A list of every weapon used in Krabi Krabong

Krabi Krabong is a Thai martial art that was officially recognized as a martial art in 1936. However, in reality it had been used in Thailand for hundreds of years previously. Used in war and for self defense, Krabi Krabong is a martial art that uses weapons.

These days, Krabi Krabong isn’t really practiced that much due to becoming outdated. The weapons used aren’t too commonly found in society anymore, so as a result, Krabi Krabong has become less relevant. Still, it is trained in some circles in Thailand where it remains culturally significant and is mostly trained for traditional purposes.

In this article, we’ve looked through the six main weapons that are used in Krabi Krabong. This should provide more information and a fun read for those who are interested in the history of Thailand and its martial arts past. Hopefully, this will be a useful resource for those who would like to train Krabi Krabong in some capacity, or at least learn more about it.

Oftentimes, people tend to think about Muay Thai when thinking about Thai martial arts. However, there was a point when Krabi Krabong was trained alongside Muay Thai which made for some fearsome Thai warriors.

The term Krabi Krabong actually translates to ‘sword and stick’ and as you will see, its name is quite appropriate. It should also be noted that in this article, we’ll be focusing on the most commonly found weapons. Although there are sometimes other weapons involved, we won’t be looking at the lesser-known variations.

Darb Thai – Thai Sword

The Darb Thai is exclusive to Thailand and is quite a unique-looking sword. In some ways, it looks like a thicker version of the saber with a slight curve towards the edge of the blade. However, what makes this sword unique is that it has a large handle. Many swords of this size or weight typically have much smaller handles.

Due to its weight, Krabi Krabong practitioners can dual yield two Darb Thai swords, meaning they can carry one sword in each hand. As a result, when fighting, the fighters would block with one sword and strike with another. Generally, there aren’t many sword fighting disciplines that use two swords at once, at least there aren’t many that use swords of this size.

Krabong – Bo Staff

The Bo Staff is also commonly used in Krabi Krabong. This long, wooden pole has been used in martial arts for years and can be found in other disciplines such as Karate and Aikido. This is a long and heavy staff that requires two hands to be able to hold and use it.

Due to its length and weight, it can be used to block strikes as well as counter with blows of its own. Obviously, getting hit with this could easily kill you if it hit your head with enough force and technique. Usually when it comes to the Bo Staff, most techniques involve strikes as opposed to lunges which are seen as weaker and prone to counter attacks.

Ngaw – Blade Staff

The Ngaw is yet another Krabi Krabong weapon that was possibly influenced by different martial arts. Basically, this looks kind of similar to some of the speers used in Shaolin weaponry which originated from ancient China. This means that the Ngaw has a long, thin frame with a blade attached to the top. This is also held with two hands which is mostly due to its length, as opposed to its weight. To put things into perspective, the Ngaw is typically a bit longer than the Bo.

Overall, the point of the Ngaw was to be able to attack from range whilst in battle. Whilst swords and daggers are great from a close range, a long speer is ideal from distance as it means you can stab your opponent without retaliation if they don’t have an equally long weapon.

Lo – Shield

A Burmese shield, the Lo is typically made from wood. Often this would be used to take blows from swords and other weapons, whilst the fighter would be armed with a short sword in their other hand. Normally, the Lo is a large, circular shield and is designed with Thai artwork on its face. This usually comes in the form of patterns of decorative drawings of animals or other nods towards Thai culture.

The Lo is usually colored black whilst painted gold which means they can be quite striking. Of course, all aesthetics aside, the main purpose of this shield was solely for self defense and making sure you wouldn’t get hit with a hard blow or stabbed by a sword.

Mai Sok – Clubs

In modern times, the closest thing to a Mai Sok would be a police night stick. The Mai Sok is basically two clubs that have small handles which are attached to wooden sticks that run down your forearm. Usually, Krabi Krabong practitioners would hold one batton in either hand.

The point of the Mai Sok is to be able to strike people with your forearms and cause incredible damage by hitting them with hard wood. They can also be held differently and further away from the body if they’re needed for defensive purposes.

Meed – Dagger

The Meed is a small, lightweight dagger or knife that would be used in close combat situations. Sometimes, practitioners may even throw the Meed at enemies if deemed appropriate. Generally, most fighters would carry a Meed somewhere on their body and this would be used as a secondary weapon if their sword or staff got disarmed.

As the Meed is so small, it’s easy and practical to carry and isn’t cumbersome. Remember, this would have been used in an era where knife fighting was more common and so there would have been a greater emphasis on learning the technical details of knife fighting.

If you’d like to learn more about Krabi Krabong, then check out this book. It does a great job in detailing the weapons, techniques, and culture surrounding this unique martial art.