By Gary Miller

Posted: November 13, 2011

When a friend from Shidokan suggested going to Thailand to train Muay Thai, I wasn’t quite 100% sure. It seemed an awful long way to go to kick some Thai pads...But I liked the food and by all accounts the beaches were quite nice.
 
After a day riding around Bangkok in a Tuk Tuk and an 18hr coach trip (!) we arrived at Rawai Muay Thai camp on the southern tip of Phuket Island.
 
Rawai Muay Thai is one of the more popular camps in Phuket. During our stay the class averaged about 40 people daily. These varied between holiday makers trying something new, those with some experience and the professional fighters who lived at the camp for several months on end.

Our first session began at 6:45am with a 3.5km run. We had expected to be running in a group with the instructors setting the pace. But it turned out everyone was free to run at their own pace. Some people decided not to do the run at all and instead do a light warm-up in the gym (or perhaps they just fancied a sleep in!).  But if you’re travelling all the way to Thailand to train in Muay Thai you may as well give it your all.
 
The run was a little difficult the first few days mainly due to the weather, extremely muggy and humid. But after getting used to the heat I was managing to do the run in 20mins. After the run it’s skipping and some gentle stretching before the session starts at 7.30am.
 
The session starts with 15mins warm-up followed by 15min shadow boxing. During this time the head instructor walks round dividing the students into groups based on experience. Despite me being a Shidokan black belt I was with the beginners for the first morning. All newcomers to the camp, despite experience, spend at least one session being assessed. This session generally involved being patient and practicing the basic Thai kick hundreds of times. It did get exhausting and slightly boring, but that's the only way to get good.
 
The afternoon session begins at 3.30pm. Early arrival is encouraged to allow time again for skipping and a thorough warm-up. Following another 15mins shadow boxing, interspersed with press-up and sit ups, we’re assigned an instructor for 1 on 1. This generally involves either 5 rounds of sparring or 5 x 3mins rounds of pad work, again interspersed with press-up and sit ups.

Sparring in Thailand is done relatively light, I have been told this is because a Thai fighter can’t afford to get hurt in training and miss a fight, to miss a fight means no money. Although when poked they will retaliate in kind! Still the sparring is still very intense, realistic and of course fun. Sparring in gloves allows blows to the head so it’s critical to keep light on your feet.
 
Following the time with the instructor we do 5 x 3mins rounds on the heavy bag. This is then followed by a technical lesson by the head instructor, alternating daily between grappling, knees, kicks and western boxing. The afternoon is then finished off with 100 Teeps (front push kick) and 100 knees on the bag. This routine is then repeated every morning and afternoon, apparently ad infinitum.
 
To get the most out of my limited stay for the last week and a half I had daily mid morning private sessions with my preferred instructor Rong - an incredibly sweet and humble ex tournament fighter with 150 fights under his belt. These sessions were invaluable. We worked a lot on stances, elbows, kicking techniques and combinations. I especially learned to slow things down and make every move count.
 
To get a better understanding of the style one evening we visited Patong Stadium to watch the professionals fight. The fight begins with musicians seated next to us launching into a trance-like tune of various pitches. Following the traditional dance, Ram Muay, the fight begins; this generally involves two wiry fighters without an ounce of fat pounding away with low kicks and knees to the ribs.

I had imagined Muay Thai fights as more bloody affairs, leaving one or both fighters in a heap of blood and broken bones. It does get brutal at times and the potential for serious injury is there with every attempt at an elbow or knee to the head. But the majority of the fights that night were cagey measured affairs, especially in comparison to the Shidokan tournaments I have witnessed!
 
I had a great time during my stay. After 3 weeks of extremely physical training I felt fitter and stronger. The sessions were gruelling at times and I sweated a lot. You are after all training in a metal shed in about 35C and 90% humidity!
 
Overall Muay Thai complemented my Shidokan very well – they share a common language of knees, elbows and clinches. Training in gloves also allowed me the opportunity to improve my boxing.
 
The trip wasn’t all hard work though. I found time to tour the islands in a speedboat, go snorkelling, clubbing, see the sights, eat some incredibly hot food and meet some great people. 

And those moments of downtime felt all the more special as they were earned. Like a beer after Shidokan, it tastes even better! And apparently research has even shown that a glass of beer is far better at rehydrating the body after exercise than water anyway...