Beautiful Violence: Part One of Things I Wished I knew about Muay Thai

This is mostly a list of things I wished I would’ve known before going to my first Muay Thai tournament. In retrospect, I probably should have researched a lot of this before I even went. If my journalism professors read this, I am so sorry.

This is coming from my perspective and that means you’re also getting the perspective of my gym.

1. It’s not just punches and kicks.

Connor tries to reach out and punch Garett. Nov 2021

In my first post, I mentioned that my first photos of fighting actually started with MMA which, at the moment, is the most popular martial art in the United States right now. MMA takes a little bit of everything from grappling, boxing, etc. The UFC will probably be the first organization to come to mind. You know the organization that COULD afford to pay their fighters better, but don’t and leave a very bad precedent for other organizations to screw over their fighters. (Come on, Dana, no one is fooled with your B.S.)

Now that I’m done with my Dana-White-is-a-loser rant, let’s get back to the subject at hand.

Muay Thai is the art of using legs, knees, elbows, and fists. That’s why it’s called, “the art of 8 limbs.” Muay Thai translates into Thai boxing.

Knowing that it’s not kickboxing is incredibly helpful if you’re going to an event so nothing surprises you. Elbows and knees do a lot of damage.

2. Traditions

Shaunna prays before the fight wearing a mongkol and armbands to protect her. Nov 2021

Muay Thai is soaked in tradition and history. Most fighters wear Mongkols (a ceremonial headband made of rope, custom for each gym) on their heads, Pra Jiads (cords of rope or cloth) around the bicep, Thai music is played (insert an example or share link here), fighters pray and perform Wai Kru Ram (a sealing ceremony around the ring) before the fight even starts.

Garett wears the Pra Jiads.

 Depending on the fighter, fighters will also wear their nation’s flag over their shoulders as well. If you’re covering this as a newsperson for whatever reason, you need to make note on this because for fighters, family and history is incredibly important to them.

 These traditions show respect to coaches and opponents. Not only that, these traditions are to protect the fighters in the ring like the Pra Jiads (the arm bands).

3. Gender

This will only apply to you if your gym follows a lot of the original traditions from Asia, but I still wanted to put it higher up on the list because I know a few people in my life that might find this a little off putting.

(Here’s an article that explores more into that.)

In my gym, the only big difference is the fact that when I fight (or any woman at my gym), I have to go under the ropes when entering the ring. Men go over the ropes when getting into the ring. This didn’t bother me because I knew well ahead of time that my coach is traditional and I knew what I was getting into.

Also since starting Muay Thai I’ve gotten a little superstitious. So when your coach tells you to go under the ropes, you listen. 

My coach also has a belief that women are usually much more vicious. I can believe that because as one out of three women at my gym, I do try to work harder because I felt like I had to ‘prove’ myself. (Side note, this was just in my head and this is something I’ve carried with me since my days as a TV photog and usually being the only woman depending where I was at).

I’m sure when I end up going to Thailand I’ll probably notice other differences and I’ll gladly update you on it when I do.

4. It’s Slow

Jordon and Mario spar. 2020

In comparison to what the United States is used to when it comes to the idea of fighting. I think it also has to do with the love of MMA where there’s a lot of blood and a lot of extra stuff to sell PPVs. (I won’t launch into another rant, I promise).

If you look at the history of Muay Thai, it makes sense because fighters usually didn’t have a lot of energy due to the fact that fighters were starving. You can’t waste a lot of energy when you don’t have a lot in the first place.

Nowadays, it’s because working class fighters need to be able to fight next week to make money. When they train they focus on technique. The power comes from technique. Also, in places like Thailand, people want to see fighters go all five rounds. It’s not entertaining when the fighter gets knocked out in the first round. 

I’ve been to events where I can tell the technique isn’t there because both fighters leave the ring with bloody noses. It’s usually because of bad technique and not willing to take the time to learn technique. 

I hate to say it, but bad MMA fighting will beat out Muay Thai because of the speed difference, BUT! That weird mix of bad Muay Thai isn’t going to impress anyone who actually knows the sport. 

5. What makes a good Muay Thai Fight

I’m guilty of this in particular. When I first started taking photos, I loved the action shots of raw violence, but thinking back on when I first started, I didn’t know what made a good Muay Thai fight. 

This point can go back to the previous point. Muay Thai is slow, but it’s powerful. Good Muay Thai is hard to learn. Bad Muay Thai looks like punches, but throwing elbows instead of poorly formed fists.

Good Muay Thai isn’t just about how many shots are landed on the guy. Did the fighter keep their stance the whole fight? Or were they wild and uncontrolled? Sure, they got a lot of punches in, but were they any good? Sure, your opponent’s nose is bleeding, but is that because you had better technique or because you threw your hands wildly?

It might look cool on social media, but those who know real Muay Thai won’t be that impressed. 

That’s the first part of the list. I ended up splitting the list in half because the journalist in me likes to keep it ‘short and sweet’. Also I don’t think my takes on Muay Thai are interesting enough to go past the thousand word count yet.