For fighting sports enthusiasts, the traditional Thailand’s martial art of Muay Thai is certainly nothing unfamiliar. In recent years, Muay Thai has become increasingly popular because many people choose this sport as a fitness and self-defense training option.
However, behind its current popularity, Muay Thai has an interesting history. This martial art has its roots in the military martial arts of Thailand, dating back to around the 13th century during the Sukhothai Kingdom. Due to centuries of warfare, Muay Thai became a way of life for the people of Thailand in the past, also known as the Siamese people.
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To this day, Muay Thai is often featured in both national and international competitions. Its popularity has also led many to innovate in presenting Muay Thai in more exciting ways, such as the film Ong Bak, which showcases Muay Thai martial arts techniques. Interestingly, the film was adapted into a video game, which received great enthusiasm from the public.
Muay Thai is not just a martial art, it also offers numerous benefits for both physical and mental health. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits you can gain from practicing Muay Thai!
1. Improves Cardiovascular Health
Based on the intensity and speed of the technique within muay thai, this sport is considered to be a high-intensity sport in which helps strengthen cardiovascular endurance and burn calories quickly
2. Increases Muscle Strength and Endurance
In Muay Thai, we engage our entire body in movement. The techniques are diverse, including punches, kicks, elbows, as well as defensive and offensive actions. From this, we can understand that these various movements require muscle strength. Therefore, if practiced regularly, Muay Thai can improve stamina and muscle power, leading to greater energy and endurance for daily activities.
3. Improves Mental Health
In every Muay Thai training session, not only is the body sharpened, but mental strength is also developed. For example, no matter how hard or intense a training is, we are encouraged to not yield to the pain or struggle because perfection needs training and consistency and that consistency is what brings results for our bodies through the training.
This consistency is trained with discipline in mind because without discipline, all the effort will be in vain. We won’t be able to focus during training, mastery of techniques and movements will progress slowly, training routines will become chaotic, and we won’t achieve anything from Muay Thai without applying strong discipline.
4. Reduce Stress
Known as a physically demanding sport with high intensity, Muay Thai also has benefits for relieving stress. The full-body workout that requires a lot of energy causes the release of endorphins with each movement, which promotes feelings of happiness, comfort, and increased energy in the body. This natural chemical reaction helps reduce stress and improve mental well-being.
5. Building Self-Confidence
It takes a lot of practice to reach the level of mastering all the movements in Muay Thai. Achieving this level is not easy and requires a process.
As we go through extensive training and witness our progress in flexibility, speed, strength, and stamina, it boosts our self-confidence. This sense of growth motivates us to continue moving forward, developing further, and gaining a deeper understanding of ourselves.
6. Improves Social Skills
Muay Thai is not only about physical and mental fitness, but it also teaches us how to socialize with others. During training, we encounter people from various backgrounds, and these individuals become our friends, motivators, and supportive companions in every training session.
Muay Thai is not just a martial art originating from Thailand, it is also a sport that offers a wide range of benefits across all aspects of our lives. Consistency in training brings positive impacts, such as increased stamina, improved flexibility, better balance, stress relief, and enhanced self-confidence. Therefore, Muay Thai is an excellent choice for those looking to maintain physical fitness, improve mental health, and expand their social circles.
Source:
- https://asia.yokkao.com/pages/muay-thai-history
- https://jagatplay.com/2012/11/news/ong-bak-diadaptasikan-menjadi-video-game/
https://www.muaythailand.co.uk/blogs/muay-thai-tips/why-train-muay-thai-benefits?srsltid=AfmBOopYQl0CqP98qYtHFeyi5Bt1R8ePKIWydnwXgL1GbNQG1bqp5ZRv - https://hellosehat.com/kebugaran/kardio/manfaat-muay-thai/
