Nueng, Song, Sam....Fight!

Last night Dan and I went to Lumpinee Stadium to watch an original Muay Thai Kickboxing match- we were both really excited to see it live so we did it proper and sat ringside. We were so close that you could feel the sweat get knocked off the fighter’s face and hear the bones of the fighters be hit against each other. Lumpinee is the famous stadium in Bangkok and the best place to see a fight, knowing I was only going to do this once, I had to sit ringside. I highly recommend this stadium to anyone visiting; the energy from the crowd and the announcers will make for a memorable night!

After training Muay Thai style Kickboxing for two years at San Diego City College, I was so excited to see a live match in the country of where this lethal sport was originated. I say lethal because it was designed over 500 years ago to help the Thai’s protect their land without any weapons. The quick jabs of the legs and arms holds the power, therefore you do not need to have huge muscle mass. Many of the fighters weighed under 115 lbs! Muay Thai plays a large role in the countries culture because of the history and link to Buddhism. Each fighter wears a ring of flowers and a headband before the match for respect of the Buddha. It has been mandatory for men to learn and pass on the tradition. I can’t wait to tell my coach about this! It is different from other forms of kickboxing because elbows are aloud and used to score more points, kicks below the waist are legal but kicks to the groin are considered a foul.

The night started out with the national anthem before the first match started. Each match consisted of 5 rounds that lasted 3 minutes each- that is if the fighters made it to the end. One of the fighters got knocked out cold in the third round and had to be wheeled-off stage as his face bled on the floor. It was intense. The first fighters were really young, I mean about 10 or 11 years old- but they were so disciplined in the art it was scary. It is common for orphaned children to take on boxing, especially in the north because it gives them a place to live with hopes to make something out of their lives. The fight continued and between each round the fighters were drenched with water, massaged and coached by their trainers. The crowd was roaring the entire time and there was a band playing music the entire time.

I want to train while I am here but it is really expensive, I think they just over-charge faraangs who come to visit so I am going to try and train elsewhere. One of my students told me where he trains and told me to come check it out- haha it was the only way I could get him to speak English in class! After seeing last night’s match, I think I'll have to!!