# lethwei IS muay thai?



## chris_&#3617;&#3623;&#3618;&#3652;&#3607;&#3618;

hi , 

i just wondered if muay thai and muay boran/lethwei are the same in some respects , well what i mean is that i wanted to find out about muay boran and found out some techs tha muay boran does:

the shovel kick
headbuts

i also found out that muay boran fighters fight in a sandpit and fight with "rope" handwraps

however i  learned the shovel kick in muay thai a while ago (althought at the time i just thought it was a low round kick with a step before it) and i heard someone saying about headbuts in muay thai.

so i was just wondered if it wasnt for the gloves used in muay thai and the ring instead of a sandpit are muay thai and muay boran the same?

im not sayin they ARE the same im just asking if (apart from the rules , gloves and wai kru)  they are the same "technique wise":idunno: 

just a theory i thoght of

any coments apreciated

chris


p.s. also i read somewhere that muay boran (or muay thai cant remember which) can use any part of the body to strike (i wouldent know for sure as i have not yet entered competition , i learned muay thai for self defence , to get fit , and for a hobby , however i will be entering competition soon hopefull)


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## jks9199

My understanding is that Lethwei is Burmese; you might call it the Burmese "flavor" of kickboxing.  Muay Thai is Thai; it's another "flavor."  There are going to be similarities, and some differences, just like there are differences between an American and a European boxer or even between boxers from various cities in the US.  The Burmese and the Thais fought each other both in wars and in competition regularly; one of the biggest Muay Thai tournaments commemorates the day when a Thai fighter defeated 12 Burmese fighters.  It's possible that there are many variants with slightly different names due to different tribes or towns having their "own" approach.

According to Dr. Maung Gyi in Burmese Bando Boxingn "traditional" Bama Lethway, or Burmese Boxing, the entire body was used as a weapon, including head butts, knees and elbows.  Locks, holds and throws were permitted.  Rounds were untimed; a typical non-championship match had 4 rounds.  Victory was by knockout, submission, or by uncontrollable bleeding. 

Today, the American Bando Association has annually held a kickboxing tournament for more than 30 years around Veteran's Day; by some accounts, it's the longest continuously running kickboxing event in the US.  The rules are modified from amateur boxing; there are no minimum numbers of kicks like in some kickboxing events, and leg kicks are permitted.  Elbows & knees have not been permitted.  Elimination bouts in recent years have been 3, 1 minute rounds, while championship bouts are 3 two minute rounds.  Until a few years ago, non-ABA participants were by invitation only, but in recent years, it's been much more widely opened.


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## chris_&#3617;&#3623;&#3618;&#3652;&#3607;&#3618;

thanks for the info , you helped a lot , and by the thai warroir that beat 12 burmese fighters do you man nai khanom tom?  :idunno: 

and i understand that burmses rules are more harsh , i heard that if they get knocked out they have to continue when they wake up , althought its a major advantage to the pther fighter as the knocked out 1 will feel a bit drained and wont be able to fight after , and the other fighter gets a breather:xtrmshock 


chris


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## Giorgio

yup, burmese boxing is pretty intense...there's some decent videos of it on video.google.com, if you feel like witnessing. Funny how thai and burmese boxers always look so understated and meek compared to the big, intimidating bullies of K-1. And yet, I kinda get the feeling that I'd rather have one of them on my side than Bob Sapp.


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## chris_&#3617;&#3623;&#3618;&#3652;&#3607;&#3618;

yes ive looked at the burmese boxing vids on www.video.google.com , just type in "burmese boxing" and there is about 5 or 6 vids all shot in the same place , maybe it was a tournament , if any of you havent seen these vids you should , they are good fights , well , most of em are 

one of the fighters shorts keep nearly falling down , he has to keep pulling em up cos they are loose , look for that one , hes wearing red and yellow shorts , apart from the loose shorts its the best fight there IMO


chris


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## Kwai_Tua_Noi

If your going by historical records, Lethwei predates Muay Boran, Bokataor and any other SEA type of boxing. First records of it was discovered in the Pyu  kingdom circa 300AD

Muay thai has very similar styles to Lethwei because of its close proximity. Migration of peoples and war.

Another major aspect of influence is from King Naresuan (the black prince) He was a Burmese held as a burmese hostage so that his father would not rebel against the burmese king who had invaded his fathers domain. The Burmese king (a historical figure I truly respect for his kinda and honour) raised King Naresuan as if he were a Burmese Prince. He was taught the art of war and the Burmese way of boxing from a very young age.

King Nare is one of the many sources of Muay Thai but of course there are many styles of Muay thai dependent on teacher, region and evolution.

so to answer the question bluntly, Lethwei ISN'T Muay Thai. It is an influence but not exactly the same.


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## thaistyle

Muay Boran has two meanings.  Muay Boran means to fight the ancient way i.e. muay chaiya, muay korat, muay lopburi, muay ta sao.  Muay Boran also is a martial art itself developed by the Thai government around 1996 to keep the ancient styles alive.  The countries around Thailand have similar fighting styles.  Burma is Lethwei, Cambodia is Pradal Serey, Laos is Muay Laos and Thailand is Muay Thai.  They all have very similar aspects in their martial arts due to their part of the world.  I have some fights on video of Burma vs. Thailand in Muay Kad Chuk and you can not tell a difference between muay thai or lethwei.  Remember, what I saw was an organized fight, not two countries going to the battlefield 2000 years ago.


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