8 Limbs of Muay Thai

Muay Thai is a combination of martial art and combat sport. People refer to it as the art of 8 limbs. Many people don’t know the 8 limbs of Muay Thai or what they refer to? Since this martial art is also a sport, it has rules followed during training, sparring, or fighting.

A person who teaches this art is known as a Nak Muay. Practitioners and trainers are well aware of the 8 limbs of Muay Thai; when they train their students, they restrict the moves according to the rules. However, a great Nak Muay allows the trainee to find his own flow, which means that each fighter has their own expression and creativity with their movements and strikes.

Every trainee finds his own flow while he is learning and practicing the art of Muay Thai. How a player switches from one move to another defines his ability to become a great fighter. Practitioners believe that the ability to transition seems effortless in seasoned fighters.

A Nak Muay can judge the fighters’ ability through the transitions while he practices the deadly art of Muay Thai. You may be surprised to know that this so-called sport does not need any equipment; instead, it needs 8 limbs.

 

What are the 8 limbs of Muay Thai?

Yes, what you read is quite right; this sport revolves around eight body parts, also known as the 8 limbs of Muay Thai. Fighters use these eight body parts to fight, defend, and strike:

• Two Fists
• Two Shins
• Two Elbows
• Two Knees

In the sport of Muay Thai, the parts mentioned above are your only weapons of choice. Let us have a closer look at each body part and its use.

Fists

People use fists in regular fights to strike their opponents, and the same goes for Muay Thai. Fighters use fists to help cause damage by throwing punches in the middle of the body, including the belly and the chest area. 

Fists are effective weapons for martial arts and various combats. In Muay Thai’s art, the mechanics of the punches thrown are very similar to Western boxing ones. The fighter always wants to cause significant damage with each punch that he swings.

The punching techniques of modern boxing and Muay Thai are pretty different, and these fighters choose to fight with fists in very different situations. Warriors throw different kinds of punches, including jabs, straights, hooks, and uppercuts.

Muay Thai contenders focus on punches as their weapons of decision. In Muay Thai, punches are simply essential for a Nak Muay's stockpile, while in Western boxing, they are the solitary weapons available to a fighter. Nak Muay organizes his moves and combines the fist action with some kicks to beat their opponent.

 

Elbows

Elbow strikes are the best weapons for short proximity battling. It's particularly valuable in the secure when the vicinity of the warriors fairly invalidates punches and kicks to each other. Varieties of assaults utilizing the elbows incorporate the upward, even, cutting, descending, and turning elbow strikes.

The elbows are among the most particular weapons of Muay Thai. It helps distinguish this art from other sports like Kickboxing, Karate, or Taekwondo. Indeed, other combative techniques likewise join the utilization of elbows. However, it's nothing similar to how it is in Muay Thai.

Elbow strikes are a gigantic piece of a Nak Muay's stockpile, particularly in the secure and short proximity battle. In such cases of infighting, the elbows are decimating and can deliver a great deal of harm. You can utilize it to startle your opponent or cut up your adversary's face, or even better, score an exciting knockout.

 

Knees

The only other combat form that uses this body part as a weapon is Kickboxing. In Muay Thai, the knees are one of the essential weapons amongst the 8 limbs of Muay Thai. Both these fighting games are deadly but also fun to watch. One might find it amusing that the knee is capable of doing some severe damage and can even score you a knock-out victory.

In Western boxing, the fighters have the permission to duck and have a lower stance to defend themselves. However, in Muay Thai, the fighters cannot do the same as per the rules. The practitioners are wary of ducking, so knee strikes come in handy to a skilled fighter.

Fighters use multiple knee strikes at a time when they need to get free from a locked position. Fighters consider it the most effective way to gain time and a certain distance from the opponent. Therefore, Muay Thai warriors use knee strikes quite often.

There are a few different ways of knee strikes, just like fighters have alternative punching techniques. Some of the most used knee strikes are the straight knee, the curved knee, the diagonal knee, and the flying knee strike. 

The straight knee is the most practiced one, and trainees learn this technique first. Fighters can use this strike from close range and mid-range.

 

Kicks

The use of elbows and knees in the fight makes Muay Thai different from other combats, but kicks earn the most knock-outs. Fighters use their shins and feet with a lot of power; that is why kicks are most damaging. One of the top regarded kicks is the roundhouse kick.

This kick may cause the most damage, but if not performed correctly, it can cause damage to the attacker as well. An appropriately executed roundhouse kick can be wrecking. What's more? Since it is coming from the side, it's one of the more troublesome kicks for the adversary to catch and toss.

The disadvantage hazard is an injury to the lower leg or knee of the assailant whenever performed inappropriately. There can be an injury to the kicker's striking lower leg. Fighters use their body weight and throw it back to maximize the power of the kick. Only a seasoned practitioner can genuinely master this move.

Kicks in Muay Thai have broken bones, including ribs and arms. Kicks have landed some jaw-dropping knockouts in the history of Muay Thai. Additionally, there is the teep that uses the foot’s ball for the strike.

 

Conclusion

Muay Thai, also known as Thai boxing, is a martial art that revolves around eight body parts. Fighters use these limbs to use force and beat their opponent. The art follows specific rules, so the moves are the same, but fighters develop flow in the transition phase between one action and the other.