Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Located beside Khlong Ong Ang, Ad Here is everything a neighbourhood joint should be:
lots of regulars, cold beer and heart-warming tunes delivered by a masterful house band
starting at 10pm. Everyone knows each other, so don't be shy about mingling.
(13 Th Samsen;
6pm-midnight;
Tha Phra Athit (Banglamphu))
Understand
Thai Boxing
More formally known as Phahuyut (from the Pali-Sanskrit
bhahu
or 'arm' and
yodha
or 'combat'), Thailand's an-
cient martial art of
moo·ay tai
(Thai boxing; also spelt
muay thai
) is one of the kingdom's most striking national
icons.
An Ancient Tradition
Many martial-arts aficionados agree that
moo·ay tai
is the most efficient, effective and generally unbeatable form
of ring-centred, hand-to-hand combat practised today. After the Siamese were defeated at Ayuthaya in 1767, sev-
eral expert
moo·ay boh·rahn
(from which contemporary
moo·ay tai
is derived) fighters were among the prisoners
hauled off to Burma. A few years later a festival was held; one of the Thai fighters, Nai Khanom Tom, was
ordered to take on prominent Burmese boxers for the entertainment of the king and to determine which martial art
was most effective. He promptly dispatched nine opponents in a row and, as legend has it, was offered money or
beautiful women as a reward; he promptly took two new wives.
The Modern Game
In the early days of the sport, combatants' fists were wrapped in thick horsehide for maximum impact with min-
imum knuckle damage; tree bark and seashells were used to protect the groin from lethal kicks. But the high in-
cidence of death and physical injury led the Thai government to ban
moo·ay tai
in the 1920s; in the 1930s the
sport was revived under a modern set of regulations. Bouts were limited to five three-minute rounds separated by
two-minute breaks. Contestants had to wear international-style gloves and trunks and their feet were taped - to
this day no shoes are worn. In spite of all these concessions to safety, today all surfaces of the body remain fair
targets and any part of the body except the head may be used to strike an opponent. Common blows include high
kicks to the neck, elbow thrusts to the face and head, knee hooks to the ribs and low kicks to the calf. Punching is
considered the weakest of all blows, and kicking merely a way to 'soften up' one's opponent; knee and elbow
strikes are decisive in most matches.
