Oohweeeeee!!!
That was the noise that every one of the Muay Thai coaches made when I punched or kicked or elbowed the striking pads with particular force and accuracy. I can still hear the different versions of the noise and see the associated faces. I didn’t hear this a lot when I started.
In reflection, I remember early days where I was just going through the motions, and I remember the exhausted satisfaction that came from the later days where I gave it everything I had. I have not taken so many mid-day naps since I was a baby.
These trainers are tough. While a professional western boxer may have 50 fights by the end of his career, some of these coaches boast over 350 fights and still counting; they start young. When they get injured, their solution is to train harder. It’s unreal. The commitment level of these coaches coupled with their laughter and smiles kept me pushing my limits for weeks on end.
The weeks seem to have been distinct phases in themselves.
Week one was mostly making my body accustomed to the stress and ready for real workouts. I limited myself to about 4 hours a day of exercise. Then about 4 hours a day at the pool or beach.
Week two was where I turned up the heat. I pushed it out to around 7 hours a day and really just tried to put in the time and eat properly. By the end of week 2 I could physically see the change in my body; muscles appearing in my legs, gut shrinking. My energy level was increasing every day and I could work that much harder.
Week three was great. Energy level was off the charts, I could push it all day. My shoulders didn’t ache from swinging the sticks for hours on end. The bruises were healing faster. I was happier. Everything seemed to be coming together. After weeks with no alcohol, I felt like Superman.
Week 4 was short. As my Thailand Visa was expiring, I only got to spend a few days training, but they were great. I had acquired friends all over the camp and there was always a friendly smile to be had. The routine felt good. It was hard to leave.
The whole daily process could get pretty gross. I have never had so many other peoples sweat all over me in my life, aside from perhaps a California warehouse party. Showering simply became a necessity several times a day, as did Tiger Balm: maintenance.
I watched some of the other guys go out and sample the night life in nearby Patong and Phuket Town, but I just couldn’t imagine tagging along with them; I needed my sleep, and the stories they came back with were like something out of a comic book.
Living and training at Tiger Muay Thai was an experience like none other. It wasn’t a boring place. There was no complaining, no griping, no politics; it was just people who wanted to be there and were working their butts off for themselves and no one else.
Simon, Tiger Muay Thai’s resident Yogi, said, “This is not an ashram or a temple: life here is different. With the sounds and clatter of battle around you, you cannot fool yourself. You are not a monk. You are a warrior.”
Words had power there as much as fists. We would start every day with the words, directed at what the Thais call pran (the life force that surrounds us), “Protect me. Evolve me to the highest good. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
This was possibly the best vacation I could imagine for someone like me. I would love to make this an annual thing. This was a move from apprehension to truth in much the way that this entire trip has been; it was the microcosm of the macrocosm.
When I paint the picture this way, the patterns come out.
This didn’t start easy; training at Tiger was a lot like this trip. Dangerous, intense, requiring a huge commitment and offering comparable rewards. It didn’t start easy. I fell down… a lot.
As things progressed, I gained experience. Things moved more smoothly, fists and feet started landing where I wanted them to. The sticks that were lead in my arms after an hour, soon became smooth graceful instruments as extensions of my arms.
Training at Tiger was good for me. Now, the daily routine is over, but so much of it stays with me. The friends I made, the coordination, the knowledge, the renewed sense of health and strength; all this I take away with me.
In times like this we learn and relearn that life’s challenges become easier and that when it is difficult, determination sees us through. Soon we are doing things that might have seemed like magic even a short time ago. If you can apply the formula of determination, commitment and consistency then experience will start to fill in the rest and soon, we are performing sorcery where we were stumbling just a short time ago.
This applies to anything in our lives; a huge trip around the world, learning a new martial art, or a lifetime with a partner. We just have to start, then stick with it. It gets easier and easier, and one day someone watching will simply mistake it for being effortless. You’ll just have to explain it to them.
