Muay Thai history originated in the country of Thailand. You might have seen the Jean Claude Van Damme Movie Kickboxer where he starred with Tong Po. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, go out and watch it. This will give you an idea of how they fight like this. When Thailand was in the process of trying to solidify itself as a nation centuries ago, they were dependent on what they knew so they could properly defend themselves.
Way back then only weapons like Spears and Clubs were available for battle. Because of this they naturally became very proficient of using their head, elbows and feet to compensate. As time went on, they became better and better at fighting with their bodies only. These fighting skills they developed for the battlefield eventually became a sport called Muay Thai Boxing.
Not very many people in Thailand kept written records of anything, so all the knowledge of this was passed down from generation to generation. When Muay Thai first started they use to fight bare fisted. Later they started using hemp wrappings to protect their fingers and wrists. Rumor has it that fighters back then dipped their fists in water before a contest. This would cause the hemp wrappings to harden when it dried, which would make the fighters capable of producing serious injury to their opponents.
It was also rumored that Muay Thai Fighters dipped their hands in glue and ground glass. Also you could hit someone in the groin and that was allowed until the 1930’s. After World War II lots of fighters migrated to Bangkok in search of fame and fortune. This has now become an accepted sport in many countries all over the world. This type of boxing has always been a paramount part of the Thai Culture. Thai Boxing is a fascinating sport, and if you ever visit Bangkok, you will be able to see matches go on all the time at some of the local bars.