The Historical Foundations of Thailand's Retreating Style, or How They Became the Best Defensive Fighters In the World
Below is a string of readings, mostly organized around the history of Siamese and Southeast Asian culture, discussing the possible historical foundations of a distinctly defensive orientation to Thailand's Muay Thai. They do not compose a single argument, but rather are read as extensive notes, with each post working somewhat additively & independently.
When a Frenchman Fought the King's Champion 1788
I've always been fascinated with the historical account of two French brot
Further reading, "Southeast Asian Slavery and Slave - Gathering Warfare as a Vector for Cultural Transmission: The Case of Burma and Thailand" by Bryce Beemer, which describes Siam vs Burmese slave taking warfare and works to show how slave taking became an avenue of cultural transmission, tracing how Ayutthaya slaves brought both Chinese and Indian arts/technology to the Burmese.
screen caps:
and (if artisans and skilled craftsman of every sort were taken in slave capture