The art of self-defence is as old as man himself and probably as old as life. From the very moment we are born, we are compelled to defend ourselves and compete against each other for food, shelter and status.
It is this basic biological need that compels us to fight and is probably the reason for a great number of wars. Indeed, this is where Thai Boxing and many of the other fighting or Martial Arts were born. The assets that nature endowed us with, are the most natural weapons we can use. After all not everyone could afford a suit of armour and weapons in the Siam (Thailand) / Burmese wars of the 16th century. Many were compelled to defend themselves by hand to hand combat and this is where the Art of Thai Boxing was truly honed to perfection.
One of the most celebrated Thai Boxers is Naï Khanom Tom who is famed for defeating 12 Burmese fighters to gain his freedom. On completing this awesome task he was asked by the King of Burma what his reward should be, money or beautiful women. He chose the women as he thought wealth was easier to come by!
Since the dawn of the 20th century Thai Boxing has undergone radical changes: gone are the hemp bandages dipped into ground glass, no limit rounds and kicks to the groin and eye gouges. In their place are boxing gloves and the Western rules of today making the sport safer and more enjoyable by the masses.
Jaguar Thai Boxing itself is constantly evolving and refining the sport and the safe teaching of this potentially lethal art. The clubs have been through many changes from being involved with the BTBC and Sitnarong to the UTKBF, AMA and UKMAF to being a truly independent association within its own right. The benefits of independence are an ability to develop without political or financial interference and thus best serve the students.
We have progressively moved away from gradings based purely on technique with limited development and format.
A full grading syllabus is in place that covers all the stages from beginner to Chief Instructor gradually changing the emphasis from technique to coaching ability and enhancement of the art. By making this change, the student learns more about the Art, themselves, and how to teach and perform techniques as well as how to develop interactive teaching skills.
There are no limits on the number of Chief Instructors within the group thus everyone has the same opportunity to achieve the highest level; this is unique to Jaguar Thai Boxing.
We utilise the principle of the NVQ and many of the Instructors are NVQ qualified Assessors.
All club instructors are qualified in First Aid and coaching according to the strictest standards set by the group and regulatory bodies. The United Kingdom Martial Arts Forum (UKMAF) verified and utilised these same standards.
We recognise that there has to be a social side to the sport outside of the training room. This enables the development of friendship and Kinship that cannot be gained from the participation of the sport on its own. Jaguar Thai Boxing is committed to improving and developing the art of Muay Thai and can only be successful by the active participation of instructors and students at all levels to ensure that we all become a part of the Thai Boxing history.
The club operates on a non profit basis and employs an equal opportunities policy where all are welcome regardless of colour, creed, religion, gender or level of physical fitness. All that is asked is that all members abide by the rules and have regard for their fellow students and train as hard as they personally can. Bullying and physical recrimination are strictly banned from the club. The future of Thai Boxing is in our hands. Collectively we have the ability to enhance the reputation and name of Thai Boxing. The rules and constitution are in place to ensure the progression of the art and must be adhered to in the strictest manner. Our strength as a group lies in our unique and supportive approach to teaching and development of individuals in a co-operative and selfless manner. This is the building block of the group’s future. Enjoy your art; pass on your learning and Thai Boxing into the future.