With the rise in popularity of mixed martial arts and the UFC, muay thai has become more popular then ever before. But is it the best form of martial arts for you to learn?

Let's take a closer look at Muay Thai'

It is rather hard to pinpoint the exact start and history of Muay Thai as it has evolved through the years and still continues to evolve today.

Muay Thai is considered by some to have been a deviation of a martial art from south east China. Others believe that it came from an enchant form of kickboxing in India.

Muay Thai began as Krabi Krabong, the Siamese military fighting style with a sword in one hand. Developing through time and natural evolution of the art, it gave birth to Muay Boran, ancient style Muay Thai. As battlefield warfare evolved into a more technological basis, hand to hand combat was no longer required within the military, and Muay Thai became a sporting martial art, kept alive in Thailand as a competetive sport, and for many, a way of life.

The basic concept of muay thai has not changed much over the years' Martial Arts like karate and tae-kwon-do mainly focus on striking and 'hard' forms of very straight kicks. Muay Thai has always had a focus around punching with a boxing style, using knees and elbows to defend and block kicks and punches as well, the kicking is not as 'hard' in its form as other main line martial arts.

The one very unique strategy that Muay Thai embraces is a technique called the 'Clinch'. How the 'Clinch' works is, your hands are wrapped around the other person's neck for leverage so you can use your knee to get in and start working on the other persons mid section. It is a very effective technique if you know what you are doing.

The one thing you need to know about Muay Thai is that it is a FULL CONTACT SPORT. Yes it is a martial art at its core but from a functional prospective it is a sport and with that means you are going to get into very good shape when you train in Muay Thai.

This also brings up another challenge' Your risk of getting injured is greater with Muay Thai then it is with most other traditional martial arts. The reason for this is because your always training with contact!

The one thing that Muay Thai has is a great built in self-defense component. Because you spend most of your time sparring with others, you get to experience full-contact fighting on a regular basis. So from a self-defense perspective' It is a real winner!

Is Muay Thai For You?

The only way to find out is to go and checkout a few schools in your area so you can see first hand if you like Muay Thai! They will offer you a free class and sometimes a free month. It is well worth your time to check out your local schools.