TBA-SA Scrimmage - Victoria Texas

The TBA-SA Muay Thai Scrimmages are for youth ages 5-17 and adults of all experience levels.

INTRODUCTION TO THE TBA-SA

Muay Thai has become the most popular and fastest-growing martial arts sport in the world. It originated in ancient Siam at least eight hundred years ago and has since become a significant part of combative sports. Muay Thai is practiced in more than 100 countries worldwide.

Muay Thai is also known as the “Science of 8 Limbs” because the practitioner uses punches, kicks, elbows, and knees, which is what distinguishes it from traditional ‘kickboxing’. Not only is Muay Thai an exciting combative sport, but the sport also requires competitors to be respectful and disciplined.

The TBA-SA (Thai Boxing Association-Sanctioning Authority) was established in 2006 and is part of the WTBA (formerly TBA-USA) family. While we are ‘family’ and support each other’s growth, the WTBA and the TBA-SA are legally two separate organizations with different agendas.

Grandmaster Chai established the TBA-USA in 1968 to teach the sport of Muay Thai and to train and certify instructors to further spread the art of his homeland. The TBA-USA legally changed its name to WTBA (World Thai Boxing Association) in 2016. The WTBA is the largest organization teaching Muay Thai worldwide. Currently, there are branches in 18 countries with over 25,000 certified instructors. It has been estimated that more than 250,000 people worldwide have trained under Grandmaster Chai and/or one of his instructors over the 50+ years he has taught the art in the United States.

The TBA-SA was formed to sanction amateur and professional Muay Thai (and “modified” Muay Thai) in the United States. The goals of the TBA-SA are to ensure that events are promoted professionally, that fighters are treated with respect, that they are provided with a fair and safe environment, and that they are supplied with appropriate safety equipment.

Through an affordable group insurance policy provided by the TBA-SA, promoters can offer reasonable medical coverage. The TBA-SA sanctions both one-day events and multi-day tournaments.

The TBA-SA is run as a Not-for-profit organization. All board members are actively involved in training or instructing Muay Thai and/or operate a Muay Thai facility. They understand, firsthand, the rules of Muay Thai. Each member has approved the rules and requirements of the TBA-SA and supports the importance of positive supervision of amateur and professional Muay Thai events.