Muay Thai Benefits for Women | Reasons to Learn For Females

Is Muay Thai just about punches and kicks, or could it offer something deeper-something that goes beyond the physical? Can a combat sport traditionally dominated by men become a source of empowerment for women?

Absolutely! Muay Thai offers women far more benefits than just a way to defend themselves. It builds physical strength, mental toughness, and self-confidence while challenging societal norms about femininity.

The number of female Muay Thai athletes is increasing worldwide, with more women choosing professional fighting careers. Prominent gyms in Thailand now have women in their fighter rosters, and organizations like the WBC Muay Thai have introduced female rankings, showing a significant move towards inclusivity.

Empowering Girls Through Muay Thai: Physical, Mental, and Social Benefits for Women

You may not be aware that Muay Thai has been used to overcome the various challenges faced by women, but this sport offers numerous benefits for females that you should know about. Overcoming challenges such as gender norms, biological restrictions, and societal expectations empowers women in profound ways.

1. Physical Strength and Resilience!

• Challenge: Women often face restrictions, such as menstruation being seen as impure or men being reluctant to spar with them. Injuries and physical contact are also perceived differently for women.
• Benefit: Despite these challenges, Muay Thai helps women build physical strength and resilience. Through intense training and combat, women learn to handle physical pain, overcome fear, and gain confidence in their bodies’ abilities. This physical empowerment contributes to their overall fitness and health.

2. Mental Toughness and Confidence!

• Challenge: Societal norms about women’s roles, especially in combat sports, can be limiting. For instance, men often hesitate to spar with women out of a misguided sense of chivalry, or women are discouraged from participating due to beliefs about their biological limitations.
• Benefit: Engaging in Muay Thai helps women develop mental toughness and self-confidence. By pushing back against these limitations, women prove their strength, both physically and mentally. Fighters like Sara, who confronts men who are reluctant to spar with her, demonstrate how Muay Thai helps women stand up for themselves, assert their abilities, and challenge traditional gender roles.

3. Self-Defense and Empowerment!

• Challenge: The concept of “border penetration” extends to how women’s bodies are controlled or restricted, whether by cultural norms or through physical barriers like fear of injury.
• Benefit: Muay Thai equips women with powerful self-defense skills, which can be incredibly empowering. Learning to spar and fight teaches women to protect themselves and gain confidence in confrontational situations. This not only boosts their physical safety but also their emotional and psychological security.

4. Breaking Stereotypes and Gender Norms!

• Challenge: Cultural attitudes, such as the idea that women should be “gentle” or avoid fighting, present barriers to women participating fully in Muay Thai. Men are often hesitant to hit women, and women are sometimes seen as unfit to compete at the same level as men.
• Benefit: Women in Muay Thai break through these gender stereotypes, proving that they can be just as skilled, strong, and competitive as men. The experience helps women challenge societal expectations, making Muay Thai a tool for feminist empowerment. Women can push back against norms and earn respect in the ring by learning Thai Boxing techniques. 

5. Camaraderie and Personal Growth!

• Challenge: Women often face isolation in a male-dominated sport like Muay Thai, with some trainers and even romantic partners discouraging their participation.
• Benefit: Despite these hurdles, many women find a sense of community and personal growth through Muay Thai. They bond with fellow fighters and mentors who respect their abilities. This community support can help them grow personally and feel empowered, both in and out of the ring.

6. Redefining Femininity and Strength!

• Challenge: Women often face societal expectations of how they should behave or present themselves, especially when participating in traditionally masculine sports. For instance, Leila, who is in her early 30s, stated:
  People always question my femininity because I fight and they say I can’t be a girl. They say fighting is manly, unfeminine and that I’m unattractive.
• Benefit: Through Muay Thai, women redefine femininity and strength, asserting their right to follow both their feminine identity and their combat prowess. For example, Stacey, who compartmentalizes her gender roles, expressed:
  
• I do think that I have become more aware of my femininity through the sport… I can get my aggression out. But then when I’m home I like to be more of a woman again.

7. Overcoming Family Expectations!

• Challenge: Many women fighters are pressured by family or society to give up their pursuit of martial arts in favor of traditional roles such as starting a family. For example, Astrid recounted:
  “Dad was supportive of me being a fighter… But now that I am a fighter he doesn’t want a part of it. He won’t watch me fight, tells me I’m stupid and all I should be doing is having babies.”
• Benefit: Despite this pressure, women continue to fight and train in Muay Thai, proving that they can balance their personal goals with societal expectations. By overcoming these familial constraints, they assert their right to pursue their passion for the sport.

8. Emotional and Physical Empowerment!

• Challenge: Women often face emotional and physical challenges, such as abusive relationships or societal pressure to conform. Tracey recalled the pressure she faced:
  Trainers say ‘Shouldn’t you stop fighting and you know start thinking about a family?’ Thai girls start when they’re kids and peak at 17–20 and then retire to have a family.
• Benefit: Muay Thai provides women with the tools to protect themselves, both emotionally and physically, helping them build resilience and self-confidence. Leila, for instance, who faced abuse, stated:
  The pain and injury from fighting is the easy part… It’s taught me that I can endure, persevere, and feel confident.

9. Navigating Beauty Standards and Combat Sport!

• Challenge: Border presentation is as important for women fighters as for women in general. Being too pretty, or indeed not pretty enough, impacts their inclusion in the pugilist trade. The face in particular is a contentious site of border presentation. Media tend to dislike battered female faces, displaying them to evoke sympathy, not support.
• Benefit: Despite these challenges, women fighters are redefining beauty within the sport. They proudly follow the aesthetics of both the athlete and the martial art. Through Muay Thai, women highlight the beauty and artistry of the sport, shifting perceptions of what is considered feminine and beautiful in combat.

10. Shifting Perceptions Through Media Representation!

• Challenge: Media representation of women fighters often focuses on race and sexuality, with more attention given to white, heterosexual fighters like Ronda Rousey, while athletes like Olympic gold medallist Nicola Adams, who is black and bisexual, receive comparatively less attention.
• Benefit: Women fighters like Mi Na and Tracey are working to reconfigure these narratives, showcasing the diversity of women in martial arts and expanding the definitions of beauty and success beyond traditional media portrayals. This helps challenge cultural biases, bringing more visibility to fighters of all backgrounds.

Learning Muay Thai techniques can greatly help you deal with challenges. In addition, Muay Thai also offers numerous overall health benefits. Would you like to know more about these benefits? Let’s take a look! 

A single sport can offer diverse benefits. Therefore, it is essential for women to participate in Muay Thai, especially considering the increasing number of female Muay Thai fighters dominating the sport.

Case Studies of Women Taking Up Muay Thai

1. Jo’s Story: Finding Strength and Confidence in Her 40s

Jo, a professional Muay Thai fighter, discovered her passion for the sport in her late 30s. Before starting Muay Thai, she had never practiced any martial arts. She said:

“When I started, I just wanted to get fit. I was doing it just for the pleasure of doing exercise. It’s taught me to be tougher. It’s taught me to be stronger. No taking shit from anyone.”

2. Matilda’s Journey: Overcoming Insecurities and Fighting Back

Matilda, a woman in her late 20s from Chile, recounted her experiences of being bullied and how Muay Thai became her way of asserting herself:

“I was ugly, fat, and bullied, but I had a notion I was strong, physically and mentally. I just wanted to fight, not do law school.”

3. Elizabeth’s Story: Reclaiming Strength After Abuse

Elizabeth, also in her late 20s, spoke about how Muay Thai helped her recover from an abusive relationship and regain her confidence:

“I was bullied at school. And later I was in an abusive relationship where he hit me. I hated myself in that relationship. I blamed myself. I was weak. I liked the idea of being able to look after myself. I wanted to improve the way I looked and my fitness too. There was also the fact that Muay Thai gave me strength, not just physical strength but psychological strength that I could look after myself and no one’s gonna take the mickey out of me.”

It’s clear that more women are becoming interested in Muay Thai. They see the benefits Thai Boxing offers and the motivation that comes with the sport as a positive reason to begin their Muay Thai journey.

To Conclude! 

It is clear that learning Muay Thai offers numerous benefits for women, as they empower themselves by adopting traditionally male symbols of physical prowess and reshaping gender power dynamics. In addition to learning various Muay Thai techniques, women can also enjoy multiple health benefits. To begin your Muay Thai journey, you can find cost-effective Muay Thai gear at Infinitude Fight that suits your needs.

FAQs 

What do female Muay Thai fighters wear?

Women Muay thai fighters usually wear tank tops, sports tee, sports bra with leggings or Muay thai shorts. It is always advised to wear those bottoms that do not provide restrictions in movement. 

Does Muay Thai burn belly fat?

Performing Muay Thai techniques help burn bulk of calories and fats. It helps shape up your muscles and reduce the belly fat if you do hard training with Muay Thai exercises.