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krushaun
Posted: 2009-11-10 06:10:29
Posted: 2009-11-10 06:10:29
Sawatdee Khrup!
An article I wrote for Fighters 3 1/2 years ago:
TRAIN LIKE A THAI, FIGHT LIKE A THAI
By Kru Shaun Boland
“There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.”
Mark Twain
Through recent media popularity, either via the K1 & UFC tournaments or more flamboyantly through films such as ‘Ong Bak’ and ‘Beautiful boxer’, Muay Thai is receiving international exposure. Its reputation as a devastatingly tough and tenacious martial art is gaining momentum. However, more times than none what we are seeing at these tournaments and certainly in the films, is not ‘Muay Thai’. Muay Thai has been diluted to suit the tournament rules and/or the film audience. We see this locally at our own ‘Muay Thai’ tournaments through ‘C’ or ‘B’ class fights that do not allow elbows or knees to the face. Full rules Muay Thai is 5 x 3 minute rounds with 2 minute breaks and the Nak Muay (boxer) can kick, punch, knee and elbow with full power anywhere on their opponents body or head, the only area not allowed is the groin. Watering down of the rules is akin to saying that no head shots are allowed in western boxing, or that ‘groundwork’ is not allowed in Judo tournaments. The Thais fight full rules from their very first fight, no restrictions and no dilutions. Amateur Thai boxing, where head gear, shin pads, elbow pads and body armour is worn, is becoming more popular in Thailand and the West. Full rules are used and this is certainly the way forward for any acceptance towards the Olympic Games which is the aim for the relevant governing bodies. So why do we lessen the rounds and why do we restrict/dilute the rules of Muay Thai? The answers to my questions have been varied but the general feel is that, for one, most westerners work full time and training is done for a few hours every evening, unlike the Thais who live and train, eat and sleep on their respective camps. A Westerner may have up to 5 or 6 fights a year if he is really pro-active, whereas the Thai will have 15- 20. Shorter rounds therefore make it more acceptable for our training regimes, not having elbows and knees to the head means that, for most of the time, we can return relatively undamaged to work the next week.
There are however, plenty of fighters, here in the west, that fight full rules and they’re pretty good at it too. They hold down full time jobs and still manage to train 6 days a week. The ones that are top of their field are the ones that travel to Thailand and train with the Thais.
The Thais attitude, personality and views are so much different than our own and this provides them with the catalyst to develop into the tough fighters that they are. Thai fighters do not generally have the luxuries, resources and financial securities that Westerners have. Their lifestyle is that much tougher and therefore they cope better with the hardships of training than we in the West do. Their general attitude is to live for the day and to have fun (Sanuk). This in no way means that they are irresponsible as their commitment to their family, their teacher (Kru) and their King and country is legendary.
At a Kiat Muay (boxing camp) the Thai will train twice a day, early morning and evening. Each camp has its own syllabus but generally most fighters will start their day at 6.30 am with a 5-8km run followed by skipping and shadow boxing. Pad work, bag work and techniques follows and this routine is repeated in the evening around 4.30pm. Training is for around 3 hours each session and can be 7 days a week. So already by sheer workload the Thai will be that more efficient. Their diet is good too, the Thais love food and tend to snack eat through most of the day with one main meal in the evening. Rice and noodles provide the necessary carbohydrates for their muscle endurance.
When you have little in the way of luxuries you do not have a sense of detachment or missing from them when you commit your time to arduous training regimes. Such is the way with the Thais; their ‘hardier’ life styles are similar to that of the Mexican boxers, which forges them into the tough fighters that they are.
So you can already see that in addition to commitment, focus, tenacity and endurance, it is attitude that can make the difference between good and great.
One of the Thais greatest attributes though is heart; the language of the ‘proverbial’ heart provides a place of central importance for the Thai.
In Thai the heart is called‘JAI’. The Thais have many metaphors for ‘Jai’ which I touched upon in a previous article of mine called ‘Heart’. For the Nak Muay some of these heart metaphors are indispensable;
• ‘Jai Khem Keng’ (strong heart)
When you believe strongly in yourself then you have Jai khem keng’. If you are in the Army and on the front line and you have been given the order to advance against the enemy, you better have a strong heart or ‘Jai khem keng’. The concept is strength and commitment in oneself come from the heart and success arises from those who possess a strong heart.
• ‘Kamlang Jai (Strength heart)
A person who feels a sense of accomplishment or success possesses ‘Kamlang jai’. The girl who wins the beauty contest or the football player who does well in a game also has ‘Kamlang jai’. After an argument, when one person apologises, then one or both involved will have ‘Kamlang jai’.
• ‘Jai Yen’ (cool heart)
This is the Thai equivalent of a stiff upper lip in the face of adversity or provocation. A person may have suffered an emotional set back or disruption but he or she is able to feel (or give the appearance of feeling) collected and cool emotionally in the face of the problem.
(The above descriptions were taken from the book ‘Heart Talk’ by Christopher G. Moore White Lotus books, Bangkok, ISBN 974-8495-60-4).
More and more Westerners are travelling to Thailand to train in the various camps in Thailand. Commitment and heart are there too, I have seen many ‘farangs’ (foreigners) train their ‘hearts’ out. Some fight on the local shows and some are successful.
More and more camps are accepting westerners to train in Muay Thai and, as well as promoting their art internationally, it also brings in richly deserved income for the relevant camps.
When training at a Kiat Muay the Thais are looking for commitment and, as I stated earlier, heart. Some westerners just pop in for a workout as ‘tourists’ some just train for a couple of days. Basically you get out what you put in; the Thai trainer will take you through the rudiments and give you a damn good pad workout, however if you want to truly learn the art of Muay Thai you need to show dedication, you need turn up morning and evening, day in day out.
To truly understand any martial art you need to go to its roots, to seek out the culture behind the art and this is no more so than training Muay Thai in Thailand, training with the Thais, training like a Thai.
However, in order to fight like a Thai, you not only need to train like a Thai but you also need to eat, sleep and above all ‘think’ like a Thai
“I haven't failed. I've found 10,000 ways that don't work”
Thomas Edison (1847-1931)
SHAUN
An article I wrote for Fighters 3 1/2 years ago:
TRAIN LIKE A THAI, FIGHT LIKE A THAI
By Kru Shaun Boland
“There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.”
Mark Twain
Through recent media popularity, either via the K1 & UFC tournaments or more flamboyantly through films such as ‘Ong Bak’ and ‘Beautiful boxer’, Muay Thai is receiving international exposure. Its reputation as a devastatingly tough and tenacious martial art is gaining momentum. However, more times than none what we are seeing at these tournaments and certainly in the films, is not ‘Muay Thai’. Muay Thai has been diluted to suit the tournament rules and/or the film audience. We see this locally at our own ‘Muay Thai’ tournaments through ‘C’ or ‘B’ class fights that do not allow elbows or knees to the face. Full rules Muay Thai is 5 x 3 minute rounds with 2 minute breaks and the Nak Muay (boxer) can kick, punch, knee and elbow with full power anywhere on their opponents body or head, the only area not allowed is the groin. Watering down of the rules is akin to saying that no head shots are allowed in western boxing, or that ‘groundwork’ is not allowed in Judo tournaments. The Thais fight full rules from their very first fight, no restrictions and no dilutions. Amateur Thai boxing, where head gear, shin pads, elbow pads and body armour is worn, is becoming more popular in Thailand and the West. Full rules are used and this is certainly the way forward for any acceptance towards the Olympic Games which is the aim for the relevant governing bodies. So why do we lessen the rounds and why do we restrict/dilute the rules of Muay Thai? The answers to my questions have been varied but the general feel is that, for one, most westerners work full time and training is done for a few hours every evening, unlike the Thais who live and train, eat and sleep on their respective camps. A Westerner may have up to 5 or 6 fights a year if he is really pro-active, whereas the Thai will have 15- 20. Shorter rounds therefore make it more acceptable for our training regimes, not having elbows and knees to the head means that, for most of the time, we can return relatively undamaged to work the next week.
There are however, plenty of fighters, here in the west, that fight full rules and they’re pretty good at it too. They hold down full time jobs and still manage to train 6 days a week. The ones that are top of their field are the ones that travel to Thailand and train with the Thais.
The Thais attitude, personality and views are so much different than our own and this provides them with the catalyst to develop into the tough fighters that they are. Thai fighters do not generally have the luxuries, resources and financial securities that Westerners have. Their lifestyle is that much tougher and therefore they cope better with the hardships of training than we in the West do. Their general attitude is to live for the day and to have fun (Sanuk). This in no way means that they are irresponsible as their commitment to their family, their teacher (Kru) and their King and country is legendary.
At a Kiat Muay (boxing camp) the Thai will train twice a day, early morning and evening. Each camp has its own syllabus but generally most fighters will start their day at 6.30 am with a 5-8km run followed by skipping and shadow boxing. Pad work, bag work and techniques follows and this routine is repeated in the evening around 4.30pm. Training is for around 3 hours each session and can be 7 days a week. So already by sheer workload the Thai will be that more efficient. Their diet is good too, the Thais love food and tend to snack eat through most of the day with one main meal in the evening. Rice and noodles provide the necessary carbohydrates for their muscle endurance.
When you have little in the way of luxuries you do not have a sense of detachment or missing from them when you commit your time to arduous training regimes. Such is the way with the Thais; their ‘hardier’ life styles are similar to that of the Mexican boxers, which forges them into the tough fighters that they are.
So you can already see that in addition to commitment, focus, tenacity and endurance, it is attitude that can make the difference between good and great.
One of the Thais greatest attributes though is heart; the language of the ‘proverbial’ heart provides a place of central importance for the Thai.
In Thai the heart is called‘JAI’. The Thais have many metaphors for ‘Jai’ which I touched upon in a previous article of mine called ‘Heart’. For the Nak Muay some of these heart metaphors are indispensable;
• ‘Jai Khem Keng’ (strong heart)
When you believe strongly in yourself then you have Jai khem keng’. If you are in the Army and on the front line and you have been given the order to advance against the enemy, you better have a strong heart or ‘Jai khem keng’. The concept is strength and commitment in oneself come from the heart and success arises from those who possess a strong heart.
• ‘Kamlang Jai (Strength heart)
A person who feels a sense of accomplishment or success possesses ‘Kamlang jai’. The girl who wins the beauty contest or the football player who does well in a game also has ‘Kamlang jai’. After an argument, when one person apologises, then one or both involved will have ‘Kamlang jai’.
• ‘Jai Yen’ (cool heart)
This is the Thai equivalent of a stiff upper lip in the face of adversity or provocation. A person may have suffered an emotional set back or disruption but he or she is able to feel (or give the appearance of feeling) collected and cool emotionally in the face of the problem.
(The above descriptions were taken from the book ‘Heart Talk’ by Christopher G. Moore White Lotus books, Bangkok, ISBN 974-8495-60-4).
More and more Westerners are travelling to Thailand to train in the various camps in Thailand. Commitment and heart are there too, I have seen many ‘farangs’ (foreigners) train their ‘hearts’ out. Some fight on the local shows and some are successful.
More and more camps are accepting westerners to train in Muay Thai and, as well as promoting their art internationally, it also brings in richly deserved income for the relevant camps.
When training at a Kiat Muay the Thais are looking for commitment and, as I stated earlier, heart. Some westerners just pop in for a workout as ‘tourists’ some just train for a couple of days. Basically you get out what you put in; the Thai trainer will take you through the rudiments and give you a damn good pad workout, however if you want to truly learn the art of Muay Thai you need to show dedication, you need turn up morning and evening, day in day out.
To truly understand any martial art you need to go to its roots, to seek out the culture behind the art and this is no more so than training Muay Thai in Thailand, training with the Thais, training like a Thai.
However, in order to fight like a Thai, you not only need to train like a Thai but you also need to eat, sleep and above all ‘think’ like a Thai
“I haven't failed. I've found 10,000 ways that don't work”
Thomas Edison (1847-1931)
SHAUN
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