Thursday, July 21, 2011

A Brief History of Muay Thai Shorts



In the old days Muay Thai fighters use to wear 100% cotton shorts which were fastened with a string around the waist. They were decorated with a so called Paa Kamaa which most resembles a western neck scarf with a checkered pattern.

During the start of the 19th hundreds when fighters started fighting in the specially build Muay Thai stadiums, fighters started to wear satin Muay Thai shorts as satin’s qualities are that it feels cool on the skin and dries really quickly. Another quality of Satin is that it’s shiny which looks really nice. 
When Muay Thai fights in the 1970’s started being aired on National TV, some smart promoters and stadium directors saw the potential of the Muay Thai shorts as an advertisement tool. So sometimes fighters would fight in shorts with the name of their camp or/and sponsors on their Muay Thai shorts. But some smart stadium directors only allowed fighters to fight at their stadiums with the Muay Thai shorts which were provided by the stadium and were decorated with name of the stadium or its sponsors on the Muay Thai shorts.
During the late 1980’s, we saw the rise of the superstar in Muay Thai and as fights were hosted all over the world, fighters wanted to distinguish them from each other in the hope to become more popular with the fans. So fighter started working on their image by customizing their Muay Thai shorts. Other ways for the fighter to boost his image were by developing a distinguished fighting style and by giving interviews to the press.
In the age of internet you don’t have to be a Muay Thai champion anymore to have your own customized Muay Thai shorts or you don’t even have to travel to Thailand where until now the most skilled craftsman manufacture such kind of Muay Thai Shorts.  Muay Thai Design can offer you the opportunity to design your own pair of Muay Thai shorts, or if you’re not talented in designing, our designers can help you to materialize your vision to a real pair of Custom Muay Thai Shorts, handmade in the home of Muay Thai.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Muay Thai Stadiums in Bangkok - Lumpinee

Bangkok: Lumpinee Stadium

Lumpinee stadium is the most well known of all the Muay Thai stadiums in the world and has been referred to as the wembley of Muay Thai. To fight in this arena is the dream of every nak Muay Thai (student of Muay Thai). The stadium hosted its first official fight on the 8th of December 1956. The stadium since it opening has been operated by the Thai Royal Armed forces.  Lumpinee’s champions and ranking are being held in high regard in the Muay Thai community, the ranking system runs from Fly weight up to Welter weight women are sadly excluded from fighting at this arena and are even banned from entering its ring.
  
lumpinee stadium bangkok
Lumpinee Stadium Bankok
One of the Lumpinee’s most impressive champions is without a doubt Diesel Noi Chor Thanasukarn who in the early 80’s held the title of unbeaten Lumpinee light weight champion for 4 consecutive years, after which he was forced to retire only because there was nobody in his weight class who could challenge him.

Some other big fighter who fought at Lumpinee are: 
  • Samart Payakaroon
  • Dieselnoi Chor Thanasukarn
  • Anuwat Kaewsamrit
  • Saenchai Sor Kingstar
  • Buakaw Por. Pramuk
  • Peter Smit
  • Ramon Dekkers
  • Rob Kaman
  • Ivan Hippolyte
  • Dany Bill
  • Saiyok Pumpanmuang
  • Yodsanklai Fairtex
  • Jomhod Kiatadisak 
Ticket prices vary from 200 baht for the third ring to 2000 baht for a ringside seat. Most Muay Thai enthusiasts prefer the cheaper seats on the third and second ring of the stadium due to the fact that Lumpinee is one of the rare places in the Kingdom were gambling is allowed to take place on the second ring of the stadium. The gamblers exchange hand signals to arrange their bets among each other and if during the fight another fighter gets the upper hand over their opponent, the reaction by the gamblers resembles a frantic day on Wall Street.

However, as a foreigner it’s sometimes difficult to purchase another ticket than a ringside ticket because of the unwillingness of the sales staff, which often prefers to sell you the more expensive ringside seats. Fights are being held on every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. The capacity of the stadium is 9500 places. 

For time tables, the most recent rankings and further information, please visit Lumpinee Stadium's official website. Also check out Lumpinee's official Facebook page.

Telephone Lumpinee Stadium: +66 22528765