Muay Thai (also known as Thai boxing) is the cultural martial art of Thailand.  The origin of Muay Thai dates back several hundred years.  Muay Thai was developed as a form of close-combat that uses the entire body as a weapon.  Much of the history of Muay Thai was lost when the Burmese sacked Ayudhaya, the capital city of Siam (now known as Thailand) in the 14th century.  The Burmese looted the temples and depositories of knowledge held in the capital, and most written history was lost in that period.

Muay Thai teaches the student how to use elbow strikes, knee strikes, punches, kicks, and sweeps for offensive techniques to control and overcome an attacker.  Defensively, the concept of "wall of defense" is used, in which shoulders, arms and legs are used to hinder the attacker from successfully executing his techniques.  Blocking is a critical element in Muay Thai and compounds the level of conditioning a successful practitioner must possess.

Muay Thai has a heavy focus on body conditioning and pad work.  Muay Thai is specifically designed to promote the level of fitness and toughness required for ring competition.  Training regimens include running, shadowboxing, heavy bag work, rope jumping, medicine ball exercises, abdominal exercises and in some cases weight training.