Mae Mai Muay Thai studies combat both with and without weapons and was used by Thai warriors in war, if they lost their weapons.

Currently, the term Muay Thai mainly identifies the sporting aspect of martial art.

Characteristics of this martial art are the deadly blows inflicted with the tibia (which years of practice condition up to make them very hard), elbows and knees. Muay Thai, in English, is also known as “the science of the eight limbe” because it uses eight points of the body to strike: hands, shins / foot, elbows and knees. The conditioning to be applied to the parts used to hit is very particular: a long and rather painful process for beginners, which involves hitting training bags of increasing hardness with constant frequency.

The Thais even use certain types of local trees with a very flexible trunk and smooth bark, but they seem to be favored by a different physical structure than that typical of Westerners.