# Thai or Khmer?!



## eloch21 (Dec 9, 2008)

Okay.. so i've been doing A LOT of research since I'm writing a paper on this who invented kickboxing, Thais or Khmers. 

I still can't find out the reason why Thais think they invented kickboxing.

i found a lot on cambodians, how its on their temples, Muay boran and bokator  is where muay thai came from. etc

can someone help me? i need to know why Thais think they invented it.


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## ljdevo (Dec 9, 2008)

You know, i've never looking into it that deeply but in just 10 minutes on the internet i have seen the creation of kickboxing been accredited to, Thais, Chinese, Japanese and the Americans.

Personally i believed that it was created by the Americans in the 1970's. It originated from Karate, but was intended to be a ring sport as oppose to a martial art. But what do i know...


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## Blindside (Dec 9, 2008)

ljdevo said:


> Personally i believed that it was created by the Americans in the 1970's. It originated from Karate, but was intended to be a ring sport as oppose to a martial art. But what do i know...


 
Um, No.


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## Jimi (Dec 9, 2008)

I have heard the argument that many nations in the region all claim this "KICKBOXING" to be theirs by origin. The Thai's (Siamese), Burmese, Cambodians, Laosian, even Vietnemese. The Thai's should be given credit for the world wide exposure to kickboxing and developing the modern ring sport aspects of the art/sport. What is being trained, taught & fought with in the ring now is not exactly how all these nations fought each other on ancient battle fields. The Khmer may have the heritage & history to claim origination, but they can not claim bringing it to the world stage so to speak as the Thai's have developed it (Kickboxing). For years the Khmer people as a nation did not voice their claim on such a sport until Thai's helped it's popularity world wide, then we hear, "That's ours,The Thai's stole it & our temple." Which may very well be the truth, so the Khmers kept quiet about any claim on such an art/sport and now want what? Credit, people to pay to train exclusively in their art to get the kickboxing camp money or is it a pride thing? Not judging the Khmer, although it's like a child that ignores a game or toy, does not hint at it, then when another child is seen having fun doing it well, there is the "That's mine, I wanna take it back, you stole it" response.They all claim it is exclusively theirs, so let them fight it out, LOL. I think if the Khmer were to field a fighting team of top notch fighters & showed the world they embody the heart of this art taking Championships, the world would pay better attention. Sadly in war torn nations some national arts & great teachers/fighters can be lost & the Khmer lost many. Look at how Savate (Boxe Francise) almost went extinct. Nations in that region of the world are like bickering cousins, some will hold a grudge forever. I don't think the Thai's will ever forgive the over-running of Ayuthya by the Burmese. We outside can not settle that for them. Let 
the Khmer BRING IT! I myself would cheer for a Khmer skilled enough to drop as many fighters it takes to pull a World Championship. JMHO.


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## ljdevo (Dec 10, 2008)

Blindside said:


> Um, No.


This video is Thai boxing, not Kickboxing, they are different styles. Thai boxing originates from Muay Thai. Kick boxing does not.


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## jarrod (Dec 10, 2008)

kickboxing is a blanket term which applies to any number of full contact styles which include punching & kicking.  this includes muay thai, savate, burmese boxing, san shou/san da, draka, k-1, full-contact, et al.  if you are talking about full-contact kickboxing, where they only allow kicks above the waist & have a minimum kick count per round, then ljdevo is correct about it originating in the 70's in america.

jf


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## denmyos (Dec 15, 2008)

Muay thai (thai boxing) and kickboxing are not the same.
Kickboxing is a very new sport, where they have taking all the "dangerous" stuff out of Muay thai, and then they call it kickboxing.

it took 30 sec. to google. 

So i maybe wrong


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## Kwai_Tua_Noi (Jan 4, 2009)

I've written a long post on here before about my results in my research on the origins of SEA style Kickboxing.

Your misconception about Thai people taking credit for SEA boxing is wrong. Thai people only take credit for Thai Boxing/ Muay Thai. When approached or asked about it the Thai people say it was invented so long ago that the origins is unknown but it was gradually developed during the days when that region was heavily at war.

The Khmers take credit for it because there is some evidence in the bass reliefs in Angkor which shows the Khmers using a similar style.

However, and this is the big one. There have been records of the Burmese using this type of style much older than that of the Khmers. so in actual sense Lethewei predates them all. The Thai's migrated through burma to reach where they are today so perhaps a long the way they picked it up. The Khmer system looks also very much like lethewei in that they both use animal forms (Thai system is more based on mythical stuff) so perhaps maybe the Khmers stole it from the Burmese. 

The Thai were not the inventors of SEA boxing that is for sure but they are the Inventors of Thai boxing. The Khmers just want to take a free ride on the Thai boxing bandwagon.

On another note. If a martial like Muay Thai which was INFLUENCED by those systems and the art that fluenced muay thai becomes the originator, wouldn't the influencer of that art be the overall origin too? so basicly Indian martial arts is the origin of all SEA boxing.


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## nakhon phanom (Feb 1, 2009)

i am part thai, grew up in thailand.
we don't take credit for anything in fact we never ever discuss it, only you westeners do.
however Muay means boxing and thai means thai so we are only responsible for thai boxing. laos,burmese,khmer, and thai boxing all look similar however there are subtle differences.
i believe the arts evolved all over south east asia at the same time,it had to as there is no founder of these arts.
does not matter now as we dominate now anyway.


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