for the Thai language
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 Kick boxing, or muay thai (มวยไทย    ), is considered the national sport of Thailand. There are stadiums throughout the country, where bouts
are held weekly or more often. A fight is five rounds of three minutes, with a two minute break between each round. Before each
fight begins, the two boxers perform an important dance-like ceremony called the wai kruu (ไหว้ครู) to musical
accompaniment. The musicians (a double-reed Javanese shawm player, a small Chinese hand cymbal player, and one or two drummers) also
accompany the fight itself, improvising music according to the intensity of the fighting.In Thai boxing, any part of the body can be used offensively or as a target; sweeping kicks to the head are rarely landed but extremely effective in knocking out or disorienting an opponent. More common are repeated butts to the opponent's side with the knee while holding him. This picture shows a fight in Bangkok on April 26, 1996. |