I can’t tell you how many people I know who got a Wii fit as their excuse for not going to the gym.   I think I may have found my excuse for gaming again.

I just came across this bit of kit via headkicklegend… it’s a new game called “Fighters Uncaged” from Ubisoft, and it’s using Microsoft’s latest Kinect motion capture controller.

Apparently the game has taken a lot of its striking inspiration from MuayThai.  I imagine if you strap on some ankle weights and hand weights and fight your way through a few levels, you’ll get a decent workout.  Game is supposed to be out around November.  I wonder if you’ll be able to play online?  if any of you end up getting it I would love to get your feedback, maybe I’ll get one and you can whoop on me.

This is the first one that I’ve seen, but you know it’s going to get a lot more refined… In a couple of years I suspect we’ll get the MuayThai we’ve all been waiting for.

Oh you filthy bastards… you know who you are. Actually you may not know who you are…

I came across this article in the Times a few weeks ago and it’s been bothering me a bit.  It’s come to my attention that I’m encountering lots of people with skin rashes and infections.

The last boxing place I was at, some of the guys I trained with had the gym rash on their face.  It got to the point where I didn’t want to get on the mats to work my abs.  I know some of the folks at MT, were suffering from a skin rash… no thanks to clinch work.

Seriously what the hell is going on?  Is anyone else experiencing this?  I’m not paranoid and I’m certainly not a hypochondriac but it seems to be everywhere around me.  I can only look after myself, but there are a bunch of you who don’t clean your kit.  You know who you are, filthy hand wraps that I can smell from 3’ away, gym kit that hasn’t been washed in a week.

I wrestled all through elementary and highschool and never once encountered any sort of skin infection.  I had a conversation with Mark about this… his theory is that at that age we weren’t that sexually active.  I’m not sure but it seems to be everywhere and it puts me off training a little.

I started looking at getting antibacterial soap for the gym, but I’m reading lots of conflicting advice… apparently I don’t want to wipe all the good bacteria out.  I’m not one to walk around with sanitizing hand gel, nor am I one to obsessively wash my hands… but I’m seeing more and more of it.

Have you guys come across this where you train?  Have you caught anything from the gym?  How did you deal with it?

Any UK MMT peeps know this guy?  The Thai police are on the manhunt for Lee Aldhouse, He’s a Brit who’s been living and training out of Rawai district of Phuket for the past couple of years.   Any of you guys ever come across this guy? Train with him? Please tell me he wasn’t on MMT.

According to the papers, Aldhouse got into an altercation with Deshawn Longfellow. Longfellow a US Marine was in Phuket following a combat injury he sustained in Afghanistan.

According to reports, Longfellow was at the bar to pick up his girlfriend after her shift.  Longfellow goes to the restroom only to find Aldhouse blocking the entrance, a fight ensues…  according to eye witnesses Longfellow get’s the better of Aldhouse, fight get’s broken up they head their separate ways.

Lee Aldhouse fighting for Naiharn

Aldhouse later see’s Longfellow entering a 7 eleven, and decides to follow him home.  According to Longfellow’s girlfriend, Aldhouse attacked Longfellow as he was entering his apartment; Longfellow dies from multiple stab wounds.

I haven’t spent much time at the camps in Phuket, but I imagine that each camp has to have their fair share of scumbags training there.  Most of the nakmuay’s I know are chill and respectful, but I’m sure you guys must have come across dudes like this in Phuket?   I’ve always been a little sketched in Phuket in Pattaya… you really don’t know who the hell you’re going to run into.   I’m sure there is a whole contingent of dudes who train all day, just hoping that someone will eye ball them or bump into them.  Maybe a beat down in a Thai prison will help calm them down.

According to the papers Aldhouse was scheduled to fight Jomhod at the reopening of the Bangla stadium last year, but pulled out due to an injury.

Stay safe guys.

How do you guys hear about fights?  When I was training in San Francisco, I was generally aware of fights that were happening that involved our gym.  If we had a fighter on the cared we’d have some sort of poster or announcements board.

That works for local shows but it doesn’t really scale.  I’m currently back in San Francisco visiting with friends and eating taco’s.  I was hanging out with Mark and Diimak the other day and we were talking about Sunday’s fight between Malaipetch and Michael Manaquil.

Manaquil is a local fighter, who’s been progressing through the ranks of the US muaythai scene.    It seemed to me like it would be a nice matchup.  On paper it doesn’t look like Manaquil would have much of a chance.  But I know Manaquil’s going to be conditioned… Malaipet’s conditioning has been a bit suspect.  I wasn’t at the MuayThai in America show, but by all accounts he gassed fairly early in the match.

Here is a pre-fight clip.

I was kind of surprised that I hadn’t really heard much about the fight.  How do you guys hear about fights? Forums?  It seems like fight promotion for muaythai at least in the states is a bit behind the times.   I know promotion cost money, but last a checked a simple Fbook page only requires a bit of planning and lead-time.

The Slamm guys are working with a pretty decent budget but they start seeding viral vids and promotions months before their events.

Anyway, here is a clip of the Malaipet vs. Manaquil fight.  I don’t think it’s the whole fight, I think it get’s clipped in the 4^th.  I’ll let you know who won after the clip.

I’ll post the 4^th round but you can find the rest of the clip on Mariohas’s channel.

I’ve never been to a fight where you could hear commentators… I think I would find that a bit annoying.

Spoiler alert!

Anyway, the Thai nakmuay took the fight via split decision.

I’ve read somewhere that Lethwei (Burmese Boxing) is called the Science of 9 Limbs because they allow head butts.  The clip is from the Planet Battle show in Hong Kong a couple of months ago.  For those of you who are up on your nak muay’s you may recognize Ramazan Ramazanov, he’s a Russian nakmuay who’s been living and training out of the Rompo gym for several years.  He’s the current WMC intercontinental title holder.

I’m pretty sure the Planet Battle show was K1 rules… no clinching or elbows.  The melee that ensues isn’t nearly on the scale of these brawls and fights, but is pretty low.  If you watch carefully Ngalani engages in some dirty boxing and gives Ramazan a butt.  Ramazan, decides it’s time to let the elbows fly… Ramazan, get’s DQ.

It looks like it would have actually been quite the entertaining match up, both of these guys are quick and explosive.  I wonder if they’ve got a rematch on the cards..

I suspect a number of you are aware of the complications having sex at a muay thai gym in Thailand can cause. It can be a messy affair, a matter that could be written extensively about, but a matter that I’m not going to touch in this piece.  The issue, rather, is on the opposite side of the spectrum.   It pertains to the problems that arise when you refuse to have sex with your trainer, someone else’s trainer, or whomever in the gym that’s trying to hit it with you.

I’ve revised this piece a number of times over the past seven months. Why?  Because the topic is not only complex, it’s one that I’m trying to approach without judgment.  My intent is not to make sweeping generalizations; it’s to create a dialogue.  I can only do so by sharing some of what has occurred to me training in Thailand over the past year plus, as well as my perception of what I’ve witnessed.  This is a matter that I believe is easier to not broach, but again, I feel that we can only benefit from discussing it or at the very least acknowledging it – there are a lot of women out there who plan to come to Thailand to train and others who are here who may think their experience, if similar, is only their own.

I’ll reiterate something I’ve written a number of times – there is great difference between the experiences of those who come to train at a gym for a few weeks, a few months and those who are here for the long haul.  In many cases, in regards to this topic, you can be female, show up at a gym, any number of guys will try to get with you – and whether you decide to be with someone or not makes little difference – you’re going home soon.  If you do, from my experience, chances are the long-term gym residents will know about it, and if you don’t, there is the possibility that someone will lie about it, and people will think you did anyhow.  Either way, it doesn’t matter, you’re going home.

When you’re here longer, things can get more convoluted.  I’ll illustrate with one personal example over the past year or so.  I’ve done my best to keep this as condensed as possible while trying to adequately illustrate that which occurred.  Please note, this particular situation began when I first arrived in Thailand – I was still very green, optimistic and very concerned about showing respect to the culture I was living in – both Thai and that of the gym.  I knew public displays of emotion, particularly anger would be frowned upon greatly and may not only cause me to be ostracized; such displays may be reason enough to boot me out.  This particular situation occurred at a gym where very few women train.

In retrospect you often see things differently than you do when they occur, but the following is my truth, and it is what it is.

When I first arrived at the gym, one of the trainers made it known he was attracted to me.   I didn’t think much of it until he told a fighter from another gym that was pursuing me, that he and I were lovers.  This didn’t sit well with me, so I confronted him about it privately and let my feelings, or rather, lack of, be known, again.  He said he understood and I didn’t let his actions affect me too deeply.

Shortly after, gifts were purchased.  He wanted to take care of me and I wanted distance.  When I told him I could do things independently, he was upset for days.  Eventually he accepted it.

At times, when he drank, he was dangerous.  There were phone calls asking into my room at night.  There was controlling, manipulative behaviour.  There was an instance where he got physical and I didn’t speak to him for weeks.  He was heartbroken and shook when he apologized.  There was another where he became overbearing and I threatened if he didn’t get himself in check; I’d discuss the situation with the owner.  He paused for a long time, months – but then something changed that made every receptor in my body stay on point, not only during the waking hours, but at night when I tried to sleep.  It affected everything for weeks – my eating patterns, my training, my ability to speak Thai and at times, I seriously questioned if my mental stability was getting slack…was I seeing things that didn’t exist?

Months previously I had decided to cross train at another gym.  I was dealing with a situation that is other from this one, but was intense – it eventually became one that I had to call the police and my embassy for assistance – perhaps that situation is for another piece.  Just know that because of this second situation, I was fielding calls from strangers – mostly men. And mostly men that were pretending to be men that I had met or that wanted to meet me. Please note, all of these calls were in Thai and I was still struggling with the language severely.  One of my regular callers was named Jak.  Whenever I’d receive a phone call of this nature, from anyone, I’d save the number and block it.  I had a couple entries for Jak, the last one being noted at Jak3.  Jak3 called me a number of times while I was at the other gym yet I felt it wasn’t the same Jak as the previous callers, despite the name.  Why?  I recognized the sounds of the street behind his voice.  I swore they were from my old gym.  Nonetheless, I questioned myself…why would someone from my old gym call me pretending to be someone else…

Why didn’t I change my phone number?  Two reasons: pride and because all of my financial institutions in Canada had it as a reference.  I couldn’t change the files from abroad.  I decided to deal with the callers hoping they eventually would become bored of me.  In time, I changed the number due to the other, more intense situation.

My sleeping pattern became erratic when I received a call from Jak3 at my home gym.  Having blocked the number, my phone didn’t ring, however the phone was in my hand when the call came through.  Before I thought about what I was doing, I answered it.  Jak3 didn’t lay out the same line of questioning as expected.  He was neither jealous nor accusatory; rather, he invited me out for dinner with some of the nak muays and the owner of the gym.  Jak3 was the trainer.

At the time another female was in residence.  She had arrived when I was cross training.  We compared stories and ours weren’t the same.  The boys teased us both, but I felt something was different with me.  She didn’t see it, but I could sense it.  Something was different than even a few months prior.  Everyone was still friendly and open, but I could read in some of their eyes that something had gone amiss.  I felt as if I was watched at times, their eyes trying to read mine, trying to make something out.  During this time, the trainer began to pay more attention to me.  Again, this was a gym where we all had to live together and he was the trainer the gym deemed responsible for Foreigners.  I couldn’t avoid him and felt that keeping things level was in everyone’s best interest – I was there to train and he had a lot of power.

Nonetheless, in an act of defense I asked the other muay ying to watch me.  I requested she ensure that I was never left alone with him when he was drinking.  I asked that she walked me to my room which is literally four meters (?) across from the gym and keep an eye on me.  She wasn’t convinced it was a dangerous situation; she was more concerned with a situation I had been dealing with concerning another trainer at the time…

Then a new kru arrived that I had previously met.  We were happy to see one another.   However, shortly after his arrival, his behaviour changed.  He followed the pattern a number of new faces at the gym had.  He looked at me differently and kept himself at a distance.  I’d catch him watching me sometimes…I knew something was off….this pattern had been going on for months.

Sub sequentially the nature of the teasing began to change.  A number of people started on me more frequently about the trainer.  Lighthearted, private teasing wasn’t uncommon because people knew he liked me and it just became a friendly joke at times, but now, when he wasn’t present people asked if I missed him.  When I asked where he was, they asked if my heart was broken.  A guy cringed when I touched him, one kid screamed.  And then, it was something I caught in the eyes of one of my favourite people, something I still can’t identify, perhaps sadness, perhaps disappointment, but it was the confirmation I was looking for…

Again, I approached the trainer privately.  I asked why everyone was teasing me about him.  He became defensive and instructed me to tell people we weren’t giks (lovers/hook ups).  I asked why people would even believe that, and that’s when I got my answer.  Point blank, he stared me in the eyes and said:

“Because everyone thinks you’re mooa”.

A whore.

This completely wiped my mind clean.  It didn’t make any sense to me.  I don’t even flirt.  He then again went into chastising me – all of which turned to babble…I wasn’t concerned with what he was saying, but that sentence, that sentence describes what I saw in the eyes of the guys at the gym.  Questioning, disappointment, judgment and with some, contempt.  For reasons unbeknown to me, I had lost their respect.

I went back to my room and made some phone calls.  I called people I trusted, people who independently told me the same truth.  The trainer had been telling everyone we were sleeping together.

At this point, and actually in previous months I realize I could have spoken to the owner about this issue.  Why didn’t I?  In part, I felt that I wouldn’t be believed.  I’m Falang and I’m female – our reputation here in Thailand generally is, we’re promiscuous.  The term ‘free sex’ gets thrown around a lot in regards to Falang.  Sometimes I feel the local translation of ‘free sex’ is as follows: Falang women are prostitutes you don’t have to pay for – we’ll sleep with anyone, anytime.  Also working against my case – the trainer has been with the gym for twenty years.  Why didn’t I leave?  Because I had developed an attachment to the gym and at times, I had received incredible training. I also felt this would happen at another gym.  I’m not solitary in this type of experience, and this isn’t the only trainer I’ve dealt with in this regard…

So how did I handle the situation?  I waited until breakfast when I knew a lot of people would be present, walked into the gym, to the trainer and simply asked, “Why are you lying to everyone?  Why are you saying we’re having sex when you know it’s not true?”  People were shocked, he was horrified, and I don’t know if I adequately masked the pain and anger in my eyes.

This goes against my understanding of ‘saving face’ in Thailand.  No one knew how to deal with me.  The owner’s wife heard me (I planned this) and in an effort to manipulate the situation for his own cause, the trainer explained that I had misunderstood everyone’s teasing.  However, he said it softly, I believe, so others couldn’t hear.  I made sure she understood otherwise.  I made sure everyone knew otherwise.  He was in a no win situation.  If he said he didn’t sleep with me, he would lose face in front of the guys, if he said he did; there would be possible repercussions because protocol at the gym is that trainers cannot be with Foreigners ….

In short, it was a mess that lasted about five to ten minutes.  The women at the gym were trying to convince me I was wrong, that because I’m Falang, I don’t understand Thai culture.  I don’t know if their reaction was an effort to save face/make the situation blow over, or if they truly believed what they were saying.  They continued that I was just upset about the teasing, refusing to believe me.  It was surreal and completely illogical – as though two conversations were happening and I was only included in one although they were both directed at me.  I realized then wasn’t the time to discuss his physical actions.  I left quietly. Enraged.  Confused.  Heartbroken.  I’m not accustomed to being accused of lying.  In the days that followed, no one knew what to do, how to act, and I couldn’t erase the sorrow in my eyes despite showing up to train.  I tried to poker face it, but I didn’t have the desire to speak.

One of the guys offered to help.  He spoke to a Thai friend of mine who is fluent in English.  When their conversation was complete, what she told me was as though she was speaking about someone else.  A number of things had been said about me in the gym, but the most jarring was that more than one of the guys had been saying I was sleeping with them.  Other than the trainer, I don’t know who else, or how many…I was just told ‘a lot’…I asked her if there was anything I did, anything that wasn’t congruent with Thai culture that may have somehow crossed wires somewhere.  She answered, “No, it’s because you are Falang.  It wouldn’t matter what you did”.  I asked her if my friend believed me.  Her answer?  “He doesn’t know what to believe..”

My heart emptied and went cold.  Was it because I was worried about my reputation as a whore?  In part, yes, because in this country, that’s a liability and may have affected my personal safety in my neighbourhood.  Everyone knows everyone’s business.  Could I just ignore it and continue training?  Within this context, I didn’t think so.  It affected too many aspects of my training – I had become the pariah.  That’s what I had sensed for months but couldn’t identify fully.  However, that’s not what completely made me feel as though my blood had corroded my arteries.  It was the sense of betrayal.  I didn’t know who my friends were.

A few days previous to this, one of the nak muays had asked if I was happy at the gym.  He exclaimed, “It’s like family here, isn’t it?”

As the days passed, I continued to train and eat at the same table with everyone.  At the time, I was the lone Foreigner and female.  There were a lot of concerned looks thrown my way and a number of people wouldn’t meet my gaze, but I’d catch them staring.  A number of the guys offered their kindness, gently making me feel welcome, included.  I finally opened up to one of them, and told him everything that had transpired.  I don’t know what he did with that information.  I decided to leave for awhile and he tried to convince me to stay, but something inside me had turned to dust – this wasn’t what I came out to Thailand to do – I came here to train.

I wasn’t satisfied with leaving the situation as it was, I didn’t want this happening to another female, so I decided to discuss it with the powers that be.  I felt they deserved an explanation for me leaving shortly after being asked to fight – they had always been respectful to me and I felt they deserved the same treatment.  I sat with them in the big office and told them most about what had occurred.  It wasn’t easy.  It was perhaps one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in this country – I didn’t know if I’d be believed, I didn’t know if they would turn and blame it on me.  I didn’t know if it would be confirmation that women shouldn’t be allowed to train muay thai at this establishment.  I was up against the cultural stereotype of the wayward, wanton Falang female and lifetimes of patriarchy.  We needed a translator to assist.  I was allowed to speak fully – it was then their turn.  The first question asked of me… “Was he ever in your room?”….. I have no idea what, if anything was done with the information.

This, in whatever form it takes, happens more often than discussed.  It’s a consistent thread I’ve become aware of that links a lot of women who are training here long-term.  Our stories are different, but the problem is the same – who we choose not to have sex with can affect our training and our lives.

I’ll continue, and generalize via situations I’ve encountered as well as others…your trainer thinks he can get with you.  He tries and you refuse.  The quality of your training somehow changes.  Then you realize you’re being traded off to new trainers, new trainers that try to get with you…new trainers that react differently when you refuse….they can lose interest, become abusive, sometimes using excessive force….all of which is generally passive in nature – blanketed, so you question the validity of their actions, your feelings….Then over time, if you stay at a gym long enough, new girls come in who receive great training.  If they sleep with their trainer, it generally continues, if they don’t, something, sometimes, changes, or their trainers switch….

I’ve had a trainer say, “You won’t love me?  I’ll only train you lightly…”

Am I implying that if the quality of a woman’s training changes, it’s due to the fact she’s not sleeping with her trainer?  No, it’s life, a lot of it is random, but I’m questioning a pattern I’ve seen develop that seems widespread….I know a number of girls who have jumped from gym to gym because of such issues.  None of this is congruent with what most of us come out here to do.  Train and for some of us, fight.

Was the above situation my only one?  No way, this sort of thing, in one form or another has followed me throughout this country.

What’s the answer?  I have no clue, maybe there isn’t one, maybe it’s simply about people being aware of the possibility and staying on point, about listening to their intuition, about holding their ground, about knowing when it’s time to leave, about communication…

As for me, I’ve changed my approach.  My Thai language skills have improved – this equates to power.  I’m less vulnerable and less dependent on others.  No one needs to speak for me.  Likewise, no one can manipulate what I say for their own devices.  People know I can understand far more than I can speak.  I continue to deal with emotions privately and out of training hours, but I’m less concerned about offending those that overstep my boundaries and about being kicked out of an establishment.

Recently I was alone in the kitchen of a gym when a trainer came in.  My back was turned to him and he started flirting with me, as became customary.  I told him again, I wasn’t interested.  He then rushed me from behind and put me in a tight clinch – he’s both larger and stronger than I am, his body pressed so tightly against mine, I could barely move.  I tried to create space and once accomplished, I quickly grabbed a metal spatula and smashed him over the head with it.  He released me and said that hitting someone on the top of the head is really bad in Thai culture.  I told him trying to sodomize me was really bad in mine.

Cultural relations….

Not exactly what I wanted to say and it wasn’t said as delicately; I’m still working on the language…either way, this just made him like me more.  In another instance that followed, he approached me from the front. Again he put me in a clinch – this time grabbing and kissing my body – I bit him until I almost drew blood.  Again, this made him like me more….

I believe if any one of these men wanted to rape me, the offence would have occurred.  I feel the instances I’ve encountered, although aggressive were more about intimidation and coercion than rape.  For those of you who think perhaps the situation would be solved training at a gym with a number of Foreigners – instances as such have occurred when Falang men have been present at a gym.

Recently I decided to go the route of personal training – my kru and I alone at his home.  Instinct regarding his character coupled with the safeguard of some heavy hitters led me to him.  Perhaps part of my protection comes in the form of commerce.  The money I pay goes directly into his hands.  There is no middle man, no constant stream of people coming in – whether he gets paid or not is directly linked to his treatment of me.  To this date, there have been no problems.

I hope this has been beneficial.

More about Laura

I’m a Canadian who decided to quit my job, sell most of what I own, pack a suitcase, and skip continents to pursue a martial art I’m not particularly efficient in. A minimalist. A modern nomad. A kid who just likes having a good time.

My attraction to muay thai is that it’s an art with no wasted motion. It has been the greatest vehicle for my continual education. It’s incredibly challenging to me – both the physical and the mental game. The latter probably more so than the former.

Currently I’m in Bangkok training muay thai fulltime. The plan is to be here for a few years, but realistically, I have no idea where this path is leading, or what the timeline is. I like change and pushing my comfort zone. A lot. Nevertheless, muay thai will be the constant among the variables.

Be prepared for updates, rambling, video content and anything I’ve learned that I think may of use to you.

This hasn’t been easy, but so far, its been a pretty sick ride.

Thanks to Abigail for sending this one in… For those of you who don’t know this is from the upcoming movie Yamada Samurai of Ayothaya.  This was taken from MuaySiam… I’m so down for this…

These guys can rock a tache!  Buakaw looks pycho though… I know they’ve just completed filming so it probably won’t be out for a while.  I’m hoping to get a little face time with Buakaw this weekend.  Maybe I can get him to talk a bit about the flick…

This was the first time in my life that I can remember feeling apprehensive about going back home. After all the US and UK governments have both issued blanket travel bans to all of Thailand.    I thought blanket travel bans were reserved for only the most dangerous places like the Sudan.  Is Thailand really as dangerous as the Sudan?

I got off the plane, and everything seemed normal, walking through the airport I couldn’t help scanning the airport looking for people who were “Red Shirt” supporters.  “ you look dodgy… I bet you were out there…” I picked up my bags and got in a cab… the journey home was just as uneventful.

I kept my eyes out for blockades, burning tires… but nothing.  I pulled onto my street, no cops, and no military, just the Walls ice cream guy trudging up the road.   I can always you some ice cream; it’s hot as balls here.

Could the western media be hyping this up?  Are the 24-hour news channels trying to play things up?  I’m sure they wouldn’t dream of such a thing.  The funny thing was seeing the SKY news reporting in full flack jacket reporting the news crouched behind a car, Beirut style… meanwhile on the Thai news channel the guy is just standing out in the open, in a short sleeve polo… Who am I supposed to believe?

I headed down to Fighting Spirit Gym on Silom Ave, to get in a work out. After my workout I decided to head down the red shirts wall of shame. As I started heading down Silom  I immediately began noticing the police and military presence.

There was a soldier and riot police lined on every corner of Silom Ave.  As I progressed down Silom, the more built up the presence became.  I’ve never witnessed anything like this in my life.  Every odd block or so the sidewalk was closed, razor wire lined everywhere… used to bottle neck and control the flow of foot traffic down the street.  To give a little background, Silom is the heart of Thailand’s business district.

This was my old haunt… it’s the equivalent of Market Street in San Francisco or Oxford circus in London.

I decided I wanted to head to the wall, this is where the red shirts have walled themselves in at Lumpini Park.  I could believe the scale of things. I asked the police if it was ok to walk down rajadamri… I started to walk down.  The entire wall is lined with red shirt guards watching and vigilantly protecting their wall.  I didn’t get 200 meters down the road when I decided that this wasn’t the brightest thing that I’ve ever done.  The only other people around me were international photographers.  I thought better let the pros handle this shit.

I was told by some of my friends, not to venture into the red city, not to go through their checkpoints, as they’ve become desperate… and dangerous.  They’ve been at these checkpoints they’ve been “Confiscating, money, phones” all for greater good.

My friend has an apartment in the heart of the red city, he’s been unable to return to his place in over a month.  He sent a friend over to check on his place, the checkpoint thugs asked her to open her bag, they snatched her phone and said.  “Don’t you want to save you country?”

Basically the lesson here is if you want to venture into red city, it is your ass.  Nobody is going to help you.  You are basically at the whim of the crowd.  I’m sure there are some decent people left in the protest, but by all accounts a lot of the people who are left are just thugs.

I think things are going to kickoff fairly soon.  In fact I don’t think I’m going to head down to Silom again on this trip.   It’s just not necessary.

If you had a trip booked to Thailand, you’ll be fine.  If you’re headed to Thailand you’ll be fine.  Outside of these pockets life goes on…

I wouldn’t however do what I did and wander down to have a look and I certainly wouldn’t advise you to go into red city.  I think things are getting far too volatile.

Anyway, I report back in a couple of days.

Upon arriving at Narita airport in Tokyo, I was welcomed by two familiar faces – Mr Imai of Muay Loak Promotions/Shobukai Gym and a kru from Chuwattana Gym, Bangkok.

I was invited to Japan to do a number of things – to help bridge Japanese muay thai to the west, train and lend recommendations regarding hosting foreign fighters in the future.  I’ve also been asked to be part of the matchmaking team for Muay Loak Promotions – I, along with my Japanese partner in Bangkok will headhunt Western fighters – provided everything runs smoothly.  This is the first time Shobukai Gym has hosted Westerners and there are three of us – myself and two Italian fighters.  We live together in an apartment above the gym along with a Japanese fighter and the Thai trainer.  I’m the only female.

Shobukai Gym is located in Hachioji, an industrial suburb located in the mountains, 40km west of downtown Tokyo.

The previous seven days have been an adjustment period.  It wasn’t culture shock in the sense of being a Westerner in an Asian country – it was more of me feeling like a girl coming from the Wild West and being thrown into domesticity.  To state the obvious, Japan is more developed, organized and more Western than the Thailand I know.  This, quite simply, freaked me out at times.  I found myself missing the randomness, the decay/immediate examples of the natural cycle of life, the silly banter with strangers, the stray, mangy animals wandering around, and the heat.  I really, really miss the heat.

To put it mildly, I’ve been climatizing.  One night my Japanese roommate was trying to drop weight.  We were in the main living area with the Thai trainer. The door and windows were shut.  Two pots of water were boiling on the stove and we had a space heater.  Both guys were soaked in sweat – the Thai wearing only a light shirt and a pair of jeans.  I had three shirts on, a pair of jeans and socks and after an hour and subsequently to everyone’s amusement, I still wasn’t sweating.   It’s partially genetic – I’ve been like this for as long as I can remember.  I’ve taken to wearing my rubber suit at the gym, not to drop weight, but to keep warm.  And sometimes, it takes awhile.

In addition, I have yet to train muay thai here – I’ve been resigned to doing light weights and running sporadically.  Some background info – in October 2009 I broke my hand for the second time that year and took about five months off to heal and scout other gyms.  By the time I was able to train, I began having issues with my stomach, which I’m still dealing with.  As a result I’m not currently in the condition I want to be in.  I was hoping to fight here…I don’t know if this will become a reality.  I’m here for forty-five days total.

That being said, I have been observing the training.  Current impressions – despite having a series of trainers rotating in from Chuwattana throughout the years, the style here at Shobukai Gym resembles kickboxing with the addition of elbows and knees more so than muay thai.  Speaking with the current kru here, he explained everyone comes from different martial arts backgrounds so he tries to work with people’s strengths.  Sometimes he teaches muay thai, sometimes boxing, sometimes kickboxing.  It all depends on the fighter.  I’m not considering this a negative, just something other than what I’m used to.   More on this when I do train…

I’ve been unbelievably welcomed by a number of Thai ex-pats I’ve met here – enough where I’ve been navigating this country mostly in Thai.  I’m truly thankful for this as it has provided a sense of home for me.  The people I’ve met have been feeding me, helping me navigate an area of Japan where little to nothing is in English (including some ATMs), and have purchased meds for me when I wasn’t able to do so myself.  I’m currently writing this piece wearing an amulet lent from the kru to heal my ailments. I can also hear one of the Italians swearing in his native tongue.  This has provided a sense of home for me too.  His swearing…

Living conditions…A Thai who can speak a bit of Japanese.  An Italian who can speak English and a bit of Thai.  A Japanese who can speak less Thai than the Italian and can’t speak English. An Italian who can speak more English than the Thai can speak Japanese, but less than the other Italian.   And me, the Canadian who can speak adequate Thai, understand some Italian and know how to say ‘Thank-you’ and ‘What is this?’ in Japanese. The five of us under one small roof…this aspect has been pretty fun.

More in a week…

More about Laura

I’m a Canadian who decided to quit my job, sell most of what I own, pack a suitcase, and skip continents to pursue a martial art I’m not particularly efficient in. A minimalist. A modern nomad. A kid who just likes having a good time.

My attraction to muay thai is that it’s an art with no wasted motion. It has been the greatest vehicle for my continual education. It’s incredibly challenging to me – both the physical and the mental game. The latter probably more so than the former.

Currently I’m in Bangkok training muay thai fulltime. The plan is to be here for a few years, but realistically, I have no idea where this path is leading, or what the timeline is. I like change and pushing my comfort zone. A lot. Nevertheless, muay thai will be the constant among the variables.

Be prepared for updates, rambling, video content and anything I’ve learned that I think may of use to you.

This hasn’t been easy, but so far, its been a pretty sick ride.

Sawasdee brothers and sisters. As some of you may know, Thailand is under a state of emergency.  I’m keeping my eye on the news but it looks like anti-government protesters have stormed parliment.  Let’s hope this ends without too much violence.  If you’re already in Thailand, be safe and stay out of the way!

If you’re on your way, I’m sure you’ll be fine. Speak to your camp or concierge  about areas to avoid.  Be safe.

Rumour has it Badr is currently in talks with the Moroccan Olympic body about representing Morocco as a heavyweight boxer in the London 2012 Olympics.

All I’ve got to say is he’d better get boxing… He’s a fantastic fighter but a boxer he is not.  For those of you who’ve boxed and have experience with MuayThai you know that they are very different worlds.

You have a handful of Thai fighters who’ve moved successfully between boxing and Muay Thai and vice versa, but these guys are exceptions.

I think if Badr took some time to clean up his hands, it would pay huge dividends in his K-1 career.  He loves his haymakers and catches enough opponents … but I think against a decent boxer get torn up.

Here are the boxing finals from last summer’s games.  These guys actually have pretty good hand speak for big boys… how do you think Badr would fair?

Giorgio… firstly congrats on your success.  I’ve been covering you for a while.  In fact I do believe I was the first person to write anything about you… that was back in April 2007.  Anyway the reason I’m writing you is that you need to get a manager asap.

I came across a video of you today, pimping some deck and lawn furniture.  I don’t care if it’s for your best friend/uncle/cousins shop… last I checked you were the K1 MAX champ.  Seriously you can do better… maybe some kind of sports cream?  boxing gear?  Go and hire some professional management… you’re not going to be on top forever and these are your prime earning years .

Take a page out of Masato’s book… I don’t even know what the hell cyber agent does but I want one.