This is a short primer on the current state of the sport, judging, and strategic considerations.
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On Stadiums and Audience
The two largest stadiums of Muay Thai in Bangkok are Rajadamnern and Lumpini. In both stadiums, fighters usually do not exceed 154 or 160 lb in weight. The most competitive weights are below 147 lb, going to about 105 lb. The main promoters at Rajadamnern and Lumpini are Onesongchai and Sukpetchyindee, respectively.
Channel 7, Omnoi, Theprasit, and other smaller stadiums also feature important bouts.
Most of the hardcore audience of Muay Thai is composed of gamblers. They drive the core business of Muay Thai and their opinions will influence matchmaking. They even shout instructions to the fighters between rounds. Because bets can be placed between rounds, gamblers favor closely matched fights.
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On Rules and Judging
Muay Thai bouts are usually 5 rounds of 3 minutes with 1 or 2 minute breaks between. In tournaments, matches are usually shortened to 3 rounds of 3 minutes with 1 minute between.
Fighters generally weigh in the morning of the fight, though fighters still cut weight in amounts comparable to what's seen in professional MMA and English boxing.
In Thailand, the first 1 to 2 rounds are usually used by the fighters to feel each other out and do not count heavily with the judges unless a fighter does significant damage. These rounds will, by default, be scored a draw.
Because of the favor shown to powerful techniques, counter-fighters face a fine balancing act when fighting strong, advancing fighters. If they choose to stick to their more defensive game, they need to clearly win exchanges to earn decisions.
Rounds 3, 4, and 5 are weighed more heavily, with round 4 generally being the highest paced round. Fighters can "steal" fights by dominating the last two rounds or even just the final round, if the fight is very close.
Strikes in Muay Thai are judged primarily by power and damage. Techniques like straight knees are given more points because they're heavier than, say, a punch. Knees, kicks, and elbows score very well while punches and teeps have to do obvious damage to be given much weight.
A fighter can also win points by dumping, sweeping, or otherwise manipulating the other fighter, showing control of the fight. Additionally, some judges favor fighters who advance and don't give up ground, while others reward fighters who exhibit beautiful, well-executed Muay Thai technique.
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On Ring Names in Thailand
Ring names in Thailand are given by the camp or chosen by the fighter. Audiences may choose to give an additional handle to reflect some quality of the figher, like Anuwat's "Iron Hands of Siam" or Rajasak Sor Vorapin's indescribably badass "Knee Fighter Who Hunts Souls." The ring name from the camp usually does not change, however, except in cases where the fighter decides to change it personally.
Ring names are in two parts. The first part is a nickname that usually contains a joke or reference of some sort, e.g. Buakaw Por Pramuk, which translates as White Lotus Por Pramuk. (Have you seen Buakaw?) Commentators have called him dum dot com, dum meaning black. Singdam means Black Lion (dam = dum; black); Yodsaenklai: going further than Sanklai, a famous fighter; and Rungubon, roughly translating to "mist in the morning."
Phoneticizing Thai is imprecise because the language has many tones that aren't in English and also utilizes rhythm more to convey meaning.
Outside of their fight name, a person has at least two more names, one being q nickname people use casually, and one the longer full name. For example, Namsaknoi Yuttragarngamtorm's full name is Mohammed Chaiyama and people shorten it to Muhd in address.
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On the Lives of Fighters
Fighters in Thailand can have start their careers as soon as they're physically able to get in the ring and fight on their own power. Children can have their first bout at the age of 6, and many famous boxers today began fighting between the ages of 6 and 10. Usually, they learn about Muay Thai from family members or neighbors and are either drawn to it or are encouraged to do it by their parents.
Some successful fighters in Thailand start in their teens. Orono Wor Petchpun took up boxing at the age of 15. Sergio Martinez is an example of this in Queensbury rules boxing, starting at 20. Foreign Thai boxers usually start in their teens.
For the poor, a lack of money usually makes a career in Muay Thai economically necessary or at least highly appealing. Purses can range from less than 100 baht for some children to hundreds of thousands of baht for the most popular fighters, in addition to sponsorship money and bonuses. Different payscales exist in different markets, of course, and fighters with established names internationally can make a large purse in Holland, Australia, or, especially, Japan.
The majority of fighters live with their camp as, effectively, part of an extended family. The camp provides their food, shelter, training, and sometimes schooling in exchange for 50% of their fight purses. Depending on disposition and physical state, fighters can remain active until past the age of 30, though many retire in their early twenties. Even at that age, they've usually been active for over 10 years and have competed in over 200 matches. A gym will often retain retiring fighters as trainers, though successful boxers, if they've managed their money well, can sometimes open their own businesses or gyms.
Fighters who end their careers injured or destitute can struggle to earn a living after boxing without the support networks of their gym or family.
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On the Culture Surrounding the Sport (excerpted from the Instrength message boards.)
Quote:
I just wanted to point out that while we see matches like Ponsaneh vs Pakon a lot in modern times, the balls-to-the-wall attitude was actually more pronounced in the 80s and 90s, and probably earlier. Fighters now, partially due to reduced purses, handle themselves carefully, doing what's necessary to nick rounds. There were a lot of guys like Ponsaneh 20 years ago (not really with the hands, rather, the other 6 weapons), but now he stands out enough to win Lumpini Fight of the Year easily.
Fighters like Samart and Saenchai are special because they can do what they do. Even now, a lot of fighters prefer blocking or absorbing shots and firing back because it takes a ridiculous amount of finesse and involves not some little risk to pull of what those guys do.
Reply:
I’ll check out that fight of the year when I get home, but my gripe with the stand and bang style is more in line with the fact that it seems like many fighters don’t do everything they can to try to win. Muay Thai gets a lot of shit for sometimes being taught as taking turns in the US. I think that is more a result of coaches who don’t really get it, but there are still some things that are really taught in Muay Thai that make no sense. So many Thai fighters start out slow. Somehow this also gets taught as a strategy. In Europe they go out and bang from the opening bell. Most times Thai fighters lose to Europeans it is in the first round by KO because the Thai started out slow. It was cool in the Samart fight seeing him knock the dude down with a big overhand right, because it seems like many Thai’s will not throw a big punch combo like that in the first round of a fight nowadays.
I am certainly criticizing a whole sport without watching enough of it, but do you think too many Thais fight for a decision? Even Buakaw receives some criticism for this. Punches end fights way more than body kicks, and the perfect strategy is to use body shots and kicks to setup KO caliber shots. Why doesn’t Muay Thai judging score everything more evenly? Do you think this is a problem, or is this just the rules of the sport?
Answer:
I think your stance forgets to take into account cultural considerations. Muay Thai is a Thai sport and while it is fucked up, especially in regard to gambling, it is performed with a certain pride.
I don't think it's my place to say if punches should score more or if fighters should come out banging. Those things grew out of cultural traditions of the sport. The slow starts probably reflect scoring and a desire to avoid gassing. Fighters need to close fights strongly. I'm sure a lot of fighters come out for early wins, but the stronger, more patient fighter usually wins. Many matches with foreigners against Thais end with the Thai beating on a gassed opponent. Think of it like boxing or MMA. How many successful fighters just get out there and throw? The best ones pick their spots, especially when there's a large gap in pure skill, as there usually is between top Thais and foreigners.
Remember, it's not Muay Holland or Muay America, and the Thais usually have some reason, practical or traditional for doing what they doing. A good analogy just came to me. In one my of courses I read an anthropological analysis of why cows are sacred in India. The author said the tradition came about because cows were plow animals and when drought and famine came, villages had to be sure not to eat their cows. Some villages did and starved later when conditions got better. This rather opaque tradition has practical origins.
You ask about fighting to decision. Part of that is because punches score knockouts and punches don't score well (a point with mythology of its own). Fighters go for safe wins because if they get injured, they might not be able to fight a month later. Nong-O had 10 fights this year, and he's Fighter of the Year 2010, the very elite. Most fighters end their careers with 100-500 fights over 10-20 years. Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao fight twice a year because they can afford to.
A lot of it comes down to feeding the family. We lump Muay Thai with other martial arts here as an accessory or hobby. In Thailand, boxing is a business based on a sport. Usually, the poor participate because they earn more from it than they would otherwise. Martial arts here are usually sold as deadly systems preserved from ancient battlefields and Muay Thai gets similar treatment. Muay Boran has that aspect, certainly, but it's not a misnomer to call Muay Thai "boxing" because for those involved, it's not so much an ancient art form as an evolving, modern sport from which they earn a living.
Many, many people in the U.S. don't get it. Why would you teach your students here to come out slow? Be patient, yes, but fight for your own rules. It's a relief to not hear someone booing the ram muay here, let alone see someone teaching the sport correctly.
I'm pretty sure I don't completely get it. K-1's only been around 20 years and some people still don't get it right away. How long does it take to really appreciate boxing, MMA, jiu jitsu? I think Muay Thai has particularly foreign sensibilities and so attracts a lot of questions.
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