Thursday, April 3, 2008

Muay Thai Culture

Muay Thai, also known as the Art of the Eight Limbs, employs eight points of contact when striking: fist, elbows, knees and shins. These fighters are trained from as young as they can walk until the toll of their training breaks their body down to the point where they cannot continue - typically in their early twenties. They calcify the bones used for striking and build muscles as sheathes of armour. To many, this is their only path to a better life - no different than many disadvantaged American youths turning to Football or Basketball. The Thai youths merely pay a higher price.