Krabi-Krabong
กระบี่กระบองThai weapon-based martial art: krabi are short weapons, krabong long ones. Performed as a show and a contest to pi chawa and klong khaek music, national intangible heritage since 2011.
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About Krabi-Krabong
Krabi-krabong is a Thai martial art of fighting with weapons. According to the Department of Cultural Promotion, the name comes from sorting weapons by the Ramayana: krabi are the short weapons of the monkeys, swords, cutting weapons, axes and shields, while krabong are the long weapons of the giants, staffs, poles, ngao and spears. The weapons used are the krabi, the daab sword, the ngao, the long staff phlong, the shields daang, khen and lo, and the short stick mai san, mostly rattan imitations, decorated for the dance part and sturdy for fighting. The pairs are krabi against krabi, phlong against phlong, ngao against ngao and phlong against mai san, which Chanprakhon calls the most striking duel, and there is also a fight of one against two.
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Neither origin nor inventor is documented, and Chanprakhon writes that nobody wrote down the history. In old literature it appears as a military science, in Lilit Yuan Phai and in Khun Chang Khun Phaen. Under Rama IV it was performed at court, and Rama V learned boxing, krabi-krabong and fencing from Luang Phon Yothanuyok. Under Rama VI and VII the art almost vanished, as military training moved to the Western model. Nak Thepphasadin na Ayutthaya, director of the Central School of Physical Education, revived it by teaching it from 1935 and is regarded as the patriarch of modern krabi-krabong. A sports association was founded in 1967, and in 1975 and 1978 the art entered school curricula. Shows and training begin with the wai khru ceremony, then players with the mongkhon on their heads perform thawai bangkhom, the weapon dance khuen phrom and doen plaeng, and fight to pi chawa, klong khaek and ching, with a piece for each weapon. The Ministry of Culture listed krabi-krabong as national intangible heritage on 2 September 2011, and IFMA lists it as a weapons discipline of muaythai. However, Chanprakhon and coaches say contests have faded since 2004 and the art is held mainly by the Department of Physical Education, universities and school celebrations.
History
The origin of krabi-krabong and its inventor are not documented. Chanprakhon writes that nobody wrote down its history and that Nak Thepphasadin na Ayutthaya, in his textbook published in 1970, merely judged that military games must have arisen very long ago. In old literature the art appears as a military science: the Nang Noppamas text attributed to Sukhothai places it among the fighting skills of soldiers, Lilit Yuan Phai from the time of Borommatrailokanat describes close combat with sword and dagger, and in the epic Khun Chang Khun Phaen, Khun Phaen learns krabi-krabong from his father and passes it to his son. Under the first three kings of the Chakri dynasty it appears in Inao and in Sunthorn Phu's Phra Aphai Mani as a game and a performance.
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Under Rama IV krabi-krabong was performed at court during celebrations, in 1865 at the ordination of Prince Chulalongkorn in front of Wat Phra Kaew, and Rama V learned boxing, krabi-krabong and fencing from Luang Phon Yothanuyok and supported contests. Under Rama VI the art lost favour to boxing, and under Rama VII it almost vanished, as military training moved to the Western model. Nak Thepphasadin na Ayutthaya, director of the Central School of Physical Education, began teaching it on trial in 1935, added it to the course for physical education teachers in 1936 and is regarded as the patriarch of modern krabi-krabong. He performed twice before King Vajiravudh and died in 1969. After a public student performance at Sanam Luang in 1939 and a call to all groups in 1941 the number of groups grew, in 1967 the Thai krabi-krabong sports association was founded, and in 1975 the art entered compulsory physical education in upper secondary school, in 1978 as the compulsory subject Krabi 1 in lower secondary. The Ministry of Culture listed krabi-krabong as national intangible heritage on 2 September 2011.
How it differs
Thai sources describe krabi-krabong as a separate martial art of fighting with weapons and the national register lists it as an item separate from muay thai, while IFMA places it among the disciplines of muaythai as a weapons discipline. It shares the pi chawa and klong khaek music with muay thai, supplemented for krabi-krabong with ching and pieces for individual weapons. It is played either as a performance by members of one group with agreed strikes, or as a contest between groups, and according to Chanprakhon a duel of pupils of different teachers is not practised today. According to Wichit Chichern the Thai sword differs from the Japanese one, which cuts through, and from the sabre, which thrusts, in that it receives the opponent's weapon and yields, so the blades do not break. Bangkok Post quotes a school saying the sports form revolves around scoring, whereas it lets pupils really hit the body.
Technique
According to the Department of Cultural Promotion, krabi-krabong arose from sorting weapons by the Ramayana: krabi are the monkeys' short weapons, swords, cutting weapons, axes, the short trident and shields, krabong the giants' long weapons, staffs, poles, ngao and spears. IFMA names the curved sword krabi and the staff krabong as main weapons. Used are the krabi, the daab sword, the ngao, the long staff phlong, the shields daang, khen and lo, and the short stick mai san, also called mai sok, mostly rattan imitations, while shields and mai san are often real. Weapons come in two kinds: decorated, lacquered and gilded for the dance part, and sturdy plain ones for fighting.
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Pairs are krabi against krabi, phlong against phlong, ngao against ngao and phlong against mai san, and there is also a fight of three, with one against two. According to Chanprakhon the most striking pairing is mai san against phlong, showing that skill can outweigh a shorter weapon's disadvantage. Nak Thepphasadin taught twelve dance positions for the krabi, for example loi chai and hanuman waek fong nam, and for the daab song mue sot soi and hong pik hak. Blows follow angles, vertically to the head, diagonally to the neck, horizontally to the torso and diagonally to the thigh, parrying uses the middle of the weapon up to the hilt, with luring. According to the expert Wichit Chichern the Thai sword should not clash hard, the opponent's weapon is received and yielded to, then one steps back and cuts, so the edge does not splinter.
Training
Shows and training begin with the wai khru ceremony: the leader with flowers, incense sticks and candles honours the teacher before the arranged sets of weapons. Players kneel at opposite ends of the playing area with decorated weapons and, when the music starts, perform thawai bangkhom, three bows sitting on their heels with hands pressed together on the chest, named after the bow to the king, with which the honouring of the teacher merged. Then khuen phrom, walking and dancing with a weapon around the playing area, swapping decorated weapons for fighting ones, a quick thawai bangkhom and doen plaeng, in which opponents pass each other and watch for weaknesses. On the head they wear the mongkhon, a coiled consecrated cotton cord, thumb-thick according to Chanprakhon, little-finger-thick according to the Department of Cultural Promotion. Pi chawa, two klong khaek drums and ching play, each weapon with its own piece: krabi lila for krabi, champa thet for daab song mue, khuen ma for ngao and long song for phlong. Nak Thepphasadin taught from 1935 at the Central School of Physical Education and his graduates spread the art to the provinces. University coaches say curricula do not prescribe separate weapons and teaching is split into knowledge of origin and meaning and into skills, weapon dance and fighting techniques.
Ranks and progression
Krabi-krabong sources use no ranks, belts or sashes, and the only mandatory badge is the mongkhon on the head, which does not show rank. Progress comes from the school system: since 1975 compulsory in physical education in the fourth year of upper secondary school and since 1978 as the subject Krabi 1 in the second year of lower secondary, then the university games of the National Sports University and the National Youth Games, where krabi-krabong is played as a conservation sport. We have not found official competition rules.
Today
Since 2 September 2011 krabi-krabong has been on the national list of intangible cultural heritage in the section of Thai sports, in the category of martial arts for self-defence, a year after muay thai. According to Chanprakhon, the main institution supporting teaching in schools, universities and clubs is the Department of Physical Education. In 2023 it was played as a conservation sport at the 38th National Youth Games in Nakhon Sawan, and teams from the Ang Thong, Udon Thani, Chonburi, Suphanburi and Sukhothai campuses competed at the National Sports University games. Bangkok held youth contests every year from 1988 to 1993, then only teaching remained in some centres. The vice-chairman of the Thai sword and krabi-krabong association says it was popular in schools with regular contests in 1987, but interest has fallen since 2004 as organisers dwindled, and schools mostly show it at celebrations. Chanprakhon sums up that it is fading for lack of permanent state support, budget, a responsible organisation and knowledgeable teachers, and a referee said in 2023 that the Sanam Luang contest has vanished since the pandemic. IFMA lists krabi-krabong as a weapons discipline of muaythai and states no rules for it on its website. In October 2026 a troupe with the Buddhaisawan Sword Fighting Institute from Kanchanaburi performed krabi-krabong at the IMF and World Bank meeting in Bangkok, and its director reports branches in 24 countries according to Nation, which we have not verified independently.
Did you know
At the first international youth meeting in Shanghai in 1989 Thailand sent khon and krabi-krabong, and when two custom-forged swords from Aranyik near Ayutthaya clashed, sparks flew, which according to testimony in Chanprakhon's study thrilled the audience more than the performances of other countries. The name of Nak Thepphasadin is included in the wai khru among teachers of the past alongside Phuang, Mongkhon, Chua, Khun Nakhon, La and Chan, according to a text recited in 1959, and his textbook was published at his cremation in 1969.
Frequently asked questions
What does the name krabi-krabong mean?
The Department of Cultural Promotion says it comes from sorting weapons by the Ramayana: krabi are the monkeys' short weapons, swords, axes and shields, krabong the giants' long weapons, staffs, poles, ngao and spears. IFMA reduces it to a curved sword and a staff.
Is krabi-krabong part of muay thai?
The Thai national register of intangible heritage lists it as a separate item from 2011, a year after muay thai, and Thai sources describe it as a separate martial art of fighting with weapons. IFMA, on the contrary, places it among the disciplines of muaythai as a weapons discipline.
Who revived krabi-krabong?
Nak Thepphasadin na Ayutthaya, director of the Central School of Physical Education, who began teaching it in 1935 and is regarded as the patriarch of modern krabi-krabong. A sports association was founded in 1967, and since 1975 the art has been in school curricula.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.