Muay Thai vs. Muay Boran
Quick answer
Muay boran is a modern umbrella term for Thai unarmed fighting from the time before gloves, the ring and rounds, and Muay Thai is its sporting continuation. The regional styles of muay boran preserve their own stances and, in Muay Chaiya, also throws and grabs, which the rules of Muay Thai do not use. Muay Thai is contested in the ring under IFMA with full IOC recognition, while muay boran today appears mainly in demonstrations.
At a glance
| Muay Thai | Muay Boran | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Thailand | Thailand |
| Origin | 20th century (present form) | – |
| Contact | Full contact | – |
| Sparring | Full contact | – |
| Competition format | Full contact | Mixed |
| Olympic status | Not Olympic | Not Olympic |
| Ranks | No | – |
| Rank recognition | fragmented | by federation |
| Attire | Shorts and guards | – |
| Weapons | No weapons | No weapons |
| Forms | No forms | – |
| Relative cost | medium | – |
| Techniques in the encyclopedia | 14 | 6 |
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 boran (literally “old boxing”) is a modern umbrella term for Thai unarmed fighting from the time before modern equipment and rules, not a single school with a syllabus. Muay Thai is its sporting continuation.
- The name used at the time was toi muay. The term muay boran has been in common use only recently, and its spread is attributed to Khetr Sriyaphai of Muay Chaiya.
- 1910: at a prince’s funeral, three fighters from Lopburi, Khorat and Chaiya won the title muen, and their styles were later codified as the regional styles of muay boran.
- 1921: the first ring at Suan Kulap. Under Rama VII (1925–1935) came referees, rounds and gloves. Many traditional techniques were banned, and the name muay boran took hold for the older form.
- The khat chueak rope continued to be used in bouts between Thais after gloves were introduced.
- 2003: the Kru Muaythai Association is founded, 2013: the World Muay Boran Federation. Muay boran today is mainly an exhibition art.
Technique
- Eight weapons: fists, elbows, knees and shins, plus punches taken over from Western boxing.
- Clinch allowed, the referee breaks it with the command yaek.
- Banned (IFMA): intentional headbutts, strikes to the groin, ankle and back of the head.
- Muay Chaiya: low stance, triangular guard at a 45° angle, the yang sam khum step, throws, grabs and breaking techniques.
- Muay Korat: strong wide strikes from a distance and a neck hold for a series of strikes.
- Muay Lopburi: speed and footwork. Muay Thasao: defence with a quick change of stance.
Throws, grabs and breaking techniques from Muay Chaiya are not used in sport Muay Thai under IFMA. The ban on traditional techniques under Rama VII is the main technical dividing line between the two forms.
Training
| Muay Thai | Muay Boran | |
|---|---|---|
| Content | running, shadow boxing, skipping rope, bodyweight exercises, medicine ball, Thai and boxing pad work | we have not found a description of training in the sources |
| Rounds | 3–5 minutes with a short break, often 1–2 minutes | we have not found any |
| Syllabus | there is no unified syllabus | Kru Muaythai Association: Khan grades 1–10 according to the curriculum of the World Muay Boran Federation, details not given |
We have not found training in muay boran or its workload described in the sources.
Progression and ranks
| Muay Thai | Muay Boran | |
|---|---|---|
| Grades | there are no unified grades, some schools, mainly in the West, use coloured pra jiad | Kru Muaythai Association: 19 Khan grades |
| Students and teachers | the trainer hands over the mongkhon headband when he considers the fighter ready to represent the gym | Khan 1–10 students (Khan 10 corresponds to a black belt), Khan 11–19 teachers and masters |
| Validity | depends on the school | the Kru Muaythai Association system applies to both Muay Thai and muay boran |
Khan grades are the system of a single organisation, and we have not found any other unified system for muay boran. We have not been able to document minimum times between grades or the age of a first competition in muay boran.
Physical load and risks
- Strotmeyer et al. 2016 (195 fighters): injury in the last bout in 55.4%.
- Limbs 58%, head and neck 30.6%, concussion in 5.4% of fighters.
- We have not found an injury study explicitly about muay boran.
- The hemp rope on the hands protected the fists and increased the risk of cuts to the opponent.
Who it suits
| Muay Thai | Muay Boran | |
|---|---|---|
| Age in competition | IFMA: youth 10–17 years in four categories, seniors 17–40 years, U23 18–23 years | IFMA holds a demonstration youth competition in two categories, up to 14 and over 14 years |
| Women | IFMA: the same weights and rules as men, chest protector mandatory, first women’s bouts at Rajadamnern Stadium on 22 July 2022 | boys and girls in the IFMA youth competition (2019) |
| Veterans | IFMA categories end at the age limit of 40 | we have not found any |
Children
| Muay Thai | Muay Boran | |
|---|---|---|
| Competition from | IFMA 10 years, Lumpinee over 15 years | IFMA: demonstration of pairs in the under-14 category, the lower age is not given |
| Form of competition | bout, rounds of 3 × 1 to 3 × 2 minutes depending on age | self-defence sequences in pairs |
| Banned | we have not found any special technique bans for children in the IFMA rules | we have not found children’s rules |
| Protection | trunk protector, helmet, shin and elbow guards | we have not found a regulation |
| Doctors | Ramathibodi Hospital: under 10 no contact, 10–15 years no strikes to the head | we have not found a study or a position statement |
Self-defence
- Rounds on pads, clinch and sparring against a partner’s resistance.
- Fighting standing and in the clinch, modern Muay Thai does not develop the ground.
- IFMA describes muay boran as unarmed self-defence and presents it in competition as sequences.
- Muay Chaiya includes throws, grabs and breaking techniques, but we have not been able to document training against full resistance.
From the description of the regional styles it is not possible to tell against what resistance they are trained today. We have not found a study of transfer to real self-defence for either of the two arts.
Practical use
| Muay Thai | Muay Boran | |
|---|---|---|
| Programmes | IFMA mentions fitness classes and women’s self-defence, Malaysia 2016: a women’s Muay Thai Aerobics class | we have not found any |
| Studies | Chaiyaphum: 30 seniors aged 60–70, after 8 weeks of Muay Thai dance improved mobility, strength and muscular endurance | we have not found a study with figures |
| Professional use | we have not been able to document any | fighters who excelled were formerly placed in the royal guard, we have not found present-day use |
The study concerns a dance programme for a small group of seniors. No general suitability of either art can be inferred from it.
Competition
| Muay Thai | Muay Boran | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | bout in a ring, IFMA 3 × 3 minutes, Lumpinee 3–5 rounds | IFMA: demonstrations with very little contact, or full contact |
| Scoring | ten-point must, KO or RSC | IFMA judges assess quality, precision, basic skills and difficult elements |
| Championships | IFMA World Championships since 1993 | World Muay Boran Federation 2014 in Ayutthaya, we have not found the rules |
| Olympic status | full IOC recognition 2021, not in the Olympic programme | we have not found IOC recognition |
Wai Kru and Mai Muay have been medal disciplines of Muay Thai under IFMA since 2016, not a competition in muay boran. Bouts with ropes are held today under the name kard chuek, and we have not found unified rules.
Gear and costs
| Muay Thai | Muay Boran | |
|---|---|---|
| Hands | IFMA gloves 10 oz, Lumpinee 8 or 10 oz depending on weight | historically hemp rope on the hands and forearms, in kard chuek rope from the knuckles to the elbows |
| Protection | groin guard, mouthguard, shin and elbow guards, helmet (IFMA) | we have not found a regulation for today’s demonstrations |
| Clothing | shorts with the inscription Muaythai and a red or blue shirt (IFMA) | we have not found a regulation |
| Relative cost | medium | we have not been able to document it |
Availability and organisations
| Muay Thai | Muay Boran | |
|---|---|---|
| Governing bodies | IFMA, WMC (merged with IFMA since 2019) | Kru Muaythai Association (2003), World Muay Boran Federation (2013), IFMA as a discipline |
| Grades when moving | there are no unified grades | Khan grades apply within the Kru Muaythai Association, which governs both forms |
| Outside Thailand | a world federation with full IOC recognition | we have not found data on schools |
Switching and combining
- Shin kicks, elbows, knees and the neck hold have counterparts in the regional styles.
- Newly learned are the stances and guards of the styles, for example the low stance of Muay Chaiya, and throws and grabs.
- For the IFMA competition in muay boran, sequences in pairs are practised instead of a bout.
- Punches, kicks, elbows and knees carry over.
- Getting used to gloves, the ring and ten-point must scoring.
- Unlearning techniques that the IFMA rules ban.
On the left the move from Muay Thai to muay boran, on the right the opposite direction. Tony Jaa trained both forms and, with Panna Rittikrai, practised muay boran for four years for the film that gave rise to Ong-Bak (2003).
Philosophy
- Wai khru ram muay pays respect to the teacher, parents and ancestors, and the fighter bows three times in the corners to the Buddha, the dhamma and the sangha.
- IFMA requires the ritual in a bout, for seniors at most 2 minutes, for youth 1 minute, and permits only conventional Muay Thai rituals.
- Wai khru developed from the earlier practice of seeking the blessing of monks before battle, and the ram muay movements are based on the figure of Hanuman.
- The ritual survived the transition into sport Muay Thai, so it is a shared heritage of both forms.
Forms and terminology
Muay Thai has no official forms. Ram muay is personal, from very complex to simple, and often reveals who trained the fighter and where he comes from. For muay boran, IFMA assesses self-defence sequences in pairs in the youth competition, and we have not found solo forms or their number.
Training culture
- Rajadamnern (1945) and Lumpinee (1956) are the two main stadiums of modern Muay Thai.
- Mongkhon as a tribute to the gym, pra jiad on the arm.
- Today mainly exhibitions and cultural demonstrations.
- The 1st World Championship of the World Muay Boran Federation (2014) took place in Ayutthaya in front of the statue of Nai Khanom Tom.
Common misconceptions
- We have not been able to document the dating of muay boran to the 13th century, and the claim about its development for self-defence and the military at that time has no source behind it.
- The story of Nai Khanom Tom, who defeated Burmese fighters after the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, is regarded by researchers as more mythological than historical. It rests on brief mentions in 18th-century chronicles, and Peter Vail sees it as a cultural symbol.
Which to choose
Frequently asked questions
Is muay boran an older version of Muay Thai?
The name muay boran denotes Thai unarmed fighting before the introduction of gloves, the ring and rounds. It is not a single school, however, but rather a collection of regional styles, and the term itself took hold only later.
Is there competition in muay boran?
IFMA lists it as a discipline, and youth perform self-defence sequences in pairs in it. We have not found full-contact rules.
Are the grades in the two arts the same?
The Kru Muaythai Association keeps 19 Khan grades for both forms. Otherwise there is no unified grade system in Muay Thai.