Thai Boxing training begins
“Small, small,” the Muay Thai trainer says to me while gesturing wildly and pointing at my beer belly. The why or how are not important but somehow I’ve managed to sign up for a month of Muay Thai training, 5 days a week. So I’ve just finished my first week and have bruised shins, bruised knees, bruised elbows, cut hands, blistered feet - in fact it would be easier to list the parts of me that are not injured. It’s not so bad though. It’s one-on-one training for one hour, then sparring, lifting weights adn using some other strange Muay Thai equipment for another hour.
It’s tough as the trainer and the rest of the students don’t really speak English so well and my Thai is, well, pretty ropey if you don’t count ordering beers and counting to ten. Most of what is taught is demonstrated. Injuries and throwing up from over-exertion aside, it’s great. It’s interesting to spend time with local Thai people; Muay Thai is predominantly practiced by I guess less ‘well off’ kids. But they are so respectful of their trainer and me and of Abby if she comes along at the end. There’s a very strong bond between boxer and trainer in Muay Thai and a lot of respect.
