| Tourist
Activities in Phuket If
you don’t mind the violence, a Thai boxing match is worth attending for the
pure spectacle and the wild musical accompaniment, the ceremonial beginning of
each match, and the frenzied betting around the stadium.  The
training of a Thai boxer and particularly the relationship between the boxer and
teacher is highly ritualized. As the boxers enter the ring, they perform a special
pre-fight dance known as the "ram muay". During the dance, they wear
a headband given by their trainer. It is a sacred talisman earned after many years
of dedication to the art. The dance starts with "wai khru" -- each boxer
kneeling and bowing three times, a show of respect to his teacher. With the ceremonies
complete, the fight begins. Each fight consists of five rounds of three minutes
each. Accompanying the fight is music stimulated by action in the ring, rising
and falling as the boxers battle it out. All surfaces of the body are considered
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 crescent kicks to the calf. A contestant
may even grasp an opponent’s head between his hands and pull it down to meet
an upward knee thrust. Punching is considered the weakest of all blows and kicking
merely a way to ‘soften up’ one’s opponent; most matches end with
a knee or elbow strike.
The origins of this martial art
and sport are thought to stretch back to the wars with the Burmese during the
15th century. Thailand’s first famous boxer was one, ‘Nai Khanom Tom’
who was said to have single-handedly defeated a dozen Burmese fighters in a wager
for freedom. A Thai king, Phra Chao Seua (The tiger King) is said to have been
an incognito participant in many boxing matches in the early part of his reign.
The sport has changed a lot from the days when boxers would wrap their fists in
thick horsehide trimmed with cotton soaked in glue and broken glass for maximum
impact with minimum knuckle damage. Many changes initiated to make the sport safer
have reduced the high incidence of death and injury. But Thai boxing is still
a violent contact sport and considered by many as the ultimate in unarmed combat.
Thai Boxing matches are held every Friday night at the
Boxing stadium in Phuket town. Occasional matches are held in Patong. Demonstrations
of Muay Thai are held in many of the tourist areas but they are mostly for show.
( Read more about Thai
Boxing in Phuket)  back
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