Modern-Traditional Styles of Muay Boran

When I started my Youtube Channel I shared the Muay Boran style I founded, Muay Nam, under the name "Modern Muay Boran", mainly for keyword reasons. Some of my followers argued that Muay Boran means "Ancient Boxing" so the name "Modern Ancient Boxing" apparently doesn't make sense, it is an oxymoron, however, I was not the first to use it, this name is an umbrella term.

The first to properly coin the name was Grand Master Chaisawat Tienviboon, defining its style, Muay Chaisawat, as a Renew-Traditional or Modern-Traditional style (Both synonyms of my expression "Modern Muay Boran"). Grand Master Chaisawat is one of the oldest and most knowledgeable Muay Boran masters still alive, and when talking about the Thai martial art he inherited he likes to say that they are a damaged picture that has to be restored; according to Master Chaisawat a part of the Muay Boran repertoire has been lost or has not been handed down in its entirety, that's why he vowed to repair the damaged areas by also taking inspiration from non-Thai martial arts, both to reconstruct the fragments in a coherent way, by analyzing a similar model, and to also implement new concepts to correct the weak areas of Thai martial arts, in particular, Master Chaisawat is an Aikido expert, and this has influenced his Muay Boran both in the theoretical and practical aspects.

Grand Master Chaisawat Tienviboon

In reality, the first Modern-Traditional style of Muay Boran is older than Muay Chaisawat and corresponds to Muay Taweesit, the Muay Boran of Grand Master Kim Seng Taweesit. 
In 1904, at 14 years old, he was sent by his parents to Singapore to attend school, where he also studied Kodokan Judo, Ju Jitsu, Kung Fu, Silat, and Western Boxing.
When he returned to Thailand he studied Muay Boran at the Ayutthaya Border and implemented into it the knowledge of the various martial arts he learned.
Master Taweesit started teaching his Modern-Traditional style in 1918 and by 1928 his fighters were dominating the game and were extremely famous.
His style and its simplified physical education version taught in schools (Muay Palasuksa) truly revolutionized Muay Thai and Muay Boran, and Master Taweesit has been one of the most influential figures in both worlds.

Grand Master Taweesit

Another Modern-Traditional style is Muay Lert Rit, created by Navy Officer Wisit Lert Rit by combining Karate and Aikido with Muay Korat. This style was deemed too dangerous for the public and was taught to the Military in the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy (You can find more info on the style here).

Wisit Lert Rit

Chaiyuth, which was later renamed Thaiyut, is another Modern-Traditional style and was influenced by Judo, Aikido, and Karate. The founder of the style had enough courage to not merely conserve Muay Boran but also improve it, introducing a new original technique called Buddha's Hand; this behavior was encouraged by the headmaster of Muay Phraya Pichai, as according to him Thai Martial Arts need to keep evolving.

Thaiyut, previously named Chaiyuth

More recent Modern-Traditional Styles of Muay Boran are Muay Sangha, founded by Kru Pedro Solana by combining Muay Chaiya, Muay Thai, and Pentjak Silat, the famous IMBA Muay Boran by Grand Master Marco De Cesaris, and obviously my Muay Nam.

A guy with a weird mask and a blue aura showing the Muay Nam Stance.

But what makes a Style Modern-Traditional? The hybridization with other martial arts? No, what differentiates an Ancient style from an Ancient-Modern one is:
Keeping the Muay Boran foundation, which means the core principle and the traditional terminology while having an open mind; the disposition to change and adapt, and the honest recognition of the limits of the art as a key to greater effectiveness, that leads to reorganizing, testing, improving, enriching and removing what doesn't work best anymore. This typically results in the implementation of concepts and techniques from other martial arts, but in some cases, it might simply lead to a reorganization of the repertoire; keeping the how but changing the why.
A conservative mind on the other hand will stick to the old ways without changing them, and often without even testing whether what is conserved still works properly.

In Muay Boran you can distinguish two schools of thought

• The reformists want to improve the art and look for effectiveness and practicality, even if this means removing techniques, polishing them, or changing the traditional ways.
• The conservatives want to conserve and pass on the art and the tradition as they learned them from their Masters, without adding or changing anything, even if some techniques or training methods don't work.

It's up to you to choose which side to stand on, both can coexist, and the one right for you depends on what you are looking for in your martial art journey.