Techniques and styles
Muay femur
Sometimes written muay femeu
What it means
The technical style: a fighter who reads the other person, controls distance and wins on timing rather than volume or power. It is the style Thai crowds respect most.
A femur fighter looks like they are doing less than the other person and is usually ahead. Everything is measured, and the counters arrive before the attack finishes.
It is the hardest style to teach a visitor because it is built on years of sparring rather than on a set of techniques.
Related
Words that go with it
Muay khao
The knee fighter: someone who closes distance, gets to the clinch and works with knees until the other person breaks. Physically the most demanding style to fight and to fight against.
Muay mat
The puncher: a fighter built around heavy hands and low kicks, closing the gap to land power rather than to control. The style closest to what Western boxing gyms already teach.
Muay bouk
The pressure fighter: constant forward movement, high volume, no interest in a measured exchange. Exciting to watch and hard to sustain past the middle rounds.