Muay Thai or Thai Boxing is Thailand's national sport and cultural martial art which was developed hundreds of years ago as a class of close-combat that employs the entire body as a weapon.
This martial art is also known as "The Art of Eight Limbs," as it uses the eight points of contact and the body then imitates weapons of war. The hands become the sword and dagger, and the shins and forearms are toughened in training to act as a shield against blows, and the elbow is trained to fell on the opponents like a heavy baton or hammer while the legs and knees became axe and staff, and the whole body is operated as a single unit. The knees and elbows constantly search for an opening to grab and spin the enemy to the ground for the kill.
Muay Thai gained international recognition in the 20th century when practitioners of the sport defeated famous practitioners of another martial arts. The professional league of this martial art is administered by The Professional Boxing Association of Thailand (P.A.T) and is approved by The Sports Authority of Thailand (S.A.T.), and World Muay Thai Federation (WMF) overseas.
The styles used in the sport are very similar to that of other styles practiced in various parts of the South Asian region, namely Lethwei from Myanmar, Musti-yuddha (India), Muay Lao (Laos), Tomoi (Malaysia), and Pradal Serey (Cambodia).
