"I hope to help women in the future that get stuck in these relationships - it can happen to anyone of us no matter how strong you think you are." -Nicola Kaye I spoke to my friend, Nicola Kaye, 53.5kg ISKA female British and European title holder about the Muay life and her unexpected experience of domestic abuse. Before I met Nicola, I saw her in action. It was a Friday night “big fight” at Bangla Stadium in Patong, Phuket and Nicola was fighting one of my close friends. They both clambered into the ring, rolling under the ropes and into action. Round 1 started and I was immediately captivated by Nicola’s confidence and her fast and heavy punches. Being partial to … [Read more...]
Silat Guru Demank Ahmed El-Benjary on Silat and Kuntau in Borneo
"The culture of the people of Borneo is very hard, and this makes the character of fighting styles from Borneo similarly hard and unforgiving." -Demank Ahmed El-Benjary I first met Demank Ahmed El-Benjary at the Pencak Malioboro Festival in 2013. This event which brings over 5,000 silat players every year to the city of Jogjakarta, Indonesia also brought this teacher of silat and kuntau from the island of Borneo (Kalimantan). His method of striking is called Pukulan Patikaman, and is characteristic of martial arts from Borneo. It combine lightning fast striking combinations with devastating joint breaks and manipulations. He and his students train in the traditional way … [Read more...]
Lamnamoon Sor Sumalee Muay Thai Gym Review
Hello Again! So after my review of Sitmonchai Gym, here is another review of one of the gyms and teachers I was privileged to train with: Ajarn Lamnamoon Sor Sumalee at Lamnamoon Sor Sumalee Muay Thai Gym in Ubon Ratchathani. Why Lamnamoon Sor Sumalee Gym? How It Started One day I was talking to Carol, one of my Thai boxing friends, and she recommended that I go to Ubon Ratchathani and train under living legend Ajarn Lamnamoon Sor Sumalee who won 4 Lumpini belts during Muay Thai's Golden Era. Since I had been to Ubon in my previous trips to Thailand, I was shocked to learn about Lamnamoon Sor Sumalee Gym. I didn't know about it. A very tempting thing … [Read more...]
An Interview with Indonesian Silat Guru Mas Noeryanto Dhipuro
"...a Guru must teach the way of fighting and making peace with one’s self..." -Mas Noeryanto Dhipuro I first met Mas Noeryanto Dhipuro in 2013 during our biannual training camp which began in the hills and forests of Bali . We were staying at the home of our friend Pak Made, who runs a traveling gamelan (traditional Indonesian music style featuring drums and other percussion instruments reminiscent of xylophones) orchestra based out of the University of Colorado at Boulder. At that time we had already done several silat demonstrations using his music as our accompaniment. Pak Made’s place has its own enclosure for playing gamelan as well as some hard-packed … [Read more...]
The Importance of Shadow Boxing in Muay Thai: A Guide
Shadow boxing is so much more than just punching air. It tends to be an underestimated and underrated component of training. For some, punching air can feel awkward and weird and I can see how it might seem pointless if you don’t know what the purpose is, but there is plenty of purpose, I promise. Shadow boxing is an important component to training: on par to bags, pads and sparring. It definitely shouldn’t be overlooked, and if it is, it's big loss to your game. I'll explain. Below are five reasons why shadow boxing is so important. The first one is obvious but has an accumulative effect over time. 1. Practice Specific Movement Patterns Besides warming up … [Read more...]
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