TBA-SA

To register for upcoming tournaments, visit www.muaythaitournaments.com

TBA-SA Muay Thai Rules Amateur & Professional

As approved by the TBA-SA Board of Directors. Revised 2026

TOURNAMENT RULES:

All Amateur Classes (Except No Head Strikes/NHS) will wear elbow pads and allow elbow strikes to the head.
NHS (No Head Strikes): both Junior NHS and the Senior+ NHS divisions will wear chest protectors at tournaments.

TBA CLASSIC:

Elimination bouts:

Headgear and shinguards will be worn for all Elimination bouts in ALL divisions.

Championship bouts:

Juniors, Adults C&B, and Seniors will wear all safety gear for championship bouts.
Adult Class A Championship fights will wear shinguards but will NOT wear headgear.

Length of Rounds:

ALL fights will be three 2-minute rounds. One minute rest.

TBA-SA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS:

Elimination bouts:

Headgear and shinguards will be worn for all Elimination bouts in ALL divisions.

Championship bouts:

Adult C & B will wear all safety gear for championship bouts.
Headgear and shin guards will NOT be worn for Class A, 5-Round Championship fights. All other divisions will wear all safety gear for championship bouts.
Adult Class A Championship fights will NOT wear headgear or shinguards.

Length of Rounds:

ALL elimination fights will be three 2-minute rounds. One minute rest.
Class C and Class B championship bouts will be three 2-minute rounds. One minute rest.
Class A Championship bouts will be five 3-minute rounds. One minute rest.

Other TBA-SA Sanctioned Tournaments: Headgear and shinguards will be worn for all elimination and championship bouts in all divisions.

All elimination and championship bouts will be three 2-minute rounds. One minute rest.

Fighters and Corners are required to wear the provided wristband to enter the event. Fighter's Wristbands are NOT to be cut off when cutting off hand wraps. If bands are cut off, the fighter must purchase a replacement band. Bring the cut band back, along with a photo I.D.

RULES & REQUIREMENTS:

Liniments and Warming Balms -- Liniments and Balms are ALLOWED to be used to warm the fighter up prior to the fight. They cannot be applied above the shoulders (neck and head area).
Vaseline --Vaseline may be used on the fighter's face. If excessive, the referee will wipe it off. Baby oil is NOT allowed.
Prajioud (Arm Bands) -- Arm bands may be worn by fighters, however the bands cannot hang down past the elbow.
Ankle Supports -- Fighters may wear cloth ankle supports. No Tape.
Inhalers -- Inhalers cannot be used once the fighter steps into the ring or between rounds.

AGE GROUPS:

Junior Division -- Ages 5-17. 16 & 17 yr olds will have the option to fight in the adult division (ONLY if there is no option against another junior competitor) UNLESS the governing state requires a 16 & 17 year old to compete as an adult. State requirements override TBA-SA requirements.
Adult Regular Division- Ages 17-45*
Adult Senior Division- Ages 40-55
Adult Senior+ Division- Ages 50-75

AMATEUR VS PRO:

Amateur -- Fighters cannot be paid to fight. This also means NO excessive 'travel' stipends.
Professional -- Ages 18+ Fighters will receive monetary payment to fight.
*Tournament Class A is an 'open' class, allowing those with experience labeled as 'pro' to compete, but amateur rules and safety gear are followed.
NO compensation will be paid to 'pro' fighters or any competitors.

DIVISIONS:

Amateur-

Based on experience. To find out what counts, read our "What Counts" page.

Junior Divisions: Ages 5-17

NHS - No Head Strikes.
Class C/Novice - 0-3 fights.
Class B - 4-12 fights.
Class A/Open - 13+ fights.

Adult Divisions: Ages 17-45

Class C/Novice - 0-3 fights.
Class B - 4-12 fights.
Class A/Open - 13+ fights. This division may be open to those with pro experience, if allowed by state commission, however Amateur Rules apply. NO purse paid.

Senior Divisions: Ages 40-55. Mandatory for ages 46-55. Age 40-45 may choose to compete in regular adult division.

Class C/Novice - 0-3 fights.
Class B - 4-12 fights.
Class A - 13+ fights. No fighters with professional experience.

Senior+ Divisions: Ages 50-75 . Mandatory for adults aged 56-75. Age 50-55 may choose to compete in the regular Senior division. This is an NHS (No Head Strikes) division open to 'hobbyists'. No former pro's or those with excessive experience.

Professional-

Professional fighters are under contract and are paid for their participation in a fight. Full Rules. No pads.

LEGAL STRIKES:

Punching Strikes:
Amateur-

NHS: Strikes are allowed only to the body. No strikes to the head.
Class C, B & A (Jr, Sr, and all Adults): All Strikes are allowed to the body and to the head. This would include the jab, cross, hook, uppercut, overhand, and spinning backfist.

Professional-

Same as Class C, B, & A listed above.

Elbow Strikes:
Amateur-

NHS: No Elbow strikes to the head. Elbows are allowed to the body only.
Class C, B & A (Jr, Sr, and all Adults): elbows to the head with padded elbows.

*TBA-SA approved elbow pads must be worn by both fighters. "Downward, Spiking, Spinning and 12/6 elbows ARE allowed."

Professional-

Elbows to both the body and the head are allowed. No elbow pads worn.

Knee Strikes:
Amateur-

NHS, Class C, B & A (Jr, Sr, and all Adults): -- No knees to the head. Knees are allowed to the body and legs.
Professional-

Knees are allowed to the legs, body, and head.

Kicking Strikes:
Amateur-

NHS: No Kicking strikes to the head. All types of kicks to the body are allowed. Only round kicks to the legs are allowed. These are permitted to the inside and outside of the legs, both above and below the knee. There will be no straight-line kicks to the legs. No "checking" the opponent's roundkick, by teeping the kicking leg.
Class C & B (Jr, Sr, and all Adults): All types of kicks are allowed to the head and body. Only round kicks to the legs are allowed. These are allowed to the inside and outside of the legs, both above and below the knee. There will be no straight-line kicks to the legs. No "checking" the opponent's roundkick, by teeping the kicking leg.
Class A: All types of kicks are allowed to the head and body. Only round kicks are allowed to the legs. These are allowed to the inside and outside of the legs, both above and below the knee. There will be no straightline kicks to the legs, however, "checking" the opponent's kicking leg with a teep is allowed.

Professional-

All types of kicks are allowed to the head and body. Only round kicks are allowed to the legs. These are allowed to the inside and outside of the legs, both above and below the knee. There will be no straightline kicks to the legs, however, "checking" the opponent's kicking leg with a teep is allowed.

CLINCHING:
Clinching is allowed for all fighters: Juniors, Amateurs, and Professionals. All strikes (as applicable to amateur and professional) may be used.

Amateur-

Fighter may NOT pull the head down, as knees to the head are not allowed.

Professional-

Fighters MAY pull the head down to apply a knee strike.

FOULS:

Scoring Strikes that land while committing one of these fouls do NOT score.

Throwing or bending the opponent's back with judo or wrestling techniques.
Falling on a downed opponent intentionally.
Striking the opponent who is down or in the act of rising.
Striking while holding the ropes.
Locking the opponent’s arm or head.
Completely passive defense or intentionally falling to avoid a strike.
Not stepping back when ordered to break by referee.
Useless, aggressive, offensive utterance during the round.
Throwing/dumping with trip/vine/hook/sweep/lift.
Pushing with both hands or the shoulder.
Spitting out the mouthpiece.
Plowing - After catching a kick, the fighter is allowed one step in any direction and then must strike.

Note: All of the above are considered "fouls". If the referee determines that a foul has been committed, the Referee will issue a caution. Each foul is allowed two cautions. The third Foul of the same type receives a warning, which includes a point deduction. A fourth foul of any type is a disqualification. If a foul results in the injury of the opponent, he/she has up to 5 minutes to recover (at the discretion of the referee). The referee reserves the right to end the fight after subsequent fouls if he/she feels it is in the best interest of the fighters.

'NO CONTEST" DECISIONS:
If an opponent is fouled in the first round and, as a result, cannot continue, AND the referee rules the foul as accidental, the bout will be ruled a "no contest." If the bout has completed the first round and the fouled opponent cannot continue, the decision will be based on the scorecards to determine a winner. This of course, will also be determined by whether or not the ring referee dictates the foul was "accidental" or "intentional". An intentional foul will award the win to the downed fighter. An accidental foul will award the win to the fighter winning on the judge's cards.

SAFETY EQUIPMENT:

Amateur-

Juniors- Fighters must wear headgear, shin guards, gauze/hand wraps, mouth guards, and groin protection (female groin protection is optional).
NHS: Chest guards will be worn for NHS during scrimmages and tournaments. Optional on Single match-ups on regular shows.
Chest protection WILL be worn by all competitors at Scrimmages.
Adults must wear gauze/handwraps, mouth guard, and groin protection (female groin protection is optional). BOTH fighters always wear similar gear. Not one with gear and the other without. Elbow pads are mandatory for Juniors and Adults Classes C, B & A. (Not required for NHS divisions)
Class C- Fighters will wear *headgear and shin guards. *In regular shows, if both competitors are adults, they may agree not to wear the headgear. However, BOTH sides must agree BEFORE the fight.
Class B- Fighters may fight without headgear (if both fighters and coaches agree). Both fighters will wear shin guards and elbow pads.
Class A- Fighters will not wear headgear. Shin guards are optional.

Professional -

Fighters must wear a mouth guard, gauze hand wraps, and groin protection (female groin protection is optional). No other padding will be allowed.

HEAD GEAR --

Amateur -

Headgear must be open-faced for ALL divisions. No nose, cheek, or chin protection allowed. It must be competition headgear. Foam headgear is not allowed. HEAD GEAR FOR TOURNAMENTS -- ONLY "Neutral" headgear will be allowed at tournaments. Fighters may wear red headgear if fighting out of the red corner and may wear blue headgear if fighting out of the blue corner, but may NOT wear red out of the blue corner or blue out of the red corner. Black or white headgear is preferred by the TBA-SA; however, any 'neutral' color may be worn.

Professional -

No head gear is worn.

SHIN GUARDS --

Amateur -

Shin guards may be cloth, leather, or neoprene, and can be pulled on or fastened with Velcro or buckles. Any metal clasps must be covered with tape. ***If not provided by the promoter.
SHIN GUARDS FOR TOURNAMENT: Promoters will supply shin guards for tournaments to ensure everyone competes in the same type of shin guards.

Professional -

No Shin guards are worn.

ELBOW PADS -- In amateur bouts, all classes (except NHS) will wear elbow pads.
ELBOW PADS FOR TOURNAMENT: Promoters will supply elbow pads for tournaments. Elbows to both the body and head will be allowed in all Divisions except Junior NHS and Adult NHS. Elbows to the head are NOT allowed in NHS divisions.

Professional -

No Elbow pads are worn.

HANDWRAPS --

The tape must be one finger's width back from the knuckles. All fighters must have wraps checked and signed by TBA-SA Representative before putting on fight gloves.

Amateur-

Fighters may use training hand wraps or gauze and tape.

Professional-

Fighters must use gauze and tape.

GLOVES --

Gloves must be TBA-SA approved gloves. All gloves will be provided by the promoter. No fighter may use their own.

Amateur-

All Junior and Amateur fighters will wear red and blue approved competition gloves.

8 oz. will be used for 137# and below.
10 oz. will be used for all divisions 137.1# to 179#.
12 oz. will be used for 179.1# and above.

Professional--

Professional fighters will wear red and blue approved professional gloves.

8 oz. will be used for 137# and below.
10 oz. will be used for remaining weights.

RING RULES:

Standing 8 Count:
This will be in effect for all bouts, both amateur and professional. All fighters must engage. If you are not fighting back/defending yourself, the ring referee will stop the action and administer an 8 count to ensure your safety.

3 KnockDown Rule:
If a fighter is knocked down 3 times in any single round (provided the referee has given the 8 count), the fight will be stopped and pronounced a TKO.

Flash KnockDown (Off-Balance):
The "flash" knockdown is essentially an 'off-balance' and is in effect in all amateur and professional bouts. If a fighter is knocked down, but gets back up immediately with no signs of damage, at the discretion of the ring referee, it may be declared a flash knockdown, and no 8 count will be administered. Again, this rule is at the referee's discretion. Sometimes a fighter is Knocked OUT on impact (and eyes roll back in the head) and then wakes up upon their head bouncing off the canvas and gets right back up. The referee may see this and still count to ensure the fighter can continue.

LENGTH OF ROUNDS:
Amateur--

NHS and Juniors--Three 2-minute rounds. One minute rest.

Junior Title fights: All Regional, U.S., North American, and World title bouts (non-tournament) will be three 2-minute rounds. One minute rest.
Adults-- Three 2-minute rounds. One minute rest.
Adult Title fights: All Regional, U.S., North American, and World title bouts (non-tournament) will be five 2-minute rounds. One minute rest.
Professional--

Non-title bouts may be Three 3-minute rounds, Four 3-minute rounds, or Five 3-minute rounds (promoter-fighter negotiation). All will have One minute rest.

Professional Title fights:

All title bouts will be Five 3-minute rounds. One minute rest.