Training in Thailand: A muay Thai Journal

Part 1-Wat Lam

Find great unique MMA style t-shirts & clothing online from Intimidation Clothing!

It’s been a while since I have written any articles for the site because I have recently moved to Thailand to teach English as a second language. Well... the real reason I moved here is to train muay Thai; the teaching bit is more of a means to that end (although I do quite enjoy it). I am residing in the town of Chachoensao, about an hours' commute from both Bangkok and Pattaya, two cities that are known for having some of the best Muay thai gyms in the world. I have been here for just over one month so far and have had the opportunity to train at several world famous Muay thai gyms, and one less well known gym, Wat Lam Dai, that I go to on a regular basis. I plan on trying out as many big name gyms as I can while attending Wat Lam regularly on weekdays. For the next few months I will be writing about my experiences in Thailand and giving detailed reviews of the gyms where I have trained.

After getting settled in Chachoensao at the end of October, I began my search for a nearby gym where I could begin my training. I was a little discouraged at first. I asked around but couldn't get a straight answer from anyone about where I might find a gym. This might have had something to do with the fact that all of the people in this town, aside from a short list of farang, don't speak a word of English. The good news was that there is a well known gym, Por. Pramuk, located just 20km outside of town. It is famous for being the gym where multiple time K-1 Max champion Buakaw Por. Pramuk honed his skills. The bad news was that I would have to buy or rent a motorbike to get there, as the motorbike taxi's and Tuk Tuks(the primary means of transportation for those of us who don't drive), will not take anyone that distance-not for cheap at least.

Before committing to buying my own motorbike I asked my boss, who knows the area well, if she knew of any muay Thai gyms in the area. Lucky for me she just so happened to have seen some folks training on a recent trip she had taken to a local temple. She volunteered to drive me there that very day to speak with the trainer (she actually did all the talking, as the trainers only spoke Thai). When we got to the temple I was surprised to see just how tucked away the gym was. The training area is located to the back of the temple grounds, just adjacent to the river that runs through town. Monks were wandering about, people where praying, preparing meals, and sweeping leaves into gutters. It was like a scene from a movie. The gym itself is outdoors and consists of four heavy bags hung from a steel frame, an area for skipping and footwork, a raised platform for padwork, a homemade ring, and some space set aside for weight training. Suffice it to say, this gym was not one which catered to tourists looking to train muay Thai for a week. This gym was built for practising real muay Thai-no gimmicks, no bells and whistles, no sugar-coating.

The trainer agreed to take me and a couple of other farang on as students. They train ever day except Sundays, and said that I could drop by any day to train for 200 baht a night(about 6 or 7 dollars Canadian). So the following week myself and three friends dropped by to try it out. When we got there we introduced ourselves and got to work. We started off with ten laps around the temple grounds. After that we did a ten minute footwork drill, followed by several rounds of padwork, then work on the heavy bag, and finished up with weights, situps, pushups, chinups, and stretching. By the end of the two hours I was spent. I had nothing left. I had never worked that hard back in the west. But I felt good after the training and was well ready for some tom yum and rice.

I now train at Wat Lam at least once a week, sometimes twice a week depending on whether or not I train out of town on the weekend. I always take a lot away from the training sessions and feel like my technique is improving with each session despite the language barrier. There is one farang teaching at the gym, however. His name is Tim. He is an English teacher as well and has lived in Thailand for 6 years and speaks Thai fairly well, so he helps us communicate with the other trainers.

My trainer works me hard and seems to genuinely care about helping me improve. There have been times that I had showed up to training alone and had one on one training for the entire two or three hours that I spent there. Those were the most painful sessions, as he has no qualms about pushing me beyond exhaustion. I think he finds it funny when I'm gasping for air and begging for water. But those sessions are also the best as I take more away from them.

One part of training that I have failed to mention is the clinch. We usually do at least some clinch work every session; sometimes I clinch with the other farang, sometimes with the trainers, and sometimes with the Thai fighters. Last Wednesday I clinched with two of the kids that had fights coming up. While I was able to dump them a few times(only because I am physically bigger and stronger than they are), I had plenty of trouble. Its humbling when you get your ass kicked by 14 and 15 year old kids. I also did some clinch work with another fighter who is about my age and size. Because I wasn't able to overpower him I just ended up getting handled. But its all in good fun.

Even with the language barrier we are able to have a laugh with the trainers and fighters at the gym. For instance, one day I was in the ring doing some shadow boxing when I slipped on something warm and wet. I looked down to discover that I had tread in a pile of shit that one of the temple dogs had left in the ring. I had no idea what to do. I hoped out of the ring on one foot and found a faucet to wash off with. The Thais got a big kick out of that one. They didn't stop laughing for quite a while. Good times.

I will continue to train at this gym as long as I live in Chachoensao, but I will not pass up any opportunities to train at more famous facilities in other areas. I have plenty of opportunities on weekends to visit gyms like 13 Coins or Sityodtong, or any number of gyms, but I believe that the training I get at Wat Lam is just as good, if not better, than any of the more well known facilities. Overall I think it is the perfect place to train: real muay Thai, friendly people, and a beautiful location. I couldn't ask for more than that.

By Matt King
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer