New Trainer

So Ming is in the midst of getting 3 people ready to fight on September 9th including the tallest guy in camp who is 6'9" (picture below is Derek and Martin, Derek is the tall one).  When you are holding pads for taller people its really hard on your shoulders because you have to hold the pads high. So yesterday Ming asked if I could train with Pot instead of him.  It was interesting.  


The first thing I discovered is that everyone has a different style of holding the pads which means a few things.  Timing was difficult because he does not call out what he wants me to do in the same way and also because he was holding the pads in different positions my aim was all over the place.  When you are working with a trainer for 3 weeks straight you get used to how they move and there is a kind of rhythm in what they are calling out for you to do.  Basically it was like learning all over again.  At the same time Pot had totally different tips for me in terms of  technique and I like the change of pace.  I am not sure if I will be working with him again on Monday or if I will be back with Ming but either way I am still training.


I am leaving on September 7th and I am feeling like I am just starting to learn to move my body right.  A typical day here starts at 7 am with a 5 km run and some wind sprints up the hill at the camp.  A little bit of skipping rope and then some stretching.  You get your hands wrapped up and then do some shadow boxing.  (some dudes are amazing at shadow boxing and it is really fun to watch.  I on the other hand can not think fast enough or know enough combos so I just work on foot position and technique).  Then you do 3 to 5 rounds of hitting the pads with your trainer. At the end you can lift weights, and do sit ups and push ups.  After that is all done you can shower, eat, nap and get ready to do it all over again.  Some sessions you can mix it up a bit with sparing, clinching etc but for the most part there is a set routine.


There has been a lot more sparing as of late because everyone is getting ready for their fights next month.  Teg actually got in the ring yesterday with Derek yesterday and totally dominated him.  Derek got Teg with a few leg kicks but Teg's boxing really was the difference and Derek ate a few huge punches.  Teg still has a bit to work on in terms of cardio but they only did three rounds.  I was really impressed with Teg.  His balance was awesome and he was really thinking about what he was doing in the ring and picked Derek apart.  Teg really has learned a lot.  After watching them I was jazzed about getting in to spar too but then I remembered I am a huge wuss and I think I might table that till the next time I am here.


So I have 6 more days of training to get under my belt and I really want to get the most of this.  I feel like I have been short changed a bit by getting sick and a fat elbow but I actually feel really good now and starting to get my kicks to where they are fast and look a lot more actually Muay Thai kicks instead of huge looping swings.  Ming is constantly telling me "You kick come from America.....Make come from Thailand" I know they are getting better because the other day he said it came from Vietnam.....

Same Same....But Different

So day one in Cambodia and I am blow away.  The political history of this place is both sad and amazing at the same time. When we first arrive here you still feel like you are in Thailand because the way the buildings are constructed and the geography have a similar feel to that of Thailand.  But as you get further into the city you notice the differences.  A lot of the locals here and in Thailand  say "Same same....but different" (to the point where they put it on t-shirts) and for the first time I feel I can use that saying here because a lot of Cambodia is the same but different.

For starters the roads switch sides back to the way it is back home because of the French influence here.  There are still the shops and the massage parlors but for some reason the people selling are much more aggressive here and when you say no they still harass you.  We are in a town called Siem Reap which actually means "Defeat of Thailand".....It would kinda be like having a town in Canada called "US Beatdown" (funny but I don't think it goes over well). There is a pub type area in town where tourist seem to gather but for the most part the tourists here seem to  be a bit of a different lot than the ones you would find at Bangla road.   More of your hippy type variety vs your jocky meat head (think more backpacker vs resort goer)...I do get along better with the hippies so I kinda like this place.

Today we rolled through a few of the main temples that Siem Reap is famous for.  The first was Angkor Wat (image with the pond).  These temples rival anything I have seen in the world....super ornate, incredibly large and built over a thousand years ago.  Angkor Wat has been restored and is the most famous of the temples here but many of the other temples have been left as they are, weathered by time. The jungle has taken over a few and it is quite amazing how nature can take over a physical structure.

This area of Cambodia has a ton of temples but there are many more in the jungle that have yet to be explored because there are land mines everywhere.  The picture with the tree on the wall was taken from a temple called Ta Prohm.  It was actually the temple used in the movie Tomb Raider.  This temple was not accessible till after 1997 when all the land mines were cleared from the surrounding area.  There are still millions of mines everywhere here and a lot of the country is inaccessible.

Today we are heading to the National Museum and then back to Patong and our temporary home at the Gym.  Not sure if I am looking forward to training again after traveling and making my own schedule for the last 5 days, but Ming will make me work no matter what anyway.

Mid Trip Break

Two weeks down and Teg and I are in need of a break as well as a Visa run.  Basically we have to leave the country and come back so that we don't use up our visas here in Thailand so that gives us an excuse to head out to Cambodia and check out Angkor Wat. It also means that we can give our bodies some much need recovery time and be right as rain for the remaining 2 weeks of workouts.  


Our break started with a camp outing to Phi Phi island. Leaving early Saturday morning I was a little beat down from my latest bout with 'Thai tummy'...yes that is what you think it is.  I honestly didn't want to head out on this trip but holy crap was I glad I did.  Phi Phi has to be one of the most beautiful areas on the planet. Its about a 45 minute boat ride from Phuket and you find fine white sand beaches and crazy rock formations rising from of the most amazing color water. Every time I took a picture I was disappointed because it could not convey the epicness (I know that is not a word but it fits).

The owner of the gym, Bow, set up this trip for everyone.  We got to do this excellent boat tour through the islands which included snorkeling, kayaking and an evening meal. The image to the left is of one of the island coves taken from the boat. After that we went to a bar called Reggae Bar which included a boxing ring in the middle where, for a free bucket of booze, you could get up and fight a full contact kick boxing match with full padding of course.  This was kinda trouble when 10 dudes from a kickboxing camp roll in but luckily a combination of a lot of guys having a fight coming up on the 9th and me being a huge, non drinking, wuss, kept us out of the ring.  It was funny to watch several drunk dudes throw wild haymakers at each other for a bit though. After that we went to a bar on the beach and just chilled out.  After the craziness of Bangla Rd it was nice to be in a much calmer environment with a lot of tourists. A late sleep in and another boat ride and we are back in camp.  I will toss the full report of Cambodia next...

Down time

So I have been out of the game for a little while.  On Friday night a bunch of us went out to eat at a place called Monty's (they have an all you can eat buffet for 150 baht which is awesome for a bunch of guys who are training everyday).  After dinner we went down to Bangla Road which is basically the craziest place in the world and I will get into that in a little bit.  When we got to the first bar I put my arm on the table and noticed that my elbow hurt.  I didn't remember banging it but I noticed it was starting to swell a bit.  It swelled a bit more that evening and got super hot.  I iced it when I got home and went to bed not thinking that much of it.  When I got up in the morning it was HUGE.  Here is a picture so you can get understanding:

Teg and I saddled up and took a trip to the International Hospital where they took blood (lord do I hate needles) and in the end the doctor thinks I might have been bit by a bug and it got infected. The infection got into the bursa sac in my elbow giving me no end of fluid build up.  So after giving me a round of antibiotics and some anti inflammatories  I was left not being able to train for the next little bit.  I should be back at it Wednesday morning (with no elbows to the pads of course). My elbow is back to normal size and don't worry mom everything is fine. The doctors and nurses were awesome and I am being careful with it. 


So what are you left to do when you can't train here.  Well you have a few options.  First would be shopping.  There is tons of super cheap clothes here.  Its so cheap I think I am going to buy a bag and fill it with clothes right before I go home.  I am not much of a shopper though so I don't think I will do that till one of my last days here.


There are massage places every five feet here.  Basically there are two types of massage places...sketchy and not so sketch...I try to stick to the ones in the hotels or the giant mall here called Jungceylon, but on the street there is no end of girls who jump out at you and try to come in to their parlor.  They are almost as bad as the suit guys but kinda funny at the same time. For the most part I have only gotten a few massages though when I am really sore.  I am not super into strangers touching me for the most part.

The movie theater here is awesome.  The place is huge and the movies are cheap.  The chairs are more comfortable than any theater that I have been too.  The only issue is that there are not many English movies playing.  Right now its Salt, Toy Story 3 and Step Up 3D.....booooooo


Eating takes up a lot of time....apparently we have to eat a lot here.  There is a restaurant every 5 feet in Patong I honestly have not had anything here I didn't like. You can get a fruit shake and pad thai for 100 baht (3 dollars) and you are good to go.


The most popular thing to do here is hit Bangla road and is more than likely why so many travelers come here.  Its a huge party. I can not begin to describe to you the craziness that is this small strip.  Alcohol is cheap and there are people everywhere.  People are trying to sell everything you can think of from ping pong shows (use your imagination)  to all types of trinkets.  The lady boys are crazy and every once in a while you will see a very drunk tourist thinking they are scoring a hot chick for the evening not realizing its a dude.  Basically we tend to sit in U2 bar and watch the crazy float by.  

It is very much Aussi time here in Patong because its their winter and its close.  There also seems to be a lot of Russians here.  Everybar is also filled with Thai women who all cat call you to come sit with them just like the massage girls on the street.  I think I will enjoy walking in relative silence back in the streets of Vancouver when I get home.


On that note I should head to bed as I am getting up early to kick and punch things in the morning.  




Jordan 

Fight Night

Sorry I have been lax on the posts this week but in order to get internet here I have to go on the balcony however its been raining....A LOT...

Thursday night we all saddled up to go to the Patong Boxing Stadium for the fights that Bow (the owner of the camp) was promoter for.  This was the first time I have seen a Muay Thai fight live so I was very pumped. Only two people from the camp were fighting this night but the whole camp saddled up and rolled to the stadium for the fights that start at 9 pm.  Nothing like being part of a International Muay Thai scooter gang to get you pumped up for a nights at the fights.  The stadium was honestly nothing like I expected it to be.  They show fights on TV all the time here but I had no idea that the place was such a barn.  Tickets are expensive for Thailand at about 1500 baht per for the cheapest seats and the place was fairly packed which made it hella hot in there.

The first thing that floored me is how young they start fighting here.  The first fighters pictured above are 14 years old and they actually start as young as 8.  In order to fight in this stadium you have to have at least 5 wins under your belt if you are under 18 years of age.  Some of the trainers who are not much older than 22 have over 200 fights already.  Its crazy but this is so normal to them that its not an issue at all.  Its what you do to get good at the sport.  These two little dudes in the ring above me would completely dominate me.  Their skill and speed was incredible but they really lacked the power to hurt each other.  

Each fight is 4 rounds of 3 minutes and the 5th round is 2 minutes.  It doesn't sound like much after racing 5 hour bike races but holy crap does it wipe you out.  The winner is chosen by either a knockout, ref stoppage which is basically a knock out or by score cards.  The scoring system is complex and I am still trying to get my head around it.  Kicks, knees, elbows and knock downs all score points while punching does not. The later fighters moved so fast it was really hard to see what was getting hit and what was getting blocked.

Before each fight the competitors perform the Wai Kru which is to respect their teachers.  This is an ancient Thai custome and it is a demonstration of respect and gratitude. Each fighter seems to put their own spin on the dance (Guan, one of the trainers stamps in the other fighters corner.)  It was cool to see and I want to get one of the trainers to teach it to me...when I feel less like gumby and more like a fighter which might not happen.

The other thing that floored me was the high level of sportsmanship that was displayed.  In my head I was like "THEY ARE FIGHTING EACH OTHER"  but the fighters would slap gloves after good exchanges and hug it out after rounds.  They really respected each other and enjoyed the competition.  It kinda made me mad at our rec league hockey games where guys are huge jerks for no reason at all.

The first to get in the ring from our camp was Marianna from the Greek team.  Everyone was very excited to see her fight because she has held 2 belts and has a record 19 and 2.  the picture to the left is her getting taped up before her fight.  It was a hard fight that went the distance but in the end she was beaten in the clinch by her Thai opponent.  It was rough because the stadium was filled with Greeks and she looked very very disappointed.  This fight does not count towards her record but you could tell she was not used to losing.  The next fight was one of the trainers named Lucky.  Holy crap were these guys a different level than everyone else.  Lucky has been a trainer in Bangkok for the last little while and has not fought in a good amount of time.  The skill was there but his gastank fell short because he was up against a much bigger opponent.  After watching that fight there is no way I will ever get into the ring.  The punishment those dudes took and the speed at which the kicked and dodge was near super human.  it was crazy.  Lucky style had some funk to it with his head movements and how he attacked.  I hope I can get a chance to train with him later.  

As for this week I have been put on the bench for the last couple of days with a fat elbow.  Its alright just need to ice it and I will hopefully be back at it Monday.  I am going to leave you with picture of Ming's kid.  Holy crap is he going to be a bad ass when he grows up.

Jordan

Surviving Patong

First thing to note about the town of Patong is that there are no controlled intersections and about 70% of the vehicles on the road are scooters.  No one stops or even slows down for pedestrians so you have to be very careful when crossing the street anywhere you go.  On the very first day in town Teg and I rented scooters.  They cost about 200 baht a day are actually super fun to whip around on.  The brakes are a bit sketchy on mine but I am getting used to it and how the traffic seems to go.  The only basic rule here is stay on the street, everything else is fair game.  Even though there is a distinct absence of laws everyone is courteous and cautious. It is very obvious, being a 6'3" white dude, that I am a farang (Thai word for foreigner) and because of that I think I get a little more benefit of doubt when it comes to my scooter skills. I have been pulled over by the Thai police twice already but all they want to make sure is that I have a drivers licence and that I am wearing my helmet so no worries there so far.


The second thing to note is that as a tourist town everyone is selling something.  Everyone.  And they all ask you if you want what they are selling.  Some of them are kinda funny like when as soon as you get done parking your scooter you get asked if you want a taxi... or walking by a massage parlor and basically getting accosted by the girls working there.  Some however are really starting to piss me off.  Specifically the guys who make suits.  They try to shake your hand and if you do they don't let go and try to pull you into their shop.  The way they approach you is so much sleazier than any of the other shops.  You also have to say no to them 3 to 4 time which also gets on my nerves.  I have actually seen shirts around town that say "No I don't want a  f$@% TukTuk, Massage or a suit made.  Thanks you very much" The other thing to note is the guys on the beach will ask you if you want to rent a jet ski, go for a para sail and if you say no to any of those they will then ask you if you want to buy weed.  DON'T DO IT.  Basically they will sell you the weed and then go tell the cops.  The cops will arrest you and then give the weed back to the dude that sold it to you. Not that I would ever buy weed, but just a warning to all my weed smoking friends.


Third thing to note in Patong is how awesome and cheap the food is here.  I honestly don't think I could eat at every restaurant and I have not had a bad meal yet.  60 baht ($1.50 CND) for a chicken padthai is crazy and soo soo tasty.  Most places you can get a fruit shake for 50 baht.  Teg is not a big sea food fan but I plan to get out to some more places and eat my weight of bounty from the sea.  Look for a full report later.  


In my next blog I will talk about the night life in Patong which needs a blog of its own.  I have to head down to training now.  Wish me luck.

Few images from the camp

Just thought I would toss a few images up from the camp.  It is a rest day today and basically everyone has been lounging about so I have some time to play with my camera a bit.  Five sessions in now and I am still kicking...sort of.  My foot hurts something awful and my calves are balls of lactic acid but everyone keeps telling me that the first week is the roughest.  I am really enjoying the rest day though and hoping that it will let me train hard tomorrow. 

This is a shot of the gym.   Its open air with a weight room.  In this image the Greek National Team is training.  The woman in black is Marianna Kalergi who is currently the World Champ in her weight class.  Not going to lie...she scares the shit out of me! The Greek team trains at 7 pm every night after our session and it super fun to watch them work out.  A few of them are actually fighting on Thursday night and we are going to go to the fights!  Very excited to check that out.

Here is a shot of my shin so you can see a bit of the bruising that is going on.  To be honest the camera does not do it justice....the bruising is to the point where at dinner last night in Patong a whole bunch of Aussies pointed at my shins and said something to the effect of "Holy shit mate you loose a fight with a bunch of pygmies!"

And finally the view from the balcony of my room...The room is modest but the view is bitchin.  Below is the town of Patong.  Mom you will be glad to know I am way out of tidal wave range way up here...

Tired, tired, tired

Ming screams “NO!” and then punches me in the stomach. I was ready for it this time and I had tightened my stomach muscles and took it no worries. Ming gives me a half smile...I am learning.

Let me give you a little back story to what is going on. My name is Jordan...I am 34 years old and for the next month I will be training at a Muay Thai Kickboxing camp near Patong in Thailand (http://thailandmuaythaigym.com/). I know a lot of you are thinking “whoa...midlife crisis” but honestly that is not why I am here...well maybe a little. A very good friend of mine, Teg, is training for a MMA fight and kickboxing is part of his training. He new I had some time this summer and in May asked if I wanted to come with him to train. I said yes. I have never boxed, never kicked anything but I am trying to make sure when someone askes me to do something adventurous and out of my comfort zone then I am going to say yes. So yes to 35 degree super humid heat. Yes to two 3 hour training sessions a day, 6 days a week. And yes to learning a new skill in a completely foriegn land.

We left Vancouver August 3^rd at 2:10 pm Tuesday afternoon and arrived in Phuket at 11 pm Wednesday night. We grab our bags and as soon as we leave the airport we are accosted by taxi driver after taxi driver. Teg had arranged a driver from our hotel in Patong so we find our guy and start cruising to our new home for the next month. We rip to Patong and crash out in our hotel for the night. I will describe Patong in a later blog as it is going to take some explaining.

We are up the next morning earlish....Early for Patong tourists anyway and we go rent some skooters and get some supplies. I am very lucky to have Teg with me who has done this before. He knows the town well and we find what we need and and head up the hill to the Gym. By 4 pm we are settled in our rooms and I am heading down to my first training session.

Session #1:

Its 4pm here so basically its 4 am in Canada.  Teg has warned me that Ming the head trainer is by far the most feared guy to train with and as soon as I walk up on the training area Ming is on me.  He asks me how long I have been training and I tell him never and he gets this half smile on his face.  He hands me a skipping rope and tells me to go skip for 10 minutes.  Teg is already skipping so I join him and we basically play around for the 10 minutes getting warmed up.  By now I am already pouring sweat and I am really not used to the heat.  Ming pulls me aside and wraps my hands and then we start shadow boxing.  He walks me through the correct foot positions and we start up with jab, right cross and right kick.  We are basically doing it slow at this point working on foot position and proper technique.  The first thing I have to point out is that I know from grad 7 dance that I am a horrible dancer.  I am an athletic, coordinated guy but most of the sports I play involve a lot of improvisation and for this sport so much of it is coordinating what my hands and feet are doing with my hips and shoulders.  I am having to think a lot and I am tripping over my self.  I really notice my balance and because of this I am stiffening up.  We work on these for a while and then move onto the bag.  For the next 2 hours we would do 10 minute rounds and then 10 push ups with a 1 minute rest. Ming is amazing because he cannot speak any English other than Jab, Kick and Elbow but he is incredible at communicating what he wants you to do. By the end I am bagged.  I look over at Teg and he seems to be done and I start walking over to him but then Ming grabs me and tosses me in the ring with Derek and Nicky.  Derek is a 6'9" kid from Saskatchewan and Nicky is a fit Russian.  Both have been here for a month and know exactly what is going on.  Ming gets us to lie on our backs and hook our legs together and we start doing sit ups....100 of them.  As we are doing this Ming takes a punching pad and proceeds to hit us in the stomach at the end of each sit up. 10 times with the flat of the pad and then 10 times with the side of the pad.  He does this to all of us and when we are done the 100 sit ups he has us do 60 push ups.   Now we are finally done.  


Teg and I hit the shower...go to town to eat and then I am out like a light at 9:30....


Session 2:


I get up at 8 am and look at my shins.  They are beat down.  All the kicking of the bag and Ming's pads mean that I am basically meat tenderizing them.  Teg knocks on my door and we head down to the Gym.  There are a lot of people there and Ming tells me to go run.  I rip out about 4 kms feeling pretty good about myself because I passed a lot of the other boxers on the road.  Endurance sports are all I got going for me so I might as well exploit it.


Ming sees me come back covered in sweat and wraps my hands for me.  We start out with the bag and work on my kicks for about an hour.  You can kick a bag a lot of times in an hour and by now my shins feel like they are tender like veal. After that we get into the ring and we do a pad work out where Ming yells what he wants me to do and I do it.  Jab, Jab, Mat (right), block...We roll though Ming's English for the next hour and then back into the ring with Nicky and Derek for another hour of sit up and push up hell.


There are really only 2 things that are sore on my now and that is my shins from ankle to knee and my calves, specifically my left one with is my front foot.  A lot of this sport is on your toes and I am really not used to that.  


I have another training session this afternoon and then the I think we are going to sit and watch the Greek national team train right after us.  Right now though all I want to do is nap.