It’s been ages ago that I watched Muay Thai matches in Thailand. As I mentioned in a previous post, I am not a fighting competition enthusiast. But Muay Thai and any types of traditional martial arts like Indonesian Pencak Silat have their charms that represent specific societies’ history, culture, and beliefs system. It’s not just about fighting, but the process to be a fighter with traditional elements attached to it.

In the past two years, I thought to enrol in martial arts lessons to understand how fighters prepare themselves to fight whatever they faced. It’s not just physical challenges faced by a fighter but also mental and emotional challenges. Back then, I felt that I was almost losing my fight to stay positive.

I was interested in joining Indonesian Pencak Silat or Thailand Muay Thai classes simply because of their authentic traditions representing South-East Asians. Due to practical reasons, I chose Muay Thai and started the class at a Muay Thai camp in January this year.

In its early days, Muay Thai fighters were predominantly male, as Buddhist monks would bless the rings, and they were forbidden from interacting with women. Consequently, women were not permitted to be near the rings. However, over time, the sport has achieved global recognition, and the progressive gender equality movement has played a significant role in breaking barriers. As a result, female fighters are now allowed to participate, leading to the development of the modern Muay Thai sport that we witness today.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that many Indonesian women had joined the camp. I must admit; I might be the oldest female student in the group 😀 They all appear so young and full of energy! Initially, we trained twice a week, but now it has progressed to three or even four times a week. It has been eight months since I started, and I have gained invaluable lessons from both the Muay Thai training and my coach, Anam Dynamite, who is a skilled Muay Thai fighter.

Discipline

While planning and managing are integral parts of my professional life, being disciplined to achieve a personal goal presents another challenge. The initial hurdle came with the training schedule, requiring me to start at 7 am before office hours. Moreover, the workouts included exercises I used to avoid, such as skipping, planks, push-ups, and battle rope squats.

Following the workout routine from the training, I learned the importance of discipline in forming new habits and persisting with exercises that made me uncomfortable. I have incorporated skipping into my daily activities, and push-ups and sit-ups have become regular routines. However, I must admit that I’m still not particularly fond of planks and battle rope squats. Nonetheless, my determined coach continues encouraging and pushing me to do them.

Courage to Fight with Humility

“My opponent is my teacher. My ego is my enemy.”

Renzo Gracie

I wasn’t naturally gifted with the athleticism of an athlete. When I first joined the camp, I was somewhat of a semi-couch potato and considered myself quite old to begin training as a beginner. In Thailand, many Muay Thai fighters start their training at a young age, and at my camp in Jakarta, the majority of students were in their 20s or 30s and had been training for years. Despite this, none of them flaunted their superiority over others. Everyone began as a beginner and continued to train, supporting and learning from one another. The competitive nature of the sport didn’t overshadow the importance of staying humble and being mindful of our physical condition during training.

Moreover, every fighter learned that their fighting skills were achieved through the support of others, exemplified by the Wai Khru Ram Muay performance before a match. This performance consisted of two parts. The first part was dedicated to showing respect for those close to the fighters, such as the coaches, family, friends, and supporters. The second part, with bowing gestures, aimed to show respect to God.

Squats..Lots of Squats….

Training that Brings You Satisfaction

8Asians.com detailed the results of a study that showed 100% of Asian people could perform the squat, while only 13.5% of North Americans were able to (source). The squat is an Asian thing, and the Muay Thai workout consists of practising lots of squats. However, the benefit of squats to your body is quite impressive. Please read the mentioned source for the details.

Each time I finished the training, I was happy and satisfied. Satisfy that finally, I practised specific workouts that I felt uncomfortable doing—being happy because the exercise increases endorphins, dopamine, and adrenaline associated with chemical brains of feeling confident and less anxious. See the smile on my face after the training? 😉

Please watch the following video to get an idea of what the training looks like.

Music: Up High by Liru. Source: VCG.com and VivaVideo

Images and video were taken at Ultima Muay Thai Camp, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Thanking Coach Anam Dynamite and Yana for taking the pictures and video. All images and video was edited by indahs.

Disclaimer: The blog post is a non advertorial post and no intention of the author for commercial use.