Muay Thai Techniques

In its original form, Muay Thai consisted of an arsenal of nine weapons - the head, fists, elbows, knees and feet - known collectively as na-wa arwud. However in modern Muay Thai, both amateur and professional, headbutting an opponent is no longer allowed.

To strike and bind the opponent for both offensive and defensive purposes, small amounts of stand-up grappling are used: the clinch. Formal Muay Thai techniques are divided into two groups: Mae Mai or major techniques and Luk Mai or minor techniques. Muay Thai is often a fighting art of attrition, where opponents exchange blows with one another. This is certainly the case with traditional stylists in Thailand, but is a less popular form of fighting in the contemporary world fighting circuit. With the success of Muay Thai in mixed martial arts fighting, it has become the de facto martial art of choice for competitive stand-up fighters. As a result, it has evolved and incorporated much more powerful hand striking techniques used in western style boxing and the Thai style of exchanging blow for blow is no longer favorable. Note: when Muay Thai fighters compete against fighters of other styles (and if the rules permit it), they almost invariably emphasize elbow (sok) and knee (kao) techniques to gain a distinct advantage in fighting. Almost all techniques in Muay Thai use the entire body movement, rotating the hip with each kick, punch, and block. The rotation of the hips in Muay Thai techniques, and intensive focus on "core muscles" (such as abdominal muscles and surrounding muscles) is very distinctive and is what sets Muay Thai apart from other styles of martial arts.

Punching (Chok)

English	Thai	Transliteration	IPA
Straight punch	หมัดตรง	Mud Trong	mɑd troŋ
Hook	หมัดเหวี่ยงสั้น	Mud Wiang San	mɑd wɪɑŋ sɑn
Swing	หมัดเหวี่ยงยาว	Mud Wiang Yao	mɑd wɪɑŋ jɑːo
Spinning backfist	หมัดเหวี่ยงกลับ	Mud Wiang Glub	mɑd wɪɑŋ glɑb
Uppercut	หมัดเสย ( หมัดสอยดาว )	Mud Seuy	mɑd sɣɪ
Cobra punch	กระโดดชก	Kra-dod Chok	grɑ doːd tʃog
Undercut	หมัดฮุก	Mud Hook	mɑd hug

The punch techniques in Muay Thai were originally quite simple being crosses and a long (or lazy) circular strike made with a straight (but not locked) arm and landing with the heel of the palm. Cross-fertilization with Western boxing and western martial arts mean the full range of western boxing punches are now used (jab, straight right/cross, hook, uppercut, shovel and corkscrew punches plus overhand or bolo punches).

As a tactic, body punching is used less in Muay Thai than most other striking martial arts to avoid exposing the attacker's head to counter strikes from knees or elbows.

Elbow (Tee sok)

The elbow can be used in seven ways: horizontal, diagonal-upwards, diagonal-downwards, uppercut, downward, backward-spinning and flying. From the side it can be used as either a finishing move or as a way to cut the opponent's eyebrow so that blood might block his vision. The blood also raises the opponent's awareness of being hurt which could affect his performance. This is the most common way of using the elbow. The diagonal elbows are faster than the other forms, but are less powerful. The uppercut and flying elbows are the most powerful, but are slower and easier to avoid or block. The downward elbow is usually used as a finishing move.

English	Thai	Transliteration	IPA
Elbow Slash	ศอกตี	Sok Tee	sɔ̀ːk tīː
Horizontal Elbow	ศอกตัด	Sok Tud	sɔ̀ːk tàd̥
Uppercut Elbow	ศอกงัด	Sok Ngud	sɔ̀ːk ŋád̥
Forward Elbow Thrust	ศอกพุ่ง	Sok Poong	sɔ̀ːk pʰûŋ
Reverse Horizontal Elbow	ศอกเหวี่ยงกลับ	Sok Wiang Glub	sɔ̀ːk wìːaŋ klàb̥
Spinning Elbow	ศอกกลับ	Sok Glub	sɔ̀ːk klàb̥
Elbow Chop	ศอกสับ	Sok Sub	sɔ̀ːk sàb̥
Double Elbow Chop	ศอกกลับคู่	Sok Glub Koo
Mid-Air Elbow Strike	กระโดดศอก	Gra-dode Sok

There is also a distinct difference between a single elbow and a follow-up elbow. The single elbow is an elbow move independent from any other move, whereas a follow-up elbow is the second strike from the same arm, being a hook first with an elbow follow-up. Such elbows, and most other elbows, are used when the distance between fighters becomes too small and there is too little space to throw a hook at the opponent's head.

Kicking (Teh)

Low kick

English	Thai	Transliteration
Straight Kick	เตะตรง	Teh Trong
Roundhouse Kick	เตะตัด	Teh Tud
Diagonal Kick	เตะเฉียง	Teh Chiang
Half-Shin, Half-Knee Kick	เตะครึ่งแข้งครึ่งเข่า	Teh Krueng Kheng Krueng Kao
Spinning Heel Kick	เตะกลับหลัง	Teh Glub Lang
Down Roundhouse Kick	เตะกด	Teh Kod
Axe Heel Kick	เตะเข่า	Teh Khao
Jump Kick	กระโดดเตะ	Gra-dode Teh
Step-Up Kick	เขยิบเตะ	KhaYiep Teh

The two most common kicks in Muay Thai are known as the teep (literally "foot jab,"), and the Teh(kick)chiang (kicking upwards in the shape of a triangle cutting under the arm and ribs) or angle kick. The Muay Thai angle kick has been widely adopted by fighters from other martial arts. The angle kick uses a rotational movement of the entire body. The angle kick is superficially similar to a karate roundhouse kick, but omits the rotation of the lower leg from the knee used in other striking martial arts like Karate or Taekwondo. The angle kick draws its power entirely from the rotational movement of the body. Many Muay Thai fighters use a counter rotation of the arms to intensify the power of this kick.

If a round house kick is attempted by the opponent the Muay Thai fighter will normally block with his shin. Thai boxers are trained to always connect with the shin. While sensitive in an unconditioned practitioner, the shin is the strongest part of the leg for experienced Muay Thai fighters. The foot contains many fine bones and is much weaker. A fighter may end up hurting himself if he tries to strike with his foot or instep.

Muay Thai also includes other varieties of kicking, such as the axe kick, side kick or spinning back kick etc. These kicks, are only used in bouts by some fighters. It is worth noting that a side kick is performed differently in Muay Thai than the traditional side kick of other martial arts. In Muay Thai, a side kick is executed by first raising the knee of the leg that is going to kick in order to convince the opponent that the executor is going to perform a teep or front kick. The hips are then shifted to the side to the more traditional side kick position for the kick itself. The "fake-out" almost always precedes the kick in Muay Thai technique.

Knee (Tee kao)

English	Thai	Transliteration
Straight Knee Strike	เข่าตรง	Kao Trong
Diagonal Knee Strike	เข่าเฉียง	Kao Chiang
Curving Knee Strike	เข่าโค้ง	Kao Kong
Horizontal Knee Strike	เข่าตัด	Kao Tud
Knee Slap	เข่าตบ	Kao Tob
Knee Bomb	เข่ายาว	Kao Youwn
Flying Knee Strike	เข่าลอย	Kao Loi
Step-Up Knee Strike	เข่าเหยียบ	Kao Yiep

• Kao Dode (Jumping knee strike) - the Thai boxer jumps up on one leg and strikes with that leg's knee.
• Kao Loi (Flying knee strike) - the Thai boxer takes step(s), jumps forward and off one leg and strikes with that leg's knee.
• Kao Tone (Straight knee strike) - the Thai boxer simply thrusts it forward (not upwards, unless he is holding an opponents head down in a clinch and intend to knee upwards into the face). According to one written source, this technique is somewhat more recent than Kao Dode or Kao Loi. Supposedly, when the Thai boxers fought with rope-bound hands rather than the modern boxing gloves, this particular technique was subject to potentially vicious cutting, slicing and sawing by an alert opponent who would block it or deflect it with the sharp "rope-glove" edges which are sometimes dipped in water to make the rope much stronger. This explanation also holds true for some of the following knee strikes below as well.

The clinch version of this move was scientifically proven recently, by National Geographic Channel's Fight Science, to be the strongest blow using the legs in martial arts. The test subject, Melchor Menor, delivered the strike to a high-tech dummy. On a person the blow would have fragmented the ribs, caused two inches of chest compression, and caused severe internal bleeding in the organs.

• Kao Noi (Small knee strike) - the Thai boxer hits the inside upper thigh (above the knee) of the opponent when clinching. This technique is used to wear down the opponent or to counter the opponent's knee strike or kick.

Foot-thrust (teep)

Foot-Thrusts also known as Push Kicks or literally "foot jabs" are one of the most common techniques used in Muay Thai. Teeps are different from any other Muay Thai technique in terms of objective to use. Foot-thrusts are mainly used as a defensive technique to control distance, block attacks, and get an opponent off balance. Foot-Thrusts should be thrown quickly but yet with enough force to knock an opponent off balance.

English	Thai	Transliteration	IPA
Straight Foot-Thrust	ถีบตรง	Teep Trong	tʰìːb̥ tròŋ
Sideways Foot-Thrust	ถีบข้าง	Teep Kang	tʰìːb̥ kʰâːŋ
Reverse Foot-Thrust	ถีบกลับหลัง	Teep Glub Lang	tʰìːb̥ klàb̥ làŋ
Slapping Foot-Thrust	ถีบตบ	Teep Tob
Jumping Foot-Thrust	กระโดดถีบ	Gra-dode Teep	kràʔ dòːd̥ tʰìːb̥

Clinch

In Western Boxing the two fighters are separated when they clinch; in Muay Thai, however, they are not. It is often in the clinch where knee and elbow techniques are used. The front clinch should be performed with the palm of one hand on the back of the other. There are three reasons why the fingers must not be intertwined. 1) In the ring fighters are wearing boxing gloves and cannot intertwine their fingers. 2) The Thai front clinch involves pressing the head of the opponent downwards, which is easier if the hands are locked behind the back of the head instead of behind the neck. Furthermore the arms should be putting as much pressure on the neck as possible. 3) A fighter may incur an injury to one or more fingers if they are intertwined, and it becomes more difficult to release the grip in order to quickly elbow the opponent's head.

A correct clinch also involves the fighter's forearms pressing against the opponent's collar bone while the hands are around the opponent's head rather than the opponent's neck. The general way to get out of a clinch is to push the opponent's head backwards or elbow him or her, as the clinch requires both participants to be very close to one another. Additionally, the non-dominant clincher can try to "swim" his or her arm underneath and inside the opponent's clinch, establishing the previously non-dominant clincher as the dominant clincher.

Muay Thai has several other variants of the clinch, including:

• arm clinch, where one or both hands controls the inside of the defender's arm(s) and where the second hand if free is in the front clinch position, this clinch is used to briefly control the opponent before applying a knee strike or throw
• side clinch, one arm passing around the front of the defender with the attacker's shoulder pressed into the defender's arm pit and the other arm passing round the back which allows the attacker to apply knee strikes to the defender's back or to throw the defender readily
• low clinch, with both controlling arms passing under the defender's arms, which is generally used by the shorter of two opponents
• swan-neck where one hand around the rear of the neck is used to briefly clinch an opponent (before a strike).

Defense against attacks

Defenses in Muay Thai are categorised in 6 groups:

• Blocking - defender's hard blocks to stop a strike in its path so preventing it reaching its target, (eg the Shin Block described in more detail below)

• Redirection - defender's soft parries to change the direction of a strike (eg a downwards tap to a jab) so that it misses the target

• Avoidance - moving a body part out of the way or range of a strike so the defender remains in range for a counter-strike, eg defender moving the front leg backwards from the attacker's low kick: then immediately counter-attacking with an angle kick: or defender laying the head back from the attacker's high angle kick: then immediately counter-attacking with a side kick from the front leg:

• Evasion - moving the body out of the way or range of a strike so the defender has to move close again to counter-attack, eg defender jumping back from attacker's kicks

• Disruption - Pre-empting an attack. eg with defender using disruptive techniques like jab, teep or low angle kick (to the inside of the attacker's front leg) as the attacker attempts to close distance

• Anticipation - Defender catching a strike (eg catching an angle kick to the body) or countering it before it lands (eg defender's low kick to the supporting leg below as the attacker iniates a high angle kick).

Punches and kicks

Defensively, the concept of "wall of defence" is used, in which shoulders, arms and legs are used to hinder the attacker from successfully executing techniques. Blocking is a critical element in Muay Thai and compounds the level of conditioning a successful practitioner must possess. Low and mid body roundhouse kicks are normally blocked with the upper portion of a raised shin. High body strikes are blocked with the forearm/glove, elbow/shin. Mid section roundhouse kicks can also be caught/trapped, allowing for a sweep or counter attack to the remaining leg of the opponent. Punches are blocked with an ordinary boxing guard and techniques similar, if not identical, to basic boxing technique. A common means of blocking a punch is using the hand on the same side as the oncoming punch. For example, if an orthodox fighter throws a jab (being the left hand), the defender will make a slight tap to redirect the punch's angle with the right hand. The deflection is always as small and precise as possible to avoid unnecessary energy expenditure and return the hand to the guard as quickly as possible. Hooks are most often blocked with a motion most often described as "combing your hair," raising the elbow forward and effectively shielding the head with the forearm, flexed biceps, and shoulder. More advanced Muay Thai blocks are usually counters, used to damage the opponent to prevent another attack being made.

~Wikipedia~

Wai Kru

Wai khru ram muay (Thai: ไหว้ครูรำมวย) is an action of respect in Thai culture that is performed by participants in Muay Thai competitions. Wai is an action of Thais to show respect to others by putting the hands together like in prayer. 'Khru means teacher. Ram means dance in the old Thai traditional style. Muay means boxing. Usually Thais prefer to call it short Ram Muay or Wai Khru. Ram Muay is the way to show respect to the teachers and the trainers. Also, in past muay Thai was usually fought in front of the king, so Ram Muay was also to apologize to the King for the brutality in fighting.

The fighter first performs the Wai Khru, circling the ring three times before kneeling and bowing three times as a sign of respect to god and man. He also bows to Buddha to ask for protection for himself and his opponent and for an honourable fight.

The fighter then performs the Ram Muay, whose simple movements demonstrate a fighter's control and style. Each fighter performs the Ram Muay on each side of the ring to demonstrate his prowess to the audience. The Ram Muay is a personal ritual, ranging from the very complex to the very simple, and often contains clues about who trained the fighter and where the fighter is from.

The practitioner may wear a headband called a Mong Kon and armbands known as Pra Jiad during the ceremony, and the Ram Muay may be accompanied by music.

~Wikipedia~

Wai Kru ceremony video by YouTube!!!

Tony Jaa - Ong Bak

An old video of Tony Jaa. Enjoy!!!

Tomoi tanpa elemen bergaduh

Sukan tomoi atau Muay Thai dianggap seni mempertahankan diri yang dapat membentuk nilai peribadi seorang remaja. Wartawan, NOOR HASLIZA NUSI melaporkan.

SUKAN tomoi kembali mendapat suntikan semangat baru sekitar lewat tahun 1990-an di Malaysia.

---

SESUDAH meletakkan mong kong (seutas ikatan tali) di atas kepala, badan dialun mengikut rentak secara perlahan, bersama iringan irama muzik gamelan dan tiupan serunai.

Langkah disembah di setiap penjuru gelanggang mengikut gerak bebas anggota badan, sebagai penghormatan kepada sang guru.

Begitulah senarionya ritual langkah sembah, iaitu adegan yang dilakukan peninju sebelum memulakan sesebuah perlawanan. Ketika itu jugalah, peninju akan memperkenalkan kelab atau perguruan masing-masing kepada pengadil.

Mungkin cerita mengenai sejarah perkembangan sukan tersebut sudah lama disebarkan kepada umum. Namun, hanya sebilangan daripada kita masih tertanya-tanya tentang asal-usul sukan tradisi masyarakat Thailand ini.

Sukan tomoi atau Muay Thai ini merupakan salah satu cabang seni mempertahankan diri yang menggunakan kepantasan anggota badan seperti tangan, siku, kaki dan lutut dalam mencari sasaran untuk menjatuhkan lawan.

ANTARA peralatan sukan tomoi yang diperlukan oleh setiap peninju.

---

Tempoh perlawanan yang diambil adalah selama lima pusingan. Setiap satu pusingan mengambil masa selama tiga minit dan dua minit untuk berehat.

Sekiranya salah seorang peninju didapati tumbang atau rebah sebelum tamat masa perlawanan, pihak lawannya secara automatik akan diisytiharkan sebagai pemenang.

Berbanding dengan sukan tinju, ia melibatkan satu pergerakan tangan sahaja.

Menurut ketua pengadil, Ahmad Sowhini Harun, seorang pengadil berhak membatalkan perlawanan atau memberi amaran kepada peninju sekiranya didapati peninju tersebut melakukan kesalahan dalam perlawanan.

“Antaranya ialah membuat serangan di bahagian alat sulit, belakang kepala hingga ke paras tengkuk dan semasa lawan terjatuh sama ada disebabkan oleh pukulan atau bukan pukulan. Namun peninju boleh menyerang semasa lawan dalam kedudukan melayang sebelum jatuh.

“Peninju juga tidak dibenarkan mengangkat dan menghempas lawan ke lantai, tidak dibenarkan menggigit dan mengeluarkan kata-kata kesat kepada pihak lawan.

“Sekiranya berlaku dalam perlawanan, peninju akan diberi amaran sebanyak dua kali (mata akan ditolak dan dua mata percuma diberikan kepada pihak lawan).

“Manakala apabila peninju didapati melakukan kesalahan untuk kali ketiga, dia boleh disingkirkan daripada perlawanan jika tindakan tersebut disengajakan,” jelasnya.

SUKAN ini lebih membangkitkan semangat kesukanan dan perpaduan dalam kalangan peninju dan tenaga pengajar.

---

Sukan yang berasal dari Thailand ini telah banyak melahirkan jaguh yang mampu memberi tentangan ketika beraksi di gelanggang.

Nama-nama seperti Chepa Somadi, Wan Jaafar Tok Raja Geting, Husin Bidah, Cikgu Harun Pohon Tanjung, Dollah Kuda Kayu dan ramai lagi, adalah antara anak muay atau peninju yang digeruni lawan terutama dari negara jiran pada tahun 1970-an.

“Setelah hampir suku abad berkubur, sukan ini kembali mendapat suntikan semangat sekitar lewat tahun 1990-an.

“Ia mula mendapat tempat di hati masyarakat, apabila gelanggang-gelanggang dan pusat latihan tomoi tumbuh bagaikan cendawan selepas hujan di seluruh negeri.

“Setiap minggu, perlawanan tomoi yang dianjurkan mendapat sambutan hangat daripada masyarakat setempat, terutama di tengah-tengah kota metropolitan, Kuala Lumpur,” tambahnya.

Kunjungan Kosmo! ke salah sebuah gelanggang di ibu kota, baru-baru ini, begitu menarik perhatian memandangkan ramai dalam kalangan pemain terdiri daripada golongan remaja dan belia.

Apakah sukan tersebut signifikan terhadap jiwa dan personaliti para pemain?

“Tomoi mengutamakan ketahanan fizikal, manakala tinju lebih kepada kepantasan menumbuk. Kedua-dua elemen ini boleh digabung bersama ke arah mencapai satu matlamat, bergelar juara, demi kecemerlangan masa depan sukan tinju.

“Selain meningkatkan semangat kesukanan, sukan tomoi juga dapat mengubah sikap dan mentaliti seseorang peninju,” kata juara Malaysia dalam Contender Asia 2008, Tengku Shahrizal Tengku Abdul Rahman, 23.

Menurutnya, sebelum ini, dia seorang yang bersikap panas baran, tetapi setelah menyertai sukan tomoi sejak usia 17 tahun, dia berjaya mengurus kemarahannya dengan lebih baik.

Di samping mengenengahkan kemantapan diri dalam sukan tomoi, Tengku Shahrizal, berkata, pemain juga akan diasuh cara menghormati saudara yang lebih tua, termasuk guru, ibu bapa dan masyarakat di sekeliling.

Sementara itu, Ketua Jurulatih Tomoi, Rosli Yaacob berkata: “Tidak pernah wujud elemen pergaduhan dalam sesebuah perlawanan. Sebaliknya, sukan ini lebih membangkitkan semangat kesukanan dan perpaduan dalam kalangan peninju dan tenaga pengajar”.

“Jelas terbukti, sukan tomoi bukan sekadar aksi sukan di arena perlawanan, tetapi ia juga dianggap satu platform bagi membentuk nilai peribadi seseorang remaja,” tambahnya.

Hafiszudin Hamdan, 17, pula memberitahu, dia mula meminati sukan tomoi sewaktu menonton filem tinju, Ong Bak.

“Sejak berusia 16 tahun, saya sudah mula menggemari aksi yang ditunjukkan oleh peninju handalan, Tong Ja.

“Saya teruja melihat pergerakan kaki dan tangan serta cara menumbuk. Ini membangkitkan semangat saya untuk menyertai sukan tersebut,” katanya.

Menurutnya, pengalaman yang dilalui dalam sukan ini juga mampu mematangkan diri seseorang.

“Saya menyertai sukan ini bukan sekadar sebagai hobi masa lapang, tetapi sukan ini begitu mencabar minda.

“Menerusinya, saya berpeluang bermain dengan minda pihak lawan sekali gus mengasah dan memantapkan lagi corak pemikiran peninju,” katanya.

Badruddin Razak, 22, mengakui berjaya menghentikan tabiat merokok yang menjadi rutin hariannya setelah menyertai sukan tomoi.

“Seperti seni mempertahankan diri yang lain, tomoi mempunyai impak yang tersendiri dalam membentuk sahsiah remaja berdisiplin sekali gus menjauhi perbuatan yang tidak bermoral seperti melepak, mengambil dadah, menghisap rokok dan merewang pada waktu malam.

“Ini kerana, selepas tamat latihan, badan akan terasa letih, membuatkan seseorang itu mengantuk dan mahu berehat di rumah sahaja,” kata anak kelahiran Besut, Terengganu ini.

~Kosmo~ 26 Julai 2008

Sharizal wins after three-minute bout ends prematurely

By NG WEI LOON
Photos by GLENN GUAN

THE crowd's favourite, Tengku Sharizal, emerged the winner at the Malaysian edition of The Contender Asia qualifier at the Stadium Malawati in Shah Alam on Saturday.

In the final, the 25-year-old from Royal Malaysian Police Force (PDRM) knocked out his younger opponent Hashim Ramli.

As both fighters stepped up the tempo in the second of the three-round encounter, the three-minute bout ended prematurely when the 20-year-old Hashim failed to recover.

Getting into the rhythm: Sharizal (right) attacking Bernard in the first semi-final bout at the Malaysian edition of The Contender Asia qualifier.

Tengku said he had scrutinised Hashim’s weakness during his opponent’s earlier fight against Khoo Meng Yang (“Red Dragon”).

“I knew that he was feeling uncomfortable with his leg injury. I kept on pressuring him on his weak spot and just struck it right with the constant attack,” he added.

Four Malaysian exponents competed in the Malaysia Super Four Fights endorsed by the World Muay Thai Council (WMC) to have a shot in making a debut in the second season of the reality show.

Exchanging blows: Abbas (left) taking on Dominik in the curtain raiser for the International Muay Thai Superfights.

Bernard “Headhunter” Radin, who won the Malaysia Ultimate Warrior title last year, was the other fighter in the fray.

In the semi-finals, the finalists – Tengku and Hashim – needed an extra fourth round to eliminate their challengers.

Sharizal warded off the threat from Bernard while Hashim showed better endurance to overcome Khoo to set up the final showdown.

“It was my first time going up against Bernard. He is a worthy competitor and he had trained with The Contender Asia first season winner (Yodsaenklai) from Thailand to prepare for this event. I took awhile to settle down because I was a bit cautious at the beginning of the bout,” said Sharizal.

In the curtain raiser for the International Muay Thai Superfights, the match up between Zidov “Akuma” Dominik of Switzerland and Abbas Ahmadi from Iran went the full distance.

Abbas, who entertained the crowd with his rotational swing, prevailed at the end of the fifth and final round.

However, South African part-time model Olivia Jackson had a punishing time when Tiana “Tiger” Caverley of Australia stamped her dominance to clinch the WMC women’s inter-continental title bout.

In addition, two other battles were also decided by technical knockout.

Brazillian Leornardo Monteiro needed only two rounds to force Kim Khan Zaki (“Zig Zag”) to retire and take the WMC Against Drugs title.

Meanwhile, the referee decided to stop the contest for the WMC International Challenge when Thailand's Sirichai (“Singha Siri”) bled profusely in the fifth and final round of an intense match-up against Sean Wright of Scotland.

~The Star~ - Tuesday July 8, 2008

Tomoi, Etymology, & History

Tomoi
Tomoi is the Malaysian name for a South-East Asian martial art known in Thailand as Muay Thai, in Cambodia as Pradal Serey, in Laos as Muay Lao and as a similar art from Myanmar known as Lethwei. Tomoi refers to siku lutut, which in Malay is translated literally as "elbows knees".

Etymology
The word tomoi derives from dhoi muay or dhee muay which is a Thai word for pugilism and fist fighting in general. It was the original term of reference for the old bare-fisted form of Muay Thai now known as Muay Boran (ancient boxing).

History
It's not clear exactly where the various Indo-Chinese forms of kickboxing originated but they are known to share a common ancestry having been based on Chinese techniques with some influence from Indian martial arts. Tomoi was brought into peninsular Malaysia by the Thais and Khmers who share close cultural, historic, ethnic and linguistic links with the Malays. The ancient Funan empire, based in modern-day Cambodia and Vietnam once encompassed what are now Thailand, Kedah, Perlis and Pahang. Nearby Langkasuka, The kingdom of Lembah Bujang traded extensively with the Khmers which eventually led to Perlis and parts of Kedah being ruled by Angkor in the 1400s. It's possible that some form of bokator or early Pradal Serey was introduced during this time which would account for the former's similarity to silat. However, it was the ethnic Thais, who have long existed side by side with the Malay people, that were mostly responsible for tomoi's practice in Malaysia. After the fall of Srivijaya, virtually all of Malaysia's northern states came under Thai sovereignty until the 15th century when Melaka was founded following a Siamese attack. Trengganu had already been paying tribute to Siam during this time and they coninued trading with each other even after the state became a vassal of Melaka. Both Kedah and Trengganu were either controlled or influenced by Siam from the 1800s until power was passed to British colonists in the early 20th century.

Tomoi's practice was focused mainly in Kelantan and a few states nearby. Like neighbouring Trengganu, Kelantan's geographic location led to its strong links with Cambodia and especially Thailand. The area was heavily influenced by the Indianised kingdom of Funan whose farming methods it adopted. The ancient kingdom of Langkasuka, based in present-day Kelantan, Trengganu and Pattani, was described in Chinese accounts of having a culture similar to Funan and this may have included martial arts. Kelantan was under Siamese influence throughout the 1800s until the British came into power. During the Japanese occupation, control of Kelantan was passed to Thailand again until the state became part of the Malayan Federation. Because of these close geographic, ethnic and historical ties, Malaysia and Thailand are linguistically and culturally very similar. Kelantan, Trengganu and Thailand's southern provinces in particular share a distinct Malayan-Thai culture and language. One of the practices they have in common was the boxing form of dhoi muay (now called Muay Boran) from where the term tomoi derives. It was practiced not only the local Thais but other races as well, especially Malays. The Malays didn't do so for its effectiveness in the ring but leaned more toward the cultural aspect.

Even before British colonization tomoi was a popular pastime. It remained so until 1990 when the Kelantan government under the administration of PAS banned a number of Malay arts including traditional attire, dances, shadow puppetry and tomoi along with them. Although it was still practiced by a few, tomoi's popularity among Malays began to wane. In 2006 the ban was abolished and the art was again allowed to be practiced under the proposed name of "Muay Kelate". The preferred name used by promoters is freestyle kickboxing but most Malay-speakers still call it tomoi.
~Wikipedia~