Lerdrit

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Lerdrit, Muay Lert Rit or, Leert Rit (มวย Muay: boxing, fighting เลิศ leert: superior, excellent ฤทธิ์ rit: formidable force, colossal power) is the generic name attributed to the set of principles and fighting techniques employed by Siamese warriors for centuries on Southeast Asian battlefields. This form of Muay has been used primarily by the Royal Thai Army’s Palace Guard, the Capital’s Defense Corps, war elephants’ Defense Units and Special Infantry Corps.^[1] Siamese Lert Rit was based on a clever combination of the Nine Natural Weapons (Nawarthawooth), i.e., hands, feet, knees, elbows and head, which were used to attack and defend. It was also based on the four ancestral strategies used by Special Infantry Corps: Tum (throwing to the ground), Tap (crush), Chap (grab), Hak (break the joints).^[2] Muay of today is a traditional martial art born from the ancestral precepts of Siamese warriors, adapted to the self-defence needs of modern practitioners, regardless of their physical characteristics and the conditions under which its techniques are applied.^[3] However, several Western martial arts practitioners have developed modern adaptations that combine elements of Muay Thai with those of other martial arts which they now market as Muay Boran.^[3]