Tattoos have formed part of the Thai warrior since time can remember. They have a wide range of symbolism from prayers to lucky charms but foremost a statement of personal manifest to the world about the fighter. At the Tiger Dragon Gym, we follow in that tradition and we have a gym tattoo that a fighter can qualify for once he has been through the blood, sweat and tears process, showing that his fighting character has most certainly been put to the test.

The above ties in with the current popularity of Western culture and tattoos.

Tiger Dragon underwrites the art of tattooing by Royston Chapman of Chapman’s Art Emporium and Tattoo Studio.

They are situated at Cape Connection, 59 Garsfontein Road in Waterkloof, and can be contacted on 012 346 3350 or 082 885 3304.

Muay Thai Boran—or Ancient Thai Fighting—was born on the brutal battlefields of the 15th century.

Fighting between the legendary clashes between Thai armies and their bigger, cruel rivals: The Burmese. Previously unable to defend their homeland, the Thai Soldiers were to ultimately become the most deadly and feared warriors in asia..

Trained in the weapons-based fighting method known as Krabi Krabong, these early Thai soldiers also became famous for their toughness in close-quarters weaponless combat, where legs, knees, elbows and hands took the place of swords and sticks. This type of weaponless fighting became Muay Boran or Muay Thai, known as the “Science of Eight Limbs.”
Though the Thai army still uses its lethal techniques, Muay Thai has also been the country’s most popular spectator sport for hundreds of years. There are more than 65,000 professional Muay Thai fighters in Thailand today. Many of them are poor peasants who begin training when they are as young as six years old, studying with highly respected teachers and risking injury—or worse—for the chance to compete.

Up until the 1930s, Muay Thai fighters fought bare-knuckled (Muay Boran) or with their hands wrapped in hemp rope that left nasty cuts (as in the style of Muay Kaad Chiek or “Bound Fist Fighting”).

Because of the high number of deaths in the ring, the Thai government introduced new rules, including weight classes (though the great majority of fighters remain in the lighter weight classes) and mandatory use of gloves, cups and mouth guards. As a result, modern Muay Thai boxers rely less on punches and more on their lethal kicks, elbow and knee strikes and grappling.
Speed, accuracy and power are the buzzwords in Muay Thai. Fighters use kicks as both offensive and defensive weapons, often aiming to strike their opponents in the thighs for maximum impact. The knee and elbow strikes used in Muay Thai are almost unique to the sport. Executed correctly, with all the force concentrated in one spot—often the opponent’s head—the hard bone of the elbow can act like the blade of a knife, devastating the opponent and sending him bleeding to the mat.
In the devoutly Buddhist Thai society, Muay Thai is governed by ritual and tradition, and many fighters practice meditation as an integral part of their training. Devoted Muay Thai fans and fighters all over the world see it as the toughest martial art, and dismiss all challengers to its dominance.
Muay Thai is referred to as “The Science of Eight Limbs”, as the hands; feet, elbows, and knees are all used extensively in this art of combat. A master practitioner of Muay Thai thus has the ability to execute strikes using “eight weapons of contact”, as opposed to “two weapons ” (fists) in Western boxing and “four weapons ” (fists, feet) used in the solely sport-oriented forms of martial arts.
There is a phrase about Muay Thai that states: “Punch – Korat, Wit – Lopburi, Posture – Chaiya, Faster – Thasao..”. It was from all these regional styles that the more general term Muay Thai was developed. It grew in popularity among common people, so much so that it was said that any man worth his salt would practice the art. As well as continuing to function as a practical fighting technique for use in actual warfare, it became a sport in which the exponents fought in front of spectators who went to watch for entertainment. This kind of muay contests gradually became an integral part of local festivals and celebrations, especially those held at festive fairs. It was even used as entertainment to kings.

Nai Khanom Tom was a famous practitioner of Muay Thai. Around 1774, he was captured along with other Thai prisoners, either in a skirmish or at the fall of the ancient capital of Siam of Ayutthaya. He was brought to Rangoon in Burma, where the Burmese King Mangra was holding a religious festival in honor of Buddha’s relics. The festivities included many forms of entertainment. King Mangra was reported to be curious to see how the various fighting styles of Burma and other countries would compare. At one point, he wanted to see how Muay Boran would compare to the Burmese art Lethwei. Nai Khanomtom was selected to fight against the Burmese champion. Nai Khanomtom did a Wai Kru pre-fight dance which puzzled all of the Burmese. When the fight began, he charged out and, using punches, kicks, elbows, and knees, quickly pummeled the Burmese.

The referee was reported to have stated that the Burmese opponent was distracted by the Wai Kru, so the knockout was invalid. The King then asked if Nai Khanomtom would fight nine other Burmese champions to prove himself. He agreed and fought them all, one after the other with no rest periods between fights. The last Burmese was reputed to be a great boxing teacher. Nai Khanomtom defeated them all in a superior fashion.

King Mangra was so impressed that he remarked, “Every part of the Thai is blessedwith venom. Even with his bare hands, he can defeat nine or ten opponents. As his lord master was incompetent, the country was lost to the enemy. If his lord had been any good, there was no way the City of Ayutthaya would ever have fallen.”

He granted Nai Khanomtom freedom along with either riches or two beautiful Burmese wives. Nai Khanomtom chose the wives as he said that money was easier to find. He then departed with his wives for Siam. Other variations of this story had him also winning the release of his fellow Thai prisoners. His feat is celebrated every March 17 as “Boxer’s Day” or “National Muay Thai Day” in his honour and that of Muay Thai.