Muay Thai Training
Muay Thai  training for the sport of Muay Thai (Thai boxing) Thailand’s most popular spectator sport is growing in popularity in the west as a recreational past time and form of competition. Traditional Muay Thai training includes close quarters fighting skills enabling the use of elbows, knees, feet and fists with the student learning a unique style from the teacher. Teachers are highly respected in Thailand and students are required to perform Wai Khru or Ram Muay before each bout during competitions. This pre-bout ceremony, has been practised since ancient times even before Muay Thai was known and should be respected by the audience as it is an integral part of Thai society and spirituality. 
The Muay Thai training style taught is the same for all students of a specific teacher or bureaux. As a consequence students who have studied the Muay Thai training styles of a teacher or bureaux do not usually compete against each other and would try to avoid this type of conflict. The pre-bout ceremony is therefore a way for competitors to show their Muay Thai training and fighting form to eliminate this possibility, display respect to the officials and dignitaries of the competition while also serving to warm up and prepare spiritually and mentally.
Muay Thai training and competitive fighting has its origins in ancient Krabi Krabong, the hand-to-hand fighting technique traditionally used by the Thai army that included weapons with bare hands, no time limits or protective wear.  Demonstrations of Muay Thai training and fighting effectiveness by the Thai army saw the popularity of the sport grow in Thailand. As more people embraced Muay Thai training and competition this led to rules, time limits and protective wear being introduced during the early 1900s. In the last 50 years Muay Thai training techniques have been exported from Thailand to the West where it became popular.  Particular respect for its introduction is to be paid to the efforts of Ajarn Chai, (Ajarn Surachai Sirisute) the founder of The Thai Boxing Association of the U.S.A. in 1968.
The levels of protection developed to date have seen to it that Muay Thai training  is very safe to participate in. For beginners to learn more about Muay Thai training click here.  This safety results from the wearing of Muay Thai gloves, headgear and the evolution of sophisticated pad training where worn as body protectors to safeguard the health of fighters.  Additionally the benefits from the training methods develop devastating power, speed and superb cardio-vascular endurance as well as fighting spirit.  Muay Thai Training has proven to be very effective.  For The Ultimate Guide to Conditioning, Training and Fighting click here. Many organisations, including military and civil protection bureaus, recognise and combine the teachings, combat and self-defence within their own training programmes to gain the skilled techniques and fitness levels of Muay Thai training.