What is Muay Boran? The History and Traits of Ancient Muay Thai

Muay Boran (Thai: มวยโบราณ, literally "Ancient Boxing") is an umbrella term for the unarmed martial arts of Thailand before the introduction of modern equipment and rules in 1928 which led to the birth of Muay Thai (Thai: มวยไทย, literally "Thai Boxing"). While Muay Thai has the title of Art of 8 Limbs, Muay Boran is known as Gaai Awuth (Thai: กายอาวุธ, "The Whole Body as a Weapon").

The traditional nine weapons of Muay Boran (Thai: นวอาวุธ, Nawatawut) are;
2 Punches (หมัด, Mahd),
2 Elbows (ศอก Sok),
2 Legs (เท้า, Thao),
2 Knees (เข่า, Kao)
The head (หัว, Hua).

The main difference between Muay Thai and Muay Boran is the approach to combat; while Muay Thai follows a sporting approach, with rules and scores, Muay Boran follows an unregulated approach in which each shot is valid, and whose goal is to defeat the opponent in the shortest possible time. 
In the Muay Boran repertoire, there are strikes, holds, throws, sweeps, suffocations, dislocations, and joint ruptures.

Illustration of a Muay Boran technique from the Manuscript of Phra Palad Then (approximately mid-XVIII Century C.E.), the oldest Muay Boran text ever found.

What we know about Muay Boran, both in the theory and in the practice, is not older than around 1750 C.E. this is due to the fire of the capital Ayutthaya by the Burmese in 1767 C.E. which destroyed the Siamese archives, losing documents, texts, and much of the history of Siam. 

Painting of the fire of Ayutthaya.

From the historical records found, we can assume that Muay Boran was an integral part of armed fighting, and originated from it as a supplement (and not a replacement) to the use of weapons, for this reason, various unarmed techniques follow the mechanics of armed combat and are easily transferable to it, the strikes were mainly swings, there was a large use of hand-controlling techniques and leg and knee strikes. Before the Ayutthaya Era, this single discipline eventually split taking three distinct identities, but always in relation to each other; Muay, Thai Fencing, and Muay Pram.

Muay Pram (or Muay Plam), the ancient Thai Wrestling, is mentioned in a few Thai ancient texts, laws, and literary works and also in the work "Du Royaume de Siam" (1691) by the French diplomat Simon de la Loubère. No one knows if Boxing and Wrestling were originally two separate disciplines that later merged, or if they had always been a single discipline from which pure Wrestling eventually originated, what is certain is that Wrestling died out in favor of Boxing at an unspecified time after the reign of King Rama II (1809-1824 C.E.), Muay Boran, however, retained a large part of its repertoire, the Wrestling area of the art is in fact called "Muay Pram" by some masters.

Wrestling Figure (XVI Century C.E.)

Illustration from the Manuscript of Phra Palad Then, showing a very Wrestling-oriented technique.

Outside military duty, Muay Boran was mainly practiced as a form of entertainment with prizefights, and over time it assumed a more sporting nature with the development of techniques suitable and effective for a match but not for a military context.
In addition, performances were also made, in which the fighters performed spectacular climbing techniques, inspired by the traditional Thai dance called Natasin, but which have almost no real application.

Climbing in the traditional dance Natasin

Fights were fought bare-handed, but since they often resulted in injuries, sometime before or during the XVII Century C.E. fighters started wrapping hemp ropes on the hand and in some cases along the arm or the end of the shins. Fights with rope wraps took the name "Kard Chuek". These rope wraps are a peculiarity of Thailand and were not used by neighboring countries.

The actor Tony Jaa wearing Kard Chuek for the movie "Ong Bak".

Originally Muay Boran Styles were not differentiated, they were all under the names; Muay, Dtoi Muay, or Chok Muay. In 1909 King Chulalongkorn requested the governor of Chaiya, Kham Sryiyapai, and the governor of Korat, Phra Hemasamahan, to bring skilled fighters to compete at the funeral of his son. Three fighters that dominated the bouts received the title of Muen; a fighter from Korat became known as Muen Changatchoengchok (effective tactic of punching), a fighter from Chaiya became known as Muen Muaymichue (elegant boxing style), and a fighter from Lopburi became known as Muen Maemahd (skillful and precise punches).
These titles gave the 3 boxers the duty of maintaining Muay camps in their hometowns to train and bring fighters for future fights in front of the throne.

A Muay Boran bout at the funeral of the son of King Chulalongkorn (1909)

After this event a saying emerged in Thailand, summarizing the main characteristics of the three fighters: "Hard Punch Korat, Wit Lopburi, Posture Chaiya".

These events led to the recognition of certain boxing trends and strategies in the regions of the Muen, thus starting the differentiation into three regional styles; Muay Korat, Muay Chaiya, and Muay Lopburi, to which Muay Thasao was later included, adding "Faster Thasao" as the final part of the saying.

Each style has its own terminologies, principles, stances, mechanics, movements, ways of training, striking, and rope wraps pattern.

Painting of the Muay Korat stance (left) and the Muay Chaiya "Tha Kru" stance (right).

Most styles of Muay Boran distinguish 2 categories of main techniques; the Mae Mai (เเม่ไม้) which are the Fundamental or Mother techniques, and the Look Mai (ลูกไม้) which are the Complementary or Offspring techniques. This system is used in the most ancient manuscript ever found, so it is certain that it had been in use for at least the 18th century.

Behind each of these techniques, there is a universal principle of combat.
Each Muay Boran style has its own Mae Mai and Look Mai, which can also vary in number (Muay Chaiya for example has only one Mae Mai). Nowadays a standard classification has been defined that includes 15 Mae Mai and 15 Look Mai.

Statues of fighters performing the standard Mae Mai and Look Mai.

Other styles adapt along with (or instead of) the Mae-Look Mai system, other systems of techniques made famous by two books published around the 80s. These systems are called:
- Chern Muay (Thai: เชิงมวย, literally "The Finesses of Boxing"), the rational use of the 9 natural weapons of the body mainly for attacking maneuvers.
- Kon Muay Kae (Thai:  กลมวยแก้, literally "Boxing Scheme to Counteract"), counterattacking by combining the universal defensive principles with the 9 natural weapons of the body or attacking preventively.

2 Kon Muay Kae of Muay Phra Chao Seua (Muay Luang), from the book "Tamrap Phra Chao Seua" by Yod Reungsa (1979).

Demonstration of the Chern Muay "Yuth Yotha" (Stopping the Army).

In 1913 British Boxing started being taught at the Suan Kulap School, it was at this moment that the terms "Muay Thai" and "Muay Sakhon" were introduced to differentiate the two arts. In 1919 Western Boxing was taught together with Muay Thai as a single art, which lead to the spreading of strikes like the Jab and the Hook, which were not widely used in the Muay Boran repertoire at the time (according to Grand Master Chaisawat). The decline of Muay Boran began in 1928 with the introduction of modern rules in Thailand, which have been implemented after Pae Liangpraset, a Muay Thasao practitioner, accidentally killed the boxer Chia Khaek Khamen in a Kard Chuek fight.

Old Thai Newspaper with an article about the Pae Liangpraset incident.

Due to the introduction of gloves and the new rules, illegal techniques and those now impossible or impractical to perform stopped being taught. Thai martial arts began to become a major escape from poverty and many masters prepared their fighters quickly, avoiding the now-illegal techniques and the more refined ones of what was once the great Muay Boran repertoire, leading to a watering down of the art. The passage from Muay Boran to Muay Thai was gradual and took about 2 decades of trial and error, Muay Thai took a concrete identity starting in 1960.

A Muay Thai fight.

Some masters, however, continued to pay particular attention to the training of their fighters, the most important of these was Grand Master Yodtong Senanan, which adapted as much as possible the principles and techniques of Muay Boran to Muay Thai and continued to pass them on, forming formidable champions, including Samart Payakaroon who is defined by many as the best Thai Boxer in history.

The Legendary Yodtong Senanan in a traditional Muay Boran outfit.

Muay Boran was at risk of extinction due to the immense decline in popularity, which erased it from the minds and memories of the Thai people in favor of Muay Thai. It survived in the shadows for decades, passed down by high-ranking soldiers in the army or privately by masters in their backyard.

Grand Master Khet teaches to a young Master Lek, from Kru Lek Website (Muay Chaiya).

Two of these teachers were Grand Master Bua Wat-Im for Muay Korat and Grand Master Khet Sriyapai for Muay Chaiya.

It was Grand Master Khet who rekindled the light on Muay Boran, publishing several articles in a famous Muay Thai magazine, criticizing the decline of Thai Boxing.

Grand Master Bua Wat-Im demonstrating a Muay Korat technique in the oldest documentary on Muay Boran from 1963.

Grand Master Khet Sriyapai in the characteristic Muay Chaiya stance.

Another important figure in the revival of Muay Boran (but who often is not mentioned enough) is Grand Master Chakrabhop Charoenrat, the founder of Chaiyut, which was later renamed Thaiyut. He was an expert in countless ancient Muay Boran and Krabi Krabong styles, and he also studied Judo, Karate, and Filipino martial arts. In 1966 the Grand Master started teaching Thai martial arts to several young people and in 1974, he gathered members to form a group and established the Thaiyut Institute of Thailand, demonstrating and teaching Thai Martial Arts to youth, the public, and the media. He also taught at the Police Cadet Schools, the Ministry of Education, and many more. In 1975 the Grand Master and his disciples performed in front of  King Rama IX and the Queen, which ordered that, since the ancient Thai martial arts have been lost over time and are not as complete or reasonable as they should be, the textbooks of Thai martial arts and Pichai Songkhram (Art of War) had to be collected to preserve them as national treasures, and ordered to spread the art to the youth.

Grand Master Chakrabhop Charoenrat

It was only with the founding of the World Muay Boran Federation, the Kru Muay Thai Association, the work of the Institute of Muay Thai Preservation, and the Muban Chombueng Ratchapat University (and other entities) that finally Muay Boran became recognized once again. Experts call the current era of Muay Boran the "Renaissance Era" (Yukfuenfu Sinlaba).

The masters of the World Muay Boran Federation, the highest Muay Boran authorities in the world, resumed the curriculum of Muay Palasuksa (Physical Education) revising and improving it, adding on top of it the information found through their studies of Muay Boran books, like the Kon Muay Kae from the Boxing of the Tiger King and the Chern Muay from Grand Master Sinthusan. These gave birth to a single curriculum which is today the most widespread, I defined it "Standard Muay Boran" to make a clear distinction from the use of "Muay Boran" as an umbrella term.
This style born from the union of various stylistic currents is by no means more complete, better, or definitive than others, each traditional style has more advanced areas to explore in my opinion.

Most of the Masters teach this standard style, while others conserve the older styles (Chaiya, Korat, Jerng, etc.) while others founded their own Modern-Traditional style.

The World Muay Boran Federation.

The term "Muay Boran" was first used by the Muay Chaiya Grand Master Khet Sriyapai to differentiate the recently born Muay Thai from the ancient Thai martial arts. Many names were used for this task, some of them were; Mae Mai Muay Thai, Sillapha Muay, Mai Muay Thai, Muay Kard Chuek, Pichaiyuth, and Dti Muay, but eventually they were definitively replaced by the term "Muay Boran", also thanks to the movie Ong Bak which helped in spreading it worldwide.

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