Muay Thai
May 30, 2008 by admin · 8 Comments
The flying knee; one of the arts most devistating techniques
The national sport of Thailand comes from thousands of years of history and culture. Muay Thai is not only about fighting, it is about honor and humility, persistence and dedication. You don’t just hone your fighting skills, you learn to understand your limits, both mentally and physically. Your body will try desperately to convince you to quit, so your mind has to be strong enough to ignore pain and fatigue.Muay Thai comes from an ancient form of fighting, used by the Thais to fight the Burmese during ancient wars, called Muay Boran.
When the wars ended, everybody still loved seeing people get their faces smashed, so large organized fighting events were staged everywhere. After loads of deaths and critical injuries, however, rules and equipment were altered so that fighters wouldn’t leave the arena crippled or dead. Fighters used to use hard-packed banana leaves or tree bark for groin protectors, thick ropes to cover their hands and forearms, and would sometimes cover their wrapped hands in glue and broken glass, until thick gloves and metal groin cups were introduced in the early 1900’s and became mandatory shortly thereafter. Groin hits, headbutts, and biting were banned from use in the sport as well, although they were all legal attacks until the 1930’s. In any case, nobody actually knows the accurate history of Muay Thai up until the early 1900’s. Everything known about Muay Thai before that time is based purely upon hearsay, legends, and poorly recorded texts. Kind of like the bible!
Another side to Muay Thai is the clear and distinct fitness benefits. A Muay Thai class starts with skipping rope for 3-5 minutes, followed by 15-30 minutes of pad hitting, followed by 10-15 minutes of conditioning workouts such as pushups, situps, burpees (a pushup followed by a jump, repeated several times), etc. Typically students cool down on their own. In Thailand, however, all vomit-inducing sessions start with a brisk run of between 3-15km depending on your ability, 5-10 minutes of skipping rope, and then as many rounds of pad hitting as you can handle. Most studies regarding Muay Thai’s fitness benefits estimate that an average person will burn upwards of 800 calories in one one-hour training session. Most sessions in Thailand last an hour and a half, and most fighters train twice a day. It’s their job – train, eat, nap, train, pee a little blood, eat, sleep.
Fighting is, in essence, the main purpose of Muay Thai, but’s not as simple as stepping into a ring and kicking your opponent in the head. It takes loads of practice and dedication. Plus you must learn the traditions of Muay Thai, such as performing the “Wai Kru” which is a sort of ritual dance before you fight to honor your trainer and gym, and get yourself into the right state of mind to get kicked in the leg 30 times. It might look a little ridiculous to people outside the sport, but once you do it you realize you can’t go without it. I’ve had 2 girls leave me for doing the wai kru before having sex with them, but in my defense they were needy and impatient. Just kidding, that never happened. But I digress…once you’re done the wai kru, the ref tells you not to smack each others’ nuts, you go back to your corner, bell rings, and it’s game time.
Now the thing that a lot of people seem to have a tough time wrapping their head around is that fighting in the ring isn’t really like “fighting.” Most people take the first round to figure out their opponent’s weaknesses and strengths, then start building steam in the following rounds. It takes skill and sharp senses to predict your opponent’s next move, and also to keep your opponent guessing as to what you’re about to do. Your mind figures everything out, your body only does what your mind needs it to do. Then again, some fighters (usually first-timers) enter the ring and go balls-out swinging, throwing grenade-like fists and kicks at their opponent. You’d think that works, but really those people get knocked out pretty fast by a sharper, more alert and aware opponent.
If you’re curious about Muay Thai but worried that it’s all about face smashing, leg kicking, and blood peeing, check out a class at a local gym sometime. Fighting sports are rapidly growing in popularity, causing MMA and Muay Thai gyms to pop up like that rash you got that time you slept on your friend’s bed that smelled like sugar crisp and salmon. In the gym I train at, there are about 140 people doing Muay Thai, and only a dozen of us are fighters, which goes to show that the vast majority of people who do Muay Thai do it for the fitness and self-defense aspects of it rather than the fighting. But if you’re interested in fighting, your gym will get you in the ring as soon as you’re ready. Just make sure you’ve cleared up that rash or they won’t let you fight.
As they say in Thailand – Chok dee, yed katoy mai dai! (Good luck, and don’t sleep with ladyboys!) Well…I say that, anyways. Happy training!
By: Cameron Fraser
Originally Published By Star7Mag
Fight Analysis : Fedor vs. Sylvia
May 30, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Fedor Emelianenko
The event will take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on July 19th. The card is packed with heavyweights, one of which is the number 1 ranked heavyweight fighter in the world. Fedor Emelianenko; who is considered an MMA god amongst most longtime fans, will be looking to silence the critics with a win over former UFC champion Tim Sylvia.
Fedor has been taking some heat recently from both MMA fans and journalists regarding his recent competition. However, when you’re at the top, you’re bound to get haters. What’s that saying again? “Whether they love you or hate you - you’re doing something right”. If Fedor is able to knock off Sylvia, and do so in convincing fashion, it should further justify is top ranking as Sylvia is currently the 5th ranked fighter in the heavyweight division.
However, as his 24-4 record indicates, knocking off Sylvia is no easy task for most fighters. His size, strength, and reach advantage is tough to neutralize. Not to mention his raw toughness. This is a guy that would let his forearm snap in half before “tapping out”. Sylvia is the real deal. There’s no doubt about that.
Do his attributes pose a UNIQUE threat to Fedor? I honestly don’t think so. Fedor, being fairly light for a heavyweight, is frequently matched up with much larger opponents. His last fight was against a 7′2, 352lb giant in Hong Man Choi. Choi is by no means as skilled or experienced as Sylvia is but he is not a “can” as people so often put it. Semmy Schilt; a 6 foot 11 inch K1 level striker with plenty of in-ring experience couldn’t get the job done against Fedor either.
How it plays out
Fedor always comes in with good game plans so I don’t see him standing there trying to strike with Sylvia. Sylvia; being as powerful as he is, could knock Fedor out with a clean connection. Fedor also cuts easily so I can almost guarentee he won’t risk losing due to a doctor stoppage (cut).
Sylvia has a good sprawl and likes to keep things on the feet but Fedor has a Judo/Sambo background and uses upper body takedowns. Fedor will likely charge in with that looping left hook that he always seems to land, clinch up and look to throw. If Fedor ends up on top, then its some ground and pound followed by a kimura, or another submission along those lines. If Sylvia ends up on top, Fedor will likely look to use those lightweight-like hips of his to shift himself around and secure an armbar.
Verdict
Fedor takes this fight 70-90% of the time. Sylvia will NOT submit Fedor. A Sylvia victory will likely be due to a cut-stoppage, or a major KO shot. Sylvia could also jab his way to a decision victory.
Most Likely Event
Fedor victorious over Sylvia via armbar.
