Match analysis of professional Muay Thai fighter between winner and loser

Abstract

This study analysed the activity profiles and the effort-to-pause ratio (E:P) between the winner and the loser of professional Muay Thai fights. The sample consisted of 8 male professional Muay Thai fighters who competed in a combat format involving 5 rounds each being 3 minutes in the 29th ISUZU Muay Thai Tournament. This research used video footage of their offensive and defensive techniques to create a detailed activity profile of each fighter based on 12 matches that were fully assessed without any knockouts. The number of swing punches was higher in round 3 and more accurate in round 4 for winners than losers (p < .05). The number of round kicks was higher in rounds 1 and 5 and more accurate in round 5 for winners than losers (p < .05). Sway movement and evasion (p < .05) were higher in round 5 and grabbing (p < .05) was higher in round 2 for winners compared to losers. The E:P data indicated that Muay Thai had a greater pause duration than effort duration with the greatest effort duration during rounds 3 and 4. The effort to pause data indicated no discrimination between winners and losers. The winners utilized more defensive and offensive techniques than the losers and with better accuracy. Proper utilization of swing punching and round kicking were highlighted as strategically important techniques for the winners. In summary, the E:P data advocates high-intensity interval training characteristics and prescriptions for Muay Thai fighters at a professional level.