Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson
October 25, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Joe Stevenson will likely have to rely on his strength advantage in order to pull off a win at UFC 91
Kenny Florian has been making a run at the title for quite some time now. I was almost certain that following his victory over Roger Huerta, we’d be seeing a Kenny Florian vs. BJ Penn showdown headlining one of the upcoming cards. However, with BJ Penn contracted to fight Georges St. Pierre in February, it looks as though Kenny Florian has to patiently wait for his well deserved shot at BJ’s gold.
Kenny Florian – being the patient, intelligent guy that he is – has stated that he’s more than willing to fight some of the other top contenders while he’s waiting. How’s that for confidence? Kenny Florian knows that a loss will derail his title quest but rather than selecting an easy fight, he accepts perhaps the toughest match-up presented by Joe Silva – the UFC’s matchmaker.
As his 29-8 record indicates, Joe Stevenson is no pushover. Likely still in redemption mode following a disheartening loss to BJ Penn, Joe Stevenson will be looking to rack up his second consecutive win since UFC 80. It’s been said that a fighters worth is best judged not through victory, but rather – how a fighter responds to defeat.
At only 26 years of age, Joe Stevenson is constantly learning and evolving as a fighter. If anything, perhaps his loss to BJ Penn was the humbling experience that Joe Stevenson needed. His first response to that defeat was a good one as he choked out Gleison Tibau with his favourite technique – the guillotine choke – halfway through the second round at UFC 86.
Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson – How does this fight go down?
Let’s work from the ground up, shall we? Joe Stevenson is no slouch on the mat as he’s spent most of his career training under Marc Laimon at his “Cobra Kai” gym in Las Vegas, Nevada. Marc Laimon is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and has trained numerous champion grapplers. Joe Stevenson has also spent some time training at Extreme Couture under the tutelage of Robert Drysdale – who is yet another BJJ black belt and grappling champion. Joe Stevenson – having started BJJ when he was only 13 – undoubtedly has a high belt ranking although I don’t believe he’s achieved the level of black as of yet (he was a brown belt last time I checked). However, to compliment his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a strong wrestling background.
Kenny Florian has a higher level of Jiu Jitsu than Joe Stevenson as he’s a legit black belt. Adding to that is his high level of Muay Thai striking as he trains under Mark Delagrotte at the Sityodtong satellite school in Boston, Mass. Kenny Florian undoubtedly has the better ground game and when considering his Muay Thai skill set which includes arguably the most lethal elbow strikes in the entire division (if not the entire organization) he certainly has the edge in the striking department as well.
That being said, while Kenny Florian is both a better striker and better grappler than Joe Stevenson, Joe Stevenson is physically stronger and with his wrestling background, that may pose a problem for Kenny. If you look back to the Kenny Florian vs. Sean Sherk showdown, Kenny Florian had a hard time neutralizing Sherk’s strength advantage. We could possibly see the same thing happen on November 15th. This is one of those fights that’s tough to predict (as are a lot of the latest fights) so you’re best bet (literally) is to select it based on the odds. The latest odds in the Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson fight can be found here.
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..
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!
This Is Sad
August 31, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
She is five years old. How old were you when you started working?
Well, there are things that I see on a daily basis here in Thailand that really put things into perspective. For example, last night was Saturday and if you’ve been following my entries, you know that I go out drinking on Saturday nights. And yes, I know it’s not good for me but I view it as a reward for training hard all week. Anyway, I was about 11 or 12 drinks into the evening and it was about 4:30am while I was walking to a club appropriately called “Insomnia”. I was with a really hot girl too. Money hungry, yes .. but hot nonetheless.
While we were walking towards the entrance, a little boy (he was about 8 years old) ran up, grabbed my leg and tried to get me to buy a pack of gum. “Mai Me Sataing” I said. Mai Me Sataing is Thai for “I have no money”. It’s become an automatic response along with “Mae Ow Khap” (no thank you) because as a foreigner, I’m constantly being hit up to buy shirts, suits, bootleg movies, watches and as I mentioned in an earlier post – vaginas.
As I was walking towards the club entrance, the journalist in me (I guess that’s what I am now) kicked in. Why is this 8 year old kid selling packs of gum at 4:30 in the morning? Where are his parents? What is the money going towards? So, I had a decision to make. I could either go into the bar with the girl I was with and spend a ton of cash on overpriced drinks for her and her sister or I could go and talk to the kids. I chose the latter. After all, I was too drunk to “boom boom” anyway.
There was actually a lot of them out there. I’d say about 10 or so. The first girl I talked too was 14 – which is about the same age as my little sister. She was selling glow-sticks which, when you think about it, is pretty smart. She’s selling glow-sticks in between 2 after-hour nightclubs that are full of E-Heads (ecstasy users). She said she was using the money to pay for school (2000 baht per month) and her apartment (3000 baht per month). When I asked her where her parents were, she simply replied with “no hab” (no have).
The little 8 year old boy that tried selling me a pack of gum earlier walked by again so I waved him over. I gave him some money and let him keep the gum. After I gave him the money, he slapped my hand, turned it into a handshake, gave me 3 “daps” (“daps” are just a fist-to-fist greeting) and ended the combo with a peace sign. It was really cute actually. I guess he was selling enough packs of gum to afford a TV to watch hip hop videos on. I really wish I had got the handshake on video.
Some random girl then walked by wearing knee high boots and little jean shorts and started hitting on me. She was clearly a prostitute but I ignored her advances and decided to ask her about why the kids were up all night, alone, selling gum and glow-sticks to the club goers. She said that most of the kids are doing it because their parents are making them and that they’re not allowed to sleep until they make a certain amount of money.
I’ve mentioned that in Thailand, often times the kids are expected to provide for their parents but when they’re 8,9,10,11 years old – that’s a little extreme. After talking to the girl for about 20 minutes, I went looking for the cute kid that did the ghetto handshake so I could give him some money and also, so I could get the handshake on film. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find him again. I did however, come across this little girl…
I’d estimate that she’s about 7 years old and just like the others, she was working all night, alone, without any adult supervision. She told me that she wasn’t allowed to go home until she made 100 more baht and that her dad beats her mom etc.
Stuff like this really makes you think. I’ve seen so many orphan kids since I’ve been here. After seeing these kids last night, it makes me have an even greater appreciation for what they do over at Sityodtong (story here). Then of course, there’s the kids that I came across in Bangkok who were forced to sell flowers to the tourists and if they didn’t sell enough, older Thai men would basically beat them down (story here).
Anyway, I felt this was worthy of an entry. Since it’s sort of sad, I figured I might as well leave you with something funny. So, check out this old dude that was on walking street last night. As if the bright white hair and outfit wasn’t enough of an attention grabber. And yes, those 2 gigantic “ladies” he’s strolling hand-in-hand with are actually men. You’ll also noticed that he gets approached by one of the kids trying to sell stuff.
In my next entry, I’ll be doing a camp profile on Scorpion Gym. I also have a “Fon” update (yes, the crazy girl!) and now I’m even more convinced that she’s a psycho.
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!
The Future Of Muay Thai
August 9, 2008 by admin · 11 Comments
The kids at Sityodtong AKA - The future of Muay Thai
The scene at the Sityodtong Muay Thai camp is unique to say the least. Upon first walking in, you really don’t know what to make of it. The average age of the people training there is about .. 14. There’s a lot that are younger, and of course, there’s a few older guys like myself. At first, you’re not so sure if the fact that there’s so many kids around is a good thing or a bad thing.
Well, it’s a good thing. The thing about Sityodtong is that they create champions. They start training the kids when they’re around 6 years old and by the time they’re 8, their technique is crisp and they’re able to kick the pads harder than beginners that are twice their age. I can only imagine what would happen if all the 8 year olds from the countries around the world went to war (hand to hand combat only).
Check out these little guys .. and girls, hitting the pads!
So why would this kids want to start training at such a young age? Well, I think it comes back to the fact that in Thailand, the younger generation is expected to provide for the family when the parents stop working. A lot of the girls look to prostitution (most don’t) while a lot of the boys test their skills with Muay Thai as it’s seen as a way “out” of poverty.
There’s a story that needs to be told here.
In most of the gyms, the kids are allowed to train for “free” but if they don’t become good quick, they get kicked out of the camp. The camps want the best fighters because in exchange for the free living & training, the kids are expected to fight and donate a portion of their winnings to the camp. Most Thai fighters rack up between 200-300 fights in their careers.
This is where the Sityodtong camp differs. The other day I had the opportunity to sit down with one of the trainers (a former lumpinee champion) and “the boss” and living legend himself – Kru Yodtong (born Erawan Sriwaralak). Kru Yodtong has been recognized by the Kingdom of Thailand as “superior teacher of Muay Thai” and throughout his teaching career, he has trained multiple Thai boxing champions (many of who are current trainers at the camp).
When I was made aware of Kru Yodtong’s contribution to not only Muay Thai, but his people in general, I had to write this story. Unlike at other camps, the fighters at Sityodtong aren’t expected to donate their winnings to the camp. It’s to my understanding that they’re givin half their fight purse up front and the other half goes towards their food, clothing etc.
The kids do not get kicked out of the camp for poor performance. Most of the kids training there are orphins or troubled kids that Kru Yodtong has unselfishly taken in and basically adopted into his family. What’s most important to Kru Yodtong is that these kids succeed in life and become good, productive members of society.
Kru Yodtong passing out lottery tickets to his students (sorry for the poor photo)
Rather, the money was put towards bringing in more orphined and troubled youth. They were given a shelter, food and most importantly, they were given guidance through both Kru Yodtong, the family atmosphere at the camp and of course, the sport of Muay Thai.
It’s quite apparent that to Kru Yodtong, money is secondary. He just loves his sport and wants to teach and guide as many people as he can. Even when foreigners come to train, the fee is a modest 250 baht per session. Out of that 250 baht, 150 baht goes to the trainer and only 100 baht goes to the camp itself to help pay the electric bill. For those that don’t know, 100 baht is approx. 3 US dollars.
So what would YOU do with 2,000,000 US dollars? Would you give it all away to underprivilaged children? If not, that’s alright. Most people wouldn’t. I’m just glad I caught wind of this so I could get his story out to as many Muay Thai enthuasists as I could.
Up Next .. I’ll hopefully get a video of my padwork and perhaps a trip to Fairtex?
And of course, with tonight being my big night to go out, I’ll prob. get some footage of the crazy nightlife..
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!
Down to Business
August 4, 2008 by admin · 17 Comments
So I’ve been here for about a week now and I’ve enjoyed myself. Spent a lot of money, yes… but that’s alright in small doses. From this point on it’s time to cut out the drinking and nightly gogo bar visits and focus on my training. Actually, that’s not true. I’m still going to go to the gogos. Who am I kidding? Walking street is like a magnet and honestly, I can’t seem to stay away. I’ll just make the switch from Thai whiskey to orange juice and water.
So what better way to start things off and settle into a serious training groove than a visit to Sityodtong? Sityodtong is one camp that I was really looking forward to visiting just based on its reputation for producing quality fighters. The Sityodtong camp is what a Muay Thai camp should be. It’s far away from the madness of central Pattaya and the environment allows you to completely immerse yourself into the training.
As I arrived, I was welcomed by the thunderous sound of a shin hitting the heavy bag. Unfortunately, the battery in my camera ran out a little prematurely so the noise coming from the stable to the right wasn’t captured. Anyway, check it out, my arrival to Sityodtong…
Immediately upon arrival, I was greeted by a trainer I had seen in a few youtube videos. “You come for training? Ok, I train you” he said. He said his name was Paul but I’m pretty sure that’s just the name he gives to foreigners as they think it’s easier for us to remember. It’s like bargirls telling foreigners their name is “Ice”.
I started with the usual skipping. I asked how long I should skip for and my response was what seems to be the slogan of Thailand – “up to you”. So after about 20 minutes or so of skipping and some light stretches, I was ready to begin my pad-work. I grabbed my hand-wraps but Paul insisted that he do it for me. He had a unique way of doing it as I had never seen his method before. The finished product felt awesome though. It felt like I could punch threw a wall without hurting my hand. I’ll try to record it next time so you guys can see the wrapping technique he uses.
During the pad-work, he simulated things in a way that resembled a real fight (which is what a good pad-holder is supposed to do). Overall, I was really impressed with the place. There’s something about training in such a prestigious gym that’s really motivating. On another note, I should mention that before going to Sityodtong, I popped a couple Beta-Alanine pills for the first time. I noticed a difference for sure. I still couldn’t complete all the rounds at a fast pace but there was a definite improvement. Beta-Alanine = good stuff!
Here are a couple videos I took to give you an idea what the training environment at Sityodtong is like. I didn’t want to be the tourist “falang” (foreigner) that shows up for 1 workout and films the entire time so I tried to be a discreet as I could. Check out all the little soldiers jumping on the tires. Sityodtong has at least 20 young Thai kids training there (just from what I saw). These kids are going to be fighting machines in a few years. I wonder if any future Lumpinee champions were training there today.
On a different note, I think I messed up. I went out on Saturday night (my official get crunk night) and I dealt with the wrong girl. When I checked into this apartment, I told myself that I wouldn’t hook-up with any of the girls that work here because it’s obviously a recipe for drama. Well, when you drink, logical thoughts get thrown out the window and you do things you shouldn’t.
Don’t get me wrong, the girl is beautiful, but this is Pattaya – where the girl to guy ratio is somewhere around 10-1. Beautiful girls are everywhere here. It’s not the place where you want to be tied down. There’s this one girl that works here during the daytime named Rung. She’s beautiful as well and she’s who I paid for the room. I think she just does the administration stuff here.
Anyway, Rung came up to me last night to say hello and the other girl intercepted the greeting and basically sent Rung on her way. I think she’s claimed me. I’m dealing with a “stage 5 clinger” here.
Listen to me. Complaining about being stalked but a hot Thai girl. I guess that’s just life in Thailand for you. Rough stuff.. haha
I’m pretty sure that if I met this girl in Canada, I’D be the one lockin’ HER down…
Anyway, I’m going to take a video tour of this place so you guys can see how I’m livin’ in my next entry.
Next Entry = Pattaya, Thailand CRIBS
Stay Tuned..
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!
Got Robbed!
August 3, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Yup, it’s true. I got robbed last night at Lucifers, which is a hip hop bar here on walking street. It wasn’t at gun point or anything and as a matter of fact, it wasn’t that dramatic at all. The club was really busy and at one point I thought I felt hands around my waist – but that’s nothing new in Pattaya where girls are constantly attempting to seduce you.
I did a quick check and my camera was still there so I figured all as well. That was until I got to a different bar and ordered a couple San Miguel Light’s. Checked my front right pocket where my 1800 baht was supposed to be.. and nothing! Checked the left pocket.. nothing! Back pockets.. nothing! It was kind of embarrassing actually since the two beers were already opened and the second beer was for a hot Thai girl, who ended up having to pay for them herself.
The girl didn’t speak English very well either so luckily I remembered how to say “I have no money” in Thai as an Irish guy from the “international muay thai club” taught me earlier that day. Trust me, as a foreigner living in Thailand, Mai-Mi-Sataing (have no money) is the most useful phrase you’ll ever learn.
Anyway, on a different note, I haven’t been to Sityodtong yet but I checked out another place. International Muay Thai Club, which is run by a couple Italian guys is about a 5 minute walk from my apartment. When I first got there, honestly, I really wasn’t feelin’ it. Their wasn’t much direction at all. I showed up, changed, paid and I was sort of left to do my own thing.
Not only that, but I didn’t find my surroundings very motivating. Their was a couple guys sparring in the ring (a Thai and an Italian) and the Italian guy had his hands down below his waist the entire time. I’m pretty sure he was one of the owners too so I didn’t get why his form looked so bad.
After aimlessly hitting the bag on my own for a while, I was called into the ring by one of the trainers. It was when I was doing the padwork that my opinion of the place changed. The trainer actually worked my technique a lot. The trainer I was working with was a Thai and one of the Italian owners, who spoke perfect english, was watching.
He noticed that I was leaning back too much as I was throwing the kicks and although he said it looked good, he said that you lose power that way and that I should maintain an upright posture as I throw my kicks. He demonstrated his point and he’s right. I think I lean back to compensate for a lack of flexibility. At least now I know what I have to work on. Here’s a video tour of the camp as well as a video of one of the owners and one of the trainers doing some sparring..
So tomorrow is the big Sityodtong day and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll be sure to get some good footage of the gym and the Thai fighters training. I also checked into a new apartment and I’m working on a lil’ video compolation of the place to make my friends back at home jealous. The room and all the furnishings are brand new. I have a TV, DVD player, fridge, safe, private washroom but none of that was the selling point.
The selling point for me, and I’m in no way ashamed to admit it, is the 40 or so gogo dancers that are walking around the place every night since my room is atop a nightclub. I literally step out of my room and there’s an entertainment area with a big screen plasma TV, sofas, pool tables and of course, the girls change room happens to be right there as well so I just chill on the sofa with my laptop and enjoy the sights as they change into their sexy lil’ costumes. And the best part, the rent here costs me about the same as I was paying for a room in my parents house back in Canada.
Keep checkin back for a video tour of my new residence ; )
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!
Crazy Pattaya!
August 1, 2008 by admin · 8 Comments
Erectile Dysfunction Clinics; the convience stores of Pattaya
And so they come here to Pattaya where they can earn upwards of $2000-$3000 a month depending on where they work and how “active” they are. The girls are also quite good at tricking guys into falling in love with them and collecting “sponsor” money. Sponsor money is when the guy returns to his home country and sends the girl money on a monthly basis to keep her from working in the bars. Some of these girls can have multiple sponsors at once all while secretly still working in the bars without their sponsors knowing.
Of course, there are exceptions. A lot of these girls are great, honest people that have just been dealt a bad hand in life and they’re just doing what they can to provide for their loved ones. I’ve asked them how they feel about things and they usually respond with “what I can do?”. And unfortunately, they’re right. The average factory worker in Thailand makes about 192 baht a day. To put that into perspective, that’s less than 1 dollar an hour based on a 7 hour workday. Sort of tough to take care of yourself and your loved ones on so little.
Anyway, now that I’m through with that little Thai economy lesson, I can finally talk about the training (hence, this is the “Thailand Training Journal”). I went to Scorpion Gym today and was put through my first Thai Boxing workout since I’ve been here. It’s funny, I trained my ass of for this. I’d run every single night in addition to my weight training workouts. Two-a-days for about a month straight and I couldn’t even complete 3-3 minute rounds on the pads.
I’m pretty sure it was the heat that was effecting me so much. It’ll probably take me a while to get acclimatized to it but after about 5-10 days, I should be alright. Here’s a video tour I took of the Scorpion camp…
It’s a nice gym but it’s f*cking hard to find! I went around asking motorbike taxi drivers to take me and the first 14 or so had no idea where it was. It was pretty frustrating actually. On a side note, they have an awesome pro-shop (perhaps the best I’ve seen at a gym in Thailand) and the prices are really good. I bought myself a pair of 14oz fairtex gloves for 1400 baht, which is approximately 43 dollars.
Tomorrow I’ll be going to the infamous Sityodtong gym. Hopefully it’s infamous with the Thai taxi drivers as well so I can actually get to it!
Might as well finish up this entry with a random video. Filmed this on “walking street”. I haven’t dated a white girl since um.. about grade 5 and although this an unfair comparison, this is how I see things in my eyes.
I present to you..
I’LL LET YOU GUYS PICK THE WINNER..
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!
Touchdown in Thailand
July 31, 2008 by admin · 3 Comments
Sorry for the delayed update. As you may have assumed, things have been pretty hectic. I’m writing this entry from an internet cafe since I can’t seem to find an adapter for my laptop. Since I’m using a public computer, I won’t be able to upload my pics and vids on here just yet for you guys to see.
So where to start?
I landed in Bangkok at around midnight on the 27th. From the airport, I took a taxi into the heart of Sukumvit (Sukumvit is a popular area in Bangkok that’s highly populated with hotels.) The driver just dropped me off around Sukumvit 19 and I checked into the first hotel I saw. It was a little pricey at 1300 baht a night (about $40 US), but it was pretty pimp – I have to admit.
The first thing I did upon arrival was go for a walk. I was immediately targeted by seemingly every Thai person that saw me. They see foreigners and immediately assume that we’re all rich. Nothing but walking ATMs to them I think. I was offered everything from motorbike rides to massages; clothes to… vaginas? Yup, in Thailand, everything is on offer.
I always get mixed emotions when I come to Thailand and this time, so far, is no different. The people are so friendly. And because of that, it’s often hard to see some of the disturbing images that are on display.
One image that took me a while to shake off was one of a girl (she must have been about 4 years old) sitting on an overpass, alone, with a change cup for people to donate. I gave her some money (which I later found out is illegal) and asked her “you have mom?” She replied with a “yes.” I then asked her if she was ok and again she obliged with a “yes.”
Still, any 4 year old girl that is sitting alone on an overpass in the heart of Bangkok at midnight is definently not “ok.” I was telling the story to a girl I met later on in the night (that’s right, I’m a player) and she told me that it’s most likely just a trick that they do to get people to pity her and that the mom was probably off in the distance keeping an eye on things. Who knows for sure though.
In the more populated nightlife districts, you’ll often feel a slight tug at the thigh level of your pants. You look down and see a tiny child (again around about 4-6 years old) holding a handful of roses. Most people just think it’s cute and buy a rose or two for the girl they’re pursuing for the evening but it goes much deeper than that.
These kids are forced to sell the flowers. And at the end of the night, if they haven’t sold enough, they get beat up by older Thai men. The girl I was talking to about it said that one of the young boys had a really bad cut on his forhead about a month prior from a beating, and she pushed his hair back to show me the scar. I asked the kid what happened and he didn’t even reply. I knew by the look in his eyes though that the girl I was talking to was right – he had been beaten.
In Thailand, it’s easy to get caught up with all the excitement and incidents like that are often overlooked.
Anyway, I decided to get out of Bangkok after only 2 nights. It’s not for me. The air is so dirty that you’ll often see the Thais wearing masks over their mouth and nose. If they aren’t willing to breath the air in their own city, then neither am I. However, I will be going back and giving you guys an inside look at all the most popular camps there. It’ll all come later on.
Right now I’m in Pattaya and honesty, this place is insane. I’m pretty sure it was ranked as the number one “sin city” in the world by askmen.com. I fully agree! I’ve been walking around and filming some crazy stuff that I’ll upload for you guys to see in my next entry. I’m also just getting myself settled and I went to check out Scorpion Gym today. I have a video tour of that gym as well.
Anyway, it’s about 8pm right now. The streets are live, the girls are out, and I should be too. Honestly, the next entry and videos that accompany it are going to be insane, so stay tuned. Unless you have a problem looking at insanely hot Thai girls. If you do (I hope you don’t), just skip over the next one then.
I start training tomorrow as well, so hopefully I’ll be able to get some good footage of Ekapol (former Lumpinee champion) in action.
Sawadee Khap…
