Why Muay Thai Is Gaining Popularity As A Martial Arts Form

If you are a fan of mixed martial arts or MMA, you would have noticed that muay thai kickboxing fighters are very prolific in their kicks and punches to the state of devastating their opponents often in just a single round. The martial arts world has taken notice of this martial art form from South East Asia especially in Thailand where it is a national sport and thousands of people are taking up the sport every day all over the world.

This martial art form started out as a self defense drill in ancient villages of Thailand, Burma and Laos where villagers trained to protect themselves against marauding bandits and robbers. It was later adopted by the Thai military of various dynasties in training its soldiers for unarmed combat. Today, it has evolved into a very popular sport that has spread throughout the world.

In the old days, practitioners of Muay Thai faced detrimental injuries and even death as the fighters practiced without protection gear and proper gloves. They only have a piece of cloth wrapped tightly around their fists to protect them from lacerations. As humanity progresses through the years, safety gears were made compulsory in Muay Thai fights to provide more protection to the fighters and competitors.

In the modern world, the sport is being practiced in the far flung regions of Russia to the United States and even in the Arabian peninsular. It is now considered as an international sport which Thailand is very proud of being its heritage.

There are a large number of television networks that broadcast Thai Muay and MMA fights with Muay Thai exponents on a pay per view basis. Live matches are also being organized on a regular basis in many countries. Muay Thai fighters are also constantly pitted against other martial arts exponents in MMA bouts such as exponents of Karate, Kapap, Jiu-Jitsu, Kung Fu and Tae Kwon Do amongst others.

Subject to the occasional variations, bouts are usually fought in 5 three minute rounds with a two minute interval time in between. All fights are preceded by a traditional dance by the fighters as a form of respect to their teachers and as a form of warm up as well. This dance adds color and excitement to the matches.

All exponents wear armbands and headbands when competing. The headbands are all blessed by Buddhist monks or by the fighter's teachers which is supposed to bestow good luck on the ones wearing them. The bands are also a source of inspiration and spiritual pride.

During the match itself, a traditional band will play music according to the pace of the fight. The music will be fast and furious if that part of the bout is also fast and furious and vice versa. This is like watching a movie when the background music also matches the scenes of the movie.

However, if you do intend to take up Muay Thai, do be warned that the training is very intensive and should you want to fight at a competitive level, the matches can be very grueling and brutal. Perhaps is could be the reason and the allure why the sport is so popular these days.

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A Beginners Guide to Winning a MMA Match

To the lay person Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a very difficult sport to understand. Not only there are many different kinds of styles being used, there are many different ways for a fight to end. However, once you have a basic understanding of these fights, then you will enjoy them much more. It should be noted that if you can't stand the sight of blood, you might not want to watch this sport. It is not for the faint of heart.

There are many ways in which to win a MMA match. The easiest way to win the match is to knock your opponent out cold. Usually this is done with punches and kicks to the head. The next way that you can win is to submit your opponent, either verbally or with their hand. Think of a submission as a joint lock. If the person in a submission move does not tap, then they run the risk of blowing out or dislocating their joints; which is not a pleasant experience. Choking is another way to win.

Finally if you don't win by knocking someone out, submitting or choking them, then you can win by points. There are two ways for you to win by points. You can either win by a unanimous decision or a split decision. A unanimous decision is when all of the three judges say that you won. A split decision is when one of the three judges scores it in your opponents favor. Generally fighters try to avoid this because the judging can be highly opinionated. There has been more than one fight where the crowd and all of the fans did not agree with the judging of the match.

The fight score can also be affected by fouls. Since it is a sport, there are rules for fighters to follow. If they do not follow the rules, they will first be warned by the inside referee. If they do it again they will be deducted a point or more during that round. Usually that point is a huge disadvantage against them. If the foul was flagrant enough then they might get disqualified right then and there. While this doesn't happen to often, it still has been known to happen.

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Krav Maga and Self Defense

During the mid 1930s and late 1940's a man named Imi Lichtenfeld developed a fighting style for close combat. He had founded these techniques by deriving them from his street fighting skills that also includes his training for boxing and wrestling. Later on, his fighting styles have been adopted by the Israeli Defense Forces where his method was named as Krav Maga. This style has been so popular nowadays that there are hundreds of Krav Maga video tutorials available.

Krav Maga is a unique martial art as it employs tactical defense skills. It is not considered a sport and so therefore it has no competitions or tournaments. It is however very useful in dealing certain immediate danger and neutralizing the enemy. Krav Maga is a very methodical training system and that is why law enforcements such as FBI, British Special Forces and Mossad adapted it. Fortunately, it has evolved to be used by civilians and not just the military. Its methods and techniques are available to the public by the Krav Maga videos.

The guiding principles of Krav Maga highlights the following: First, you should avoid getting hurt; Second, make use of the natural reflexes of your body; Third, take advantage of all the vulnerable parts of your enemy's body; Fourth, get yourself any available object that you can use as a weapon; Fifth, swiftly counteract the attack; And last but not the least, be flexible to switch from defensive to offensive positions.

Krav Maga based its training in real life scenarios such as attacks on crowded area like pubs or on the streets. It includes simulations wherein you are against a group of people and still be able to protect yourself or your partner. Also their training can almost cover worst case settings like for instance fighting with only one arm or while dizzy and against several armed opponents. Plus they encourage distractions while in lesson to prepare students to ignore them and concentrate on the needs of the circumstance. This fighting style is aim to develop an awareness in your surrounding for you to be able to predict potentially threatening situations and act accordingly.

Furthermore, Krav Maga training relies heavily on using the protective pads to assist students in maximizing their full strengths with their maneuvers while ceasing to injure the other sparring party.

As for their exercises, they are a mixed anaerobic and aerobic workout. It usually begins with warm up to increase your heart rate and proceeds to stretching.

I wouldn't suggest this kind of workout if you only need it for sport. As I have mentioned, this doesn't have any tournament where you can join and get a trophy. This is basically a defense system that is very useful in perilous circumstances.

Nevertheless, this is a great learning for you because unlike other martial arts, Krav Maga style with its Krav Maga Videos are easy to gain knowledge of and become accustomed to. They are well suited for people who don't have time to learn all the complex moves offered by other martial arts style.

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