Muay Thai vs. Lethwei
Quick answer
Muay Thai and lethwei are related arts from Thailand and Myanmar, and both fight with fists, elbows, knees, shins and in the clinch. Lethwei adds headbutts, fights without gloves and in its traditional form recognises only a win by knockout. Muay Thai has had full IOC recognition since 2021, neither of them has an Olympic programme.
At a glance
| Muay Thai | Lethwei | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Thailand | Myanmar |
| Origin | 20th century (present form) | 20th century (present form) |
| Contact | Full contact | Full contact |
| Sparring | Full contact | Full contact |
| Competition format | Full contact | Full contact |
| Olympic status | Not Olympic | Not Olympic |
| Ranks | No | No |
| Rank recognition | fragmented | no ranks |
| Attire | Shorts and guards | Shorts and guards |
| Weapons | No weapons | No weapons |
| Forms | No forms | No forms |
| Relative cost | medium | – |
| Techniques in the encyclopedia | 14 | 1 |
Scales 1–5
Rated for the typical training of an adult beginner in an ordinary club, calibrated across all arts.
What each art is built from
Editorial rating 0–3: how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
History and relationship
Muay Thai and lethwei are related regional arts. The Thai national narrative separated Muay Thai from the neighbouring traditions, lethwei belongs among the Burmese arts of thaing. The older form of both sports was fought with hands wrapped in hemp.
- Researchers place the oldest form of thaing in the 12th century (the Pagan kingdom). For Thai fighting the oldest written mention is the Mungrai law of 1296.
- 1921 the first Thai ring at Suan Kulap, under Rama VII (1925–1935) referees, timed rounds and gloves.
- Lethwei was suppressed under British colonial rule and revived under Ne Win.
- Since 1986, Thailand × Myanmar bare-knuckle shows have been held at Songkran, the Thai side fighting under the old rules with headbutts and throws.
- 1996: the Myanmar Traditional Lethwei Federation introduces modern rules for the Golden Belt, 2001 the first international event in Yangon.
- 2016: World Lethwei Championship is founded, a year later an agreement with ONE Championship. Muay Thai has had full IOC recognition since 2021.
Technique
- Eight weapons: fists, elbows, knees and shins.
- Clinch allowed, the referee breaks it with the command yaek.
- Prohibited (IFMA): intentional headbutts, groin strikes, strikes to the ankle and to the back of the head.
- Fighting in gloves.
- Nine weapons: the head is added to fists, elbows, knees and shins.
- Headbutts hkaung tike from the clinch, with a run-up and flying.
- Extensive clinch, sweeps, throws and takedowns.
- No gloves, hands and feet wrapped in gauze and tape.
Lethwei favours punches over kicks because a bare fist more easily causes bleeding. The headbutt changes the clinch too: Dave Leduc, who came from Muay Thai, according to an analysis of his fights held a palm on the opponent’s head in it and entered it with elbows.
Training
| Muay Thai | Lethwei | |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | running, skipping rope, shadow boxing, pad work, medicine ball | strikes into stacked tyres, stretching and fight analysis (a 2023 report) |
| Rounds | 3–5 minutes with a break of 1–2 minutes | we have not been able to document the structure of a lesson |
| Clinch | a separately trained skill | we have not been able to document clinch training with headbutts |
We found no systematic description of a lethwei lesson or of the ratio of technique, sparring and conditioning, the basis consists only of reports.
Progression and ranks
| Muay Thai | Lethwei | |
|---|---|---|
| Grades | there are no unified ones, some schools use pra jiad | we found no system of grades or belts |
| Recognition by the trainer | the mongkhon headband, when the trainer judges the fighter ready to represent the gym | we have not been able to document it |
| Titles | Lumpinee and Rajadamnern stadiums, WMC | Golden Belt (since 1996), WLC |
Physical load and risks
- Strotmeyer et al. 2016 (195 fighters): injury in the last fight in 55.4%.
- Limbs 58%, head and neck 30.6%, concussion in 5.4% of fighters.
- IFMA: after a KO at least 30 days of rest, after three in 12 months a one-year suspension.
- We found no study of injuries in lethwei.
- Bare fist, headbutts and in the traditional rules a win only by knockout.
- According to an Al Jazeera report (2023), some fighters have about two weeks to recover before the next fight.
- We found no official rule on suspension after a KO.
Who it suits
| Muay Thai (IFMA) | Lethwei | |
|---|---|---|
| Competition categories | youth from 10 years, seniors 17–40 years | we found no age categories in the rules |
| Women | same weights and rules as men, mandatory chest protector | Thut Ti club in Yangon (2015): roughly half of the members women, women also competed at a tournament in Karen State (2023) |
| Veterans | not in the IFMA rules | we found none |
Children
| Muay Thai | Lethwei | |
|---|---|---|
| Competition from | IFMA 10 years, the 1999 Thai law gives over 15 years | we found no rule, AFP described boys from 10 years at tournaments (2015) and children around 10 years (2023) |
| Prohibited | we found no special prohibitions for children in the IFMA rules | we found no children’s rules |
| Protection | trunk protector, helmet, shin and elbow protectors | we found no children’s protectors |
| Bout length | 3 × 1 to 3 × 2 minutes depending on age | we found none |
| Studies and physicians | Ramathibodi Hospital: up to 10 years no contact, aged 10–15 no blows to the head | we found no study or position of physicians |
Self-defence
- Sparring and clinch against a partner’s resistance.
- Stance and clinch with fists, kicks, elbows and knees.
- Modern Muay Thai does not develop ground work.
- The rules cover stance and clinch including headbutts, sweeps and throws.
- Bare-knuckle fighting, hands reinforced only with gauze.
- We have not been able to document ground fighting or weapons in the rules or in training.
The lethwei rules admit more weapons than Muay Thai, but it does not follow from this what lethwei training covers for self-defence. We found no source that would describe lethwei from this point of view, nor a study of transfer to real self-defence, for either art.
Practical use
| Muay Thai | Lethwei | |
|---|---|---|
| Programmes | IFMA lists fitness classes for every level, a women’s self-defence class Muay Thai Aerobics (Malaysia 2016) | we found no programme for adults |
| Studies | 30 seniors aged 60–70, Muay Thai dance: improved mobility, strength and muscular endurance after 8 weeks | we found no fitness or health study |
| Professional use | we have not been able to document it | we have not been able to document it |
The Muay Thai study concerns a small group of seniors and a dance programme, not competitive training. For lethwei the basis is missing entirely. No general conclusion about the suitability of either art can be drawn from this.
Competition
| Muay Thai | Lethwei | |
|---|---|---|
| Olympic status | full IOC recognition 2021, not in the Olympic programme | we found no IOC recognition |
| Winning | points (ten-point must), KO or RSC | traditionally only by knockout, otherwise a draw, WLC and ONE today with no KO let the judges decide |
| Bout length | IFMA 3 × 3 minutes, Lumpinee at most 5 × 3 minutes | WLC 3, 4 or 5 rounds of 3 minutes |
| Knockdown | count to eight, the third in a round ends the bout | traditionally 20 seconds to get up and once per bout a two-minute injury time-out, WLC abolished it |
| Main stage | Rajadamnern, Lumpinee, WMC, IFMA | Golden Belt, WLC, bouts in ONE Championship |
In traditional lethwei a bout without a knockout ends in a draw even with clear superiority. Once per bout the fighter can use a two-minute recovery and continue. In 2017 Dave Leduc said that with points lethwei would become something like Muay Thai.
Gear and costs
| Muay Thai | Lethwei | |
|---|---|---|
| Hands | gloves, IFMA 10 ounces, Lumpinee 8 or 10 depending on weight | no gloves, gauze and tape, the wraps are approved by officials before the bout |
| Protectors | shin and elbow, helmet, groin guard, mouthguard (IFMA) | mouthguard and groin guard |
| Clothing | shorts and a red or blue shirt (IFMA) | shorts, no shirt and no shoes |
| Relative costs | medium | we have not been able to document them |
Availability and organisations
| Muay Thai | Lethwei | |
|---|---|---|
| Governing bodies | IFMA (amateurs), WMC (professionals, merged with IFMA since 2019) | Myanmar Traditional Lethwei Federation, promoters WLC and ONE Championship |
| Outside the home country | a world amateur federation with full IOC recognition | as of 2022 permitted only in a few countries outside Myanmar |
| Grades when moving | there are no unified ones | there are no grades |
Switching and combining
- Kicks, elbows, knees and the clinch carry over.
- Learn to defend against headbutts in the clinch, Leduc held a palm on the opponent’s head in it.
- Get used to the bare fist and the traditional rules where only a knockout decides.
- Punches, kicks, elbows, knees and the clinch carry over.
- Unlearn headbutts, which the IFMA rules punish as a foul.
- Get used to gloves and the scoring of rounds by the ten-point must system.
On the left the transition from Muay Thai to lethwei, on the right the opposite direction. Dave Leduc began competing in Muay Thai in 2013 in Phuket and in December 2016 became the first non-Burmese holder of the openweight Golden Belt.
Philosophy
- Wai khru ram muay: respect for the teacher, parents and ancestors.
- Three bows to the Buddha, the dhamma and the sangha.
- The mongkhon headband as a tribute to the gym.
- Lekkha moun: a challenge gesture, three claps of the right palm on the bent left arm.
- Lethwei yay: a dance before the bout and as a victory dance after it.
- Before modernisation the pre-bout dance was called han yay and was accompanied by a saing orchestra.
Training culture
- The Thai referee commands yoot, yaek, chok.
- 17 March is celebrated in Thailand as Muay Thai Day.
- At Rajadamnern Stadium, betting from the second floor with hand signals is legal.
- Bouts at the funerals of monks and New Year celebrations, the sport survived mainly in Karen and Mon states.
- Bouts are accompanied by the traditional hsaing waing orchestra.
- Historically people fought in sand pits.
Common misconceptions
- The story of Nai Khanom Tom, who in Burmese captivity in 1767 defeated a series of opponents, is regarded by some researchers as more mythological, it probably arose in the twentieth century.
- The reliefs in Bagan are given by sources only as a possibility that lethwei is over a thousand years old, not as evidence.
Which to choose
Frequently asked questions
Is lethwei Muay Thai with headbutts?
Partly. Lethwei adds the head to the eight weapons of Muay Thai and fights without gloves. The traditional rules also do not score: a knockout decides, otherwise it is a draw. WLC and ONE today let the judges decide in the absence of a knockout.
Is either of them Olympic?
No. IFMA has had full IOC recognition since 2021, Muay Thai is not in the Olympic programme. For lethwei we found no IOC recognition.
How are they related historically?
They are related regional arts that the Thai national narrative separated from each other. Since 1986, Thailand × Myanmar bare-knuckle shows have been held at Songkran, the Thai side fighting in them under the old rules with headbutts and throws.