Myanmar Visa Run
October 24, 2008 by admin · 4 Comments
So, for the people that want to stay in Thailand long term, oftentimes they have to sacrifice a day of their lives in order to gain another twenty-nine. Yesterday I spent a combined 10 hours in a van and another half hour or so on a little boat to cross over the border of Burma. My initial visa that was issued to me from the Thai embassy in Ottawa, Canada was set to expire today so I was left with minimal options.
I had originally attempted to obtain a “non-immigrant type ED” visa as I had supplied all the necessary documentation. Turns out, I was given a single entry “type O” visa which was valid only for 3 months. I tried taking all the documentation to the immigration office here in order to get an extension but the immigration officer I was matched up with didn’t consider “Muay Thai” to be education.
His statement was ironic considering that dozens of guests at this very camp have “ED” visas for studying Muay Thai. However, the officer (without even looking through my documentation) simply said “Muay Thai? No! Cannot!”. He then walked to a nearby cabinet, pulled out a handful of paperwork from one of the drawers and handed it to me. After having the papers translated by a Thai friend, it turns out that the papers he handed me were completely irrelevant to the education visa I was applying for as they were for those wishing to work in Thailand.
Just bad luck I suppose as standing there and arguing with the immigration officer wouldn’t have done me any good. My solution was to leave Thailand and simply re-enter for a 1 month extension. Thailand allows you to do this 3 times within a 6 month period. However, next month when I leave Thailand I will likely be going to the Thai embassy in Malaysia to apply for the proper education visa. Even if I’m unable to get a “non-immigrant type ED”, I’ll just get a 60 day tourist visa which can then be extended from within Thailand for another 30 days – giving you 3 months in total. Through a combination of tourist visas and 30 day stamps, you can pretty much live in Thailand providing you time everything right (although clearly, I’m not visa expert so don’t quote me on that). If you’re thinking of coming to Thailand, the best source of visa information can be found at ThaiVisa.com
Anyway, when I finally arrived at the Thailand departure port, the only thing I could focus on was the awful smell. Most of the people in line were holding their shirts over their mouth and noses. Some Thai guy then took our passports, which at first made me a little paranoid. One of the fellow visa-runners had to re-assure me that it was a normal procedure. We then got onto a Thai-style boat and headed toward Burma. This was actually the highlight of the day as the scenery was pretty cool.
When we arrived in Myanmar (Burma), I didn’t really know what to expect. The extent of my Burma education was from the Seinfeld episode where Elain’s boss (Mr. Peterman) randomly goes there and she has to go see him to get his approval on some of the company expenses, at which point, Mr. Peterman questions her about the “Urban Sombrero” on the cover of his magazine. Yup, I certainly live a sheltered life in Canada.
As I’m writing this, I’m simultaneously watching Myanmar-related videos on Youtube. I’m sure most of you are more up to date on world issues and current events than I am so you likely already know about the fucked up problems that the villagers of Myanmar have to deal with. And just in case you didn’t already know about Myanmar’s corrupt military government, check out these videos..
From the time our boat docked to the time we were back on it and headed back to Thailand, not more than 15 minutes had elapsed. That was the extent of my stay in Myanmar and that was quite enough. One of the border “hustlers” – since they just post up and try to sell all kinds of stuff to the stamp-runners – called me “Fred Durst” from Limp Bizkit on account of how I was dressed and then started talking to me about his favourite rappers. It’s interesting to see how widespread American music really is. I wonder if Snoop Dogg knows about “Ali Baba” – his loyal fan at the Thai/Myanmar border?
“Ali Baba”(as he called himself) tried to sell me steroids for seven bucks, Viagra, cocaine and ketamines – all while I was walking back to the boat. He even offered to deliver it to me. It’s a good thing I declined as about 5 minutes after we set off, there was a check-point in which either Thai or Burmese soldiers came into the boat and searched us.
The process tuned out to be a success as I was let back into Thailand with a new – “admitted until Nov. 21st – stamp on my passport. At which point, I will have to go to the Thai embassy in either Cambodia or Malaysia and make another attempt at getting the proper, education visa that I was supposed to have gotten in Canada. Of course, this time I’ll actually double check it to ensure I got the right one before I leave. So all in all, the process is a bit of a hassle but hey, I got to add a new country to my list of travels and a story to tell.
Muay Thai Training Update
Having mildly sprained my ankle last Friday in sparring, I’ve been unable to train all week. I’ve just been limping around the camp. From my room ..to the restaurant ..to the internet area – just back and fourth. Limping around a Thai boxing camp while watching everyone else train isn’t actually what I call a good time. It’s not like I’m still in Pattaya either where I could certainly find entertaining – perhaps not as “constructive” – things to do. I’m in Chalong and there really isn’t much else here to do but train.
Anyway, this afternoon I jumped into the Muay Thai class and explained to the head instructor that I had injured my ankle and was unable to kick. He was pretty understanding and sent one of the other trainers to work straight boxing on the pads with me. Then, for the technique component of the workout, the same trainer would work the clinch with me while the other students worked on kicking technique & defences.
Basically, I was put through a custom workout based on my restricted mobility with a sprained ankle. If I couldn’t do something that was shown, a trainer would either adapt the technique so I’d be able to do it or just show me something completely different. I was pretty impressed actually. I wasn’t just left on my own to hit the bags.
As for Tiger Muay Thai itself, there’s a few negatives and so far, a lot of positives. I’m going to jump into one of the MMA classes either tomorrow or early next week to see how those are. I haven’t done any sort of grappling in about half a year so I’m sure I’ll be tapping a lot. Actually, with a sprained ankle, I don’t even know if I’ll be able to hold guard. I was watching Ray Elbe – the MMA instructor – on the mat today and he was pulling off all kinds of submissions. One was a slick choke from rubber guard, one was an inverted heel hook and another ..well, I’m not sure on this but it looked like he secured a choke and tap out with the sleeve of his shirt.
THINKING OF GOING TO THAILAND TO TRAIN?
I’ve developed a 70 page guide that profiles everything you need to know about training in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. In the manual, I discuss the visa issues, the Muay Thai camps, the different areas, the transportation, the food, the culture and customs, the girls, the scams, the safety issues and most importantly, how to save a ton of cash along the way!
Anderson Silva vs. Patrick Cote
October 22, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Some fans night go as far as to say that an analysis of the upcoming Anderson Silva vs. Patrick Cote fight is completely unnecessary as Anderson Silva has been flawless so far in his UFC career. Anderson Silva is atop the pound for pound rankings on the lists of several MMA analysts while Patrick Cote doesn’t even crack the top 10 on the pound for pound rankings – perhaps not even the top 20.
So why even bother with an analysis then?
Well, for starters ..because pound for pound rankings (and rankings in general) are irrelevant come fight time. On October 25th at UFC 90, it comes down to two trained professionals locked in a cage for 5 rounds. Their rankings based on their past accomplishments won’t help them because as we’ve seen over and over with this sport – it’s not who’s the better man/fighter, but rather, it’s who’s the better man/fighter on that given night.
On paper, Anderson Silva has a clear-cut advantage both on his feet with his Muay Thai or on the ground as he’s a seasoned black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under the Nogeuira brothers. Add to that his soaring confidence since with the exception of a single round in his fight against Dan Henderson, Anderson Silva has yet to be threatened by defeat so far in the UFC. A fighters mental state coming into a fight is equally important as his physical state and you can bet that Anderson Silva has all the confidence in the world right now.
Patrick Cote on the other hand has been flying under the radar up until this point which is surprising as he’s shown a dramatic improvement with big wins over Kendall Grove, Drew McFedries and most recently, Ricardo Almeida. Like Anderson Silva, Patrick Cote is a “complete” mixed martial artist. As a soon-to-be brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Fabio Holanda of Brazilian Top Team (BTT Canada), Patrick Cote is certainly well versed on the ground. While Anderson Silva has the higher belt ranking, Patrick Cote’s brown belt level BJJ should be enough to prevent being easily submitted. Patrick Cote was also able to handle Ricardo Almeida – who is thought to be one of the best BJJ practitioners in all of mixed martial arts – in his last fight at UFC 86. Since both fighters are at such a high level in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, it should be interesting to see if their skills neutralize each other.
As mentioned above, it’s no secret that Anderson Silva is the better striker. Of course, Georges St. Pierre is a better striker than Matt Serra and we all saw what happened in their first fight. Everyone has a punches chance but in Patrick Cote’s case – he has a lot more than that. In his last fight, Patrick Cote almost knocked Drew McFedries’ head through the Octagon fence with a series of powerful rights. Patrick Cote is more confident than ever with his standup skills as he’s been training with Mark Delagratte at his Sityodtong training camp in Boston.
With regards to a standup war with Anderson Silva, Patrick Cote recently made the following statements to MMAMania.com..
As for striking, I’ve never been rocked in my life, and I’ve never been knocked out in my life. So I go in there very confident.
We know exactly what to do, we have a good game plan. Now I just have to do it. Mark DellaGrotte will be in my corner. As a corner man, he’s already gone three times against Anderson Silva, so he knows him very well.
We know exactly what to do to beat him. Right now, it’s the time for Anderson Silva to lose and I’m the perfect opponent to do it. I ain’t scared of him. I don’t care. I just need one punch to put him away, so we’ll see what happens.
As the betting odds for this fight are reflecting, it’s no secret that Anderson Silva is a heavy favourite. However, with the odds as crazy as they are, it doesn’t make sense to bet on Anderson Silva as you would have to risk 700 to win 100. Yes, he’s the better fighter but will he be the better figher on October 25th? He may very well be but in this sport, as we’ve seen time and time again, nothing is a sure thing..
Fight Night At Tiger Muay Thai
October 22, 2008 by admin · 7 Comments
So the other night I witnessed a couple of the best MMA fights I’ve ever seen, and no – I wasn’t tuned into UFC 89. The fights I watched were “smoker” fights and they were the entertainment portion of last night’s “full moon BBQ party” here at Tiger Muay Thai. “Smoker” fights are unsanctioned, inter-camp fights that give fighters a chance to gain experience without effecting their professional records. Usually these smoker fights resemble nothing more than hard sparring sessions but last night, the fighters came ready to brawl and came out swinging.
First up was a light, drunken, boxing-only sparring session between two of the Thai trainers. This fight was more about fun than competition as the fighters were throwing back chugs of beer in their corners between rounds. They would also randomly take swings at the referee in order to get a few laughs from the crowd. Following the boxing match was a Muay Thai fight in which the fighters were going about 70% as I think they were friends.
After that, it was time to move things over to the cage for a grappling match and two MMA fights. The cage is situated about 20 feet from my room so I decided to quickly run and get my camera. In the process of doing so, one of the fighters pulled off a flying armbar and within a matter of seconds, the match was over. I completely missed it as by the time I walked backed to the cage area, the crowd was laughing in disbelief and what they had just witnessed. Luckily, the match was being filmed by some of the other spectators so without further ado, here it is..
It was now time for the MMA fights. In the first fight, one of the guys was throwing out really powerful, technical kicks – one of which landed flush to the face of his opponent. He was tough though as he kept pushing forward. However, he eventually had his back taken and got choked out. Both fighters fought with a lot of heart and put on a great show. Here’s the fight..
Next up was the “fight of the night” as the best was clearly saved for last. These two guys stood toe to toe and swung for the fences. Even Jon Fitch – the special guest referee – was impressed. Had this fight taken place in the UFC, I’d imagine that Dana White – as well as about 17,000 people in attendance – would have given it a standing ovation. It was one of those fights where if you had never seen an MMA fight, you’d have a whole new respect for the sport (sort of like what the Griffin/Bonner fight did for the UFC). I know you want to see this one, so here it is ..
After the fights, the party continued as the beer was included in the cost of the BBQ/fight tickets. The scene got rowdy as the guys started holding each other under the beer tap. It eventually become a competition to see who could chug the longest. By the end of it, I think the time to beat was around 20 seconds. “Fitch! .. Fitch! .. Fitch!” .. The chants began and at first he was hesitant, saying “I need a water!”. He was eventually coaxed into it though and I believe he even broke the previous record.
When the beer ran out, everyone headed out to Patong Beach for a night on the town. I have to say, Patong isn’t what I remembered it to be as at this time last year, it seemed a lot busier. The girls last year also seemed to be a lot more attractive but perhaps that’s just a result of me spending the last 3 months in Pattaya – which I don’t think anywhere else in the world can compete in terms of women. I think all the recent turmoil in Thailand has had a very negative impact on the tourism here in Phuket as several anti-government protests have taken place at the local airport. I suppose the fact that Patong isn’t as exciting as it used to be is a good thing as I won’t have the temptation to go out and party. I can now not only save money, but also, I can focus 100% on my training (which is what I need right now).
And Speaking Of My Training
I was put through my first workout on Friday afternoon. To be honest, I really didn’t know what to expect. Tiger Muay Thai is a lot more foreigner-oriented than a lot of the other camps I’ve trained at. I’d estimate that there’s around 60-80 students here (which is a lot more than any other camp I’ve trained at) and it has somewhat of a summer camp feel. I was a little concerned that I wouldn’t get a lot of one-on-one attention from the trainers as I would roam the camp and oftentimes see some of the students getting “privates”.
“Privates” are basically personal training sessions with the Thai trainers and there’s an additional cost associated with these workouts. Since I saw so many students paying extra for these private sessions, I was worried that perhaps they weren’t getting enough attention from the trainers during their regular workouts.
Luckily, this isn’t the case at all. My first training session began with skill-evaluation in which I was asked to kick the heavy bag. I threw a couple kicks and as moved to the intermediate class. I find it to be a perfect fit as the class had about 10 students and servicing those 10 students was about 5 trainers. One of the trainers (Nazee) is the head trainer here (I believe) and he was working with me on the pads. I was actually told to train with “Nazee” before I even came here so I was familiar with the name and it looks as though I really lucked out since he’s an excellent trainer.
The workout itself was very complete. It began with skipping, stretches – the usual. Once we were all warmed up, we went through some techniques and cool elbow combinations – some of which ended with a flying elbow strike to the top of the head, like something you’d see in a Tony Ja movie. After technique, we moved on to sparring. I ended up doing 3 rounds (each round against a different opponent). After sparring I was exhausted and it was then time for pad-work with Nazee. The instruction was great but not only that, I didn’t feel like I was being rushed and I felt like they actually wanted me to get better. The worked was finished off with some more group technique instruction, some sit ups and some stretches.
I was impressed with the session but unfortunately, during the sparring, I sustained a mild sprain to my ankle and as a result, I’ve been limping around for the last couple days. Hopefully I’ll be good to go in a day or two as I don’t think it’s very serious. All in all though, I was impressed. So far so good. I still have quite a while here before I form my official review though so keep checking the entries.
On Another Note
It looks as though I’ll be doing a visa run tomorrow since I was given the wrong visa by the Thai embassy in home town. I’ll likely be going to Ranong so I’m sure it’ll be interesting.
THINKING OF GOING TO THAILAND TO TRAIN?
I’ve developed a 70 page guide that profiles everything you need to know about training in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. In the manual, I discuss the visa issues, the Muay Thai camps, the different areas, the transportation, the food, the culture and customs, the girls, the scams, the safety issues and most importantly, how to save a ton of cash along the way!
MMA Workouts – Spotlight Exercise – Bench Press
“Hey man, what do you bench?” – A question that has seemingly become an indicator of male dominance. I was pretty strong coming up through high school and because I could bench press more than the other guys in my grade, I had that false sense of invincibility that most people only get when they’re drunk. If I could press 3 plates and another guy could only do 2 and a half, I automatically assumed I could kick his ass. By the same token, if I was pressing 315lbs and another guy at the gym was doing 330lbs, I’d get a feeling of inadequacy and immediately go home and Google what new, “scientific breakthrough” supplements I could take in order to get my bench press up. If he was bench pressing 330lbs, then I wanted to be bench pressing 335lbs – because that meant I could kick his ass (so I thought).
Fast forward a few years to my first MMA class and the first time I rolled against someone skilled in the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. What happened was obvious as I’m sure it happens to about 99% of the inexperienced, egotistical males that step into the dojo for the first time. I got triangled, arm-barred, knee-barred and kimura’d to the point where it was as if I was playing the drums (minus the drum set) since I spent the entire session slapping the mat.
I now realize that the bench press exercise is not the be-all, end-all indicator of fighting ability. As a matter of fact, I realize that it has very little to do with fighting ability at all. Perhaps the two “strongest” MMA fighters in terms of how much they bench press are Tank Abbott and Houston Alexander and both of those fighters are riding major losing streaks. Check out Tank putting up 6 plates per side in this video..
However, with that being said, when either of those two fighters (Abbott & Alexander) connect, the result is admittedly devastating. Tank has literally sent his opponents into convulsions and we all saw what Houston Alexander did to Keith Jardine with that series of uppercuts.
So perhaps there IS something to it?
When you’re performing the bench press, you’re recruiting the chest, the triceps and the front of the shoulder (anterior deltoid). These muscles, along with many others (particularly those of the core), play a major role when it comes to generating powerful punches. Of course, keep in mind that power is a combination of both speed and strength so oftentimes you’ll see a strong, muscular guy hitting the pads and because he’s so slow, the “power” just isn’t there. By the same token, a quick, yet physically weak fighter will also be unable to generate a decent amount of power. If one of the necessary components for power generation is missing (speed, strength or technique) – the sort of devastating knockout power that guys like Tank and Alexander possess simply won’t be there.
I find the bench press – as well as other chest press movements – to be an excellent way to develop both the speed and strength necessary to deliver powerful punches. As for the third component; the technique – that will eventually come via your specific combat training. Here’s a guideline on how to use chest press movements to help develop both your punching power and endurance.
Bench Pressing for Maximum Strength
Training specifically for strength requires you to implement heavy loads as maximum strength is highly dependant on neural efficiency. Heavy loading will train your nervous system to recruit a higher percentage of motor units – thus muscle fibers – to aid with the muscular contraction. Since maximum lifting is harder on your nervous system, you must allow for a longer rest interval between sets as neural recovery occurs at a slower rate than muscular recovery does.
Guidelines For Max. Strength Training
Use Low Reps (1-6)
Use High Loads (85-100%)
Long Rest Intervals Between Sets (3-5 minutes)
Low Volume (Not Too Many Sets)
Bench Pressing for Maximum Endurance
What good is having powerful punches if you can’t maintain that power beyond the first round, or in many cases, beyond the first flurry? Sure, you may be able to get a quick knockout but if your opponent is able to “weather the storm” – as UFC commentator Mike Goldberg says in seemingly every broadcast – the chances of you landing a knockout shot in the later rounds will be minimal if you don’t train for muscular endurance.
Fatigue in MMA has a lot to do with the accumulation of lactic acid so in order to prevent that, you need to train at a high intensity to increase what’s known as your lactate threshold. You can read more about lactic acid and how to train within the different “energy systems” by clicking here.
However, it may also be beneficial to increase the local endurance of select muscle groups. In this case, the muscle groups that are recruited via the bench press and likewise, some of primary muscles that are responsible for punching power. I recommend that you alter your rep ranges so you not only train for general muscular endurance but also, strength endurance as well. Here are some guidelines for each..
Guidelines for Strength Endurance
Use a rep range of between 8-12 (similar to bodybuilding)
Use drop sets (once fatigued, strip off approx. 15% of the weight and continue)
Perform your set, rest 30-60 seconds, then continue.
Guidelines for General Muscular Endurance
High repetitions (15 and up)
Minimal rest (30 seconds or less)
For the bench press specifically, you can attempt to press only the barbell for 100 repetitions.
Bench Pressing for Maximum Speed
It should go without saying that your training should always reflect your training goal. If you’re training for speed, then it only makes sense to perform the movement at a fast pace. For the bench press specifically, you can lower the barbell down to the chest slowly but you want to ensure that the concentric portion (driving the bar upwards) be performed in an explosive fashion. Bands and chains can also be used to provide what’s known as “variable resistance”. This will ensure constant, progressive resistance throughout the concentric motion.
Plyometrics are perhaps the most famous method of improving speed and explosiveness. It’s tough to perform plyometrics with a standard barbell bench press, however, a plyometric version can be performed using the smith machine. For this variation, you’ll need to load the end of the barbell with only about 25% of your one-rep-max. Basically, you’re going to be throwing the barbell upwards in an explosive fashion, catching it and repeating the movement. Here’s a video clip..
If you’d like to learn more about other exercises (besides the bench press) that can be implemented to increase the power of your punches, check this article out. Another easy-to-perform exercise that translates well over to increasing hand speed is clapping push ups. I’m sure you’ve seen it before. Rather than simply pushing yourself back up, you explode and clap your hands together before you perform the next repetition.
Also, the most important muscle groups in terms of MMA performance are the rotary and bracing muscles of the core. You can access a comprehensive core-training resource designed specifically for combat athletes by clicking here.
Tiger Muay Thai – Initial Impressions
October 17, 2008 by admin · 20 Comments
I was awoken today not by an alarm clock, but rather, by the sounds of shins smashing against the leather Thai pads, grunts of exertion and of course, some Jay Z pumping through the stereo speakers. When you’re here to train, that’s a whole lot more motivational than a cell phone or a radio. I walked out of my tiny room which is situated at the back of the camp and saw a group of about 20 or so guys – who were decked out in Koral, Tapout and pretty much every fight related clothing line you can think of – rolling on the mat. One guy pulled off the slickest Kimura and by seeing that, I was more motivated than ever (and all this while I was on my way to take a morning shower).
While I was supposed to arrive here at Tiger Muay Thai two days ago, I ended up arriving yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. I missed my flight that was scheduled on Monday due to a lost cell phone, an “ice-addicted” prostitute and a forgotten wake up call. Actually, perhaps I should elaborate a little on that. At around 2am on Monday morning my cell phone went missing. Perhaps it just fell out of my pocket or maybe I was pick-pocketed – I’m not really sure. My cell phone is my alarm clock and I had a taxi scheduled to pick my up at my apartment at 10am (which meant I had to wake up at around 9).
Here’s the kicker: the taxi driver was instructed to call my cell phone upon arrival. I asked the security personnel in the lobby of the apartment if they would be able to come to my room and wake me up. “No problem” he says. I even offer him a days salary for doing so. I then started to have my doubts that the task would be completed. I really didn’t want to miss my flight over this. It was too late to buy a new phone and I couldn’t call any of my friends as I had just lost their numbers. So fuck it I thought, this was Pattaya, I could just rent a girl to stay the night and by doing so, I’d also be renting an alarm clock via their cell phone.
I headed down to insomnia nightclub, spotted an attractive girl and without hesitation, I approached her with my request. I think she was a little put off by it. “No sex? I just have to wake you up at 9am and you pay me 1000 baht?” she asked. I confirmed and we headed back to my apartment via a motorbike that her friend was driving. When we arrived, she asked me if her friend could come up because they had to “talk”. I really didn’t understand why they had to go to my room to “talk” when they could just do so in the lobby of the apartment but whatever, we went up.
Once in my room, the girls friend asks “can I smoke something?” “Something” being the key word. I assumed she was talking about a cigarette so I said “alright”. Well, I’ve never seen a cigarette being smoked like this. I honestly don’t know much about drugs but I think they were both taking hits of “ice” – as they call it here. I just told them to get the fuck out so I could get some sleep. In a country where drug usage can carry a death sentence, I don’t see why I’d even risk my freedom by placing myself on situations like that. Once they left, I went back downstairs to confirm that the security guard would indeed still wake me up. “No problem” he says again. So I put my worries to rest (literally), and go to sleep. I think you know where this is going. I woke up the next day at 12pm and obviously missed my flight!
Anyway, back to the topic at hand – Tiger Muay Thai. Upon arrival, I was instantly greeted by a friendly staff and a bottle of cold water. I had a look around the place and I have to say, this is the biggest Muay Thai camp I’ve ever seen. There’s multiple rings, a cage, a traditional gym area, a restaurant, and it’s all broken down into different sections (beginner, intermediate and advanced). They have all sorts of bungalows situated around the camp ranging in price from 4000 baht to about 22,000 baht per month. Of course, being as cheap as I am, I’m in a 5000 baht a month one (and that’s only because the 4000 baht ones are currently full).
I still haven’t had a chance to train yet as I spent yesterday unsuccessfully trying to sort out an issue with my visa (you’ll be hearing more about it later as it looks as though I’ll be doing an entry from Cambodia or Penang). My first workout begins today at around 4pm. One thing I’ve noticed here at Tiger Muay Thai is that they seem like they’re really on top of things in terms of organization. They have a detailed training schedule and the right staff in place to accommodate the needs of the guests. The guest relations manager (Samai) has been going out of her way to help me fix the issue with my visa. They have a free weight area and a friendly conditioning coach that roams around helping guests with their form.
Tiger Muay Thai is situated in a very isolated environment and that has both its positives and negatives. The positives are fairly obvious as their aren’t many distractions. The negatives, well, I find that things aren’t as accessible as I’d like. The other night, at around 10pm, I was hungry and the tiger muay thai restaurant was closed. There were no taxi’s around, I don’t have a motorbike and the nearest 7-11 is about 3km away. It was my first night here and I wasn’t even sure exactly where the 7-11 was so rather than just walk around in the dark aimlessly, I ended up going to bed hungry. Needless to say, my fridge is currently stocked up with all sorts of snacks and drinks so I won’t have the same problem again. I suppose the solution to that is simply to rent a motorbike for about 100 dollars a month. Actually, if you’re staying in Chalong, renting a motorbike is a must. A second negative is the fact that I’m unable to access the wireless connection from my room. However, in all fairness, I’m staying in one of the new budget rooms (pink rooms at the end of the video tour below) and these are brand new. I imagine they will likely be getting a strong wireless connection to service these rooms later on. They actually just installed the cable TV today so I’m sure it’s just a matter of time.
Other than the internet connection and the accessibility of things, I’d have to say – so far so good. Of course, it’s a little premature to fully assess things as I haven’t even started my training yet. One cool thing though – I was just informed that Jon Fitch (the worlds number 2 ranked welterweight) arrived today and will be training for a month. I’ve already had the opportunity to train alongside Muay Thai great; Yodsanklai Fairtex – and now I have the opportunity to train alongside one of MMA’s elite as well.
Here’s a brief video tour I took of the facilities at Tiger Muay Thai. In a future entry, I’ll take some video tours of the rooms and bungalows that are available here (there’s a lot!).
THINKING OF GOING TO THAILAND TO TRAIN?
I’ve developed a 70 page guide that profiles everything you need to know about training in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. In the manual, I discuss the visa issues, the Muay Thai camps, the different areas, the transportation, the food, the culture and customs, the girls, the scams, the safety issues and most importantly, how to save a ton of cash along the way!
Sawadee (Goodbye) Pattaya
October 12, 2008 by admin · 5 Comments
Pattaya Thailand; this is one place that every man should experience at least once in their lifetime. It’s hard to even believe that a place like this actually exists. I’ve never seen so many beautiful women in such a concentrated area anywhere else and I spent 3 months living in Las Vegas. Vegas was cool, but it was tough to meet women when me and my buddy would be talking to a couple good looking ladies on LV Blvd. and high rollers would drive up and holler at the girls from the window of their Bentley GT. That’s a tough decision for the girls – hop into the Bentley with the millionaires or stick around and kick it with the guys on foot who would rather sit at the 10 cent slot machines and pretend to play in order to get a few free rum and cokes than stay in the bar and pay 9 bucks a drink. Although the first option (our approach) is much more financially sufficient, it doesn’t exactly impress the ladies in Vegas.
Aside from the seemingly thousands of insanely beautiful women, Pattaya also offers great training. Sityodtong was awesome, as was Scorpion. I’ve spent the last month training exclusively at Scorpion as it offers a laid back, un-crowded environment with great trainers who are eager to help. Both camps are situated away from the nightlife and both camps are surrounded by affordable accommodations. Not only are the nearby rooms affordable, but so is the training itself. A single session at both camps will run you a mere 250 baht (about 7 dollars). Just think, how much would a personal training session with a former champion Muay Thai fighter run you in your home country? I actually just found a new, well decorated room within 100 meters of Scorpion gym atop a convenience store with a large fridge, queen size bed, private washroom and air conditioning for 5000 baht per month (5000 baht is about 150US dollars).
I will certainly be keeping that room in mind for the future. Both the room and training costs will come in at less than 9000 baht per month. I’ve yet to see a more affordable combination that throughout both my time in Thailand and the time I’ve spent researching countless Muay Thai camps online. For someone like myself who a) doesn’t want to go home to Canada and b) wants to develop phenomenal stand-up skills, it’s important that I make things affordable so I’m able to stay as long as possible.
However, tomorrow at 12:45pm I’ll be boarding a plane to Phuket where I’ll be living and training at the ever-so-popular Tiger Muay Thai gym. I get more questions about Tiger Muay Thai than I do about any other camp in Thailand so the interest is certainly there. I’m curious myself to see how the training at Tiger will compare to the training I’ve received so far at some of the other Muay Thai camps I’ve visited.
The “Twist”
In my last entry, I mentioned a “twist”. Well, it’s possible that the “twist” has made me a marked man. Well, that’s a little overdramatic but I’ll explain. If you read the “trouble in paradise” entry, you’re then aware that I was living with a showgirl for a while. I lent her money, we had a falling out, haven’t gotten the money back yet etc. In my write up, I told a story of how she went nuts, started throwing electronics, sat in an empty bathtub for a while and there was also mention of drug usage.
About 85% of my readership comes from North America so it’s highly unlikely that people in Pattaya even know this site exists as I do absolutely no advertising here. Well, a local news website picked up on my Thai girl adventures and started profiling some of my entries. That’s all well and good as every bit of extra traffic helps the site grow. However, the latest entry, which can be viewed here, runs photos of her, mentions her name, mentions my name, and at one point, it even labels her as a “known yaba addict”.
Thailand is an extremely anti-drug country and it’s not entirely uncommon for “known yaba addicts” to be executed by the police. As you’d expect, with such harsh penalties for drug usage comes harsh consequences for those who draw attention to people using drugs. In all fairness, the girl does not use yaba (that I know about) and I met up with the author of the site in an effort to clear that up.
We exchanged text messages and met up at one of the more popular bars here in Pattaya for a drink (I had orange juice of course). Turns out that he was a really cool guy and he understood that the drug mention wasn’t critical to the story so he agreed to take it out. On a side note, it was pretty cool hanging out with a Thailand “local” (he’s originally from Jersey) as he was able to immediately pinpoint the best deals across town on a given night. It happened to be a Friday so he showed me a place with 50 baht beers ($1.75) and with every drink purchase, they gave you a free slice of pizza. Not that I eat much pizza, or even drink much beer for that matter (training), but that’s an incredible deal. I could never see an establishment in Canada offering prices like that.
Scenes From Walking Street
Walking street is an area situated along the beach that gets blocked off at night so cars can’t drive through. Hence the name, walking street. It’s basically a concentrated area that’s jam-packed with all sorts of go-go bars, nightclubs, shops and restaurants. It’s also possibly the most fun street I’ve ever spent time on. The gym I train at (traditional gym) is situated just off walking street so I see all sorts of crazy things being done by all sorts of crazy people. Here are just a few random videos/photos that I’ve taken of some of the scenes..
THINKING OF GOING TO THAILAND TO TRAIN?
I’ve developed a 70 page guide that profiles everything you need to know about training in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. In the manual, I discuss the visa issues, the Muay Thai camps, the different areas, the transportation, the food, the culture and customs, the girls, the scams, the safety issues and most importantly, how to save a ton of cash along the way!
Trouble In Paradise
October 2, 2008 by admin · 36 Comments
Apparently I left my brain at the airport and like most guys in Pattaya, I've been thinking with something else..
I’ll backtrack a little. The girl I was staying with goes back and fourth from Pattaya to Issan quite frequently as she has to take her dad to the hospital in her hometown. It’s the typical Thai sob-story. The girl is a “victim of circumstance” as she’s forced to provide for her family via sketchy, unconventional methods (use your imagination) since working at the local 7-11 doesn’t pay near enough.
She has this guy and apparently he thinks that he’s her boyfriend. He sends her money all the time and in return, he gets about 10 minutes of generic (what you eat? how was your day?) conversation via collect call from her every night. Meanwhile, there’s usually some guy in the bed next to her that’s told to “be quiet” until she’s off the phone. Sounds like a good investment on his part, doesn’t it?
Anyway, it was the 18th of September and she was talking to her “boyfriend”. A brief break in the conversation arose and she pounced on the opportunity to ask the ever-so-sly question – “can you send me money?” A question that – judging by her collection of western union branded apparel – has been asked many times. However, this time he shot down her request. After all, he had just sent her 10,000 baht (about 300 US) a week before. Once he denied the request, the call ended pretty quick. I mean, how dare he not send her money. Who does this guy think he is? *sarcasm*
Here’s where it gets embarrassing, for me! Once he refused to send her the cash, I knew I was the next target since she had planned to rent a car and go to her home the next day. I snuck out onto the balcony to get some air and I psyched myself up to shoot her down. “Fuck that shit, I’m not giving her any money” .. I told myself. I went back in and about an hour past before the speech started.
“I only have 1 dad” “ I have many friends here but nobody will help me” .. “I think you know what I’m going to ask”. “NOOOO!” I said (as rehearsed on the balcony). Surprisingly, she was very accepting of my refusal. I laid on the bed pissed off that she would put me in that situation and she started to get ready to go out. While she was pulling a low-cut shirt over her silicone “money makers”, she started coughing uncontrollably.
So, here this girl was ..tired, sick and about to go wonder the streets to find a “customer” for the night so she could take her sick dad to the hospital the following day. Maybe I’m too nice or maybe I’m just stupid – but it got to me. As she was about to leave, I walked to the front door, grabbed her, told her to take off her shoes and go back to bed. The next morning I found myself at the ATM pulling out 15,000 baht (almost 500US) for her dads hospital bills.
As I handed her the stack of 1000 baht bills, I emphasised the fact that this was nothing more than a loan and that I expected to be fully compensated for the money. “I’ll pay you back, I promise” she said. I had a bad feeling about it right from the start and I know now that I should have trusted my initial instinct (as you always should).
So here I am today, on October 2nd and I still haven’t seen 20 baht of the 15,000 that I lent to her. And to make matters worse, this chick storms around the small apartment bitching about every little thing. Forget Quinton Jackson, this girl is the real “Rampage”. Last night I was sick of getting bitched at for seemingly breathing so I basically told her that I just wanted my money so I could bounce. After all, this is Pattaya. A city where a man doesn’t have to put up with the bitching and nagging. It’s much easier to switch-up-girls than it is to get into dragged out arguments over stupid shit.
When I requested the cash, all hell broke loose. Apparently, by her logic, requesting money that’s owed to you is out of line and that “I only care about myself”. Was this girl fucking serious? We argued back and fourth and what happened next made me convinced that this girl has some psychological issues that would rival even “Fon” in a “win a straight-jacket” competition.
She took the remote control for the television, said “now your money is all I think about”, smacked the remote against her forehead about 3 times, then whipped it against the wall. She then proceeded to run to the bathroom and sit in the bathtub for about 2 hours. I mean, that’s a normal stress reliever, isn’t it? Having a nice long bath, I’m sure it’s very relaxing. Only in this case, the tub remained empty and she remained fully clothed.
Needless today, as soon as the rental office opened today, I found my own room. I got my new key and went back to pack up my shit. As I was doing so, we got into another argument over the money and for a second, she tried to pull the “I’m not paying you back” routine.
Can’t Hustle A Hustler
Sure it was stupid to lend her my money but I’m not dumb enough to do so without getting any sort of reassurance that I’ll get it back. When she tried to test the waters by saying she wasn’t going to pay me back, I gave her a few options. Let me rephrase, I gave her 1 option and a few reasons why she should take it.
The Option
Pay me back in 1 week.
The Reasons
1) I had the foresight to predict this situation so I pulled her “boyfriends” number out of her cell phone while she was in the shower. You know, the same “boyfriend” that sends her money all the time. I told her that if I didn’t get my money, I’d call him up and tell him everything. Not only that, I have all sorts of photos that she sent me (taken by another man) that I could always forward to him if he needed proof.
2) I just used this one as a scare tactic, I wouldn’t actually do it. On Saturday night she stumbled into the room all drunk and high. The next day she asked me to urinate into an empty water bottle in case the police came to her bar to randomly make the girls take a drug test. Thailand is different from the States or Canada in the sense that you don’t have to have possession of the drugs to get charged for drug use. The cops can just randomly make you take a urine test as they see fit and if you get busted, the penalties can be pretty serious (if you don’t have money to pay your way out of it). Anyway, I told her that if she didn’t pay me then I would call the cops, tell them that she jacked my money and spent it on drugs. Thus, she would be tested and as she believes, she’d get busted. Truth is, ecstasy is only detectable for 4-6 days after usage but I highly doubt she’ll think to hit up Google for that information.
3) I made sure to get her admitting that she owes me the money through SMS (text message) conversation. I have the whole conversation saved so at least I’ll have some sort of “proof” that the money was indeed a loan.
So, what’s the morale of the story?
As a wise man once said..
Don’t lend $500 dollars of your hard earned money to a drug-addicted prostitute.
So, leave some comments and let me know if you think I’ll get the money back or not. We’ll make it a little poll. And of course, I’ll keep you updated..
Coming Soon
In about a week or so, there’s a fight night here in Pattaya and the fight card features about 3-4 cast members of the Contender Asia. I’ll be going with Rosalie (the owner of Scorpion Gym) as she’s fighting on the card as well. Hopefully I’ll get some cool footage and perhaps a couple of exclusive interviews with the fighters.
THINKING OF GOING TO THAILAND TO TRAIN?
I’ve developed a 70 page guide that profiles everything you need to know about training in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. In the manual, I discuss the visa issues, the Muay Thai camps, the different areas, the transportation, the food, the culture and customs, the girls, the scams, the safety issues and most importantly, how to save a ton of cash along the way!
Thailand Trickery
September 25, 2008 by admin · 11 Comments
Make you look! The most common response I got when I told people I was coming to Thailand to train was simply “dawg, be careful, make sure you don’t fuck a tranny”. Transsexuals, or “ladyboys” as they’re commonly referred too here, are all over Thailand. They’re in the bars, they’re in the malls, they’re in restaurants, and as a matter of fact, my last haircut was courtesy of a ladyboy at the salon.
I was watching a newscast the other day and they were talking about a school up north that recently constructed a ladyboy-specific washroom to accommodate their transgender students. Throughout the country, there’s over 200,000 of these ladyboys walking around. How’s that for incentive not to over drink? A case of “beer goggles” in your home country may lead you to be waking up next to some fat broad but here, in Thailand, a lot of guys get a whole lot more than they bargained for.
During my first trip to Thailand last year, I remember seeing a couple “growing up gotti” wannabe’s walking hand in hand with a couple not-so-obvious ladyboys back to the hotel. They were walking with a “gangster-lean” thinking they were badass but if they only knew… As a matter of fact, they never found out! I asked the one of the ladyboys the following afternoon and she (or should I say, he) never told them.
Unfortunately, incidents like that are a common occurrence here. I’ve come to view ladyboys almost like reverse bodybuilders. Bodybuilders go to great lengths to look masculine and often times, take anabolic hormones as a means of speeding up the process. Ladyboys in the other hand, are just dudes that try to look as feminine as possible and like bodybuilders, they take hormones as well. Of course, they take estrogens instead of testosterone and oftentimes, they start doing so before they even hit puberty.
A lot of them are easy to spot. They just look like Thai guys in dresses with breast implants. However, just because you can spot the obvious ones, don’t let your guard down. Some of them a nearly impossible for a first time visitor with a couple of beers in him to detect. Check out the “girl” that makes an appearance at the 1:48 mark of this random youtube video..
I’ve had my fair share of moments where I’ve seen a seemingly hot girl from a distance, checked her out and later realized that I was gawking over a dude in a dress. Some of them are so convincing that you’ll be left shaking your head and saying “what the fuck?!”. Luckily, I’ve polished my ladyboy detection skills having spent nearly half a year combined in this country but of course, I still find it entertaining to sit back and watch the unsuspecting tourists unknowingly venture over to the “dark side”.
So, aside from cupping their crotch in the nightclub, how can you tell if it’s a guy in disguise? Well, here’s a little 7-step checklist for you..
1) Ask to see their National Thai ID card.
Simply say “hey, I’ve never seen what a Thai ID card looks like, can you show me?”. The card will either say Mr. or Miss. If it’s a ladyboy, the card will of course still say – “Mr.”. However, as you can see from a photo I took of a fake document stand I took while in KhaoSan road in Bangkok – fake documentation isn’t hard to obtain here in Thailand. In which case, you can implement some of these other methods..
2) Check for an Adams apple.
You’d think this would be obvious but a lot of guys completely forget about this. It’s called an “ADAMS apple” for a reason. Adam & Eve. Adam ate the apple, hence, guys have it and most girls don’t. However, with plastic surgery being more popular in Thailand than it is in Beverly Hills, a lot of the ladyboys get their Adams apple shaved down.
EDIT: So apparently, Eve ate the apple and not Adam? My lack of biblical knowledge aside, if they have a bump in their throat, stay away..
3) Tickle Them.
Ladyboys go through great efforts do disguise their voice but when tickled, their natural, manly voice will no longer be masked.
4) Check How Their Arm Bends.
When a woman straightens her arm, it usually hyper-extends a bit at the elbow and the forearm appears to drift slightly to the right. When a mans arm is straightened, it doesn’t hyperextend as much and the upper arm and forearm are more aligned.
5) Over-exaggerated body movements.
Ladyboys are men and because of that, they don’t have the natural grace that a woman has. Sure they try, but often times, they try too hard and it’s quite obvious.
6) You go through 2 bottles of KY jelly
Post-op ladyboys have fake vaginas or more realistically – inverted penises. Sounds wonderful doesn’t it? Well, these “fake vaginas” don’t produce vaginal fluid the same way the real ones do so if you get down to the “boom boom” and you go through a couple litres of lubricant, it’s pretty safe to say you’ve bagged a dude. If you’ve only made the discovery at this late stage, well ..you had just better hope that your buddies didn’t snap and photos of you and your “girlfriend” at the club.
7) If they have a bigger cock than you!
Self explanatory. 8=========D
So, brush up on your ladyboy detection skills because in a future post, I’ll throw up photos of 5 Thai girls and 5 random ladyboys and we’ll see how you do. I guess I have to hit the street and get the photos – I don’t know how easy that’s going to be. I tried taking a short video of them for the purpose of this post and about 5 seconds into filming, one of them looked like she wanted to attack me. The last thing I need is a trannie causing a huge scene in a very public area. People would most likely crowd around and assume that I refused to pay for my “services” or something. Anyway, here’s the very short vid.. and remember, your ladyboy test is coming, so study hard..
And guys, although I figured this would be entertaining, I know checking out dudes in dresses isn’t really your thing so I’ll make up for it in the near future with a Thailand Temptations article that will showcase all sorts of beautiful Thai WOMEN..
THINKING OF GOING TO THAILAND TO TRAIN?
I’ve developed a 70 page guide that profiles everything you need to know about training in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. In the manual, I discuss the visa issues, the Muay Thai camps, the different areas, the transportation, the food, the culture and customs, the girls, the scams, the safety issues and most importantly, how to save a ton of cash along the way!
Sor Vorapin Gym .. Sucks!
September 18, 2008 by admin · 13 Comments
Of course, that’s just my opinion. I ended up at the Sor Vorapin gym nearby Khao San road on a Sunday simply because Kaewsamrit gym (where I had originally planned to go) was closed. With its location in backpacker central, the trainers at Sor Vorapin gym have a lot of experience when it comes to teaching foreigners – which is usually a good thing as they can relate the techniques more effectively.
Well, in this case – it wasn’t a good thing at all. At Sor Vorapin gym, I felt like I was viewed as nothing more than an ATM machine. I was asked for 500 baht before I was asked my name. In fact, they didn’t ask what my name was at all! I was simply referred too as “you!”. And at 500 baht per training session, the Sor Vorapin gym is very overpriced. Especially when you consider that you can get a session at Sityodtong or Scorpion gym for half the cost. Fairtex was 800 baht per session but that price is justifiable when you consider how much money they invested into the place. Sor Vorapin gym on the other hand is nothing more than 1 ring and about 4 punching bags in a back alley.
Now, I’m not knocking back-alley type gyms or modest training facilities. All you really need is basic equipment and a good trainer. The trainer I was matched up with at Sor Vorapin gym didn’t know how to hold the pads at all. He would tell me to kick while standing about 2 feet away from me. So I’d kick (as to just be respectful and not correct his teaching methods) and my knee would hit the pads instead of my shin.
This annoying occurrence went on for about 10-12 kicks and I eventually just got frustrated and asked him to move back a bit. After all, I’m the one paying 500 baht for the session – I at least went to get off some decent kicks. Well, I guess he felt like he lost “face” or something because he told me to “go kick the bag”. That was fine with me. I’d rather kick the heavy bag with my shin then kick the pads with my thigh and knee like a goof.
Throughout my session at Sor Vorapin gym, the only bit of good advise I got didn’t come from a trainer, but rather ..one of the students. While I was hitting the heavy bag, he stepped in and started showing me some combinations that he thought would work well for me. I never caught his name but he told me that he had been coming to Thailand since he was 14 (he’s now 22) and that he has now fought in Lumpinee stadium 3 times with his fourth Lumpinee fight coming up in a couple weeks. Here’s some footage I got of him doing pad-work at the start of the session..
I also got some good footage of his clinch work with one of the Thai fighters. While I was watching the clinch-session, one of the other students pointed out the pictures along the wall and apparently the Thai-fighter is a former Lumpinee champion himself. However, it’s pretty bad when the highlight of your workout is watching other people train after getting only 2 rounds of sub-par pad-work in yourself.
I DO NOT recommend coming to Sor Vorapin gym at all. It’s experiences like this that make it worthwhile for me to keep the fact that I’m a Muay Thai journalist a secret so I get to see how anyone who walks in off the street for a workout gets treated.
Again, there’s so many gyms throughout Thailand. Don’t waste your time and money with Sor Vorapin!
THINKING OF GOING TO THAILAND TO TRAIN?
I’ve developed a 70 page guide that profiles everything you need to know about training in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. In the manual, I discuss the visa issues, the Muay Thai camps, the different areas, the transportation, the food, the culture and customs, the girls, the scams, the safety issues and most importantly, how to save a ton of cash along the way!
Living With A Showgirl. A Recipe for Drama?
September 16, 2008 by admin · 7 Comments
Kind of makes you want to book a flight to Thailand, doesn\'t it?
Well, it looks as though I’ve managed to bring a slice of walking street to my home life via living with a Thailand showgirl. Throughout my bus-ride from Bangkok, me and the girl I met on my birthday were sending text messages back and fourth. When I told her I was on my way back to Pattaya, she extended an invite for me to stay with her at her apartment. I decided to take the plunge and move in. She seems cool; her apartment is in a perfect location as it’s just a 2 minute bus ride from Scorpion gym; the rent is only 200 US a month and of course, let’s not overlook the fact that she’s so hot that if while I was a chubby, horny, 16 year old, someone somehow showed me what my 26th birthday hook-up looked like through a crystal ball, well ..let’s just say I’d probably be willing to skip an entire decade of my life just to rush to this point.
So it’s been about 30 hours of so since I officially unpacked my suitcase and with the exception of a couple minor arguments, things have been going pretty good. Actually, come to think of it, I suppose arguing prior to even completing day 2 isn’t a good sign of things to come. Either way, regardless of what happens – living with a showgirl surely make for some interesting entries for you to read and of course, it‘ll make for some interesting evenings for me to enjoy : )
Seeing as how the only other 2 girls I’ve officially “lived with” are my mom and my sister, this should make for a unique experience. As for the camps I trained at while in Bangkok, I’ll get the reviews up very soon. I went to Sor Vorapin and Sasiprapa. One was good and the other was absolute shit. Stay tuned for the reviews and camp tours.
THINKING OF GOING TO THAILAND TO TRAIN?
I’ve developed a 70 page guide that profiles everything you need to know about training in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. In the manual, I discuss the visa issues, the Muay Thai camps, the different areas, the transportation, the food, the culture and customs, the girls, the scams, the safety issues and most importantly, how to save a ton of cash along the way!
