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Published: September 12th 2007
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Subway
Subway in Patong. I thought this was hilarious because my Boxing coach, Dave, said he wouldn't survive in Thailand because he likes subway too much. Well it's here, same menu and everything. In between sessions yesterday I went and checked out the local shopping mall. Malls here are almost exactly the same as in Canada, a lot of the same stores and everything. It's funny to see. There's KFCs all over the place, but here fried chicken is
breakfast. There's MacDonalds, Shell gas stations, and the Gap. The afternoon training session yesterday was harder than the morning. The reasoning is that if they push you too hard in the morning, you won't come back for the afternoon. My calf muscles feel like concrete. But all in all, great training.
The thai trainers are really funny. It's like they're an entire culture of practical jokers. They love to make fun of each other. If they make fun of you, you make fun of them back and they laugh even harder. Very friendly and very laid back. The funniest is a trainer named Ngoo. He was telling me to throw an elbow and I kept punching because I couldn't understand him. When I finally started elbowing he started laughing, and then for the rest of the round he was standing there throwing stuff at me while I hit the bag. His pads, his shin
Patong
Patong at night guards, his gloves. It was really funny. But don't get me wrong, just because they are laid back doesn't mean they can't fight.
After training, a bunch of us from the gym caught a bus to Patong, the next city over, to watch some fights at Bangla stadium. There were 5 people from Tiger Muay Thai fighting. We showed up to Patong early, so we wandered around the main strip for a while. Very crowded city, a lot of people trying to sell you stuff. Cigarettes, bracelets, etc. There were a lot of people trying to sell these giant zippo-lighters. Like huuuge lighters. I didn't get it. There was a tiny bar every 5 feet, or so it seemed. Lots of stands set up selling knock-off stuff. A guy came up and offered to shake my hand, and I shook it without thinking and he wouldn't let go and tried to sell me a suit. He eventually let go when I insisted that I didn't need a suit on my trip. I took a couple pictures in Patong, but the moment people saw me with a camera they came up to me to try and sell me stuff. So
Bar Game
At a bar in Patong before the fight show. Everybody gets a nail, and you pass the hammer around the log taking one swing at a time. The first person to get their nail all the way in wins. I didn't play because I thought it was going to be a scam. It wasn't, it was just for fun. away it went.
We stopped off at a bar and grabbed a couple drinks before heading to Bangla stadium. Some thai girls challenged the guys I was with to a bar game that involved hammering nails into a big log. They won every time. I didn't play because I thought it was going to be a scam, but it ended up just being a friendly game.
Now, for anybody who thinks that they are desensitized to violence, you obviously haven't watched Professional Muay Thai in Thailand. It's a little rougher here than in Canada. A lot of stuff that is against the rules in Canada, no so much here. With the allowance of elbows, there were quite a few cuts that bled pretty badly, but the fights continued. There's something a little disconcerting about watching two 7 year old children beat the snot out of each other while the crowd cheers. But that's how it is here.
Before every fight, both fighters perform a ceremonial dance called a "Wai Kru". They bounce around the ring to really annoying music, swinging their arms like they're birds, or pretending to shoot each other with arrows. It seems silly, but
Kid Fight
7 year olds fighting in Bangla Stadium they take it very seriously. They do it for protection. There's lots of gambling around Muay Thai fighting. The betting for every fight ends
after the Wai Kru. Many of the gamblers wait until the Wai Kru are over before placing their bets based on which fighter moves better.
The first trainer from Tiger to fight was a man named Dton (pronounced "Don). He was doing very well, but in the second round he got knocked out very badly with a very short punch that looked like nothing relatively speaking. I was worried, but I saw him today, he's doing alright.
The next trainer to fight was Ngoo, the guy who was throwing his pads at me earlier in the day. When he was announced, they said he was 20 years old and had 170 fights. I guess that's how much experience you get when you start at 7. He seemed to be in some trouble for the first couple rounds, but then he landed a devastating high roundhouse kick that knocked his opponent out cold. I saw Ngoo afterwards, he was smiling and joking around as usual. Fighting to these people is no big deal, just another
Kid in Corner
Kid getting coached between rounds day at the office. For his win he got paid the equivalent of $7,000 Canadian, which is a huge amount of money here.
I noticed some interesting things at the show. In Canada, and the US, before fights the fighters are usually getting in each others' faces and trying to intimidate each other. In Thailand, they pretty much ignored each other until the fight started. Also, instead of announcing someone's record (eg. 11-2), they announce it as a percentage (so an undefeated fighter is 100%). After the fights, the other guy's coach gives you water and massages you. No hard feelings.
We stayed out until midnight, I was falling asleep on the bus back. When I got back I passed out in my bed and woke up at 10am this morning, clear through the first session. They don't care if you miss sessions, just don't show up and slack off. Went and had breakfast at this little shop down the street. Good food.I'm sore today, but not as much as expected. The humidity helps, keeps your muscles very lubricated. It's like being in a sauna all day. Drinking lots of water.
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dyami
non-member comment
I gotta check sum of this REAL muay thai out on youtube.