Day 14 - The Battle Before the Storm

I impatiently wait for when it's my turn to fight, pacing back and forth in the locker rooms.. I can hear the intensity of all the action from here...the crackling of shins against bone, the only definitive sound I could make out from the ring, mixed with the screams of corner men and onlooking gamblers/audience. Whereas just days before I was sitting comfortably as a passive observer, I now found myself as a soon-to-be participant in the show. Adrenaline and the rush of emotions, fear, aggression, confidence, anxiety, all energies tearing at me from the inside, manifesting as a knotting tension in my chest area . The mind, a wild animal, running off with the chaotic energy of the stadium. The roar of the crowd, the intent of the combatants, the hot humid air reminding me that I'm in a place far from home.... I could feel the clench in my muscles, the balls of my feet digging into the cement floor,  hands clasping. ...

The strong emotions would come in battling one another as my mind cycled through mental images and my own self-talk ...'OIY!'...one combatant repeatedly knees his opponent in the face. The crowd delights and rewards him with their applause. 'Will that be me? Am I strong enough to endure that?!?'...A few fights later...a combatant drops like dead weight to the canvas after a perfectly connected punch....'Damn....Please don't let that be me...'

...It was only two weeks before, while back in the States I had committed myself FULLY to fighting. The spirit of determination, fearlessness, and courage as my weapons. Flash forward to the present moment, and admist the chaos, I could feel my mind sucked into the belly of this beast, struggling, CLASPING to regain my center before it was my time to perform.  I was beheld with the task of navigating with my own inner doubts, fears, and lack of trust. Admist the fear, I had to find again, FEEL DEEPLY into what was it that called me here in the first place...

It was time, I was up next. Up to the very last moment, my mind was racing as it watched the clock wind down, a part of me still asking for more time. As I made my way up the stairs to the ring, the thoughts, self-talk eased away naturally as I made eye contact with the enemy. Internal resistance relaxed and there was acceptance of the moment....the way HOME was through this ring....

As I stepped into the ring, my adrenaline and baser instincts took control. Time to forget everything and trust that these hands and feet were well prepared...My opponent staring at me hungrily from across the ring and I glare back just as intently.  My mind, empty, the target, clear. I was ready..this battle was won....now it was time to fight...

Day 10 - Born to Fight!

Today was an interesting day, as I had the opportunity to watch fights at Threppasit Stadium, the local stadium where fights go down. Tourists, locals gather here to watch the fights. What was really cool about this was I got to sit with the Master himself, Kru Yodtong at the VIP coach! (Or as Kru Eric would call it, pimping it with Master Yodtong!)

The fights started with children fighting from an age of 5 through to young adults. All showed tremendous heart to fight the fight,  irrespective of age. What was especially interesting to watch were the children. Being brought up in the west and a suburban family life, I was treated as, well how you'd expect a child would be treated, pampered in hindsight. In comparison to what these children had gone through, i had been brought up in a sheltered bubble from the world, inside a safe, protected reality.

There was no mercy, no sympathy shown between the young combatants and just as little sympathy among the crowd, who were mixed with people who placed wagers on who would win and others looking to observe the spectacle. The children were treated as their adult counterparts. Profitting from pitting children against one another in a ring of combat where they can use shins, elbows, fists, knees to knock each other down...not happening any time soon back in the States. From one aspect, on the superficial level....putting together such an event can be perceived as cruel and brutal to the children. However, from a deeper level, it teaches the children fairness, to earn their keep...self-reliance...picking themselves up instead of waiting for someone to carry them along...maturity, what it feels like to be treated as an adult human being, man or woman...among other things..

These are some of the gifts that martial arts had helped me to start cultivating in my life. I feel like I learned these lessons later in life because of my sheltered upbringing. You graduate college, handed a piece of paper,  and society calls you an adult...after 'graduating', i didn't obtain this sense of growth or maturity, irrespective of the bloated ego and intellect. Being placed in front an audience with another man to stand up and fight at the age of 24 exposed the shit out of who I really was...In my opinion, these children have been given gifts at a young age that money and paper degrees can't buy....

Day 3 - Trekking Hard!

My body feels pushed close to physical limits, (although I know I'm probably capable of much more). 8 AM training sessions (after a 3 mile run) followed by an afternoon session. Pad work, bag work, shadowboxing, again all in the humid weather with only a few hour hiatus between sessions. The most draining aspect is the loss of fluids and electrolytes after each session and trying to replenish the body. Regardless, the emptiness, the complete release after a training session is a natural high I keep coming back for. When you feel your body being pushed, all the other complexities and stresses of life fall away from a brief moment, and all there is feeling...

On the second day of training, all I could feel during pad work is my trainer giving me commands to smash the pads as hard as I can while simultaneously feeling the emptiness in my legs plodding me to stop. I complied with my trainer with sub standard results. Finding an optimal diet plan is key for anyone seeking to perform at there best in a physical activity. In these conditions, I can truly feel the weight of this fact...

Young Coconut, chock full of potassium!

Yesterday, as I entered training, I was expecting to train with my assigned trainer at the start, Kru Teaw. Instead, an older man, Kru Tia, pointed at me and said, 'I train you today'. I had never worked with him before but had actually heard a lot of great things about the man, Lumpinee Champion (think Superbowl of Muay Thai in Thailand) and a technical trickster. As I would hit the Thai pads sequentially, like a flash, he would break the rhythm I though we created with a series of counters, and in an instant I'd be on the floor. After each technique he would allow me to execute the same exact technique on him. Through his guidance  the techniques flowed simple and natural...As I would execute the technique, landing them with little force for training, he would fall to the ground, wincing in pain, asking why I would hit a 48 year old man. Kru Tia isn't winning any Oscar's for his acting any time soon, but it was funny nonetheless. This lighthearted approach towards the act of 'training' made it much easier for me to absorb the techniques. For a few instances yesterday, I felt I was imparted upon realizations of this sport which made simple thing I once found difficult. To teach someone is to guide them from perceiving something as complex/confusing to a place of simplicity, is it not?

Oiy!!!!!!!!!!!

One of the good things about training 5 hours a day, is that you can get away with hard core fat assery. I finished off training last night with a bowl of noodle soup, thai iced coffee, coconut salad...topped off with ice cream and a couple Thai pastries. Life is good here....

Tom Yum Yen Ta Fo + Thai Ice Coffee

Don't know what this is but it was damn good!!

Day 1 - Back in Thailand

One of the reasons I love coming back to Thailand is the fresh delicious tropical fruits. I love the variety of fruits that I can pick up at any local market in the area for pennies….one of my favorites is the wax apple 

The wax apple (which actually considered a berry) is common throughout Southeast Asia and can take on a wide spectrum of colors from black to a light whitish green. The most defining characteristic of this fruit is its cool refreshing feeling after biting in. It’s followed with a slight sweetness which reminds you that you’re enjoying a fresh piece of fruit. It's day 1 and I've quickly made it to the market to buy 1 kg of wax apple (little more than 2 lbs) for 30 bhat (what they call money here), equivalaent to a dollar! In comparison, 1 lbs of apples in the US can run you close to 3.50 (about 100 bhat). Who says eating healthy has to be expensive?

Anyway, it is half way through my first day here, and I’m excited to be back. The weather here is hot and the air is heavy. This heaviness is pronounced while training. As I was catching my breathe between rounds this morning with Kru Teow, the heaviness of the air made me aware of the strong flavor and unique style of this country, as far as I have been exposed to it. There’s a certain sharpness in everything here. The martial arts are marked by some of the most powerful techniques a human being can wield. Displayed in the ring, combatants smash one another’s bones to bits. The food,  intense, flavorful, delicious, hot….something unexpected in a country sweltering with heat all year round…you’d think the theme would be mild…instead, the people have designed one of the spiciest cuisines across the globe. If you're not careful, it can tear you apart from the inside out. I know well from experience...Being able to eat Thai food ain't the same as eating like a Thai..

A lot of great practictioners at the gym from all around the world training at Sityodtong, Sweden, Italy, Russia,  America. Most are talkative and friendly and some appear more reserved, possibly due to a lack of common language to communicate. All have come here seeking different things but with a similar theme, to get better, in whatever way that means to them, mentally, physically, technically….punching, kicking pads, running in 90 degree weather isn’t much fun without a purpose. However, with an individual vision, direction, and meaning, this place can be one's paradise.