Learning the art of defense is essential when studying any style of 'empty-hand' combat no matter whether it'd be Karate, Jiujitsu, Kung Fu, Wing Chun, or Tae Kwon Do... for starters. And, it's an even more crucial element in the study of Muay Thai ! This particular style of Muay Thai which most people often refer to as "Muay Boran" (or "ancient boxing") will allow you to protect the ends of your hairs to the tips of your toes... so to speak. Proper training in the art will allow an automatic type of response to occur in a confrontation without the need to think or hesitate about what to do. Every reaction would occur spontaneously ! It's as if we were reprogramming the psyche until the body's reaction becomes "muscle memory" and we will react in accordance to how diligent our training has been when we're faced with any type of given situation or two. For example... when we see the opponent's fist or shoulder move as we're about to receive a punch from that very same opponent, our foot is ready to fling upwards and kick ! Or, our shin is ready to swing by leaning the body backwards and away from the opponent's incoming fist ! As a result of kicking this way, the opponent's fist will never have an opportunity to reach our face. This is practicing a technique until it becomes "second nature". There are still so many other ways to defend one's self automatically for a variety of situations such as getting pushed in the chest, grabbed by the wrist, slapped, or kicked... for starters. I hope that everybody will train with determination until they obtain the true essence of the art !
