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I had no idea what I was getting myself into. One of the teachers at my school had some discounted tickets to a Muay Thai boxing match last night, and a whole crew of us ended up going. Muay Thai is Thailand's national sport, and is a form of martial arts, in which fighters use eight points of contact; their hands, shins, elbows and knees. This is the main way it differs from Western boxing, where only two points of contact are used (the fists) or other common forms, where four points are used (the fists and feet). The rounds started off with two young boys... who didn't look any older than seven or eight! The audience was so well-behaved. There were no screaming soccer moms or ranting hockey fans to be seen! There was some polite clapping and a little cheering, but for anyone who has been to a hockey game in Canada or a rugby match in New Zealand, you might have mistaken this sports arena for a movie theater, everyone sitting so still and staring at the screen. Their silence is not to be mistaken for disinterest, however, because there were moments where the Koreans were so intense on what was happening in the ring, it felt like a whole room full of people all holding their breath at the same time! There were competitors from various countries; Thailand, Japan, Korea, and one guy from Canada, to name a few. Things got a little bloodier as the rounds progressed, one instance in particular where a bloody nose made foot placement a little slippery, and they had to pause the round to wipe up the mess with a white towel. My stomach got a little queasy at that point! I observed some interesting pre-round rituals that various individuals practiced, some kneeling down before entering the ring, some head to head with their teacher/coach for a moment of prayer before beginning, some parading around to four corners of the ring, giving their respect to spectators in each direction. A few fighters wore interesting headdresses, that circled their heads and jutted out at the back, with colorful tassels hanging from the ends. This was removed by the fighter's coach before they began the match. It was all very interesting.... witnessing my first boxing match, a Muay Thai event in South Korea. Anyways, here are some more pics... 
I had no idea what I was getting myself into. One of the teachers at my school had some discounted tickets to a Muay Thai boxing match last night, and a whole crew of us ended up going. Muay Thai is Thailand's national sport, and is a form of martial arts, in which fighters use eight points of contact; their hands, shins, elbows and knees. This is the main way it differs from Western boxing, where only two points of contact are used (the fists) or other common forms, where four points are used (the fists and feet). The rounds started off with two young boys... who didn't look any older than seven or eight! The audience was so well-behaved. There were no screaming soccer moms or ranting hockey fans to be seen! There was some polite clapping and a little cheering, but for anyone who has been to a hockey game in Canada or a rugby match in New Zealand, you might have mistaken this sports arena for a movie theater, everyone sitting so still and staring at the screen. Their silence is not to be mistaken for disinterest, however, because there were moments where the Koreans were so intense on what was happening in the ring, it felt like a whole room full of people all holding their breath at the same time! There were competitors from various countries; Thailand, Japan, Korea, and one guy from Canada, to name a few. Things got a little bloodier as the rounds progressed, one instance in particular where a bloody nose made foot placement a little slippery, and they had to pause the round to wipe up the mess with a white towel. My stomach got a little queasy at that point! I observed some interesting pre-round rituals that various individuals practiced, some kneeling down before entering the ring, some head to head with their teacher/coach for a moment of prayer before beginning, some parading around to four corners of the ring, giving their respect to spectators in each direction. A few fighters wore interesting headdresses, that circled their heads and jutted out at the back, with colorful tassels hanging from the ends. This was removed by the fighter's coach before they began the match. It was all very interesting.... witnessing my first boxing match, a Muay Thai event in South Korea. Anyways, here are some more pics... 
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