For those of you who are in Bangkok or heading to Bangkok, things may get interesting in the next couple of days.  The PAD (Red Shirts) are planning on mass protests and demonstrations today.  If you are in Bangkok or near one of the rallys,  I would suggest you stay clear and to not get involved.

I’ve got friends in BKK who belive that the military will actually get involved, which always makes me a bit nervous.  If you don’t know the situation, the Thai Supreme court recently ruled against the outsted prime minister and has subsequently seized his assests ($1.4 Billion).  The Red shirts who are mostly rural Thais are supporters of Thaksin (former prime minister).

I sincerely hope things get resolved peacefully.  If any of you are out there, stay safe and keep us posted.

I was just reading MuayMag.com and I saw that the official MuayThai Museum of Thailand was just recently opened in Bangkok.  Have any of you been yet, or have any details?  I think it’s a great idea and I’ll be making a visit in May.  I’m not sure what they’ll have on exhibit, but I think it’s important to preserve what artifacts footage, and pics are left.  I think any sort of preservation that had been done was mostly on the part of gym owners and fans.  I’m glad that they’ll be an official place that we’ll be able to visit and support… it’s important.

images by pimchanok  of MuayGallery.com

I’m still trying to figure out where it is.  The article says it’s next to the National Stadium.  I don’t think they mean the National Stadium next to MBK, but rather Rajamangala National Stadium.  Rajamangala is out by Ram Khampang, and unfortunately doesn’t have decent transport links out there.  Can someone clarify?

The opening ceremony had a few legends in attendance, Samart Payakaroon, Saen Sor Ploenjit and Denkaosan Kaovichit.  Apparently Somluck Khamsing was supposed to put on a demo, but missed it because he slept in, classy…

image by pimchanok  of MuayGallery.com

If any of you head out there, send pics!

Run around a muay thai fight out here, actually, run around just about anywhere working class people chill around here, and you’re apt to find someone clutching one of these things.  It’s the Poy-Sian Mark II inhaler and if you’re training out here, it’s a useful piece of hardware.

Comprised of four ingredients; eucalyptus oil, menthol, camphor and borneol, this little smelly stick will set you back eighteen baht.  You can pick it up at any 7-Eleven, pharmacy and various spots on the street.

Listed as ‘relief of vertigo’, the Poy-Sian inhaler is much more than that.  Possible uses…..You’re tired.  It’ll give you a small boost.  Headache.  It helps clear your head.  Catch something way too hard to the cranium in the ring?  That’s where the ‘relief of vertigo’ comes in.  And that’s only the inhaler end…

The bottom can be screwed off and the oil can be used topically.  I use it to stop mosquito kisses from itching like madness, and it acts as a repellent.

It’s about 2ml of goodness and apparently so ergonomically designed, it can be used handsfree…I caught a chick on my street just hanging with one sticking out of her nose.  For a long time.  A really, really long time.

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.

It’s the dawn of a New Year and a couple of Falang nak muays I know are returning to Bangkok to hang out.  This excites me – being out here alone can be isolating.  This excites me enough that I brought it up to a crew of the guys here at the gym – to dial them into the fact that certain people they know will check in for a brief visit.  One of them, with his eyes averted towards the ground, shyly asked if it was possible to go out together when they got here.  Translation, he wants to party.  He isn’t in a position to take us – the way the words were selected weren’t an offer, rather a request to be included in our plans.

This reminded me of something I suspect a number of you would benefit from knowing about regarding going out for dinner, a movie, a club, whatever falls into the category of going out for pleasure…essentially, if you ask people to go (I’ll use party as the example), be prepared to pay, for everyone.  This, from my understanding, is customary in Thai culture.  Generally, the person who asks is offering, particularly if they’re older and/or wealthier.  Most Falang are assumed to fit into the latter category, particularly within the context of a muay thai gym.  Despite what a lot of you may think, most of these guys, including champions, don’t have a lot of coin to throw around.  It’s not because they’re cheap – it’s due to a number of factors, one being their percentage of the payout isn’t as large as a number of you may suspect.

At times, others will add what they can to the bill, but it’s not implied like it is in the West.  Again, this is within the context of the gym.  I have Thai friends who are in a different socioeconomic bracket and who are more accustomed to Falang culture – they generally split the bill – sometimes everyone, sometimes those with the most money.   It’s a mix out here, but from my experience, I’ve seen it go more in the direction I’m talking about – the person who offers, foots the bill, particularly if it’s a Falang.  I’ve known Falang who thought they were being exploited because they were expected to pay the bill every time we hit the bar.  Personally, I’ve been on the receiving end enough times.  It’s not always a, let’s-see-how much-we-can-squeeze-out-of-this-Falang trip, but it can be.  Use your intuition.

I was in Ko Samui for the first time in October.  I didn’t train but the culture out there is completely different than what I’m accustomed to.  It’s a lot more Western, including the Thais that I met.  I have no clue if this applies in the South/Islands – anyone have any idea?

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.

My love for food runs a very close second to muaythai, in fact I’m really thinking about starting a street food blog.  I’m one of those people can navigates a city by the location of taqeria’s and hole in the walls.

My love of MuayThai and grubbing is completely symbiotic.  I train so I can eat…  (see what happens to your metabolism when you get  past 30)

I did a post on this place a couple of years ago… but I was just recently there with DiiMak.  DiiMak is a Gai Yang and Somtam connoisseur (ask him about his Gai Yang, SomTam regiment) can back me up when I say this is one of the best grilled chicken places in the city.

The beauty of likit is that it’s located about 100 feet away from Rajadomnern stadium.  If you’re headed that way to catch the fights, get there 40 mins early and grab a seat at Likit.  You will not be disappointed.

Stick to the basics, a whole grilled chicken, som tam thai, pork larb, pork neck, and a tall bottle of Chang.

I got my first tattoo back in ’95 and I always knew that I wanted something else.  I just could find anything that called to me…  The years passed and I sort of stopped searching.

I had always admired the Sak Yants, but didn’t really know how I was going to go about getting one. It’s isn’t like you can roll into your neighborhood tattoo artist and get one.

My buddy DiiMak committed and got a very nice Sak Yant by Ajarn Lao, of Bangkapong. Diimak initially found out about Ajarn Lao through Soren Mongkongtong and the Nugget’s NTG crew.

I went back on a very short trip a few weeks ago intent on getting one.  I’ve put together a 10 min clip of my experience.

Sak Yan or Yantra tattooing is a form of sacred tattooing practiced predominantly in SouthEast Asia.  Sak Yant are typically done by Monks and Brahmin Priests.  Devotees of Yantra believe that the Yantra are imbued with powers for protection.

The yantras are made up of a melange of sacred geometry, Pali , Khmer text and various elements of the Ramakien.  While being tattooed you are asked to clear your mind, and to recite a mantra used to “open the channels” allowing you to be charged with powers.

video seems to be falling over quite a bit, if it’s failing to load… you can watch it here

I tried explaining this on camera, but I was quite nervous… the anticipation of being jabbed by a giant needle was beginning to unravel me.

In the west, Tattoos are a form of adornment, and self expression.  The point of the tattoo is to get something you like.  With Yantra, it’s almost the opposite.  You figure out what form of protection you need or want and then you get the corresponding Yantra regardless of size and shape.

I had gone with the intention of getting one Yantra on my chest, when consulting with Ajarn Lao, he said no.  That it was going to be a waste of canvas… that he was going to give me two and they would be on my arms…  there you go.

The Yantras took about 10 min. or less per arm… which was good because I find the hand work more painful than a traditional electric needle.

To end the ritual Ajarn closes off the ritual by sealing in the power.  He traces and writes on your back with a sharp (didn’t get the name) object.  You can see from the gallery pics it leaves a temporary welt on your back.

Payment for his work comes in a form of Donation.  The donation should be just painful enough.   So it should be so inexpensive as to be easy, and shouldn’t be so expensive that would cause you to much of a financial burden.

If you guys are interested, I would suggest you contact Khun Suriya and tell him I sent you.  He’ll drive you out to Ajarn Lao’s which is considerably off the beaten path.  It’s a little over an hour to reach Bangkapong which is on the way to Chonburi.

Khun Suriya can speak English and can help you with communicating with Ajarn Lao doesn’t speak a lick of English.

Khun Suriya will pick you up from your hotel take you out Ajarn Lao’s wait for you and bring you back.   I can’t guarantee prices but it should be around 2,500-3000 baht for his time.

You can reach him by dialing +66 0866115973.

A Sak Yant isn’t for everyone… but if this is something that calls to you, be my guest.  I’m hooked and I’m already thinking about getting another one on my trip back in December.  Ajarn Lao expressed interest in coming out to London to do some work.  I’d be happy to arrange it if there was some interest.

Special Thanks:  Special thanks goes out to my boy DiiMak for helping to arrange this trip, and for being the impromptu MyMuayThai camera man and post production company!

You can read about Ajarn Lao here:

www.arjahnlao.com

49/2 moo 2 Banpee-Noi, Bangbor, Samutprakan

arjahnlao@thailmail.com

Just came across this vid of the Tiger MuayThai instructors having themselves a little contest.  Fairly straight forward… how many kicks can you get out in :30 seconds?  I’m probably good for about 6 or so…  Give it a go… I’d like to see what you guys are capable of…

And if any of you come back with a ridonkulous number we’re going to demand some video proof!

Came across another vid of Nathan yesterday. Fightjapanrc the crew who brought us MuayThai theatre, and the Sanchai interview,  did a little piece on Nathan and his MuayChaiya Kru.

I was looking over the comments from the last Chaiya video I posted and some of you felt the sparring was a bit lacking.  I think it’s important to realize that what you and I do day in day out, has moved further into the realm of sport.

The Muay that was practiced a hundred years ago certainly doesn’t resemble anything we do today. MuayChaiya is a much closer representation of how it used to be done.  Yeah the sparring isn’t pretty but a street fight isn’t pretty either.

MC is definitely more art than sport,  I personally find it interesting to see where we’ve come from.

By Abigail McCullough

I don’t quite know if this story will fit into any particular category. It’s a bit of a work in progress, so apologies for its meandering nature. I wanted to write something for MMT about my friend and teacher Pra Ta – a Thai forest monk who I met earlier this year and who has been teaching me Muay Chaiya. He’s a gifted, devoted teacher, a master of this style who pays particular attention to technique. Pra Ta’s grandmaster is the the famed Muay Chaiya icon Ket Sriyapai, and he lived and studied directly with the late Kru Tong Lor Ya Lae in Bangkok.

Pra Ta, or Luang Pii Ta as he is known to his students (luang pii roughly translates as ‘older brother monk’), lives and breathes Muay Chaiya, promoting it as a vehicle for aligning mind, body and spirit. Because of his compassionate heart (he helps many families all over Thailand, teaching them about MC, meditation and nutrition and traditional Thai medicine for free) and because of his motivation to promote Muay Chaiya, I wanted to share my experience of training with him.

I came to Bangkok late last year to train Muay Thai. Like many before me, I have always wanted to experience the intensive training that a boxing camp would provide. But my first instinct was to try to find a place to study Muay Boran. My martial arts training began in 2001 when I started training Shaolin gong fu and san shou with Shifus Yan Lei and Yanzi in London, so the opportunity to learn ancient Thai fighting held great appeal to me. I also had done some san shou training in Dengfeng, China with my Shaolin teachers, so I had some sense what it would be like.

When I left for Thailand last year, I had been training with Neungsiam Samphusri and Bunkherd Faphimai at Fight and Fitness in San Francisco. As many of you will no doubt agree, they are great teachers and studying with them was very inspiring. Neungsiam in particular encouraged me to go to Thailand to train, so I started looking into learning some style of Muay Boran, but couldn’t find very much at all online (for some reason I don’t think I found Nathan’s site at that time). In the end I opted for Ingram Gym, at Neungsiam’s suggestion, as his friend Bu was head trainer there (and of course he used to be a trainer there as well).

I came for two months and had a great experience, and like many, fell in love with this place. So when my time was up flew back to San Francisco to clear out my apartment and six weeks later I was back in Bangkok and have been here since.

When I got back, I wanted to train like I was training before but I had to focus on finding a place to live and getting a means of income. I lived near Bu and his girlfriend for the first few months and spent a lot of time with the Ingram crew hanging out but not doing much training.

It was a bit of a let down – I was finding it hard to make ends meet and started to think I was seriously crazy for coming back even though my heart told me I was in the right place. Plus, I had no place to go back to – part of the reason I left the US was that I couldn’t get a visa to stay long term (I am a UK-Canadian). The desire to learn some style of Muay Boran was growing and the longing to train was getting more and more intense. I asked Bu and the other trainers and nak muay but no one seemed to know anyone who could train me.

I finally met Luang Pii Ta through a bizarre and somewhat magical sequence of events and since then, life in Thailand has taken a whole new direction for me. I’ve been training with him almost every day and we are working to combine some of our meditation techniques to help students with the internal practices of cultivating power and generating chi. I had a small energy healing practice in San Francisco that I had to leave behind, and now it is beginning to take shape here in Bangkok. Combined with the Chaiya practice it is all starting to work out beautifully.

Until now the training with me and his other students has been a little unstructured – we just meet wherever we can and there is no time schedule that we stick to – we just train until we are ready to eat or take a break, then get back to it. Most of his students have trained with him for a long time, so they got on with their practice and he will step in to help them with their technique. A lot of his current students are 20-something guys from Ramkamhaeng University, but he trains a few women in their 60s and some young kids as well. It’s pretty lovely to see that diversity and he treats them all with the same devotion, kindness and attention to detail.

So all that to say that in the next few weeks we will be finding a house to use as a healing, meditation and training centre and at that time Luang Pii will be offering a regular timetable of classes to foreigners and Thais alike. He is looking forward to teaching foreign students and promoting Muay Chaiya to the West. He has taught a few Europeans and Americans in the past, but right now I’m the only farang studying with him.

I thought about waiting to write this post until we find a place, but I figured I may as well introduce him now. Maybe some of you will want to know more about him and have questions. And if anyone is planning on coming this year, perhaps studying with him might be of interest.  I’ll write more once we get the center set up – probably in 6 to 8 weeks and soon we should have a webpage and Facebook page too.

Oh and here’s some relevant background information about Pra Ta. His full name is Aekapop Suprapaso and he’s 37 years old. He started training with Kru Tong some 16 years ago when he was a student himself at Ramkamhaeng University. I am told that that Kru Tong was like a father to him, living together and training everyday. Since training with luang pii I see the same devotion and love coming from his students to him, which is always a good sign to me.

I’m not really quite sure if it’s MuayThai, or if it’s my age, but I sort of feel like the gym is an extension of my family, making us one big fat dysfunctional family.  I’ve participated in all sorts of sports and teams all my life but I’ve never managed to form bonds as strong as I have with my gym mates.

Is it a function for my age or where I am in my life?  Is it because we suffer the same punishment and take the same medicine?  I dunno, but the gym is so much more to me then just a gym.

If my camp mates are my family then my big brother in my dysfunctional family is this guy.  His name is Bunkerd Faphimai and he co-owns Fight and Fitness in San Francisco.  For those of you who have been training MuayThai in the States for more than 10 years, you would have undoubtedly heard his name in various MuayThai circles.

Bunkerd start cracking skulls at the tender age of 10… He was born in the very poor North East of Thailand.  As a kid Bunkerd would work the rice harvest, for his payment his family would receive a sack of rice for his labor.  Bunkerd began fighting at temple fairs as a way to earn some much needed money.

I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone with more heart.  I miss him and the SF crew…

I came across this vid in Stack’s collection, it’s a fight of his from back in ’95,  Bunkerd has long since retired but if you show up between 3-5 at fight and fitness you might be fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of him in the ring.  Occasionally he’ll saunter over to the ring,   jack up his shorts and point to one of his legs and say “you wan some of dis baby?”

Destination:  Por Pramuk Gym, Chachoengsao

Laura Dal Farra

The country has always freaked me out.  Throw me in some dodgy urban area, in some messed up situation, at night and I’ll find a way to maintain.  Send me to the countryside with sunshine, crops and mooing and somewhere in the back of my head, I’m stressing about snares, sociopaths and rabid cows.  Rational?  Nope, I realize this, but despite that fact, that’s pretty much what hit me enroute to Por Pramuk Gym in Chachoengsao.

I didn’t know what to expect. My original intent was to show up, hook up with friends, and train excessively hard.  I had been told the training at Por Pramuk is fierce (“Get ready to run 20 km a day…”), but here I was, on the back of a motorcycle taxi with a broken hand and an irrational fear of getting bitten by a cow.  Yeah, I had no idea what to expect, from training to accommodations to how I would be viewed – ie. “What is this mangled chick doing here?”  Thankfully, all that greeted me were my friends, some tired looking Thai guys and a few mellow pitbulls.  And yes, the stench of pig feces.  It’s true, people.  Por Pramuk smells, it smells something horrid, but it’s a smell one quickly gets used to.

I arrived on a Sunday and left on a Friday. At 800 and 1,000 baht a day (approx. $24 and $30 USD depending on preference for air con), Por Pramuk Gym is out of my budget. However, despite the pricing and my injury, I was intent to hook up with some people I haven’t seen in awhile, speak some English (whoo!), do a quick border run to Cambodia and get the best that I could out of whatever training they’d give me.

Accommodations

Ladies, no one asked if I wanted a room without air con. I made the assumption that accommodations without it were upstairs, with the boys – I could be wrong.  However, I’ll discuss what I do know, and that’s a room with air con.  I saw two. Neither had windows, but due to that fact, when I slept, I slept deeply.  Like death. I’d wake up and forget where I was.  Other than that, cold water and no sink in the washroom.  Because the washroom walls didn’t reach the corrugated ceiling, I could hear random Thai guys singing in the shower beside me. Bonus.

Good food.

No bugs (in the room. Bring mosquito spray).

No internet within walking distance.

No complaints.

Training

I’ll reiterate. I showed up with a freshly broken hand.  Not knuckles, not finger, just a small crack in my hand.  I was training with a new kru at my current gym and despite throwing a correct uppercut; he thumped me hard enough that the pad went over my hand after contact, kissed a bone and snapped it. It is what it is – however, I wasn’t sure what we were going to work.  We decided on technique.

Training went as follows – morning run at 12 km.  Technique for about half an hour.  Then off to the bags and whatever else I wanted to do.  For others, from what I paid attention to…..morning run at 12 km.  Pads. Bags. Clinching. Etc.  Afternoon sessions were similar, less 4 km on the run (we ran for 8 km).  I was told I was there during a slow week – it was still good.

So how was training solely technique?  Awesome.  I didn’t fully realize it until I came back to my current location and noticed the difference. My kicks were higher, looser and quicker.  Pretty good considering I had about three full days of training at Por Pramuk.  On that note, one of the kids I met up with was someone I met here in Bangkok.  We trained together for about a month and a half.  I definitely noticed an improvement in his skills, mental as well as physical after about six weeks of training at the new location.

Environment

The culture of a gym is incredibly important to me. Negativity blows and eventually irritates me, thus only adding to it.  Generally when I walk into a gym, I try to get a good feel of those around me. Is the gym only interested in my cash?  Is everyone serious about training here? Are people supportive?  Cool?  Chill?  Or am I going to be surrounded by insecure ego mongers and bullshit?  This includes the Thais as well as the foreigners.  If I smell anything, I’m out and off to the next one.  Por Pramuk gave me no reason to leave.

Cool people.

Silly times.

Training not compromised due to the above.

Sweet.

In short, in my experience, dipping into a gym is far different than actually living there. Five days in total with three days of training isn’t going to give me a real taste of what it’s like to immerse myself in the training. Particularly while injured.  However, despite that fact, I like what I saw and am happy with what I experienced.  Would I go back?  Absolutely. I’ve been trying to come up with ways to cut back on my expenses in Bangkok so I can periodically cross train there.

Is there anyone else in the MMT community who has spent time at Por Pramuk?  Anything to add?

“My first fight was a flash of leather. It ended in the first round, by knock out, winning me the bout. It was fast and a brawl. I promised myself that I would take my second fight slower. My next bout was in Pattaya and we went the distance. It was with a falang. I lost on points,” Derek said. He spoke easily as we jogged down the dirt road.

We’d walked a few hundred meters down a path behind the gym then crossed a wobbly bridge. The bridge shook as the dozen boxers moved across it. Below the wood was a khlong. The khlongs criss cross Bangkok making the city “The Venice of the East.” They serve as both transportation and sewage. The water below the bridge was covered with green plants. It made the canal look like a watery field. The rows of plants would shift, moving like an earthquake with the ebb and flow of the water.

The Khlong

We continued our run down the dirt road by the khlong for a few kilometers. Derek Boyd, a young Canadian, told me more about himself and why he’d decided to come to Kiatphontip. As we ran the younger fighters engaged in horseplay pushing each other lightly or trying to give each other piggyback rides. The run took about 40 minutes and we returned to the gym.

The gym is located on the outer edges of Bangkok. It always surprises me when I leave the city how rural everything becomes. The gym is only twenty minutes outside of the capital yet has the countryside feel, that feeling was augmented when we had to cross the railway tracks and drive down a dirt road to get to the gym. While rural, the gym is located near a university and a handful of restaurants.

We all took a drought of water from the cooler and then were told to start skipping rope. As I whirled the heavy Thai rope around I began to rain on the blue mat underneath my feet. I looked over at the Thai boys that were skipping, not a drop of sweat was running off of them. Despite my constant training over the last few years my rate of perspiration hasn’t declined. Sweat ran down my body as if I was in a tropical rain storm creating a big slippery puddle beneath my feet.

The gym is large with the majority of the gym made of a matted area where the boxers skip, do pad work, spar and work the bags. There are a half dozen, or more, heavy bags of various styles lined up towards the entrance of the compound. On the west side are a series of bird cages. They hang above a small ditch. The birds in them sing softly, sometimes cooing over the noise of the boxers but often being subsumed by the boxers own songs of motion. The birds vary in price and are the prize pets of the trainers. Some of these expensive pets will compete in singing contests. Near the caged avians is the large raised ring. The ring is standard size and has all the marks of use, sweat is stained into its canvass. Attached to the workout area is a large building which houses the fighters, and the workers. The foreign fighters live on the lower levels in standard rooms that have modern conveniences, such as WiFi Internet. The Thais live upstairs in shared rooms. The large central building has a sizable kitchen where food is made at regular feeding hours by a talented cook.

Kiatphontip is more than 14 years old. The original gym is in southern Thailand, an hour north of the Malaysian border. The new site at which I trained is about a year old and is managed and co-owned by Rob Cox. The dashing Englishmen takes care of the foreign side of the gym when not snapping photos for various Muay Thai magazines. The gym is a healthy mix of falang and Thai with the majority of the population made of Thais. The Falang come in for a few months, or a few weeks at a time, train, sometimes fight and help pay with the cost of taking care of the gym.
We skipped ropes for two rounds. The rounds are five minutes long with a one minute break. The authentic Muay Thai clock sat by the water cooler announcing the passing minutes with a yell. “Laew, laew laew, quick, quick, quick,” the young boy would yell as the round came to a close.

After the skipping I wrapped my hands and went with a trainer. The trainer was young man, named Racharit. He was a few years older than me and had a similar affect and style as Add Carabao. Carabao is a staple of Thai music and culture with his long flowing locks, mustache and bull logo apparel. Carabao is an iconic figure of rebellion and “Thainess.” Racharit spoke surprisingly fluid English telling me to elbow, kick and punch. We did three long five minute rounds that went by smoothly. He primarily had me focus on three techniques/combinations.

The first was to bounce my front leg rhythmically in order to time an opponent’s kick. By rocking on my front leg I was able to spring into a teep hitting him in the belly pad when he would throw a kick. This counterattack needs to be timed perfectly in order to throw the opponent off balance. If the front push kick is too slow the opponent lands his kick. He augmented the simple but difficult to time technique by having me round kick then teep. One of the bread and butter basic techniques of Muay Thai is to kick back after having been kicked. Its one of the first and most basic counterattacks. By kicking into the shoulder area and then teeping the opponent I was pre-empting a strike back. Muay Thai is a fast paced game in which being just one move ahead of one’s opponent can be what wins the bout.

The second item he focused on was having me turn my body into my kicks. The power of the Muay Thai kick comes primarily from the hips. The leg stays relaxed while the hip swings over. The damage of the kick is determined by the ability to rotate one’s core. Racharit would remind me while I was kicking to turn my hip over.
The last combination he had me work on amidst a series of “simplistic” jabs, crosses, and knees was a left hook, right leg kick, left kick combination. The three attack combination required me to shift my weight correctly and change the position of my feet. With the left hook he told me to come forward into the punch so that the distance for the short hook would be made up by forward movement. Racharit  told me to move to the side with my leg kick thus avoiding a potential cross to the skull. The last movement was a kick into my opponent’s shoulder.

As I shifted my weight from my left leg onto my right I was reminded of Tyrone Spong. I saw a video of him fighting at one point he shifted his attacks from the right side to the left. This shifting of weight requires a lot of balance and coordination. The pay off is in the angles, an attack coming straight in on a target is always easier to block than an attack that comes in from a slightly off direction.

After the long rounds I worked the bag, keeping my eye on the crowd of other Nak Muay. While smacking the bag around I noticed a young boy of about 8 years old. He smiled widely as he did his pad work with his trainer. I was later informed by Rob Cox, that the boy was the 19 kilo champion of central Thailand. Before coming to Thailand I wondered to myself if young children could be really be accomplished boxers with coordination and finesse, near to me 19 kilos of Thai talent screamed yes.

the central Thailand champ of muay thai at 19 kilos

With bag work done the fighters began to spar and knee spar. I hopped in the ring and knee sparred with a boy of about sixteen. A few inches shorter, a decade younger, and a good five kilos lighter, I was still unnerved by his strength. His neck seemed made of oak, the result of doing regular neck exercises. His arms were sinewy and taut making my attempts to out muscle the more technically sound boy fruitless. We knee sparred for about a twenty or thirty minutes and then did basic calisthenics.

With training over the Falang and I had dinner together. Over rice and various Thai dishes we discussed our recent fights. Quietly telling each other the stories of our experiences in the ring, the rings that had drawn us to Thailand.