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The mae sowk is a traditional weapon from the Thai martial art of Krabi-Krabong. It is a forearm shield made of wood, typically used in pairs, that can be used for both offense and defense at close range.^[1][2]

The mae sowk is also known as the "wooden elbow" as it is worn on the forearm. The mae sowk is constructed of a plank of wood, typically between 18-21 inches long, and about 3 inches wide so that it can cover the forearm and elbow. There are two pegs that function as handles on one end, made of wood or metal. The inner handle is gripped by the hand and the outer handle is used for protection. The other end uses a rope to affix the mae sowk to the wearer's arm. This keeps the mae sowk in place but allows for it to be moved about when used with a different grip, for example when clubbing, without dropping it.^[3][2][4]

Like many martial arts, the mae sowk originated from the tools of the peasant class: it is believed to have been utilized in farming or fishing and was later weaponized.^[3][5]

The mae sowk is a short range weapon that is used both offensively and defensively and, like all other weapons in Krabi-Krabong, ambidextrously. Most of the offensive and defensive maneuvers with the mae sowk mirror the actions in muay thai or muay boran. The main attacks are:

• Elbow
• Punch
• Smash
• Club
• Hook

The last two attacks use a grip that requires the wielder to let go of the hand grip and throw the mae sowk forward and catch it towards the bottom end. There are also a variety of blocks available, including outer and cross blocks.^{[1][2][6][7][8][9]}

The mae sowk can be used at three levels, at ground level, kneeling or knee-walking, and upright in a squat such that the wielder can cover the knee with a block. Fighters can move in between these levels as they engage or withdraw from an opponent.^[6]

While the mae sowk is traditionally used in pairs, one mae sowk can also be used paired up with a single sword^[10][11].

Each weapon has its own dance, which starts with the wai khru, to pay respect to your teacher. Next, the dance moves on to the four directions, which could be seated or standing. Last, is the ram, which is a dance specific to the weapon. The mae sowk dance starts with the two clubs on the ground with the handle-end forward, pointed together to form a triangle. The participant kneels within the triangle and performs the wai khru. The mae sowks are then put on the performer's forearms, and the four directions dance proceeds from there.^[12][13][14]

The following variations are used to refer to the mae sowk:

• Mae sowk^[8]
• Mae sawk^[6]
• Mai sowk^[4]
• Mai sok^[2]
• Mai sawk^[3]
• Mai sook^[3]
• Mai sannt^[3]
• Maisun^[5]
• Maih Zoog^[15]
• Grarock^[3]

In Cambodia, mae sowks have pointed tips

The mae sowk is similar to and may be related to the tonfa. However, it has two pegs instead of one on the tonfa. The tonfa is also not attached to the forearm, so it can be swung out freely for stick-like use while gripping the peg; the mae sowk would instead be thrown forward and caught at the end to be used like a club^[3][5].

In the movie Ong-Bak, in the cave fighting scene, Tony Jaa's character uses mae sowks to fight the last opponent^[16].

• https://buddhaisawan.org/
• https://muaythaisangha.com/
• https://sitsiam-camp.com/
• https://pahuyuth.com/en/mai-sawk/