Muay Lao (, lit. "Lao boxing") is a combat sport from Laos based on ancient Lao martial arts. It incorporates punches, kicks, elbow, and knee strikes. The sport can be traced back to the 15th century, when it was used for military combat during the Lan Xang dynasty. It is similar to Muay Thai from Thailand and Pradal Serey from Cambodia.Allen, D. (n.d.). Fighting Fit: Lao boxers kick it up a level on the banks of the Mekong. Beijing Visitor. Retrieved October 15, 2020, from https://www.beijing-visitor.com/laos/muay-lao-kick-boxing-laos Muay Lao was included as an event at the 2009 Southeast Asian Games in Vientiane.
The bouts consist of five rounds, and each round is three minutes.Brutal Sport of Muay Lao Kick Boxing. (2014, July 30). Trans World Sport.
The martial art is related to other forms of martial arts, including Pradal Serey in Cambodia and Muay Thai in Thailand. Recent history Muay Lao is enjoying revival in part due to the actions of the Lao Sports Association.Mansfield, S., Koh, M., Nevins, D. (2017). Laos. United States: Cavendish Square Publishing LLC.
Three Lao boxers reached the gold medal match at the 32nd SEA Games.ມວຍລາວເຂົ້າຊິງຫຼຽນຄຳ 3 ຮຸ່ນໃນຊີເກມຄັ້ງທີ 32. (2023, May 10). Lao Post. https://laopost.com/archives/144429
Traditional style The traditional style is called Muay Lai Lao. Lao boxing comes from an ancient boxing style known as "Mas Lak Hang". The martial art used to be performed at different festivals, such as the fireworks festival. People referred to this martial art in ancient times as "tiger tail boxing". ມວຍລາຍລາວ [Lao Boxing]. (2023, September 12). Lao News Agency. https://kpl.gov.la/detail.aspx?id=76557
Technique The roundhouse kicks emphasize rotation of the kicking foot and rising onto the toes of the base foot to generate power. Practitioners rotate the hip and glute so the kicking leg travels parallel to the ground and strikes at a near‑perpendicular angle, delivering impact with the shin rather than lifting upward as in Tae Kwon Do. The cross‑arm defense positions the non‑kicking arm wrapped across the face to provide protection and additional stability during the kick.Graceffo, A. (n.d.). Muay Lao, the forgotten art of kickboxing. Hack writers. Retrieved May 11, 2026, from https://www.hackwriters.com/KickAG.htm
See also Lethwei Pradal Serey Kickboxing Sanda Bokator
References
External links Vientiane Times Vientiane Times-Provincial kick-boxers challenge city counterparts Vietnam Royal Tourism Former national kick-boxer returns for Vientiane event Laos in pictures Lao boxing video Muay Lao, the forgotten art of kickboxing - from GoAbroad.net UNESCO ICM Muay Lao