Muay Thai (Thai: มวยไทย) or Thai kick boxing also known as The Art of the Eight Limbs is a form of hard martial art mainly practised in Thailand. Muay Thai has a long history in Thailand and it is the country’s national sport – ancient martial art and arguably one of the kingdom’s most striking national icons. Muay Thai is referred to as “The Science of Eight Limbs”, as the hands, shins, elbows, and knees are all used extensively in this art. Overflowing with color and ceremony as well as exhilarating moments of clenched-teeth action, the best matches serve up a blend of such skill and tenacity that one is tempted to view the spectacle as emblematic of Thailand’s centuries-old devotion to independence in a region where most other countries fell under European colonial yoke.