Muay Thai is a martial art that is considered more hardcore in its techniques than many other martial arts. It is a very distinguished art in that it is not very well known or popular except for in its home countries, such as Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia. While Muay Thai is the parent fighting style to the martial art and sport kickboxing, it is a unique martial art in and of itself.

Many people may confuse Muay Thai with boxing in the Western world, for both sports use headgear, gloves, and wear similar uniforms. However, unlike Western boxing, Muay Thai allows opponents to use several body parts, such as knees, shins, elbows and hands thus giving it the nickname “The Science of Eight Limbs.” Muay Thai may have some similarities to Western boxing, but its traditions and philosophies make it a uniquely Eastern art. Muay Thai fighters will always enter the ring over the rope as opposed to under it – it is extremely important to them that the head stay above the feet as the feet are considered dirty in Thai culture. Many Muay Thai fighters will perform rituals before the fight and they may do certain things a certain number of times, pray, or do whatever feels best to them at that time. This is very important in Muay Thai because the Eastern culture (particularly the Thai culture) is a very spiritual culture.

Although Muay Thai has very few rules and regulations (with the exception of the obvious no blows below the belt), there are several preset techniques that will apply during a Muay Thai match. Knee, hand and kicking techniques are all taught to Muay Thai students as well as defense mechanisms. In its home countries, Muay Thai is a very popular sport and may soon become popular in other countries as well.