RMB Gym Review
November 23, 2009 by admin · 4 Comments
I needed to get at least a few workouts in during our classy week in Pattaya and I wanted to try something new. I had already visited Fairtex, Scorpion and Sityodtong during my last trip so I decided to check out the RMB gym since I had heard good things.
It was a little tough to find since the website says that it’s located on soi 7 and when we went there, we found nothing but bars and bargirls. After asking around a bit, we realized that we were on the “wrong” soi 7 so we hopped onto a baht bus and the driver brought us directly to the gym, which as it turns out, is located around the big C.
Anyway, we walked in, paid the 300 baht for the day (it’s 4000 baht per month) and started to warm up by skipping and hitting the bags. I was eventually called into the ring by one of the trainers and he said his name was “Ekapol”.
I didn’t recognize him at the time, but I was familiar with the name. “Juke Ekapol” used to work at Scorpion gym and he has an insane record of 317 wins and only 19 losses. He’s a former Lumpinee stadium champion as well – at least that’s what it says here anyway.
Aside from the fact that I’m out of shape and got tired so quickly, the workout itself was great. I would have been given a full 5 rounds of padwork (if I could handle it) and I would have had the option to either spar or do clinching after that as well.
I trained at RMB twice and got a different trainer each time – both of which were awesome pad holders. Here’s a short video of me hitting the pads on my second visit there..
As you can probably tell, I’m out of shape but that’s because I wasn’t training the past 6 months while I was back in Canada. So, I’ll consider that video to be “starting point documentation” so I can monitor my progress. I’ll put up a more detailed review of the RMB gym once I spend a little more time there and get a better feel for the place. So far so good though.
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 Drunk Idiot
April 6, 2009 by admin · 6 Comments
So in my last entry, I mentioned that there was a fight at the bar last weekend that I happened to catch on tape. I also mentioned that I was seen filming it and after things calmed down, I was approached by Thai security and believe it or not, they actually tried to confiscate my camera. Well that certainly wasn’t happening but to put them at ease, I told them that I would delete the footage, which I did.
Oftentimes at the gym, I’ll show one of the Thai trainers how to “press the record button” and then I’ll pass them the camera to record my padwork. Judging by how often they pass the camera back to me with the footage nowhere to be seen, it’s pretty safe to say that a lot of the Thai guys here aren’t very familiar with how digital cameras work.
In this case, that unfamiliarity turned out to be a good thing because if they were thinking, they would have asked for the memory card instead of simply requesting that the footage be erased. It took me about an hour or so of searching on Google but I ended up finding a program called Delete Fix Photo which allowed me to recover the deleted footage.
So as for the fight, the first thing I saw was a clearly intoxicated, overweight man wearing what resembled a raincoat sitting on the floor at the bar. Why he was wearing a jacket in Thailand I have no idea and why he was sitting on the floor, I’m not sure about that either but I’m assuming that he tipped over from his chair as a result of being so drunk.
At this point, there was a bit of a crowd starting to gather around and one of the Thai girls tried to help him up. When she did, his reaction was surprising to say the least. Rather than thanking her for her assistance, he remained in his seated position, said “FUCK OFF” and then reached over and struck the girl – who couldn’t have weighed more than 90lbs – with his left hand.
He then made it back up to his feet by his own accord and at this point, security was on the scene. Here’s some footage of the drunk idiot trying to attack some of the girls.
This back and fourth, pushing and shoving went on for quite a while. I’d say that it lasted for about 5-10 minutes – which is way too long. I worked at a nightclub back “home” and if someone were to physically attack one of the female bartenders, they would get thrown out immediately and in all honesty, they’d most likely have their head smacked into the door on the way out.
The Thai’s showed a surprising amount of patience with this guy. I knew what happened next was inevitable on account of how he was acting but I just thought that the Thai’s would get to it sooner. It wasn’t until the guy started swinging at the security guards that he finally got what he deserved.
Here’s the video..
Now I’m not normally one for violence and I think that 90 percent of the time it can be avoided but this is clearly an instance where it was both deserved and necessary. I just don’t understand what the guy was thinking. He’s a guest in the country, he’s alone, he’s fat, he’s old, he clearly can’t defend himself and yet he’s blatantly attacking pretty much everyone in sight, women included.
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!
Guess Who Stopped By?
March 31, 2009 by admin · 10 Comments
Notice it doesn't say Greatest FIGHT Of The Year? .. Sneeky, Sneeky
Imagine my surprise when I walked out of my room about 3 days ago and saw the giant event poster promoting a fight between Buakaw Por Pramuk and Namsaknoi. If you weren’t aware, Namsaknoi is a 4 time Lumpinee champion himself and is widely considered to be one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters in the history of the sport.
Almost seems too good to be true, doesn’t it? I suppose the MMA equivalent would be if you were to walk outside tomorrow and see that a super fight between George St Pierre and Anderson Silva was set to place this weekend and it was all going to happen 3 minutes away from where you live.
Well, the saying “if it seems to good to be true, it usually is” held true tonight because what was marketed as a “fight” turned out to be nothing more than a 2 round demonstration. I actually paid the admission fee for this event too because it was a packed house (I’m usually able to get myself waved in without actually buying a ticket).
As for the actual demonstration itself, it left a lot to be desired. Buakaw and Namsaknoi just lightly sparred (without punches) for two short rounds. Actually, the wai kru they performed at the start lasted longer than the actual demo. Here are some of the highlights..
It’s not all that surprising when you think about it though. Buakaw is used to fighting in front of tens of thousands of people for a lot of money. He’s under contract with K-1 and he’s actually set to fight Andre Dida towards the end of the month. I sort of figured that the chances of this fight being real were slim to none but I also figured that it would make for an interesting post nonetheless.
Of all the fight nights I’ve been too, this one was by far the best – and not necessarily due to the fights either. What made it so good was the atmosphere. The place was packed and the crowd was going crazy! I watched a video before I came here – and I even had it posted on the site for a while – and it described the scene perfectly.
The gamblers – and especially the corner men – were going nuts and surprisingly, the most popular fights were the fights that I personally found boring. In these fights, the fighters would be tied up in the clinch most of the time and would be scoring with knees to the body – although the knees didn’t look like they were landing that clean.
Every single time a knee was landed – even if it was those weak, modified knee strikes that are strictly thrown for points since they land with the inner leg rather than the knee itself – the corner-men and entire Thai crowd would raise their arms in the air and yell in “ayyyyyy” in excitement.
To me, the hyped up reactions of the Thai’s were more exciting than the actual fight itself. Check it out..
As for Buakaw, I noticed that his management team were going through great lengths to monetize his popularity any way they could. They had a stand set up outside the stadium where they were selling extremely overpriced T-shirts and fight shorts.
At the end of the night, Buakaw was sitting out there at the merchandise stand for photo ops. However, if you wanted your picture taken with him, they were charging 300 baht for the privilege. They even went as far as to auction off the very shorts that he was wearing during the demonstration.
Usually when that sort of thing goes up for auction, it’s announced that the proceeds will be given to charity but in this case, no charitable donation was mentioned. I’m pretty sure they were selling the used shorts off his waist strictly to line their own pockets. As for how someone can have a man-crush on an athlete big enough to pay for their used, sweaty gym shorts – well, that’s a mystery to me.
I do have to say though that Buakaw seemed like a nice guy. Before the fights started, me and my buddy were standing outside the stadium when he first walked by and we saw him for the first time. Their weren’t that many people around at the time and the few people that were around didn’t seem to recognize him.
My friend took the opportunity to approach him and ask him for a picture. Buakaw happily obliged and of course, he didn’t ask for any money in exchange for taking the time to do so. He genuinely seemed like a nice guy which leads me to believe that the whole idea of charging for pictures and selling used shorts are just schemes cooked up by his management team to capitalize on his success.
Now, in an unrelated incident – I witnessed a huge fight the other night. I filmed the whole thing but unfortunately, I was approach by a bunch of Thai security guards and they asked me to delete the footage. Actually, the asked for my camera but I certainly wasn’t willing to hand it over so deleting the footage was somewhat of a compromise.
At the time, I knew that there were ways to retrieve deleted clips from a memory card so I didn’t bother arguing. So within the next couple days, I’ll find a good program to use to get the footage back and I’ll post the video and back-story here for you to see.
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!
Patong Boxing Gym Review
March 22, 2009 by admin · 64 Comments
I came to this gym with the intention of staying for about a month but a month has now turned into two and it looks like I’m going to be staying for another. Of course, with this being my last month in Phuket, I’ll be training and reviewing at some of the camps I’ve missed – Sinbi, Rawai, J Prappa etc. So if you were considering training at one of the camps I’ve neglected, don’t worry – you’ll get your review.
The main reason why I don’t go live at one of the other camps – aside from the fact that I’m getting great training at the Patong gym – is the fact that the other camps are situated in isolated locations which gives the gym owners and nearby businesses a monopoly since they can jack up the rents as much as they want and still get foreigners that don’t know any better to pay.
For example, if you check out the Sinbi website, you’ll see that they’re renting out their private room for 22,000 baht a month. To put that into perspective, I’m currently paying 8000 baht per month where I’m staying now and I have air conditioning, satellite TV, wireless internet, king size bed, large washroom with hot water and to top it all off – I get my room cleaned for me on a daily basis.
At Sinbi – and most likely a lot of other camps – 8000 baht will get you a shared room without air conditioning and a bunk bed to sleep on. Now, if you’re only in Thailand for a short period of time – or if you have a loaded bank account and money isn’t really an issue for you – then overpaying for your room to stay on-site at a good gym might be worth it for you as long as the training is good.
But for me, seeing as how I’ve been here for about 9 months already, I have need to save money wherever I can. So staying right where I am in my nice, affordable room seems like the best thing to do at the moment. Not to mention the fact that the owner of the guesthouse I’m at is extremely nice and just the other night, she cooked me a huge dinner for free : )
So as for the training at Patong Boxing Gym, there a few things that make it a little different from a lot of other gyms. The sessions aren’t run at set times and in a group format. Rather, you can show up whenever you want between operating hours and from the moment you enter the gym until the moment you leave, you’ll be under the supervision of one of the trainers.
In other words, the whole thing is personal training – which is something that a lot of other camps in Phuket charge extra for. Also worth mentioning is the fact that the minimum amount of pad-time I get per session is 5 rounds – usually 3 rounds of Muay Thai and 2 rounds of boxing – although how you chose to split up your rounds is entirely up to you.
People don’t come to Thailand to kick the heavy bag for 8 rounds alongside a bunch of foreigners while waiting for a trainer to call you into the ring for a couple rounds of pad-work. If anything, the bulk of your time should be spent one on one with a trainer. If you want to kick the heavy bag on your own, you can save your money, stay home and just train in your basement.
As for sparring and clinching, you’ll get plenty of that too as long as you make it known that you’re interested in doing it. The training sessions are based around exactly what you want to do and you can break things down however you like.
Normally I get my 5 rounds of pad-work in but earlier this week I mentioned that I wanted to focus on sparring more so that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. A couple of the Thai trainers are fighting next week so I’ve been sparring with them to help get them ready. And speaking of the trainers, here’s some footage I took of a couple of them working their kicks on the pads..
The location of the camp is awesome as well. It used to be located in a congested area near the beach surrounded by a bunch of suit shops and “happy ending” massage parlours – which meant you got harassed and basically molested every time you walked to and from the gym.
Looking to expand, the owner bought some land and moved the camp up into the hills. It’s perfect actually. It’s a nice quiet area with clean air, a beautiful view, a cool breeze and a nice running path. It’s a distraction free environment but if you also have the convenience that accompanies living and training in Patong – which is the most developed beach in Phuket.
Here are some photos of the camp and the camp surroundings..
 The Running Path |
 Patong Boxing Gym |
Prices and Accommodation
A single training session at Patong Boxing Gym will cost you 400 baht – which is more than what the camps in Pattaya charge but it’s right on par with the cost of the gyms here in Phuket. A month of training (twice a day) will run you 8000 baht and if you wanted to live on-site at the gym as well, a month of training AND accommodation costs 18,000 baht – which is approximately $17.50 USD per day.
The rooms aren’t what you’d expect from a Muay Thai camp either. They basically resemble standard hotel rooms. They have a fridge, wireless internet access, cable TV, private washroom with hot water, two beds and most importantly – air conditioning! Here a little tour of the room before the fridges were put in..
My Overall Impression
I’m sure it’s pretty clear that I recommend this gym. The facility is brand new and well equipped. The training is great (oftentimes more trainers than students) and you have the freedom to structure your workouts as you’d like. The prices are fair and the on-site accommodation is great.
And of course, the location gives you the best of both worlds. You’re in a nice quiet area for your training but you’re never inconvenienced since down the hill (just a short motorbike ride away), you have access to everything you could possibly need such as convenience stores, markets, shopping malls, restaurants, nightlife – basically anything and everything.
The entire staff is really nice as well. I train late in the day and I’m usually one of the last students to leave since after my session, I’ll usually stick around for a bit to kick the bag or lift weights. This is around the time when all the trainers sit down to eat and they always insist that I join them – even though I don’t pay for the food.
More often than not, one of the trainers gives me a lift down the hill and even if I try to pay him for the ride, he’ll just smile and say “no problem”, then drive off. Actually, now that I mention it, the trainer that usually drives me back to my room has had a lot of major fights.
He’s fought on TV from lumpinee stadium on several occasions I believe and he once won a million baht for his efforts. There’s a picture of him holding the big stack of 1000 baht bills up at the gym. I guess that’s why he doesn’t bother taking my money – he probably has more than I do anyway!
All in all, I can’t say enough positive things about the gym and my experience here. The only negative thing I have to say is that they’re not always on top of their emails so if you have any specific questions – and if you’re unable to get a quick response from them – just hit the contact button and send your questions to me. I’ve spent enough time here that I’ll more than likely be able to answer them for you.
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!
Padwork Progressions
January 13, 2009 by admin · 8 Comments
So there’s been a longer than usual delay between entries and I should probably explain why. I’ve been putting 8 new sites together (7 exercise sites and 1 new Muay Thai one) in an attempt to get some money rolling in so I can stop stressing about having to leave this country that I’ve fallen in love with.
I don’t plan on leaving until May (so I still have plenty of time) but I plan on coming right back here after the summer to pick up where I left off with my training. And speaking of my training, for the first time I’m going to post up some videos of my pad work.
I haven’t posted any videos thus far for a few reasons. The main reason was because I didn’t want some of the owners to see who I was because if they know I’ll be reviewing their camps, they’re more likely to treat me differently and go above and beyond to secure themselves a good review.
The benefit of posting my progress – which in my opinion, outweighs the negatives – is that it will serve as motivation to improve even more over the next few months. I’ll feel more accountable knowing that my readers will be critiquing my technique and progress so I’ll be obligated to take the training seriously.
Prior to coming here, my experience was very limited. I came here last year for a couple months but to be honest, I was only training about 4-5 times a week. I made a lot of improvements but about a week or so after I got back to Canada, I ended up messing up my back while performing bent over barbell rows at the gym. And yea, that actually links to one of the exercise sites I’m working on – just trying to get Google to index it..
In addition to coming here the first time, I had done some submission grappling (for about 4-5 months) but never any striking whatsoever. The extent of my striking experience was hitting one of those “wave master” punching bags in my basement. Anyway, here’s a video of myself training near the end of my first trip..
Not so bad, right? Well, due to the back injury, and about 8 months of no training any martial arts at all, here’s what my pad work looked like during one of my first sessions this year at Scorpion Gym.
So that’s the “before” video. As you can see, I’m completely awkward in my stance, I’m slow, my technique is terrible (especially the kicks) and I can’t even stay balanced. Believe it or not, at the time I actually thought I was awesome. You go through the motions and it actually feels good. Then you check yourself on video tape and it’s really an eye-opener.
So that video was filmed about five months ago. Since then, I’ve been training 6 days a week – with the exception of some time off due to a sprained ankle and pink eye, which sucked! I’ve trained at a lot of different gyms, but the three gyms that have helped me the most are Scorpion Gym, Tiger Muay Thai and most recently – where I’m at right now – Patong Boxing Gym. These two videos were shot last week ..and yes, I know – I need a tan!
Comparing the “midpoint” videos – which is what those are – to the first video, it shows a lot of improvement and I’m pretty happy with it. I’m still far from where I’d like to be though but I still have 4 full months of training to go. I really want to get those rapid-fire kicks down perfectly so lately, during every pad-work session, I take off my gloves and do nothing but work on my repetitive kicking for a full round.
And I’ve sure you’ve noticed that I haven’t had much lady-drama to talk about lately. That’s because when I was staying at Tiger Muay Thai, I didn’t really bother going out much since it’s so far away from the nightlife district and even now that I’m living in Patong, all I really do is focus on my work and training. I think now that I’ve completely cut out drinking, I’ll make even better improvements over the next four months.
I did however go out and party on new years eve – but who didn’t, right? The scene here was pretty crazy. I wanted to start by drinking a couple beers while getting a foot massage – which only costs about 6 bucks an hour here. When I got to the massage place, all the massage girls were having their own new years party with free food and drinks out for everyone.
They kept giving me belvedere mixed with orange juice – which I’m sure was bought by one of their rich, foreign boyfriends – and to be honest, the rest of the night is a bit of a blur. I did however check my camera the next morning and found this short video. It’s not overly exciting by any means but it’ll give you an idea as to how they celebrated new years here.
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!
New Everything
December 30, 2008 by admin · 13 Comments
New Gym, New Apartment, New Beach, New Year..
What I liked about it was the fact that I could show up anytime during operating hours and that the instructor I was paired up with was really technical – which is what I needed at the time since I was a beginner. Before I had found Patong Boxing Gym, I was training at an all-Thai gym in the hills called “SingPatong”.
While SingPatong had a lot of awesome fighters and a real Muay Thai atmosphere, the instructors I was working with half the time didn’t really know how to relate the techniques to a beginner such as myself. Now that I’m a little more advanced, I’ll probably head back to SingPatong for a few sessions but in the meantime, I’m training at a new “Patong Boxing Gym” that just opened up in the hills – about 5 minutes from where SingPatong is.
The owner still has her original gym which is located near the beach surrounded by “happy ending” massage parlours which she is using for her beginner students. For the more advanced students, she’s sending them up to the new camp which just opened about a month ago.
It’s actually a lot nicer than I thought it was going to be. There’s about 15 rooms onsite – some of which have a sick view of the ocean. At the moment, there’s actually more trainers than students and it’s all one-on-one training. I’ll be doing padwork with one trainer and in between rounds, I’ll have another trainer pouring water into my mouth and giving me a massage.
It’s also in a nice, quiet location with a great running path. Check it out ..
I moved into a new apartment which I ended up getting a great deal on. When I first got here and went looking around for rooms, everybody would jack up the price since I’m white and I guess they think foreigners don’t know any better. Well, since I’m staying here for so long, I’m the guy you’d see arguing with the cleaners about getting the jacked up foreigner rate on my laundry. So, getting charged 17,000 baht for a basic room didn’t fly with me either.
I ended up randomly meeting a friend at an internet café that I had met the year before and she walked around with me for a bit and found me a nice big room for 5000 baht a month. See, there really is a “Thai price” on things – which really pisses me off actually. I can only imagine the drama that would ensue if minorities in western societies were being charged 2-3 times the regular cost of things.
I'd take a photo if my actual apartment but it's messy and I'm too lazy to clean it right now..
The building – which is only a couple floors – is right near the boxing stadium and the location is perfect. There’s convenient stores, Thai food stands and fruit markets all over the place. When it’s time to go to training, I just run to the gym – which takes me about half an hour. It’s all uphill too so it’s just what I need since surprisingly, my cardio still sucks. You’d think that after training 6 days a week for 5 months straight, eating right and having only 1 beer in the last 3 months, my cardio would be amazing but apparently not. It’s pretty frustrating actually.
Anyway, on another note, Christmas just past and it was a little weird being away from home. I didn’t really do much. I just trained during the day and went for a walk at night to check out the scene. It was pretty wild actually. It was just a giant party with fireworks, plenty of alcohol and plenty of guys looking to get laid.
To be honest, Christmas for me has always been about family and church, not booze and prostitutes (lol), so I was on my best behaviour. For some reason, I figured it’d be bad karma or something if I was to give into temptation so I ended up just coming back to my room. I ended up taking a video of the scene though for you guys to see. The video quality sucks – I think it’s time for a new camera. As you can tell, I was feelin’ the girl by the dancing by the Bacardi sign, check it out..
Anyway guys, thanks for following along up to this point (still lots to go) and all the best in 2009.
Happy Holidays!
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!
Tiger Muay Thai – BBQ Beatdown
November 26, 2008 by admin · 7 Comments
Fight night at Tiger Muay Thai! I love these things. The fights are usually great but what’s even more impressive is that these guys are fighting for the love the sport, nothing more. They’re not getting paid. The only payment they get comes in the form of self pride and of course – some free BBQ! As a matter of fact, one of the fighters had to back out as he got sick and on 20 minutes notice – most likely with a beer in hand – another guy offered to step up and take his spot.
The night started off with a fight between two of the Thai trainers. Last month when two of the trainers – who were obviously friends – fought, they were just sort of goofing around and taking sips of beer in between rounds. This time it looked as though they were a little more serious. Although they were wearing shin guards, they were still kicking with bad intentions. However, they were just body shots. Here’s a video clip ..
This months “BBQ Beat down” (as they call it here at Tiger) featured a 4 man elimination style tournament. The tournament fights were 2 rounds each with the finalists fighting twice in the night (obviously).
Rather than do a post-fight commentary style write up on the fights, I’d rather just throw them up and let you watch for yourself. You know the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” and a video is worth even more. Cliché I know. Whatever, here are the first 2 fights of the tourney..
Both of the fights were awesome. However, the victors – Jonas and Kristian – were both good friends and they were hesitant to really engage in the final. But who can blame them? I wouldn’t want to fight my best friend in a cage for some BBQ either.
That being said, they still came out and put on a show. It was more playful than anything as the fight – which didn’t last long – resembled a real life, choreographed version of “Never Back Down”. Both fighters were trying to pull off all sorts of wacky jump kicks and whatnot. One of the guys even did a flying summersault as he entered the cage – which was good for some laughs.
There were also few other non-tournament fights on the card. One of which was a classic striker vs. grappler showdown featuring Caden from the states and Brad from New Zealand. It was a good fight, check it out..
The Fight Of The Night
Now, the best for last! My favorite fight of the evening. This fight – had it taken place in a large venue – would have received a standing ovation as it was one of those Rocky style, odds-defying victories. The fight pit Ngoo Ditty – a tiny Thai boxer with about 18 months of BJJ experience – against Richard Dinkins, who trains BJJ amongst some of the greatest in the world in the heart of Brazil.
Richard Dinkins – although the camera angle doesn’t show it very well – towered over Ngoo as he must have had a full 12-inch height advantage. You can tell where this is going. This fight had potential for greatness and a great fight it was.
Overcoming all odds, Ngoo – the tiny Thai boxer – ended up not only beating the much larger Brazilian but he beat him at his own game. He submitted him! He submitted him via an armbar from the mount! As you can tell by the reaction of the crowd, everyone was just as impressed as I was. This guy is going places. First Thai in the UFC? Who knows. I suppose the UFC would first have to get some sort of mega-lightweight division but on second thought, as demonstrated in the fight, he’ll be able to overcome the size differences. Check out the fight!
Political Turmoil In Bangkok!
Regardless of where you live, I’m sure heard the news. It seems to be the top story on all the major media outlets. CNN, MSN – they’re all covering the situation at the Bangkok airport(s). Suvarnabhumi International – which is the 18th largest airport in the world – has been shut down by protestors.
Over three thousand tourists were left stranded at the airport as all incoming and outgoing flights have been cancelled until further notice. To make matters worse, the violence seems to be escalating as gun fights have errupted in the streets of Bangkok and bombs have been set off in the airport leaving several protestors seriously injured.
There have even been reports of a grenade being thrown into the crowd. However, it turned out not to be live. Needless to say, it looks as though a lot of the guests here will be staying a little than expected. Of course, I could think of worse places to be stuck than a training resort in Phuket, Thailand.
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!
Malaysia Visa Run
November 23, 2008 by admin · 2 Comments
Yeah, it was that time again. I really don’t see the purpose of spending 12 hours in a van simply to cross over to a new country, fill out a couple forms, get a new stamp on my passport and re-enter Thailand for another 30,60,90 days (however long the new visa is valid for). The whole concept is frustrating but I ended up getting a new tourist visa so I guess I can’t complain. The 60+30 day visa that I got was worth the sacrifice.
I think I’ve finally figured out how these visa procedures work and if I time things correctly, I should be able to stay in Thailand for as long as I need. I was talking to one of the other guests here over lunch today and he said that he came here last year and decided he wanted to stay longer but they told him he couldn’t and that he had to leave – which was true.
However, the immigration officials didn’t mention the fact that “leaving” only entails crossing the border, paying a visit to a Thai consulate in a bordering country and re-entering Thailand. He ended up going back to Canada. Needless to say, when I told him about his options, he seemed pretty stoked and now he’ll possibly be staying even longer than he initially planned. Thailand really has that effect on people. Visiting Thailand – and southeast Asian in general – can truly be a life changing experience.
So as for Malaysia, the one night I spent in Penang wasn’t long enough to form a solid opinion of the place. The Penang residents for the most part spoke better English than the Thai’s. Of course, like I said, this is from only a days worth of observation. Perhaps they were able to speak English so well on account of dealing with some many foreigners as Penang is outfitted with all sorts of hotels and resorts that accommodate both the tourists and the thousands upon thousands of “visa runners” from Thailand like myself.
I’m trying to think of a way to make this all sound exciting but to be honest, it really wasn’t. I guess if you’re to take anything from this, it’s that there’s a lot of confusion regarding the visa regulations in Thailand.
Thailand recently limited the number of 30 day stamps that visitors are allowed to get to 3 within a 6 month period. However, they haven’t restricted the amount of back to back tourist visas and other types of visas that visitors are allowed to get. Worse case scenario is that you may have to switch up which bordering countries you visit in order to get them. And I suppose it’s also a good idea to occasionally get a new passport every now and then so they don’t see 8 pages of Thailand visa stamps in there and start to ask questions.
As For The Training
Last night we had another full moon “fight night” and BBQ here at Tiger Muay Thai. Once again, the fights were awesome. The best fight however was an MMA match between one of the Thai trainers and a BJJ practitioner straight out of Brazil. You’re not going to believe this but the Thai guy won – via an armbar from the mount! That’s right! The Thai submitted the Brazilian! It was amazing! A lot of exclamation marks I know but that’s how awesome it was!!!!
Within a few days I’ll have my write up complete along with the videos of all the fights.
Keep Checking Back!
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!
Loy Krathong Festival
November 17, 2008 by admin · 2 Comments
There’s a holiday here in Thailand called Loy Krathong. I knew nothing of it until last year when I was walking down the main street in Patong and noticed a bunch of vendors set up under tends selling all kinds of awesome food. There were smoothie bars where you fill an empty cup with assorted fruit and pass it along to be blended for you; there were stands selling mini-kegs of local beer; there were people barbequing fish, chicken, beef and there was even massage areas set up in the middle of the street where people could just kick back, relax and watch the happenings while getting a foot rub.
The food, drinks and massages aside – the real fun happens down by the beach (or any body of water throughout Thailand). The significance of the holiday – which takes place when there’s a full moon in November – is to honour Buddha and the goddess of water – Phra Mae Klongkha. “Loy” means to float and “Krathong” means a raft. When the Thai people set their raft afloat, they oftentimes add clipped fingernails and hair to the raft as a symbol of letting go of the bad parts of oneself. However, that information is straight off of Wikipedia and I’ve never actually seen them do that.
The rafts are cool but what’s cooler is the hot air lanterns that everyone lights and then sets sail into the night sky. It’s really an awesome sight. I’m sure it’s pretty hard to picture based on just my description of it so check out this video.
As you can see by the random fires and people dodging fireworks from every which angle, you really have to be alert while you’re there. Another tradition of Loy Krathong is beauty pageants. Last year, there was actually a ladyboy pageant going on and this year it was women ..at least I think they were women. Ah, this is Thailand so who really knows.
Loy Krathong is also an awesome day to be a single guy in this country. It seems as though every hot Thai girl is looking for a date for the night. I almost want to compare it to Valentines day in other countries. Of course, on Loy Krathong, the guy doesn’t have to go all out and pay for fancy dinners and jewellery. 3 dollars for a meal at the festival, 3 dollars for a lantern and another 3 dollars or so for the raft and the girl is happy!
Training Update
I’m still living and training at Tiger Muay Thai. Now that it’s high season, there’s a lot more students coming in from all over the world and the classes have been getting busier and busier. The solution to that is a rush expansion and within a months time, the training area at the camp is going to almost double in size. I think they’re also hiring about 5 or so more trainers – one of which is ranked number 3 in the country.
In some of my upcoming entries, I’ll document the expansion and I’ll soon be doing my review on this camp. In my review – as I know a lot of you are curious – will be video tours of all the on-site and nearby accommodations.
Visa Time Again
Time flies when you’re having fun. Once again, my visa is set to expire and I have to head over to Malaysia on Wednesday. These “visa runs” are a major hassle but I guess that’s a sacrifice one has to make while living in this country. So, I guess my next entry will be live from Malaysia.
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!
Jon Fitch Seminar
November 10, 2008 by admin · 7 Comments
There’s not many things that can get me out of bed at 9 in the morning – especially when I was up until 4am the previous “night” writing articles. However, today – the inspiration was there. Jon Fitch – who has been training here at Tiger Muay Thai for about 3 weeks – gave a free seminar today geared around wrestling for MMA. Being a Perdue wrestling standout and the # 2 rated welterweight in the entire world – Jon Fitch is certainly someone you want to get advice from when the opportunity presents itself.
With the seminar set to kick off at 9am, I set my alarm clock for 8:59am – as that gave me just enough time to roll out of bed basically sleepwalk about 40 feet to the cage area where the lesson was taking place. Staying on-site at the camp certainly has its advantages. Anyway, the seminar started off with Jon demonstrating a basic wrestling shot. I use the term “basic” loosely as while Jon Fitch made the technique seem so automatic and effortless, the majority of the spectators – when given the opportunity to practice it – looked like fishes out of water. What I mean by that that they seemed out of their element. It just goes to show how good these professionals really are. By the way Fitch was demonstrating the shots, you could tell that its something he’s been doing since childhood.
Throughout the seminar, Jon demonstrated about 5 techniques (all wrestling based) but what impressed me the most – other than his talent – was his teaching ability. He was explaining each and every detail by giving examples that people could relate too. Will, the owner of the camp, said that this was the best seminar they’ve ever had here – which is a major testament to Jon’s teaching ability as they have a lot of seminars taught by special guests. I was able to get a lot of video footage throughout the lesson but I was later informed that Jon requested that video clips not be taken as he – along with many other UFC fighters – have started a website called MMAInstructional.com where they demonstrate all sorts of techniques.
So, unfortunately, I won’t be uploading the video footage here. However, the seminar did finish off with an awesome question and answer session. I didn’t have a recorder or anything so these responses are based off my memory and they’re not word for word. Nevertheless, I’m sure you’ll find it interesting..
Jon Fitch on His Loss to GSP
He basically said that a loss is disheartening but it’s something that you have to expect in this business as losing is inevitable. “Nobody retires undefeated, it’s just not going to happen” he said. He then went on and said that you have to view a loss as a learning experience. Instead of being pissed off that you lost, you have to go back and say “Ok, why did I lose? What did I do wrong?”. In the GSP fight, he said he learned a lot. He said he learned not to throw sloppy leg kicks, 1 punch combos and not to drop his hands. He also said that he’s in Thailand now to correct those mistakes. The fight with GSP basically gave him a better idea of what he has to work on and I’m sure he’ll become a better fighter because of it.
Jon Fitch on Supplements
“98% of supplements are garbage” he said. “They’re only out there to get your money”. He said you can get everything you need for “free” through food and that supplements are exactly that – to be supplemented to your existing diet if you’re not getting enough of something. He was then asked what 2 supplements he recommends and he responded by saying “whey protein & vitamins”.
Jon Fitch on Steroids
He seemed quite disgusted with it. “I don’t know how those guys can look at themselves in the mirror” he said in reference to fighters that use them. He said he doesn’t know how guys can think they’re badass and then turn around and stick a needle in their ass.
Jon Fitch on Tuna
He said that as he was growing up, he had to eat canned tuna 3-4 times a day because it was affordable and he needed the protein. He followed that statement up by jokingly saying that “ if I could take all the canned tuna in the world and get rid of it, I would”. I guess the guy doesn’t like tuna very much.
Jon Fitch on training with a Gi
He said he still trains with a Gi because he views it like “adding weights to a barbell”. He said that training with a Gi is less forgiving and it forces you to be more technical. Obviously he feels that training with a Gi will improve your no-Gi game.
Jon Fitch on Fight Training
He said that in the months leading up to a fight, it’s very fight specific. His training camp is geared around the style of his opponent. If he’s fighting a wrestler, he’ll get more wrestlers in to train with. If he’s fighting a BJJ specialist, then he’ll train more BJJ. He’s already a BJJ black belt and a wrestler so if there’s anything he needs to work on, it’s striking and I suppose that’s why he’s made this trip out to Thailand.
Jon Fitch on Coming Through the Ranks
As he was talking about customizing his training camp around the strengths of his opponent, the conversation sort of branched off and he started talking about the “old days” when he was coming up through the ranks. He said that back then, he’d show up and he wouldn’t know who he was fighting. The only time he’d have to evaluate his opponent was while he was warming up. He’d say to his friend “dude, what’s he doing over there? Can you see?” his friend would say “Yeah man, he’s doing some crane-karate shit”. “Alright” says Fitch, “I have to watch out for the flying crane kick”.
He also said that back then, he’d often get asked to fight multiple times in 1 night. He said that on one occasion, a promoter came up to him after his first fight and offered him 100 bucks to fight again. Fitch declined and then the promoter offered him 500 dollars to fight, but not to knock his opponent out. Fitch said that he agreed, but knocked the guy out so he only got the 100 dollars. On top of that, he broke his thumb in the process which cost $700/$7000 to fix. I didn’t quite hear the exact amount. I hope it wasn’t $7000 to fix a thumb. If that’s the case, than wow .. I hope Obama improves the health care system.
Wrapping It Up
At the end of the seminar, Jon Fitch stuck around and took photos with each of the attendees. There was about 60 people in total. He seemed like a nice guy for sure. I think he and his team mates are flying back to the states tomorrow morning..
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!
