it’s fun, and I also get to hang out with Thai people for a couple of hours.
I’d recommend it to anyone – the Thais are happy to show off their national sport to any passing ‘farang’ – but keep in mind they still take it very seriously. I wore muay Thai shorts one afternoon and they saw this as a sign I wanted to be treated like a proper muay Thai fighter. I went back to football shorts after that.
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