Ron Smith emphasizes kicking an opponent’s legs. These techniques are
called cut kicks, because by using them you can cut out the legs from un-
der the opponent. Cut kicks are sweeping, low-line leg attacks or round
kicks with the shins against either the inside or outside thighs of an oppo-
nent. These kicks can be countered by using footwork to evade the attacks,
by lifting the leg out of harm’s way, or by toughening the legs to permit
them to resist the blows of the other fighter. The use of this array of kicks
to the legs helps Muay Thai techniques negate most of what other striking
arts (e.g., taekwondo, European boxing, and karate) offer to the combat-
ive martial artist.
Moreover, Muay Thai competitors have demonstrated success using
Western rules as well. For example, Khaosai Wanghompu (who fought pro-
fessionally as “Galaxy” Khaosai) was the longest-reigning World Boxing
Association (WBA) bantamweight champion in history, with a record of
fifty wins and one loss and nineteen title defenses. He was elected to the
Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999. In addition, when his twin brother, Khaokor,
later won the WBA bantamweight title, they became the first twin brothers
to ever win World Boxing titles. In 1995, Saman Sorjaturong won the WBA
and International Boxing Federation (IBF) flyweight titles, and with his
brother Chana’s subsequent win they became the second twin Muay Thai–
trained fighters to win international titles in Western boxing. Finally, top-
ranked no-holds-barred (NHB) fighters, especially Brazilian Marco Ruas,
in the final years of the twentieth century utilized a blend of Muay Thai
and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (and other grappling systems) to achieve success in
mixed martial arts competitions.
Ronald Harris
See alsoSoutheast Asia
References
Draeger, Donn F., and Robert W. Smith. 1981. Comprehensive Asian
Fighting Arts.New York: Kodansha.
Kraitus, Panya, and Pitisuk Kraitus. 1988. Muay Thai: The Most
Distinguished Art of Fighting. Bangkok: Asia Books.
Lanna Muay Thai Boxing Camp. 2000. http://lannamuaythai.com.
Praditbatuga, Pop. 2000. Muay Thai: The Belt Is in the Ring.
http://www.themartialartsschool.iwarp.com/thai.htm.
Rebac, Zoran. 1987. Thai Boxing Dynamite: The Explosive Art of Muay
Thai.Boulder, CO: Paladin Press.354 Muay Thai