By popular demand, a brand new edition of Muay Thai: A Living Legacy (Volume 1), complete with contemporary-look cover design and 8 new dynamic action photos for framing, along with the much-praised Wai Khru Ram Muay poster. Meticulously researched and lavishly illustrated, this is the most comprehensive, user-friendly book on Muay Thai ever written. Watch out for Volume 2 of the projected 3-volume series, to be published soon.
Customer Review: Excellent reference for Muay Thai
This book is totally awesome! Extensively-researched and well put togeather, "Living Legacy" is a must for every Muay Thai enthusiast. It includes sections on the history of the art (as well as a bit of Thailand history and their relation), the ancient training methods and schools of Muay Thai (Muay Boran & Muay Kaad Chuek), and the progression of Muay Thai into the modern sport we know today. Also included are a map of Bankok's historic and modern arenas, including times that they're open, and a list of historic heros, and all of that is in Chapter One.
Chapter Two covers traditional, modern, and amature attire, as well as examples and purposes of amulets and traditional incantations. This is followed by a chapter describing the Wai Khru and it's reason, as well as related rituals (initiations and such), and by another chapter on pre-contest rituals which include superstitions about the ring and the various instruments used in a Muay Thai match.
Chapter Five is where things start getting interesting for the athelete. Warm-ups, stretching, wrapping the hand, stance, targets, and basic first aid are covered. Chapter Six is on footwork and includes pivoting, leaping, and blocking footwork.
Chapter Seven introduces us to the weapons of Muay Thai, and progresses from hands to elbows to knees to kicks and foot-thrusts. Everything from a basic jab to advanced techniques like jumping foot-thrusts and step-up knees are demonstrated, usually from both sides. Chapter Eight shows some defensive movements and combinations. The book ends with a map showing places that were refered to in the book, two charts showing the angles of the weapons & the finer points on the possition of the body when conducting various attacks, and a Thai-English glossary, including spellings.
Overall, I am very impressed with the quallity of this book, both in it's construction and content. Though I'm mostly interested in the technical aspects of Muay Thai (which were given plenty of attention), I found the sections on history and culture to be fascenating. Full of color photos and step-by-step sequences, this book is a pleasure to read and easy to understand. I'd recomend it for anyone with an interest in Muay Thai, be it technique, history, or culture.
Customer Review: Excellent quality with great information.
This book is beautiful, the quality is superb, all of the pages are 'color-glossy.' It reminds me of a coffee table book. Where this book is most valuable is in giving a good overview of Muay Thai. For example some reviewers wrote that this book provides NO reference to defense. I will agree that it is indeed a shortcoming. However, there are plenty of good things to say.
'Living Legacy' provides a brief history of "Muay," it also provides information on the rites and rituals involved in Muay Thai --which is great for the Western enthusiast. A great example is that "wai" or the Thai bow is thoroughly explained: when to use it, to whom, etc. Things like the ritual dance "Wai Khru" is also explained in detail, along with instructions for performing the 'dance.'
As far as the criticism mentioned above, I think it is important to realize that this books covers in great detail the "basics." For example it describes exactly how high to hold your hands in the "fighting position." It does not cover everything (like defense, and clinch work). It is not a "fight strategy" guide by any means.
What it DOES do is explain in great detail all of the offenses (7-10 of each: punches, elbows, knees, kicks). It gives great examples of the Thai language (including glossary) and gives the Thai words/phrases for all moves.
This book is beautiful, with great pictures, and is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to know more about Muay Thai. For practictioners of Muay Thai, it does a great job of explaining basic technique-- important because everything is built from these. More Information
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