Different Types of Martial Arts Series

A predecessor of muay Thai, muay boran is believed to be more than 2,000 years

Muay Boran

old. The training regime was probably developed by or borrowed from the ancient military. While different forms have evolved in Thailand, some experts believe the art may have originated in Cambodia.

Originally, fights took place in an improvised space on the ground and lasted until one person gave up. Rules forbade the use of gloves, eye-gouging, hair-pulling, hitting the groin, or hitting a fallen opponent. The style encourages powerful close-quarter knee and elbow techniques aimed at knocking out opponents.

Tu-Than

Different Types of Martial Arts

Tu-than is a martial art that aims to increase physical and mental ability and awareness. Practiced regularly with a partner of equal weight, Indian’s motions of attacking and defending effortlessly let the body develop an instinctive awareness of the flow of power. It also engenders a safe and mostly injury-free way of practicing the interaction of combat without the necessity or intent to hurt one’s opponent.

Playful and creative

Movements are conducted in a playful and creative way and classes are held in a focused atmosphere, which can help the student learn how to deal with negative emotions that may arise through the combat process. Practitioners do not gain a ranking in a belt system, nor are there any tu-than competitions.

Ling Lom

Ling lom is an indigenous martial art that is practiced in Thailand and Laos. It includes traditional muay Thai techniques and some ground-fighting methods. Many of Tony Jaa’s techniques in Ong Bak, the Thai movie about a muay Thai warrior, come from ling lom.

Of Hindu origin, the movements of ling lom are believed to be based on Hanuman, the divine monkey in the Indian epic Ramayana. The art is also known as “air monkey” or “dancing monkey.” Hanuman is considered to be a reincarnation of Shiva, one of the principal Hindu deities. He is also the epitome of wisdom, devotion, faith, valor, strength, and righteousness.

Chinese influence

Early Chinese martial arts may have had an influence on ling lom practitioners, particularly along China’s borders with Laos and Myanmar, where systems—particularly hand strikes—resemble early forms of chuan fa, which is a Chinese fist method from the Shaolin tradition.

Though refuted by some practitioners, many believe that muay boran and ling lom were originally taught together until around the 1700s, when they started to be taught as separate arts. However, ling lom became more obscure and less practiced than muay boran, which rose to huge popularity after it was transformed into muay Thai boxing.

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