Muay Thai Training Session

By Leena Khalifa
Photos by Esther Chung, Amanda Sangeetha Thomas and Bonnie Teh

Muay Thai, a combat sport that can be traced back a thousand years, still thrives in Thailand, and its popularity has spread across the globe. Muay Thai gyms are featured prominently across Bangkok; one such gym is the Jitti Gym, where we were hosted for a rigorous two-hour training session.

The original Jitti Gym was founded by Jitti Damriram in 1991, near Khao San Road. Jitti Damriram was born in Buriram, an area about 410 km northeast of Bangkok. After becoming a champion in Buriram, he moved to Bangkok, where he ranked in the top 5 for three consecutive years. Recording over 80 fights, some of which fought at the prestigious Rajadamnoen Boxing Stadium, Jitti finally retired and began to train internationally in places as far as Switzerland and England. Now based in the ‘new’ Jitti Gym in Ratchadapisek Road, Jitti personally welcomed us for our first experience with Muay Thai.

Arriving for the 9am training session, we were first brought in to the boxing ring for a ten-minute stretch by ‘Yhodept’ Serm – “Yhodept” being his fighting title. Afterwards Tanongsak Jitti trained one of his young fighters to showcase the basic Muay Thai techniques. Some quick jabs (mat nueng), elbow slashes (sok ti), straight knee strikes (khao trong) and the real kicker (pun unintended), the Roundhouse kick (te tat): a kick so forceful its impact is often compared to that of a baseball bat. The te tat can be directed to target the thigh, ribs, liver, neck, or head depending on the angle of the kick. With the swift turning of the hip, the slight lift off the balls of one’s feet, and the use of the shin to deliver 

contact, one can perform the correct and distinctive kick of Muay Thai.

Pre-training stretch

When the demonstration was over, we were all allocated our own trainers. With wrist wraps and boxing gloves, we looked and somewhat mistakenly felt like real fighters. The illusion duly dissipated however when the te tats came around, which at times had to be performed five consecutive times. If anything, the training produced a vivacity that spread across the group like wildfire; if some sok ti cannot give your morning a boost, nothing will.

Dr. Moore doing a te tat.

When we had exhausted our strength, and had cooled down with the fighter Kun Kaolanlem (Million Sam), he took to the center of the ring to showcase the Wai Khru, a warm-up dance performed prior to every Muay Thai fight. ‘Wai’ in Thai means a gesture that shows respect to others, while ‘Khru’ means teacher, and so the Wai Khru is a custom that pays respect to teachers – be they parents, trainers, kings, or deities. Kun Kaolanlem first circled the ring three times and then kneeled and bowed, a move to pay respect to God and man. What came after was a display of physical agility so strangely comforting and confusing that it left us all but speechless; the dance transpired from menacing to mischievous and feminine – one particular move where Million Sam padded his cheeks as if he were applying blusher while looking into a hand mirror was particularly artful. Throughout its run, the Wai Khru felt like a narration of a life, an experience, and a purpose. A purpose to win, to agitate the opponent, and to thank all those that have led this sole dancer to the right path.

Leena Khalifa, 21 is currently pursuing a purpose in life, but also hopes to hold a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies by the end of 2013. If you're nice, she might mention you when she accepts her Oscar.