IKF
MUAU THAI RULES
- Knees are allowed only below the shoulder line (No strikes are allowed
to the groin or joints -Knees- of the leg)
- Direct (Side Kick Style) kicks to the front of a fighters legs are
NOT ALLOWED.
- In TRUE Muay Thai as with these rules, FLASH KNOCKDOWNS
where the knocked down fighter rises up immediately after being knocked down are
NOT COUNTED AS A KNOCKDOWN OR STANDING 8 COUNTS.
- ELBOWS: To BODY ONLY. Dropping or spiking downward elbows
as well as rising elbows are Illegal.
- Clinching is allowed as long as 1 fighter is ACTIVE WITHIN the
clinch. If there is inactivity for a period of 3 seconds, the referee will break
the fighters.
- Chest Pads are "MANDATORY FOR JUNIORS" and Fighters Must
Supply Their Own.
- NO HIP THROWS: Over the hip throws such as in Japanese arts like
Judo, Jutitsu, Karate, Sambo, or San Shou are illegal. You can NOT use the hip
or shoulder to throw an opponent in any kind of judo throw or reap. No stepping
across, or in front of, your opponents leg with your leg and bringing your
opponent over your hip.
- Taking an opponent around the waist with both arms and twisting them off
balance so they will fall is legal.
- NECK WRESTLING: If in a clinch with arms around each others
shoulder, as to deliver or defend from an elbow strike, twisting the opponent
using the upper body in such a way that you will fall to the ground is allowed.
By using neck and shoulder manipulation, you can spin and throw/dump an opponent
to the canvas without using any part of your body as a barrier. This is fully
legal.
- PLOWING: Fighters are allowed to catch their opponents leg and take
1 step forward. After 1 step, the fighter holding the leg must STRIKE
before taking a second step or more or let go! You can not hold a leg and charge
an opponent to the ropes. You can "dump" a person if you catch their
leg and throw it back towards them causing them to fall backwards but must do so
within 2 steps (see previous). You can also catch under their knee while
they are doing a swing knee and topple them over backwards but must do so within
2 steps (see previous).
- Stepping on a fallen opponent is illegal. Commonly one sees an athlete
twist and pull an opponent over the side of their body (and then land on top),
this is illegal.
- It is considered an Intentional foul is when a fighter plans, with the sole
intention, of falling on top of their opponent to either strike with their knee
or to intentionally hurt their opponent, by making it look like an accident.
- ILLEGAL TRIP: If you position your foot next to your opponent and
twist them over your foot you must clear the leg as your opponent falls or it is
an illegal trip. An athlete CAN spin or pull an opponent over the inside
or outside of the leg and dump him on the ground. However the leg being used to
manipulate and dump the opponent to the ground can NOT stay in that
position as the opponent goes to the floor. If it is set and stays in that
position, that too is an illegal throw (tripping). In other words, the
leg must clear immediately after the opponent is pulled or tripped over the
knee. Clear means that the leg must be moved out of the way BEFORE the
opponent hits the canvas. This means skipping the leg or slightly jumping to the
side (as long as it is moved from the original position). Strangely,
this means an athlete can trip over a leg but must move the tripping leg while
the opponent falls to the ground, or it will be deemed illegal and called a
trip.
- SWEEPING: Sweeps (With instep of foot) are not allowed but
a fighter may "KICK" his/her opponents supporting leg with the
top of their foot or shin, NOT the instep as in a karate style sweep.
You can not grab an opponent in the clinch and then sweep their legs out. Common
example is to kick the back of the supporting leg out of the opponent using the
back of one's own leg or calf, this is illegal. All you can do is KICK (roundhouse
or using the top of your foot) an opponents legs out (shin, instep).
- LIFTING: You can NOT in any way lift an opponent off of the
ground to throw them. Common to see an athlete clinch their opponent around the
waist, lift their opponent off the canvas and then twist and throw them around
to the side and onto the canvas. This is illegal and points could be deducted of
continues use this move.
ADDITION TO
IKF AMATEUR MTR
GENERAL RULES
NOT FOR TOURNAMENT
COMPETITION
- ELBOWS: When Elbow Strikes are allowed to the
head, IKF Approved or Endorsed Elbow
Pads are
MANDATORY. Otherwise, bouts with elbow strikes to the body do not
require elbow pads. Strikes with elbows and knees are allowed. However, some
State Athletic Commissions may not allow knees to the head or elbows at all.
Under these circumstances, these Muay Thai Bouts will be called "MODIFIED
MUAY THAI". To be a Muay Thai bout at all, there must be at least Knee
Strikes to the body. Please CONFIRM with the event
Matchmaker what will be ALLOWED in your bout. Knees to the Head,
Elbows, etc.
- KNEES: Knees may strike to the Legs, Body and
Head. However, as noted above. Sometimes Knees to the HEAD will not be allowed.
Please CONFIRM with the event Matchmaker what will be
ALLOWED in your bout.
PRO
MTR GENERAL RULES
- No strikes are allowed to the groin or joints of the leg.
- Elbow Strikes are allowed but OPTIONAL in IKF PRO Muay Thai Bouts. HOWEVER, Elbow Strikes to
the head but MUST BE CONFIRMED IN MATCHMAKING with BOTH Fighters. Please CONFIRM with the event Matchmaker what will be ALLOWED
in your bout.
- Fighters may strike with Punches, Kicks, Knees and
SOMETIMES ELBOWS;
- Strikes with elbows and knees are allowed. However, some
State Athletic Commissions may not allow knees to the head or elbows at all.
Under these circumstances, these Muay Thai Bouts will be called "MODIFIED
MUAY THAI". To be a Muay Thai bout at all, there must be at least Knee
Strikes to the body. Please CONFIRM with the event
Matchmaker what will be ALLOWED in your bout. Knees to the Head,
Elbows, etc.
- KICKS (shin or foot) & KNEES are
allowed to BOTH legs (not the knees) of each fighter.
- KICKS may strike body and head as well.
- KNEES may strike to the legs, body and head.
- Clinching is allowed as long as 1 fighter is ACTIVE WITHIN
the clinch.
- MUAY THAI Throws are Allowed. NOT HIP THROWS.
- Fighters are allowed to catch their opponents leg and take
1 step forward. After 1 step, the fighter holding the leg must STRIKE before
taking a second step or more.
- Sweeps (With instep of foot) are not allowed but a
fighter may "KICK" his/her opponents supporting leg with the top
of their foot or shin, NOT the instep as in a karate style sweep.
- No strikes are allowed to the groin or joints of the leg.
- In TRUE Muay Thai as with these rules, FLASH
KNOCKDOWNS
where the knocked down fighter rises up immediately after being knocked
down are NOT COUNTED AS A KNOCKDOWN OR STANDING 8 COUNT.
- Direct (Side Kick Style) kicks to the front of a fighters
legs Are NOT ALLOWED.
- Kicks (shin or foot) may strike the inside and outside of
each fighters legs.
Muay Thai Rules
DRESS CODE
Shorts are MANDATORY
to clearly designate that this is a leg kick bout as well.
Muay Thai Rules
SAFETY EQUIPMENT
FOR EQUIPMENT - CLICK
HERE!
- AMATEUR Safety Equipment
-
Headgear Is Optional Except in the United Kingdom.
- Shin Pads - Shin-n-instep padding
- Are Not Mandatory in single event bouts but may be used.
However, For SAFETY Reasons these are
mandatory in all "AMATEUR TOURNAMENT" competitions.
- Fighters must supply their own Shin Pads. However, in some events, these
are provided by the promoter.
- Groin Cup is Mandatory.
- Mouthpiece is Mandatory.
- Handwraps are Mandatory.
-
Fight Gloves (That will be supplied by all
IKF Event Promoters) are Mandatory. 8 & 10 Ounce Gloves. See
Weight
Classes For Glove Sizes. (10 & 12 ounce size used in
Amateur Tournament Competition)
- PRO Safety Equipment
- Headgear Is Not Allowed in PRO IKF
Bouts.
-
Groin Cup is Mandatory.
-
Mouthpiece is Mandatory.
- Shin-n-instep pads Are Not Allowed in the Pro MTR Divisions of the
IKF.
-
Hand Wraps are Mandatory.
-
Fight Gloves (That will be supplied by all
IKF Event Promoters) are Mandatory. 8 & 10 Ounce Gloves. See
Weight
Classes
Round Lengths

A Brief
Lesson In Muay Thai 101
As we here at the IKF have always done
for our fans of these pages, we always try to educate "EVERYONE"
on aspects of our sport and maybe a short class here in Muay Thai 101
will help to form where this article is going. Some of you may know most if not
all we will teach in this class while others will answer honestly, "Oh,
I didn't know that." So let the class begin
Nearly every weekend around the world there's a kickboxing event that
advertises they will feature the long honored fighting art of Thailand known as
Muay Thai. If these fighters are both following true MuayThai tradition,
they will both enter the ring over the top rope. Why? In MuayThai tradition, the
Mongkon (headpiece wore around the top of each fighters head prior to their
bout) is blessed for good luck by each fighters respected religion. Going
over the top rope is symbolic that God is Above All Things such as the
ring ropes. The spectators and their peers see 2 fighters dressed in the
traditional Muay Thai shorts with their Mongkon
wore proudly on their head. Once in the
ring the traditional MuayThai music begins and a fighter has their first options
of the bout. However in Thailand, this is NOT an option and SHOULD
NOT be an option even in
other parts of
the world. These options are not fighting options such as "Should I
throw a Jab or a knee etc." these options are the ones of long and
honored traditions of Muay Thai. To seal the ring (The walk around the ring
which symbolizes the sealing of evil spirits from the ring), begin their Wai
Kru (Wai means Bow and Kru means Teacher. When the fighter bows down paying
homage to their teacher, club and family) and or a Ram Muay. (Which
translates into boxer dance) or to simply stand and await for their opponent
to be ready and the referee to begin the bout. Keep in mind that not all
MuayThai fighters perform these things. Even in Thailand, they are a fighters
choice.
If a fighter decides to seal the ring we'll see them stopping to pray in
each corner. In Thailand, the Wai Khre is
paying homage to their Buddha. This pray continues at each corner during their
walk to all four corners. Once again, a fighter may now choose to perform a Wai
Khre followed by their own version of their Ram Muay. Often during a fighters
Ram Muay, many true fans of Muay Thai fighting may not know what the dance is
for. To answer this question, the dance expresses a fighters balance and
agility. Sometimes at it's end, it may be followed by a show of confidence or
challenge towards their opponents corner such as a stomping of their feet or an
imitation of shooting an arrow at their opponent. To true fans of the sport,
this is all part of the bout as well. As each fighters rituals ends, the trainer
removes their Mongkon and turns to face their opponent.
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