Last week's piece Guidelines For Training In Thailand’s Muay Thai Gyms elicited a comment by MBSB community member Geo that requires a new post in response. Geo asked two questions, the first being: About the hierarchy, what about the foreigners are they placed somewhere inside or seen as outsiders? To recap, I had written the following: Thai culture is deeply hierarchical. In regards to a Muay Thai gym, the order is as follows: owner(s) and immediate family promoters, matchmakers, anyone who is hired to do office and/or legal work the head trainer the trainers established … [Read more...]
Guidelines for Training Muay Thai in Thailand
The following is meant to act as a cultural primer for training in traditional Muay Thai gyms in Thailand. Note, I have little experience training in gyms heavily trafficked by Foreigners. I've never been to Phuket. Nonetheless, based on my own experiences balanced by discussions with those who have, the following guidelines are applicable. One of the notable differences between gyms with a heavy Foreign presence and ones without is that many of the Thais have a greater understanding thus tolerance of Western cultural norms. It doesn't mean all of them do. Often trainers move from gym to gym and you may find yourself with one who recently arrived from the countryside for the first time. I … [Read more...]
Reader Q & A: On Decency And Sportsmanship In Muay Thai
MBSB community member Artemis sent in the following: Hi Laura, I would like to ask for your opinion in regards to codes of conduct that promote decency and sportsmanship in the art of Muay Thai. A friend of mine who is a fighter uses an aggressive fighting style that unsettles me. When he fights he aims to KO his opponent in the first round causing significant pain and injury. This has become his trademark and there are usually a group of Western spectators who are there in support of him who go wild and praise him as a good fighter. The spectators change from month to month as they are tourists passing through, profits are … [Read more...]
Gender And Power In Thailand’s Muay Thai Gyms
Anne Lieberman was awarded the prestigious Fulbright Fellowship to study the role of women in Muay Thai in Thailand in 2010. That same year, Anne interviewed me as a participant while I was based in Bangkok. I thought I’d catch up with her to discuss her findings on gender and power in Thailand's Muay Thai gyms. Please explain the awarded Fulbright Fellowship. The Fulbright Fellowship is a bilateral exchange program sponsored by the US Department of State in partnership with participating countries. Fulbright provides funding for a wide variety of education and research related programs around the world. Fulbright funds students, scholars, … [Read more...]
6 Ways To Make Money To Train Muay Thai In Thailand
The previous piece in this series focused on assisting you to save money to train muay thai in Thailand; this installment will help you make money to fund your muay thai training. Take from the list what you will and adapt anything to suit your needs. Create something new and let us know about it. Here we go... Ways To Make Money To Train Muay Thai In Thailand 1. Sell What You Neither Need Nor Care About I began with what I wanted and needed the least and continued. Check out the piece I wrote on how to declutter and sell your things to learn about the process. 2. Sublet/Rent Out Your Home Find someone to … [Read more...]
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