Boxing is primarily considered a sport for men. When most people think of boxing, they do not picture two women dueling it out in a ring. Yet in recent years and throughout history, women have always played a role in this sport, and other areas of competitive fighting. It is interesting to see how it has developed over time, into what we know boxing as today, where women are just below men, in terms of numbers of competitive fighters. Boxing is a great workout for women to get in shape. Boxers need to have strength, speed, endurance, and explosiveness to win fights.

What has not changed that much is the amount of attention it gets in comparison to male boxing. This is primarily because a lot of people do not agree that women should take part in such a risky sport. Women, by nature, are considered the less aggressive of the two sexes and therefore should have no place in boxing. However, boxing is no more riskier than any other sport that has welcomed women. Not to mention the fact that women have been involved in boxing since the eighteenth century.

The reason why we are seeing a rise of female fighters is the great physical benefits it provides. There is nothing better than the workout you will get from a boxing match, not to mention the substantive training you will have to go through. If you are a woman and you are thinking about getting into boxing, then your first step will be to find a trainer. If you do not want to rush into that, then you will be better off to start by taking a couple of classes to see if it is something you would like to get involved in. That way you will learn the basics of the sport in terms of rules and technique.

Boxing is a great way to get rid of unwanted stress. People in general sometimes tend to hold everything in. This is hard on our bodies, so to avoid ulcers and high stress levels, boxing is a great option. Women in larger numbers, are experiencing benefits in this area that men have been taking advantage of for years. Another benefit is that boxing for women can also serve as a great self-defense tool. You will not feel as vulnerable as before when walking alone late at night if you are a skilled pugilist. Who needs mace or a stun gun when you can have the ultimate satisfaction of being able to cold-cock an attacker.

No matter what level of boxing you are at, you will find something that suits your abilities. Boxing is also an excellent activity for toning up the muscles of the rear and the quads, making it an appealing exercise for women who are interested in losing weight and toning their buns and thighs as part of their fitness strategy. Boxing has become one of the fastest growing fitness regimes that is available today. If you are wanting to develop a toned, lean and very strong central core for your body, then this just might be the perfect endeavor for you to achieve that goal.

Muay Thai is a very popular martial art form in Thailand. The name literally translates to ‘Thai Boxing’. This is the national sport of Thailand. The sport derives influence from other Southeast Asian contact sports and kickboxing.Talking about ancient sports of south East Asia, Thai boxing has a very prominent space. Popularized by King Nareusan of Thailand or Siam as it was known in 1560AD, Muay Thai was primarily used for military training. In those times, battles were fought using swords, bows and arrows and soldiers also engaged in hand to hand combat using their arms, elbows and legs. Captured by the Burmese in one of the wars with Siam, Nareusan, known for his ability as a fighter was given the option to fight his way out to freedom. On his return to Siam after waylaying some of Burma’s best fighter, he was hailed as a hero and the sport got national recognition.

Later for two centuries and during the time of King Tiger, Muay Thai was a very popular sport in Siam that was played by all sections of the population. Till the early part of the last century, horsehide strips were used for protection and if both the fighters agreed, glass shreds were used inside the help. For the safety of the contestants, the practice was discontinued fifty years ago and has never been used since. Known as kickboxing among foreigners, Muay Thai isThailand’s national sport and every boy in the country plays the sport some time or the other. Even girls are conversant with some of the techniques of kickboxing as they learn it for self defense. Popularity of Muay Thai spread to other nations including Japan where it is played as a martial art under a different name.

Records are not clear when Thai boxing originated but it is presumed it was brought over by Tai migrants from China. It is thought to be the need for self defense that made the Tai tribes use this style of boxing against the Siamese who used to attack them. Ever since their arrival from China, the Tais had to fight all the while for their survival. Later they managed to settle in the ”Gold Promontory” but not before fighting many battles for survival and loosing countless lives. With traditional weapons like bows, arrows and swords appearing redundant in hand to hand combat, the Tais showed how successfully elbows, fists and legs could be used in combat. Soon it became so successful that it was a real popular form used in subsequent battles that the Siamese fought with other nations and came to be known as Muay Thai.

It took a while before the Thais settled down and built a city of their own and later acquired territory what is now known as Thailand that this combat sport was co opted by the soldiers to defend the country. Even though they used traditional weapons in battle, soldiers had to learn the art of Muay Thai and the need for trainers or teachers, or Kru Muay as the Thais refer to them. Muay Thai is an interesting action packed sport where there is a lot of whole body movements unlike the thrust and parry style that you see in other sports like boxing. If you are interested in practicing this martial art form, please remember to use protective equipment like shin pads and hand wraps so that your body remains safe from unintended injuries.