Krabi Krabong and Muay Boran (The Old Way) are traditional Thai martial arts strongly linked to Muay Thai and are still practiced in Thailand and in other places around the world.

These arts were well established on the battlefield to successfully keep at bay the continued attacks of the neighboring invading populations where battles were fought to the death. Theses arts are not forgotten and continue to be taught solemnly according to a 400-years-old tradition handed down from Ayutthaya's Wat PutthaiSwan and it is interesting to know that even nowadays the King's elite bodyguards are trained in Krabi Krabong.

These arts are now taught to uphold and educate students about the traditional and ancient roots of Muay Thai, and also about the culture and history of Thailand of which the Thai people are passionately proud.

Krabi Krabong is mainly only seen in demonstrations where displayed in festivals or special events. It incorporates the stand up fighting (empty handed techniques) but specializes in the use of traditional handheld weapons such as a sword (Krabi), twin swords (Daab song meu), a small Staff (plong), a bladed staff (Ngao), and clubs (Mae Sun-Sawk). These weapons were used to defend and attack destructively with extreme skill in order to defend the King and the land.

Muay Boran was a way for soldiers to practice fighting in times of peace. It uses the body to launch explosive destructive attacks in order to inflict as much damage in the shortest time. Techniques would aim to break limbs, destroy muscles, annihilating the opponent in battle with terrifyingly strong techniques to vulnerable areas of their body.

Muay Thai has been derived from the arts of Krabi Krabong and Muay Boran (which in itself was taken from Krabi Krabong). To many Thai cultural observers Krabi Krabong is a 'purer' tradition than Muay Thai. This is perhaps due to the high incidence of death and physical injury in fights which led the Thai government to institute a ban on Muay Thai in the 1920s, but in the 1930s the art was revived under a modern set of regulations based on the international Queensberry rules. Many of the techniques that you see in Muay Thai today have been modified for safety or simply have evolved to suit the current regulations enforced as Muay Thai branched into the sport allowing it to continue to be practiced today instead of being banned and become a lost art.

While the sport aspect of Muay Thai has adapted and continues to do so, many of the brilliant elements of the older arts still clearly remain. For instance the dedication and respect of student and mentor, courage, the timing and explosive power of the techniques are just a few examples.

Most students of Muay Thai will respectfully try to recognise the deep roots and culture Muay Thai has and look beyond the “sport” wee see today. It dates back hundreds, perhaps thousands of years and preserving the customs and traditions alive such as the Wai Kru before a fight along with the respect between student and teacher is important to ensure that the history is never forgotten.

Comprehensive knowledge of the ancient “purer” arts is one step in understanding more about Muay Thai.

To learn more about Krabi Krabong it is recommended to try out a seminar. In the UK one of the most respected people to teach Krabi Krabong is Kru Tony Moore. He is the Chief Instructor at the Buddhai Swan Institute UK and has trained in Krabi Krabong for over ten years now and is the highest graded foreigner in Krabi Krabong outside of Thailand. KO have hosted some of his seminars and there has always been excellent feedback from the participants. Further information about Tony Moore can be found at www.sitsiam-camp.com

KO are fortunate to have Kru Vincent Deckon M.A. teaching special Muay Boran classes at the Tottenham Gym. He recently successfully graded for his 12th Khan from the International Muay Boran Academy in Italy. In addition to this, he was honoured as Outstanding European Instructor of 2oo4, acknowledging his sincere dedication in expanding his knowledge and experience and the way he passes it down to so many fortunate students.

For up to date details about these Muay Boran classes, please look at the classes section of the site.

www.muayboranengland.co.uk contains further information about the international Muay Boran academy (IMBA) in England and the official IMBA page can be found here www.muaythai.it/imba.htm [ITALIAN]

Article submitted by Steven Ryan