advertorial Today
Risk, reward and resilience: Why these Singapore parents send their kids to compete in Muay Thai overseas
Singaporean youths as young as eight are making a name for themselves in Muay Thai, competing in Thailand where the sport is deeply rooted. Here's why their parents are supporting their kids even as they acknowledge the risks involved.
The beads of perspiration glinting under the lights of the boxing stadium threatened to sting his eyes, but an expressionless Sayyid Al-Tahneem kept focus on his Thai opponent, whom he had just watched brutally knock out another fighter in under 30 seconds.
Clad in black shorts, cobalt blue boxing gloves and neon green ankle supports, Sayyid knew the adrenaline-seeking crowd at Patong Boxing Stadium in Phuket, Thailand was eager to see how a "muay farang" (a Thai term used to describe a foreign fighter) such as him will fare against their own.
However, Sayyid, 12, did not go all the way from Singapore to be a pushover in the Muay Thai ring on Jan 28.
His opponent, standing on home ground, appeared formidable – but the lean Singaporean competitor, having beaten three others in previous matches since last June, knows what needs to be done to earn his first championship belt at the Muay Thai International "Superboy" Championship.
After 10 minutes of enduring his rival's powerful jabs and kicks and countering with a style of fighting that he had honed over a decade of training at a Muay Thai gym in Singapore, Sayyid emerged victorious.
As a referee fastened the bulky belt around his waist, a triumphant smile finally cracked Sayyid’s stoic demeanour.
“I didn’t expect to win ... His kicks were strong,” he recounted to CNA TODAY.
“But I thought, 'It is what it is'. The fight is still going to happen. If I backed out, my hard work would be for nothing.”
BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO MUAY THAI FIGHTS
The national sport of Thailand, Muay Thai is known as “the art of eight limbs”. Fighters use their fists, elbows, knees and shins to strike blows on their opponents.
There is no belt system in Muay Thai, unlike other popular martial arts such as taekwondo and judo.
Matches in Thailand have five rounds, which is the traditional format.
To make Muay Thai accessible to TV audiences, international competitions adopt a three-round format, with championship matches having five rounds. Each round lasts two minutes for children, three minutes for adults.
A winner is picked from one of three methods.
- Knockout: The most decisive way to win, in which the winner knocks his opponent unconscious or conscious, but the opponent is unable to get back up and fight within 10 seconds.
- Technical knockout: The referee may end a fight if he deems one of the fighters unable to proceed due to injury or a dominant opponent, and the outclassed fighter wins.
- Points: Similar to boxing, judges use a 10-point "must" system to judge fighters on their performance. This means that the winners of a round must receive 10 points, while the opponents receive nine or fewer points depending on how far their performance lacked behind the winner. Fighters are judged on their ability to land accurate strikes with proper technique and power, ring dominance, damage inflicted, and their balance and control. If both fighters are equally matched, each person receives 10 points and the fight ends in a tie.
In order for the fight to be fair, children are matched by their weight, age and experience level.
International competitions for younger athletes have restrictions. The World Boxing Council Muay Thai division states that certain strikes to the head are banned depending on the age category. For fights with athletes aged 17 and above, head strikes such as roundhouse kicks and upper cuts are allowed.
The council dictates that Muay Thai fighters have to be at least 10 years old to fight in international competitions. Youth competitors must wear protective gear. This is in contrast to the cultural norm in Thailand, where youth fighters wear minimal protection.
To compete for a championship belt, competitors must first fight and win five to six matches at a single venue, each increasing in difficulty.
