Last Day at Fairtex

With the knowledge that today was going to be my last day at Fairtex, it gave me an extra incentive to train. After a few minutes on the stationary bike I decided to give it a go as I was greased up and limber. I went through the customary pad work but I told my trainer Chai to up the pace. I went through my normal combinations and afterwards I made a late decision to step in the ring to spar.

Sparring went well but I had a gut feeling that Chai let me hit him this time around. Also, I noticed that I needed to work on my teep or front push kick. I have no force on it and I need to tweak my technique. After sparring I decided to use the bike again and call it day.

The afternoon session went just like the first. This time around Naruepol stepped in the ring to do his work alongside me. It was a nice training session and I felt a little sad because it would be my last training session as I do not train on the day that I leave. I took a few pictures with the guys and headed off to dinner.

Today I just took photos with my friend Ted who is the manager at Fairtex Muay Thai. I also met up with some fighters were taking part of the Super 8 tournament today at the Fairtex Stadium. It sucks to be leaving but I had enough of fighting for now.

More to follow when I return.

Fairtex

I arrived at Fairtex in Pattaya City, Thailand this past Sunday. Nothing has changed much at Fairtex and I guess that is a good thing. However every year there is always someone new working at the check in desk.

Check in was relatively easy and seamless. I paid my $310 US for my week of training and pretty much just waited for the next day to arrive so that I can get some work in. When I got to my room is was pretty apparent why I am willing to always pay more at this gym. Most modern gyms in Thailand costs anywhere from 800 baht to 1000 baht per day. The price includes both morning and evening training sessions, food, and a room with A/C. That is pretty much all you need. However, Fairtex costs about 2400 baht per day for all the aforementioned things. But when I got into my "suite" with the balcony, my own bathroom, tv, fridge, and a bed that I can crash on I saw that the price was justified. Also, everything was within walking distance. In Bangkok you had to a pay the taxi at least $3 US one way to a destination just to go somewhere.

However, I was saddened that my trainer Teelek had moved to Hong Kong to be a trainer at a gym over there. I really did not know who to use but when it came time to training I decided to use my original trainer Chai. When I started my pad work Chai started really slowly as if he thought that I might have been out of shape for the work. However my training at Kaewsamrit had paid off, I went through the motions pretty effortlessly and the pad work was not as taxing as what I was used to. Despite Chai's attempts to push me I was able to finish my work out without taking a water break.

Noticing that I was in decent shape with technique to match, Chai decided that I should spar with him. Chai is an excellent sparring partner for my level or at least he went down a few notches to my level. I got technically picked apart but it felt good to get 3 good rounds of sparring in. Also, with Yodsenklai and Naruepol sparring, there was nobody watching me get my ass kicked.

The afternoon session went pretty much like the first. I did 5 rounds of pad work, hit the bag for about 3 rounds, and then sparred with Chai for 3. And the end of the training, Fairtex Mgr and good friend Ted Okuno took me through a conditioning circuit. The circuit was not too taxing but I was happy to see Fairtex put some variety in their training.

On that first day of training a new group from Australia came in to train for a few days. A group known as the Full Force Gym had come in to take in some authentic training. There were a couple of filipino guys that were really cool and the head of the group Reinhardt is a great guy. The problem I have is the name of the gym, 'Full Force', it sounds like a 90's Don "The Dragon" Wilson movie. Regardless, there were a great group of guys to train with.

My second day of training went a lot like the first. There were not any Muay Thai studs that were in the gym training this time around. If anything, most of the people training were right about my level and lower. Also, I kept getting annoyed by seeing people just halfheartedly do pad work and then call it day. Training for 30 minutes out of the whole 2 hours to me makes me wonder why even fly into Thailand.

The afternoon session was relatively empty for the first 45 minutes except for myself and 2 other guys that were diligent. The Full Force crew finally came in and trainers had a look of disbelief. Reinhardt could not find his gloves and I had an extra pair so I had him use it. Reinhardt was thankful and I must admit it felt good helping out a fellow pinoy. After a few rounds of sparring it was off to dinner and to rest up for the next day.

That brings us to today. I did not get a good nights rest last night and it showed in the ring this morning. I hit the wall physically and mentally. I also started using the stationary bike to limber up. I really had to push myself to get through the pad work and after 2 rounds of sparring I called it day. I then decided to get a Thai massage at the local massage parlor here at Fairtex. The massage was painful but worth it. It was so worth it that I really do not remember much during the last 20 to 30 minutes of my one hour session. If anybody is in Pattaya I highly recommend Rasayana.

Sadly, the Full Force crew had to depart today right before the afternoon session. They were just here for a few days before they head out to Koh Samui to train at the WMC gym. They were a great bunch and they invited me out to Walking Street and the Shooting Range. I politely declined as I do not drink and I prefer to spend my time alone these days. I really just want to train and everything else is secondary. Being at Kaewsamrit for 2 weeks really conditions you to just train and to train hard. I kind of adopted this attitude and I am looking to use this attitude in everything I do in the future.

My afternoon session was one of the better sessions that I've had here at Fairtex. After a few minutes on the stationary bike I went a full 5 hard rounds with Chai. I was also able to spar a few rounds as well. One of the trainers was kind of enough to take photos of the session. I could still see a few but costly mistakes and I'm going to have to work on those when I get back home.

So tomorrow is my last full day in Thailand. I'm looking forward to it and looking forward in finishing it up with a bang.

Last Day at Kaewsamrit

Today is my last day at Kaewsamrit. It's been a pleasure or should I say an honor to be able to train here. The last couple of days have been a blur. On Wednesday and Thursday I had the honor of watching Muay Thai at the highest level in honor of the Queen's Birthday. Unfortunately because of the events and the fact that the gym had fighters participating, there was only one training session on both Wednesday and Thursday. However, being able to partake in the Queen's Birthday at Sanamluang was a honor in itself.

This past Friday was my last training day at Kaewsamrit as I do not train on Saturday. I trained with Lang again and I had the training sessions of my life. The past couple of days I just drank water before I trained. In the beginning of my stay here I drank Iced Tea for a week before my training sessions. I tried that again on Friday and I noticed a big increase in performance. For my last week at Fairtex I plan on doing the same thing.

Yesterday which was Saturday I visited the morning session and watched my fellow boxers train. It was nice to witness as when I am training I am pretty focused and undisturbed. After attending Mission Seventh Day Adventist church I decided I should head out to Khet Saimai and check out Proptheeratham gym. Proptheeratham is the gym of the famed Samart Payakaroon. I wanted to check out the gym before I left for Pattaya. After the long taxi ride I was greeted my Ling the manager and also the wife of Samart. The gym is small, it actually looks a lot bigger on the internet. However the gym is very clean, modern, and has an aura that caters to only the serious Muay Thai enthusiasts if not fighters. Ling then introduced me to her father Anam who speaks fluent english. It was a pleasure talking to Anam and I later found out that he worked for the airlines and would speak english everyday. I gave them my word that I am going to train there and after a nice chat (I think they liked that I came), I got a taxi ride back to Kaewsamrit.

When I got to Kaewsamrit I tipped my trainer Lang and thanked him for the awesome training. I then saw the Ice Cream truck in front of the gym with one of the child boxers buying ice cream. I then motioned to two of the kids to get something but that turned into a swarm and I ended up buying ice cream bars for about 10 kids. It was comical at first but ok as I liked seeing the smiles on the kid's faces.

That brings us to today. I leave for Fairtex in Pattaya City in 2 - 3 hours. More to come when I get there.

Training Report

Today's training was very good. However there was a certain element that added to today's training. It was announced that there would be no training this afternoon as the gym was scheduled to attend a press conference and weigh in for the Muay Thai event that was going to be held in honor of the queen.

I've been feeling very sore and lackluster ever since last Friday's training sessions. This morning was no different as I woke up a little later than usual. Again for this morning session I was given my old trainer Lang and he worked me to death. I really had to push it because I knew that I was not going to be training in the afternoon. These past couple of training sessions I've been dialing in my stance as well as my technique and balance.

After a short nap I ended up saying goodbye to another good friend. My Australian training partner Sam ended up leaving today. Sam provided us with total entertainment last Sunday when he knocked out Lugo from Italy. Apparently Sam has been training here for the past 4 weeks and he's on his way to Koh Samui to spend time with his girlfriend. This is a recurring story for those that wish to train Muay Thai in Thailand. You end up making really good friendships from people from all over the world and then when you get to know them they have to leave.

After lunch at my favorite Pad Thai street corner it was off with the team to Royal Hotel in Bangkok for the Muay Thai press conference. I've never been to an event like that before and it was truly a blessing to see a who's who in Muay Thai. I took pictures with Sang Ten Noi, Samart Payakaroon, and I took another picture with Bovy who is actually from our gym. All of our fighters made weight and after the weigh in we were treated to a buffet sponsored by the Hotel.

After the festivities were over I stayed at the Hotel reception area where the Madam of Keawsamrit and my trainer Tai were talking to to boss of Top King. Top King is today the leading maker of Muay Thai equipment in the world. When it was time to get back to the gym there were no taxi's available so we ended up taking a bus back Taling Chan and we found a taxi to go back to the gym. The bus ride was actually really nice as I got to see Bangkok the city.

That about wrap it up for now. After not training in the afternoon it really got me wanting to train. More posts will follow as this week is a pivotal week in my training.

Training Report

This past Saturday I took the day off. However, I regrettably made a late decision to attend church. Last year I attended two services at the Mission Hospital Seventh Day Adventist church here in Bangkok. Right when I got into a taxi to head over to the church I realized that I did not take into consideration the Saturday morning Bangkok traffic. Getting to the church was a pain in the ass and it took the taxi driver 45 minutes just to get there. But you know what? I was able to go back to the gym with the peace of mind that I did try to go out there.

Sunday there was officially no training. However, there were Muay Thai fights that were planned for the afternoon at Rajadamnern Stadium here in Bangkok. Four of Kaewsamrit's fighters were scheduled to fight, however it was the last fight that happened to be the most compelling.

Right when I got up this morning to take a shower I ran into my housemate Sam who is from Australia. Sam informed me that he got word that he was going to fight at Rajadamnern against an opponent from Italy. Apparently the original contestant had backed out and they really needed a replacement

When we got to the stadium the gym mates and I were taking in the scenery of the stadium. I had been to Rajadamnern before and it was nice to come back. For the first 6 fights, they were all entertaining and evenly matched. There was not a knockout but the fights were full of action. The first three Kaewsamrit fighters had won their fights on points.

Next up was Sam's fight. Myself and my other training partners who were not from Thailand were all anxious. We were anxious because we viewed Sam as one of us. However, Sam really was not one of us. Sam had fought 2 weeks prior and knocked out his Thai opponent recently. He also sported a record of 9 wins, 3 losses, and one draw. His opponent however was from Italy and right when he walked into the stadium it was not hard to see that he commanded attention. I do not think he was famous but he did bring in a professional camera crew that was apparently filming a documentary about his fight in Thailand. To make matters worse,
according to Sam the crew were very arrogant towards him.

When the fight started I saw that Sam was composed and focused. Then at the one minute mark it happened; Sam through a left jab right straight combo that knocked the Italian fighter down. The referee gave the Italian an 8 count and myself and my training partners went nuts I kept shouting at the top of my lungs, "he has no hands Sam." I was making a reference to the Italian fighters inability to box. By the second round it happened again but the referee ended up counting the fighter out. The arena went crazy because apparently Sam was a huge underdog.

After the fights we were invited to attend a birthday party that was held in the honor for the president of the Muay Thai Association of Thailand. A lot of the who's who in Muay Thai were there and it was an awesome experience.

Training Report

This morning's session was just like all the other sessions that I have been having. However, I can feel and see the weight loss. I can also see the adjustments that I have been making to tweak my technique. I worked with Tai today and he could see that my engine was barely going. The two training sessions have been really getting to me lately but I felt after getting limber and ready to go that I could just go through it.

After going through my pad routine, hitting the bag, and working my knees I was finished. I did the customary cool down exercises and headed off to breakfast after a quick shower.

Breakfast was the same as always. It was a never ending supply of chicken, rice, and veggies. However, my new friend Sam from Australia recommended that I buy a box of this electrolyte drink mix. I found out that it was cheap (like $3 US), it had 25 packets, and that it worked like gatorade. Also, it was being sold at the nearby pharmacy just a 10 minute walk away.

For lunch I finally decided to eat at this food stand that was at the street corner a few yards away from the gym. Last year, the owner of the gym would always smile at me as I came in from my morning run. I told myself that I would at least visit the place once before I leave for the US. That time never came and I always regretted it. Nowadays I was advised that I could buy a bottle of Pepsi for 10 baht (less than 50 cents) at this place and I have been going there ever since. Today however was the first time that I went there for a meal. I decided to have Pad Thai and when I got it I could not believe that Pad Thai and a bottle of Pepsi would only cost me 42 baht which is less than $1.50. Furthermore, the Pad Thai was just as good if not better than the $10 - $15 Pad Thai in restaurants back home.

After a quick nap I psyched myself up to train again for the afternoon session. I worked with a new trainer this time who went by Ong. I liked working with Ong and was satisfied with the session. However, I did not get the cardio push from him that I would get from either Cheng or Lang. To give you an example, I did not have to take a water break in between rounds of our session. I then decided to get more work and was able to get two pad rounds with Lang. After the heart of training was over it was now time to run to cool down. My run sucked, my knee was ok but my legs were tight as its been ages since I ran. I told the trainers that I was done and that I was going to take tomorrow off to let my body heal.

After I took my shower I laid down on my bed waiting for dinner. Had I not been conscious of dinner I most likely would've fallen asleep. My body is spent and I am dead tired. Hopefully these next two days will give me justice to attack next week's training Buakaw style.

Training Report

Like every morning I started off by drinking a can of ice tea. My knee felt better and after the customary warm up I started to shadow box. Today I worked with my trainer Lang and was able to get a good rhythm for most of the session. I noticed recently that less people are attending the morning training sessions. That pretty much benefits me as I get more attention and constructed criticism when I train. Also, my stance and punches are getting dialed in as well.

After the 3 hours of training I was stretching out to get my body relaxed. I then noticed someone from Japan walking into the gym. I noticed that it is Hideaki Suzuki a muay thai fighter that I admired 13 to 14 years ago when I started college. I used to buy copies of Kakutougi Tsushin and he was prominently displayed. Apparently he was at Kaewsamrit to buy some equipment for his gym. Also, he informed me that his student is fighting this Sunday at Raja Stadium in Bangkok. I informed him that I would be there as well. Before he departed he gave me his business card of his gym and invited me to train. It's been awhile since I've been back to Japan. Maybe this time I'll make good on my intentions to go.

After a short nap that was truly needed I was introduced to Tomoko Tasaka. Tomoko is a female fighter from Fukuoka, Japan who is at Kaewsamrit for a few days. Because I displayed semi decent Japanese speaking to Hideaki Suzuki, the gym asked me if I could help communicate with Tomoko. It's been ages (like 8 years) since I spoke Japanese regularly and speaking to Hideaki was easy because he could speak english. Speaking with Tomoko was difficult because she cannot speak english at all. So far it has been ok but its a challenge.

When I got up for the afternoon session my body felt really tight. And with my knee not 100% I was still not able to skip rope. Despite all this I tried to push myself. I limbered up by kicking and punching the bag. After a few rounds I see that Lang was working with the most overweight guy in the gym. I did not take any offense to Lang training him first, however I did take offense when the guy asked for one more extra round. At Kaewsamrit they work 4 rounds with 5 minutes in duration. After I heard that I just looked for another trainer and worked with Tai. Tai is great with the clinch and with kicking but he does not push as hard as Lang does. During the pad session with Tai I could really feel myself hitting a barrier like I was hitting a wall. My body felt tight and I had to muster enough mental strength to get through it.

After dinner Tomoko and I headed off to Central Pin Klao. CPK is a huge shopping mall that is close to the gym. It's been a year since I've been back here and it still has not changed. And after eating fish and chips at Sizzler's it was back to the gym to rest up for more punishment the next day.

Training Report

I really did not feel like training this morning. When I woke up the first thing that came to my mind was the soreness and stiffness of my body. I've been training 2 days straight both in the morning and the afternoon. The Muay Thai training at the Legacy Gym was not as intense as the training session here at the Kaewsamrit Gym in Bangkok. My body was not used to the punishment.



During the first training session I was surprised to see only a few people. I guess I was not the only one feeling the effects of the workouts. Typically when the training starts I normally go about my routine with one of trainers and hit the pads. However, I felt tight and thought I should hit the bag to loosen up. After hitting the bag for a few rounds I felt greased up, limber, and ready to go.




I started off my pad work with my trainer Lang. Lang was actually my trainer of choice last year because he really pushed me. I see this year that I was not the only one that used him. Just yesterday Lang had two private sessions with Andrew a student from New York and a girl who's name I do not know but she is from Germany. The pad work went really well and the technique work with a previous session with my trainer Tai made a big difference.



After the pad work it was off to the bag again. For a few rounds I hit the bag with the same combinations that I see K-1 stars Masato and Andy Souwer use. Most of the other students and fighters started doing clinch work. I however was not confident in my right knee to do any clinching. My knee has not fully healed from my injury a few weeks ago and I just started able to run and kick with no pain.



After clinching it was off to shadow boxing. This time around instead of just going through the motions I really wanted to get my stance down. When I was training back home in the states I used to full around with a bunch of stances. I'd use Andy Souwer's, Masato, and Lyoto Machida's stances. This time around I wanted to use a stance that I could use for good wherever I go and whoever I spar with. It did not take a lot of work per se but it did work out my calves as I was on the balls of the my feet for most of the 4 - 5 rounds that we were shadow boxing.



After the training was over I went over to my room to shower and eat my breakfast which consisted of chicken and an omelet. I'm avoiding the rice at all costs as I am trying to lose weight.



After a short nap I went back to the gym for another 2 -3 hours of ridiculous punishment. Again I worked with Lang but with a strong conscious focus on my technique the workout was really hard. I really want to get my technique dialed in as well as my conditioning. Being conscious about my stance, my mechanics with kicking, and my footwork really started taking a toll on my back and legs. After my pad work I hit the bag for a few rounds but I found it really difficult to do. One of the trainers who's name I do not know wanted to technique spar with me. Andrew who is from New York really hated this trainer and told me to avoid him at all costs. However, I liked working with this trainer and found the session rather fun and informational. Maybe the trainer just does not like certain people.






Just a few hours ago the gym said farewell to D.K Yun or Do Kyung Yun. D.K who was from Los Angeles had spent 5 weeks here and he had a flight to South Korea where he was going to spend a few days before heading back home. Everybody called him D.K except me. I gave him a new nickname, "Dynamite King." The Thai kids loved it and the nickname stuck.



Well that about wraps up my entry for now. Except daily entries from now on. I'm currently at a internet cafe and hopefully I'll be able to add some photos also.

Kaewsamrit Training

I arrived in Bangkok on the 30th of July. After getting on my plane and flying the 45 minutes from Ubon to Bangkok I was definitely excited to head out to the capitol of Muay Thai. Once I arrived at the airport I was then experiencing another unique experience.



Flying domestic in Thailand brings one back to how flying used to be. The plane lands, you exit the plane and walk down a flight of stairs onto the runway. A bus picks you up and takes you to the domestic arrival area. After picking up my baggage I went through the checkpoint and started looking for my contact. Most students prefer to get a taxi and try to find the gym the hard way. I always made a point to pay the gym to have someone come out and get me. On this particular day it took awhile but then one of the trainers found me. Tai a former champion in Thailand yelled out my name. I immediately recognized him, gave him a hug, and got into our taxi. With the taxi going and Tai giving out directions; I was able to chill out in the back seat and take in the Bangkok lights.



Speaking with Tai I noticed that his English which was always good had gotten a lot better. Apparently he spent a month teaching private and group classes in Switzerland. I also found out pretty much all of the trainers are back. After the taxi deposited us to our destination I was able to see it, one of the most famous Muay Thai camps in the world, Kaewsamrit Muay Thai. The camp has gotten so popular that I was not able to get my original room that was located in the gym. I got a room in a recently purchased residence just down the street from the gym. I was feeling good as I got my own room, fridge, and also the important A/C. I had some personal issues to contend that night but I was able to sleep peacefully.

On Sunday after a quick visit to a friend at Yanhee Hospital; I decided to get myself acclimated to the life at Kaewsamrit. I was kind of anxious as I noticed that the camp was relatively full and that most of the foreigners that were there with me took their training rather seriously. I decided to eat at McDonald's that night as I knew I was going to cut down on my calories and train like mad for the following week.

I woke up at 6:30 am Monday morning for my first training session. Both of my regular trainers Lang and Tai were busy training other people. I got into the ring and started training with Teng who was new to me. Teng is tall, lean, and knew how to hold the pads. I got some good work in, felt my knee was stable, and was happy with my training. After the pads I went to the bag and started working my hands and kicks.

The morning training at Kaewsamrit is outlined like this: 30 minutes of either skipping rope or running, 10 minutes of shadow boxing, 4x5 minute rounds of pad work, 5 rounds of bag work, 30 minutes working the clinch, and finally the final 30 minutes cooling down with calisthenics and stretching. I did not think my right knee was strong enough to handle being tossed during clinching so I opted instead to knee the bag. And for cooling down we had walk in a wide circle throwing knees with every step, throw straight punches with both hands for 5 minutes, 30 push ups under the trainers command, and finally 100 sit ups. That first training session was grueling to say the least but I felt great that I got through it.

The second training session did not start off too well for me. At Kaewsamrit, the fighters engage in full contact sparring every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. And with this being Monday afternoon the first 30 minutes was going to be sparring. I did a lot of sparring back home and I thought it would be enough. The first thing that threw me off were the gloves. I had to wear 20 oz . gloves (I normally wear 12) and normally you would wear head gear but for this session my sparring partner and I did not. The gym simply did not have enough head gear's for the students. Proud that I could take a punch and I normally spar without head gear anyway I took that it is what it is and started to spar.

My sparring partner that afternoon was Clemon from France. He was a lot smaller than me but he was ripped, fast, and had already fought professionally 5 times. Within the first few minutes I already could tell that I was out of my league. But for the sake of pride and for the respect of the gym I decided to hang it out and try to finish the session. I got the living shit kicked out of me like never before. Clemon was just too fast and normally when I fight I keep a high guard to protect my head. This defense normally keeps your body open for a kick or a punch to the ribs. However, I always had the confidence that if I get caught in the body I could take it since I do conditioning work in that area. But for some reason I had a hard time taking those shots to the body. With just a few rounds left to go it finally happened. Clemon threw a left jab that started becoming predictable. And with me being southpaw I wanted to time it and throw a right hook to counter his jab and hit him in temple. Clemon threw his jab, I threw my right hook, and bam it nailed him. And since this was sparring I laid off as this was just practice. But then I threw my right jab and he cross countered me with a right hand to the left side of my neck. It didn't hurt but my vision became blurry and I was like, "fuck, he got me." I slumped to the ropes and the trainers came in to ask if I was ok. I was fine, my pride was hurt more though. But then again I am not a PRO and Clemon is.

After that nightmare I went about my business and set up a goal for this to never happen to me again. I trained with Tai that afternoon as I knew he would critique my technique and show me ways to make it better especially in the kneeing and kicking department. I guess that sparring debacle made me a better student as I listened intently and tried to get every nuance of the techniques. I banged the pads as if I was the second coming of Buakaw. I worked the bag diligently and I finished the whole session without any incident.





After dinner with the lads it was time to go to the internet cafe and catch up with my friends and relatives. I love the internet cafe by Kaewsamrit. 10 baht buys you 45 minutes of internet time and its nice to sit there and just chill out with 7/11 across the street if you needed a drink.



Today was my 2nd day of training. Getting up this morning was not so bad. Trying to build on yesterday's training session I worked with Tai again. I could feel my knee holding up and healing. My training this morning was pretty routine. Work the pads, bang the bag, use your knees, and then cool off. 3 hours of non stop training to build up and condition your body.



However the afternoon session was pretty serious. Prior to session I can feel myself getting sick and it was hard to get out of bed. The pad rounds went well and I can see my technique getting better. Being in Thailand I could feel as if I was in a serene place where the only thing that I had to do was try to improve and get better. But I don't know where I got it from but I could feel myself getting rather sick. Despite the minor setback, I could definitely see a difference between myself now and myself last year. I have definitely improved my skill and technique since the last time I came to Thailand. And for once the training started really becoming enjoyable as I could see my evolution first hand.