Tonight, our camp is headed to Patong City to watch a few of our guys fight in Bangla Stadium. It will be my very first experience in a real Thai Boxing stadium. I hear the culture is a rich as anything in this world.
Over the last few days I've been training alongside of a few kids who range from 8-16 years old. They are all Thai and all there for one reason,; to win the fight and make money for the family. Its truly amazing to see just how hard these kids train. Compared to our 4-6 hours days (training) they are there double. I can't imagine being eight years old and having my whole family rely on me to bring home the money. It's all at the risk of blowing out a knee, sustaining a concussion or breaking a bone which is easy to do in what many call "the most devastating striking art in the world". I admire the heart these boys have and I have developed a fond sense respect for them in the short time I've been here. Needless to say, tonight's fights in Bangla stadium will be more than just a victory designated in the win column of their record, it will also ensure a few more meals for the family. I can't wait to experience this passion!
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Lonnie! I would ask how you are but I think I can guess hot, sweaty and getting a phenomenal workout. I just statrted to follow the blog thanks to a dragon gym email Som sent out. It sounds pretty amazing over there. Just a few questions... Since they do start training at a young age how long can they usually fight for saying they never get injured(like the lifespan of the art as a competitive fighter)? How long do they train before they are deemed ready to fight their first fight? And lastly, because of the intensity and frequency of training how do you sustain yourself nutritionally, whats the diet like there? hope the fights were more than expected :)
ReplyDeleteHey Bonita!
ReplyDeleteGood questions! Kids usually start around 6 years old here at this camp and have thier first fight around 8 or so. They fight the same rules as adult pro, meaning, knees and elbows are allowed. The only protection they wear are mouth guard, cup and gloves. Its pretty brutal.
The average boy will have about 100 fights before they are 18 and most make it to about 200-300 pro fights before they settle into retirement.
As for nutrition. I have been eating a lot of brown rice, chicken and noodles along with a lot of fruit (today I ate my first cricket!) Doesn't really fit nutritional norms for fighters back home but in the eight days Ive been here Ive lost 5 kilos (10 lbs). When you train 4-6 hours per day it just melts away! Are you still training?