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Master Sken's Muay Thai Courses

Open to all style martial arts and associates
One to One or Group Courses
Beginners and Advanced
Learn Authentic Muay Thai Boxing with one of the Best Thai Masters in the World
Over 40 years experience with one of the largest Muay Thai Boxing organsiations in the World, S.I.M.T.A.

Simple Basic Muay Thai
Advanced Muay Thai
Muay Thai for Keep Fit and Self Defence
Muay Thai for Competition

Full Time Gym
Fully Equiped Boxing Ring, Bags, etc
Excellent Bed and Breakfast Accommodation

Contact Details Here

Muay Thai Clips

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History of Muay Thai by Kru John Barwell

Muay Thai dates back to the ancient times. In those days it was better known as Muay Boran (the old style of Thai Boxing). Muay Boran encapsulated all the different styles including Muay Thai, Muay Plum, Krabi Kabong, etc. However a lot of the evidence to substantiate the exact beginnings of Muay Boran was lost during the conflict with the Burmese. The Burmese took over Ayutthaya and burnt it to the ground. Unfortunately Ayutthaya was where all the historical records where kept relating to Thailand. However the exact date of the beginnings of Muay Boran is neither here or there. The important thing is that it was born and was used in those days to defend Siam (Thailand).

In those days a great deal of importance was placed on Muay Boran and the King himself would be a very accomplished practioneer. There are 4 main events that stick out for me in the history of Muay Boran/Thai. They are the reign of Prince Naresuan, The Tiger King, the introduction of the queensberry rules and the introduction of Muay Thai to the UK in 1977 by Master Sken.

Prince Naresuan
The 16th Century saw a lot of conflict between Burma and Siam. The Burmese captured and dominated the country until the death of their King in 1585. This was a turning point in Thai history, as it gave Prince Naresuan the opportuity to reorganise the Siam army and drive the Burmese from Siam. The final battle that saw the end of the Burmeses' domination was fought between the crowned Prince of Burma and Prince Naresuan. Prince Naresuan ended up cutting the crown Prince of Burma from shoulder to waist. The Burmese army withdrew, giving independence to Siam.

During the reign of King Naresuan, Muay Thai was part of military training. This has remained this way until this day.

The Tiger King (1703 - 1709)
Muay Thai, as a sport really came into it's own during the reign of the Tiger King (Pra Chao Sua). Every villiage would stage it's prize fight with practioneers of all classes entering the contests. The King himself was a very skillful boxer and he would disguise himself to enter local contents and defeat the local champions. Some of the strategies used today can be attributed to the Tiger King's style of boxing.

The Queensberry Rule
Perhaps the most pivotal time for Muay Thai as a sport came in 1930. It saw the introduction of the Queensberry Rules, which saw the introduction of boxing gloves, groin guards and weight categories. Prior to this fighters would often wear hemp rope wrapped around their hands and dipped in glass. They would often fight until death or first blood drawn. There is no doubt in my mind that the introduction of the Queensberry Rules made Muay Thai a much more humane sport. However it saw the loss of some of the traditional techniques. It has also seen the restriction of some ploughing and throwing techniques, in recent years, in the ring in the interest of safety. This is a good and bad thing. It is a good thing because it makes the sport more safe. However we are losing some of the most effective and beautiful techniques Muay Thai has and are in dangerous of turning Muay Thai into a sport rather than an art.

Master Sken Arrival
Up until 1977 the UK had never seen Muay Thai. This changed in 1977 with the arrival of Master Sken. He was joined by Master Toddy and Master Wood and they began to take Muay Thai forward. Master Toddy left the UK for the US and Master Sken has continued until this day to promote the name and enhance the name of Muay Thai in this country. I would like to thank Master Sken personally on behalf of his students worldwide, without him Muay Thai would be a very different art in this country. For me, Muay Thai is not just a sport or an art, but a way of life. I will always live and learn Muay Thai until the day I die.

Kru John Barwell

I started my life in martial arts at 6 years old. My Mum and Dad took me to a local Ju Jitsu club. I trained there for around 1 year. However my Mum decided to take me out, as I started to get into trouble at school and became some what of a bully. A few years passed and my yarning to do some kind of sport grew stronger, therefore I joined a swimming club. We used to train a couple of times a week, but there was something missing. Subsequently I joined a Tae Kwon Do class where I trained for 3 years. However my swimming took over and I gave up Tae Kwon Do. A couple of years later I was having some problems at school in the form of bullying, which lead me to join Master Sken to learn Muay Thai.

I started with Master Sken when I was 15 years old and I have never looked back. Muay Thai has helped me in many aspects of my life including self-confidence, self control and respect. I started to teach under Master Sken at the age of 16-17. This was somewhat as a challenge, because I was teaching individuals much older than me. However my natural ability shone through and I won over a lot of my elder students. I have now trained and taught under Master Sken for over 12 years.

I have had a number of fights both in the ring and on the street. Some I have won some I have lost. However every encounter I have always took something away from it and it has made me a better martial artist and person. I now teach under Master Sken at his headquarters twice a week. A few years previous I damaged the Anterior Cruciate Ligament in my knee, which caused me all kinds of problems due to mis-diagnosis from Doctors. Finally after a proper diagnosis from a doctor I had to under go surgery, which took me out for about 1 ½ years. After surgery I lost some of my ability and I had to rely more on my explanation of teaching rather than the physical demonstrations.

The reason for this article is now I would like to pass my knowledge of Muay Thai on to individuals who are interested in Muay Thai. The majority of individual s in the UK train Muay Thai for self defence and keep fit. I would say 5% of the participants are training for fighting. This leads me to focus our teaching more towards self defence and keep fit. However due to my old ways of training I still have the tendency of dipping into my fighting experience.

I would now like to take the opportunity to pass my knowledge on to you. In future articles I will explain about basic technique (mai mae) to more complicate techniques. I will endeavour to explain the theory behind the point I put forward and will incorporate examples and history to re-enforce our teachings.

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