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Muay Thai (also referred to as
Thai Boxing), and Savate (also referred to as Boxe Francais)
Muay Thai is the oldest known form of kickboxing and is the primary
building block of all other forms of kickboxing. Muay Thai is the
national sport of Thailand and is one of the most popular sports in
the world today. The history of Kickboxing in Thailand however, is
clouded at best. When the Burmese army sacked and razed Ayuddhaya to
the ground the archives of Thai history were lost, and along with
them much of the early history of Muay Thai. The first great
interest in Muay Thai as a sport is documented to have come around
the year of 1584 under the rule of King Naresuan. The King himself
was well trained in the art of Muay Thai and so were his soldiers.
Soon the art spread to the public and new fighting techniques began
to evolve. Matches were held in every town and village on a daily
basis. The sport of Muay Thai made its way to Europe sometime around
the 17th century where it was embraced with open arms. The sport was
modified, primarily to outlaw the use of knees and elbows, and given
the name Savate.
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