Muay Thai Is Slow

"Muay Thai is slow" - that is what my kruu Petsila was telling me while gently stepping rhythmically from one foot to another, waving his hands hands up and down like a cobra's head in front of his face.

This is not news to me, but somehow I hadn't realised fully. Every time I saw a fight on youtube, or an inter club at my gym, you notice that westerners they have to rush. They start a fight and they have to knock the other person down in the shortest time possible. I don't like that, and I don't like the trash talk behind every single fight of american competition. UFC is just the new Boxing in America, with the same attitude, the anger, the television biz. Muay Thai is a sport, is not a street fight, and westerners should learn that as well when they train.

I saw fights at Lumpini stadium, Bangla and Suwit. Thai people are relaxed, they start slow for the first two rounds. They feel each other with single strikes and see how the other reacts. If someone hits they other good, they nod at each other - "that was good, you got me, back I will get back at you".
They go for a good exchange of blows, and then reset for the next one. If someone miss a kick, they don't capitalise on their mistake instead they wait for one another. Just have a look at any thai vs thai fight, you can tell they have an understanding, that they have to show who is better, but in the same time they want a challenge, they don't want an easy fight. Often they taunt each other just because the fight is too easy, they want the other to recoup stamina and get back at them so that they can have a good fight.

This is the opposite for westerners. The intent is to kill not to have a good fight. If the fight is too easy they pressure more until the opponent is down on the floor. There is no understanding, there is no sportsmanships, there is no fun, is just kill-kill-kill.

By the last round often, a fighter know whether they have won or lost already, you will find thai people walking around the ring and play a little. "I know I won, I don't have to prove anything anymore" and "I know I lost, he was the better fighter" are the thoughts in the fighters mind's, there is no need to knock each other out, the fight is over.