This sport was initially fought bare-knuckled. Soon after, participants began wrapping hemp rope around their wrists and forearms, which protected their fists and enhanced the likelihood of cutting an opponent with their punches. The best fighters were treated like celebrities, and some were even invited to join the royal guard.

The four basic styles and their most significant features:

1. Muay Chaiya - is a 19th-century style from south Thailand. Chaiya is a town and province in Thailand. It stresses posture, speed, elbow, and fist strikes. It exhibits animal-like movements and postures. Krabi Krabong is a weapon-based style with a well-developed defense system.

2. Muay Khorat - Eastern and northern Thailand practice Muay Khorat. It emphasizes force and forceful punches. It gets its name from Nakhon Ratchasima's informal term, which it shares with a province's inhabitants.

3. Muay Lopburi - Central Thailand's Muay Lopburi. It's the most philosophical style, making it the best oriental martial art. It emphasizes passion and combat intelligence, namely clever boxing. This style also comes from Lopburi.

4. Muay Thasao - is the youngest of the four styles. "Thasao" means "monkey feet" in Thai, which explains the aesthetic. This speed-based technique best portrays Boran because of its fluidity, pragmatism, and defensive strategy. This is the only style without a placename.

Muay Thai and Muay Boran: Similarities and Differences

When contrasted, Muay Boran and Muay Thai are pretty similar, albeit this similarity is confined to the fact that both styles use all of their extremities in assaults and defenses. Muay Boran is commonly regarded as the root of Thai martial arts. Therefore, it should be no surprise that Muay Thai incorporates many of these core elements.

We've established that there's no difference between the two in terms of practicality. Both fields of study are fundamentally the same, with the latter being a more modern version of the older. To be more explicit, the success of either approach requires the use of all limbs, including the knees and elbows, rather than only the hands and legs. Muay Thai practitioners describe these limbs as the "eight deadly weapons."

On the other hand, Muay Boran employs an additional body component, namely the head.

Benefits of Martial Arts

Martial arts training also entails learning how to recognize and avoid attacks. Sparring allows students to learn how to recognize the onset of an approaching punch or kick. This could be a small transfer in weight to a support leg or a change in the opponent's focus of attention from one location to another. When this knowledge is applied to the street, children learn to be aware of what is in strangers' hands and consider whether it is a weapon. They learn to evaluate a potential adversary and select the best course of action, such as whether it is better to cross the street before approaching someone suspicious.