difference between thai boxing and muay thai

Damn. I'm getting conflicting information.... Now I'm confused!!! Perhaps its the spellings that I'm using or something...? I was told that "Mala" refers to a single flower, while "Malai" is plural.... and this was by Thai people!

When I first learned the name of the technique "Taad Mala", I pronounced it "Taad Malai". I was corrected and told it was pronounced "Mala" because it is only 1 flower, not "Malai" like used in "Puong Malai" (wreath of flowers).

Could it be that I'm misspelling it? Or could it be that I'm confusing the English/Thai translation? Maybe "Taad Mala" is actually used in this instance and is actually a reference to a cap?

SportMuayThai, I have something I'd like to share with you off-line. Could you please email me?

khun.kao@verizon.net

THANKS!

 

Mala is a single flower. Malai (ma-laa-ee) is a garland of flowers.

 

Is it the way I'm spelling the word that makes it close to the reference of the hat? Or is it a regional thing?

 

No you're right because another definition for maalaa is hat!

 

I beg to clear this matter. A malai is generally an abbreviation of Puang malai, which is a necklace of flowers, or a smaller wristlace of same (similar to Lei (spelling?) from Hawaii). Malee is the word for flower or flowers. Now, a mala or how ever you spell it, is definitely a hat. BTW You don't say tad malai or tad malee. It's tad dork mai, if you mean flower placed behind the ear. Confusing? Malee and dork mai has the same meaning.
Dear KhunKao, I've sent you an email. If you do not receive it, pls reponse with a PM.
Oh! Malai is pronounced Lai like a Thai, and not ma-la-ee. And Tad Mala is the correct term.

 

*head explodes from trying to follow the Thai*

Hey sportmuaythai, next time you are in Chiang Mai, send me a PM and maybe we can grab a drink?

 

Thanks for the invitation. My gang leader has a commitment to ride bicycle up Doi Inthanon, and I'd like to accompany him. It's either before the rain in May, or after the monsoon. I'll hook up with you before I get to ChiangMai.

 

OK! Enough! :bang: Argggh
Let's get this straight once and for all before I shoot myself and Khunkao jumps out a window.

"Maalaa", "Maalee" and "do'k ma'ai" are all synonymous for flower!!!
"Maalai" is short for "puang maalai" which is a garland! There is a very very very faint "e" at the end of it but yes it's pronounced "maalaai". It was a mistake for me to separate it as maa-laa-ee because there aren't three distinct syllables.

The ta't maalaa movement is a defensive/offensive movement where you cover the side of the head by raising your arm and elbow up. Whether or not it means something else in military terms like touching the cap I don't know. I know of ta't maalaa because I've seen the term used before. Although it sounds interesting, I don't know why a kick to the side of the head would be called ta't d'ok ma'ai. Maybe a play on words or technique? A pun? A humorous twist to a benign sounding name? Kind of like if I said "I'll give you a kisser" and punched you in the face?

 

Take a deep breath....

I just talked to another of my friends in Bangkok this morning, and he helped clear this up. We are ALL correct! Its just a matter of the usage.

Mala, Malai, Dork Mai.... He confirmed (as a few of you already have) all can be used interchangeably.

Mala can be used to mean "hat" or "flower".
Malai can be used for "flower garland" (short for Puong Malai)
Dork Mai is also "flower"

The confusion is that in common language/conversation, "dork mai" is used for "flower". "Mala" is normally used to refer to "hat". However, "mala" can be used to mean "flower", typically in poetry when you are trying to express your thoughts in "beautiful language".

Fact is, the Thai's have language, words, terminology for everyday use, but they often have words and terminology that is meant to denote "beauty" or more significance. Such is the case here.

As another example, lets take the Thai word for "lion", which is pronounced "sing". However, the actual word as spelled out is "Singha" (just like the Thai beer, LOL). The -ha is not pronounced as it is only used to denote status, significance, or extra importance.

Another word we may all have a little familiarity with is "Sak", which when added to the end of a name essentially means "Pride of". For example, my first MuayThai gym was "SuriyaSak", or "Pride of the Sun". However, the way the word "Sak" is spelled in Thai characters is "Sak-dee". The -dee is not pronounced. Again, this adds status to the word.

So back to my point, my Thai friend explained that though Taad Dork-Mai would be the common phrase used in conversation to refer to someone placing a flower behind their ear, when referring to MuayThai technique, the words chosen are often the ones that denote more beauty, status, or importance. Thus, that is why many of us know the technique as "Taad Mala" rather than "Taad Dork Mai".

I hope I explained this correctly!

 

I did another check, and yes, mala does also mean "flower". I hope JakNarai hasn't lost his head yet.
This is not to disguise my mistake, but malai is pronounced like Thai however, with a shorter vowel i, and not a long one.
Tad dork mai refers to the position slightly above the ear, not the the kick itself.

 

Sportmuaythai....

Thanks for the clarification!

Jahk Nah Rai ....

The technique we've been discussing is the block, not the kick. And for the record, the term's "Taad Mala" and "Tad Mala Kwai" do not specifically refer to blocking a kick. They simply refer to the arm position of the block.

 

Pom sapson he he he

 

My apology for the confusion. It proves that I'm not a sage, and I need to fall back on my hams every now and then

 

You have quite a few more falls left before you catch up to my number.... lol. We all make mistakes.

 

Yes yes exactamundo it refers to the block. You raise your arm with elbow pointed forward covering the side of your head. Could turn into offensive as well, like sok faan na (upward elbow to the face)

 

sok faan na.... I love that technique!