Rigel's 4th Journal Entry

That was my response to a particularly painful, though not entirely unforeseen, break-up on Valentine's Day '98. The night found us eventually at Kenny's 9th & C in Manhattan at half-three in the morning. By the time I tracked her down there after losing track for a few hours, I was throwing back shots of Powers' Irish whiskey while blood and bits of plaster still dripped from my forehead into the glass. Every girl's dream, yeah? And so romantic. I'm a charmer! I'll spare you the ridiculous details of the events that brought me to this state. The girl's response to all this and what would ultimately become the epitaph for the relationship was this: "You're never going to change, Rigel" I would send the words I wrote in a letter about a week later and, as it turns out, wouldn't see her for another seven years. Perhaps not so incidentally, this debacle would precede by almost eight weeks to the day - my most regrettable loss in the ring and the only knockout I've ever suffered. I threw myself into training for this fight after the split. Even going to visit a friend in Ft. Meyers, FLA in an attempt to simulate running and training in Thai heat and humidity. I trained like a maniac and though I was physically in top condition at 167lb and 5% body fat by weigh-ins, my mind was elsewhere. When the bell rang, I did NOT do the right thing at the right time. The point is I got over it. I went on to win the IAMTF U.S. title in October of that year and I competed in February of '99 as the only U.S. fighter in the world championships in Bangkok. Iwasn't the same person. I'm Not the same person I was then. Truthfully, if I was the same person as '98 or worse still '88, I wouldn't be here at all right now. I don't mean here training in Thailand though that's certainly the case, but anywhere for that matter. For all my die-hard words full of piss and vinegar, I CAN become a different, better peson. I can learn, I have learned, I AM learning everyday. I can adapt and evolve, in fact I believe we must and I've always been more afraid of stagnation than of the unknown. Bottom line is, no matter what, I CAN change. I have changed. I'm here in Bangkok at 36 years of age - changing. I'm not talking about technique now, not just physical changes. That's the easy part. Real change happens inside and that in turn affects everything else - including training and fighting. This is why I think I'm really here again. What I hope to bring back is more than just training. I plan to be better, not just a better fighter. Moving on... Wow. It's only Tuesday but it's been a good start to the week. Yesterday, Nico arrived from Belgium. He's pretty well-known and their Nat'l champ and has been here before. He's quite good but fights at only 60K sometimes as low as 57. He started fighting at age 14 so though he's only 23 he has about 45 fights. Training went well Monday and taking off for the past weekend was a good call. Though My hand isn't completely healed by a long shot, it closed up enough and only bleeds a spot when I train. My whole body felt re-newed energy so the rest had a huge positive impact. I've somehow become the de facto farang leader (I guess because I'm the OLD guy plus speak enough Thai to get around). So I was in charge of getting Jamie the Scot and Nico to the bank and to a shopping center. Nico needed running shoes straight away as he packed still drunk and forgot a lot of essentials. (think I'm gonna like this kid). It was actually pretty fun and perhaps the most social I've been here. I do most of my own business and whatnot alone so this was a trip. Getting Nico (who I'm not going to call a player - let's just say he's easily distracted and it seems to work for him) back to Camp without him taking up with a poo-ying Thai was half the battle. Of course he, Jamie, Sabine, and Crystal all just stepped out again tonight. When you're young and fit you can get away with this and still train. Crystal actually fought Nico's ex-girl back in Belgium so they seemed chatty enough. Small world. It is a small world actually, and a small camp for sure. Don't know what blew up today but farang coming out of the woodwork and ending up @ Camp. We've gone from five training yesterday to over a dozen today. We nearly outnumbered the Thais. There's another Japanese fighter staying here now, though he's no kid. He actually stays in the dorms like me, as does Nico for that matter. Then there was a new Kiwi started today. Big lad named Fletcher who was a rugby man but new to muayThai. Never fought. There was another Belgian (Nico and he fought years ago) and a couple more Aussies as well. Here's the small world part: I'm looking at another new kid across the camp as we skip rope. He's quite tall and ripped, wearing Sithyodtong trunks, abnd damn familiar. I'm wondering if I know him from the Boston camp that competes at Evolved. While we're shadowboxing he comes up to me, "Rigel?" with thick Quebecoise accent. Then I realize who he is, "Bruno," I say, "How you been?" He's a French Canadian fighter who trained with Coban. He fought his third fight against Steven Richards, who had about 30 and already fought pro, on the same USKBA card that Tuan smashed Chris Tran on four years ago. We sparred and got to talking. I cornered him with Coban and his nose was a mess of blood (Steven Richards can box). He says his father still talks about me as the best motivator (not hard when Coban said nothing) they ever worked with. He was impressed when I was yelling from the corner in French. Bruno says he remembers Chris Tran clearly having more technique but Tuan being all heart and knocking him down four times to win easily. Btw, Tuan had 6 weeks muayThai training to Tran's 3 years fighting- no shit. Anyway Bruno heads home soon and wants me to train and corner him. I gave him my card but he lives in New Brunswick, Canada. Maybe he'll at least come to train with us. Funny. After sparring I got to clinch with Hong again. Yay! Nah, it was cool. Only way to get better y'know? I still cannot throw him but this was the longest I've lasted and I didn't want to stop. Hope to come back strong. Another good thing I guess is that since it was so busy I hit pads with a different Kru. Den was swamped. I worked with one of the old timers - the one who dubbed me " The Rock" actually. This is the first time I hit with a Kru other than Den and it was cool. More left kicks than I've thrown yet probably. Oh, so his new moniker for me; and this one isn't exactly new it sems to follow me, is "Mafia" They called me "mafia" at Fairtex too. Guess it's the tattos and my build. They were joking here that back home I'm some thug or collector (those days are long past btw, see the above intro) and they were imitating my punches and the noise I make. I explained that in Philly punches turn to bullets. I'm a good boy now - no mafia. It sticks no matter.

As I suspected, the short-lived farang invasion consisted mainly of day-trippers. There are a few new faces hanging on though. Fletcher, the Kiwi rugby man, is here for the standard four weeks and though he is new to muayTHai he's strong and works hard and has really thrown himself into the training. The young Aussie is here for a month as well and he's failry good and trains hard also. There's a Norman-Irish looking lad started today as well. Big 6'6" bastard from Belfast named John, though he's been traveling for the better part of two years. He's just now up from Phuket. Likes to talk a lot; asking about the camp, other camps in the area, who's good, who's fought, etc. Listening to him talk I figure he was a champ. Not so. He couldn't have been more awkward hitting pads and then he got sick and stopped. So much for talk. Irish. Go figure. (editor's note - this was nearly 10 days ago and he stays and camp but jasn't trained since!) There's also a French kid comes to train but doesn't stay at camp, has done two days in a row. He's very fit and seems pretty damn good. Don't know much else about him though. Nico's doing really well and has a fight in three weeks on TV, not sure where yet. His fight will likely be at Ratcha or Omnoi Stadium. He leaves just after that. I'll be training tomorrow (Thursday) morning then making my way to Fairtex to travel to Casey's fight in Pattaya. Likely with Jamie, the Scot, in tow. Should be a ball and besides the fights, it will be nice ti have a change of scenery if only for a night. As for myself, training continues to thrill. I worked with the same Kru who held for me yesterday. I like his focus mitt holding. Den was good for repetition and getting back into a bit of shape - but seems I've moved on. I clinched hard again and did really well, though my neck is paying for it now. Hong clearly turned it up today. I got his head down more than ever and though I still didn't throw him I reversed a few of his. Hell, one throw I refused to let him haveand basically double-legged him to my shoulder and flopped him. We actually ended up wrestling on the floor of the ring a couple times. Everyone else in the ring likes to take the opportunity to kick you when you're on the ground, reason enough to get back to your feet. Great fun! I've been kneed in the face about 5 or 6 times so far with no cuts! So that's encouraging too, maybe my skin's geting a bit tougher. Oh yeah, reminds me - I got to show Anuwat an Achilles lock yesterday. He had another fighter on the ground by the ankle but couldn't submit him. So I showed him a better hold. (DOn't really know the BJJ terminology so I apologize ahaead of time) But it worked! These kids' legs, calves and ankles are so strong they fight off anything. They seem pretty interested in learning submissions too. At least a couple have trained some grappling already and the main Kru here lived in Japan for years teaching MT and lerning grappling. His wife is Japanese so he still goes back from time to time. I bet someone with actual credentials and experience could trade grappling for MT training (Makowski, Peach, Jackson - SOMEONE) For real. Think about it. Wow. Where was I? No seriously, where was I? I remember waking in a taxi with Jamie sleeping in the back as we drive down the Soi to the camp just in time to see the fighters off for the morning run. It all started when... (insert the dreamy flashback harp trill and shimmering visual effects) So Jamie and I grabbed a cab to Fairtex around 2 pm. It's about 40 minutes away but with BAngkok traffic took us closer to 90 minutes. We were still there with plenty oftime to spare. Casey was standing outside looking ripped and more than fit. So I saw some old faces and trainers I knew from years ago and Jamie got the grand tour. It's quite a contrast to the camp where we stay with pool and exotic fish pond with exotic birds in the trees. We have frogs that come out when it rains to drive the road dogs crazy. It reallyis a nice camp though, with four rings and rows of knee bags, banana bags, and heavy bags. A complete fitness center with weights and cardio machines and the locker rooms are very posh in granite and marble. They even have soap right next to the sink! After a bit of a wait we loaded into the van en route to Pattaya to watch Casey fight a Fairtex's own Theprasit Stadium. Not a long drive, maybe another hour or so. Once we were there we pulled into the Fairtex Sports Complex and Resort, which I had never seen. This isn't a muayThai camp - it's a getaway replete with tennis and basketball courts, pool, and of course what camp DOESN'T have a salon? It's crazy and so massive and brand new. We had about forty minutes to wander at this point so Jamie, two other Scots from Fairtex as well as a Kiwi from there, and myself took a stroll through the mean streets of Pattaya Beach. What a madhouse! I haven't been to Pattaya for eight years and it may have grown but it sure hasn't changed. We couldn't walk more than a few steps in any direction without being accosted by bar girls literally dragging us by the arm to their establishments, one stacked right next to the other and on and on. Of course, if we were to believe them then we are the most handsome men in all of Thailand and they are all in love with us. Even the "girls" with a deeper voice than mine. Ha! What a riot. The lads got some pix to remember but we soon had to meet back at Fairtexso it was a short-lived alternate reality. The stadium is new and a great facility with adjacent gear shop. We watched the first two bouts which featured kids. Still amazing to see such technique and heart from children. And it still sucks to watch a ten year old kid get KO'd while the crowd roars. Well Casey was announced as, Casey Fairtex, and was so favored to win over her THai opponent that the punters wouldn't even take my bet. First round she nearly floored the girl with a jab and a kick to the head in Rd. two would be all the ref needed to see. TKO- ref stoppage Rd. 2. ANd so it goes. Next! It wa a funny atmosphere and we watched a few more fights. THe highlight of which was not in the ring but at ringside when Casey's biggest fan (a crazy Dutch sounding old guy ) turns to her and says, "Philadelphia?" to which she nods. He follows up with, "Eye of da tygere!" I could not make this up. THAT's real. So intothe van and a quick drive back to Fairtex, Bangkok where it's already past my bedtime. We were all hungry though and Casey deserved a post-fight celebration so we walked down the Soi to the main road to find comfort at a roadside table while the sky flashed lightning and threatened rain. It would open up and pour no long after. Casey's friend, Shirene (I believe), from Australia and all the lads who came to the fight were there. Bad influence that I am, one Chang became about ten before the night was through. I just kept ordering more when no one was paying attention. Jamie was cursing me the whole time but I see it as my duty to school him about more than just muayThai. Fuel for Life, yeah? So as the sun began to show it's face and it was just myself and Jamie left at this roadside food stand, we finally negotiated a cab to take us back to camp. This afterthe first three we flagged down told us to hitthe road. The trip was too far they said. We made it back and I woke Jamie up - made him pay the driver - and hit the cot hard. Jamie says I just left him in the back of the cab till the driver woke him but I know I tried at least. My brand new roommate was just waking, probably thinking I'm as much of a degenerate as I look. Back up. I didn't tell you? Yes, I have a roommate now. Just met him briefly before heading to Pattaya. His name is, Jaakko, (Yah -ko) he's Finnish and he seems cool enough and a bit older than th average here at 29, still younger than me to be sure. So even though this is the first time I've gone out all night since I've been here - that's all he's seen of me. Of course I missed morning training and though I could've faked my way through the second session I decided to just drink water and gatorade and try to recover fully. Jamie hasn't stopped bitching at me all day but what's he going to do? I'm his interpreter and he needs me to communicate. Oh, not English to Thai - Scottish to English! Ha! It's hilarious becuase he speaks - then everyone looks at me - then I explain. I really love this place and muayThai is just one part of that. With about nine weeks left I plan to really buckle down and focus to intensify my training. This night out was just what I neede and it was cool and somewhat surreal hanging out with Casey here in Thailand. I'm not used to seeing people I know here. Funny. She'll be back next Monday (before you read this even) so keep her fighting. She's got a lot to offer as a trainer and teacher as well so benefit from her experience. I'll still be here spreading the word and the Cool Hearts ethic to my Scottish and other farang brethren. Candice will be here in five weeks to train (hopefully fight). Till then I'll be staying evil, corrupting, disrupting, bringing peace through training and destroying myself to live. Hey, I can only change SO much!

Rigel's 3rd Installment From Thailand

It's a bit of an experiment this week I suppose. I had previously been writing daily installments of his journal thing and then typing it up all at once while trying to make sense of it at the end of the week. This week, however, I gotta tell you - I've just been too exhausted each night to be bothered much with writing. Getting to the stage where I'm too exhausted even to sleep at times. That could have something to do with the weather also. So 96 degrees doesn't sound so bad, y'know? While in Phillly it drops a good bit in the evening, here it drops no lower than mid 80's. If you check weather index it will give all the "feels like" temps, yeah? This week: "feels like 107", "feels like 110", "feels like 112". Nice. Nice. I can be too tired to write or think much yet still able to read and now have finished reading the third book since I started this trip and have begun number four. I only brought four books so guess I'll be shopping soon. When I've been too tired to even read this week, but body in too much pain to sleep easily, I just listen to my iPod and wait for somnambulistic bliss. Usually nodding in and out of slumber till I finally remove the headphones to remain sleping till the camp bell rings. I've been sketching notes still and trying to gather facts and points of interest. Just haven't actually had the wherewithal to gather thoughts and put pen to paper at the end of the day. Yet I'm still not training as hard as I hope to, not by a longshot. I've steadily picked up the intensity which is, I suppose, he plan. But I actually made the decision to take the entire weekend off training. That means missing out on both SAturday sessions and Sunday morning which I was recently informed wasn't for farang anyway so the trainers had been surprised to see me the past two Sundays. No one told ME. The main reason I decided to rest is actually not a case of exhaustion. The fact is the index and middle knuckles of my right fist have had open wounds since first week. My wraps are crusted with blood and my left knuckles have recently split open as well. It's painful putting wraps on and hittign through round one. After that, once he endorfins are kicking, no pain really. So for 17 straight days I trained at least once a day, though generally bith sessions. Which sounds great till you take into consideration the roughly 730 days I negelected training! Point is, I've ended up with divots a half inch in diameter and a good 1/8 inch deep on my knuckles. Still not kicking much with my right leg and have determined that I definitely broke some small bone in my foot. So rather than spend time half-training, only able to elbow and knee. I decided to spend the weekend, "sabai sabai". Relaxing. Though I still made sure to attend all sessions so I could watch, learn, and help. Oh, not to leave you hanging any longer, both of the Camp's fighters won in impressive fashion at Ratcha last Sunday. Juan won via KO in RD 2 with a left striking elbow that connected directly to the philtrum (mid upper lip). His opponent dropped. Then main event was Suasaming (Prap) the Laos kid I speak of so highly. He fought a very tough, cocky, and jacked fighter. They both garnered knockdowns by punch and had hard, even exchanges in clinch and with kicks. Prap stayed on him, smashing cut kicks and knees then lumped his left eye nearly shut with punches in rd 4. The kid basically conceded in Rd 5 and PRap danced, teeped, and let his opponent off the hook. When Prap's had was raised in victory, he dropped to his knees and bowed to the older fighter. Grace in victory. Since I didn't write this week's journal in chronological progression I'm probably going to jump around the week a bit and you're going to jump with me. Yesterday (Saturday) we had another fight on UBC at Omnoi Stadiu, which is a great venue: small, packed, bookies with their clipboard of a dozen phones running around taking bids from the punters like it's the Thai stock market, an electric atmosphere. Only B200 for entry as opposed to the grand it costs for Ratcha or Lumpini. Got the VIP seats somehow for this one which was fun. Jak, one of the more experienced active fighters at the camp, fought a very skilled, quick kid. Rd. 3 would see Jak send a vicious left inside vertical elbow from the clinch direct to the chin of his opponent. He's Southpaw, btw. The kid was out. I mean taken out on a stretcher, don't know WHEN he woke up - OUT! It was sick. These were daytime fights so we were back at the camp by three. As I said, I've picked up the intensity this week. This means clinching everyday, at least one session if not both. I get to work with, Hong, a lot. He's the thick, muay Kao (knee fighter) that I wrote about last week. Now I realize he's lighter than me, everyone at the camp (farang included) is lighter than me. When I say he's thick and muscular I mean in a relative sense. He's got huge legs, not much shorter than myself, broad shoulders, thick back. He's just bull strong and a real bastard in the clinch. M/W/F is boxing sparring here. I hadn't had a chance the first two weeks and that's probably for the best. Well I've been looking to spar more this week and be careful what you wish for. Friday I boxed Hong. He's always boxing Phil but never saw him in a headgear till he sparred me. Great then. YOu know it was fun as hell and first round I was good and egged on by all the Thais calling Hong out on every time I slipped a punch or rope-a-doped him or landed a combo. As I tired, I knew I was in for it because he wasn't fading at all. By the middle of th second 5 minute round I was spent. I (of course) just head butt a few of his shots so he didn't think he could hurt me. Damn, he hits hard too! After the second round the trainers (everyone was watching us box) gave me a break and said, "next week 3 then 5 rounds but today 2 ok". No argument. I mean we had already trained an hour before sparring and still had a long training ahead. I was happy just to get a couple rounds in finally. Still had to clinch him! There's another older fighter/kru who has been hanging around camp, training and helping this week. His English is very good and he looks VERY familiar: like famous familiar. His pink sequined shorts read, "Kai", but that wouldn't be his fight name so doesn't really help me. Don't know where I know him from but he's quite good. I had the chance to spar technique with him twice this week and did well enough but he has some slick leg technique and nice footwork. He's another southpaw, but his style is definitely not from this camp so it's a nice change up. The talent pool here is deep and can be daunting. Though they talk always talk about my power and toughness and occasionally compliment my technique, I can feel like such a beginner at times. I have so much to learn, not just technique but also so much to learn about confidence and composure. Ok, while I'm on the subject of having a lot to learn : I've mentioned the Japanese K1 fighter, yeah? I'll get his name for you yet. So he fights June 24 in Holland. He's not in the tournament but on the undercard as he's only 65K or so instead of 70. He's muscular, well-built, and fit but only about 5'7" maybe. Back to having a lot to learn - the kid rips pads, but though very competitive and a hard worker, he gets smashed by the camp kids daily. Not only do they school him in the clinch but boxing as well. THen at the end of each training session he spars technique with Anuwat for a few rds. I know opportunity, luck, promotion, management and other X factors all have a hand in a fighter's career. Still I'm wondering why this kid is such a big noise. This entire week he's been filmed and photgraphed and interviewed and followed aound by the film crew. (Which has caused me to put a shirt on while training several times, thank you). Anyway something just didn't jibe. I'm looking at the kid. Watching him come to camp in his school uniform wondering which University has him in uniform. None. Why? The kid's fifteen! That's right. \hefights undercard K1 MAx in Holland June 24 at age fifteen. That's what this place is all about. MuayThai is not for fighting, muayThai is for life. And it's amazing. Aside from clinching constantly this week (as much as I can take, that is) and sparring more, I'm doing 5 rds of pads consistently each session. The last two rds with focus mitts to work some speed, pop, and extension into my punches. There's so much emphasis on power here at times I've worried I'm going to get slower. I strength train each day but alternate exercises with the exception that sit-ups are done each day, each session. There are dumbbells, pull-up bars, and hand weights so I vary what I do and concentrate on core strength, shoulder mobility, and a lot of push-ups. Don't stand around! Watching sparring last week I was grabbed by the scruf of my neck like a puppy by Kai and thrust in front of a heavy bag. You know the 50 skip knee drill we do each fight training? Well try four sets. While Kai stood there watching and counting. So yeah, been a bit tired this week. I got email from Candi, Jackson, and Junior today. Philly MMA 3-0 this weekend and all reported to have performed exemplary. I'm superstitious. Had a friend in high school who couldn't watch the games he bet. HE believed he couldn't win if he watched. Everyone keeps smashing while I'm gone and I might have to stay away to keep the streak alive. Seems you guys are OK without me. Should I retire in THailand to enjoy my newfound obsolescence? Ok, something else I want to touch on without getting too heavy handed. Something I dealt with last time I was here and in Chiang Mai for nearly six months: the road dogs everywhere. I want to help them all, of course it's impossible. Last time I had friends in Chiang Mai: Crispy (mange), Red (had a limp), Speck. I was going to be the dog biscuit equivalent of Johnny Appleseed and run the streets giving them Milk Bones. I used to feed them when I could or just let them share my meal. Then I realized, they're none of them starving really. They run in packs, attach themselves to a particular spot, a 7 or a restaurant. You can even see the family resemblance in a pack; mother, litter, etc. I started to notice they would come up to me whenever I didn't even have food. You have to understand I'm a huge dog person. I joke that my nany was a Samoyed who was with me from 6 months when I was born till she was a month away from 30 and I was a 19 year old finishing undergrad. She had three litters for us, all long lived as well. Her name was Nika, short for Lady Natasha and she had the largest vocabulary of any dog I've known. Understood everything. I'm even a Dog according to Asian horoscope, there's an affinity there to be sure. I wondered what these road dogs wanted from me if not food. It was simple. Companionship. Someone to pet them, Even though they have each other dogs need people like we need them. So even though they get food, it breaks my heart to see them wanting attention. So another hobby of mine here is sitting in front of the 7 petting dogs. Made a few new friends this week. Stubby is a short legged black Corgi looking dog who seems to rule the pack at 7 despite his stature. Maybe I should call him Napoleon instead? So spay or neuter and take care of your companions. I gotta give a shout out to my old puppy, Scruf. Back to training. Got on the scasle Wednesday morning 5 kilos lighter than Wednesday two weeks ago when I got here. I had hoped for more but it's a start. I find myslef already a bit torn between goals. Do I want to fight again? Here that is. Do I want to concentrate on new techniques and training methods to enhance my own teaching? DO I want to just focus on getting as fit as possible (which means not risking injury)? Well of course I want all three. Just have to find that precious balance. Let you know how it goes next week.

Instructor Rigel's Second Installment Of His Blog From Thailand

Thus begins the second installment of my journal. Though it starts with a day, THIS day, Monday May 28, that has been punctuated by a series of firsts. Some good, some bad, some indifferent. Let's start withthe FIRST first, which is decidedly bad. I missed morning training today for the first time. "Sleeping in?" you might ask. "Too sore?" you may conjecture. "Lazy bastarrd!" some might say... HEY, HEY, enough. I was awake enough to be sure. And truly, my neck and back fel almost 75%! No, it was my first bout of "ahahn mai aoi" or food sickness. SO I lay clutching my stomach for the duration of most of training, curled up on my cot listening to the others crack pads and bag. I DID get my sprints in though, yeah? About a dozen, straight to the "hong nam" - yes that's "toilet". This allowed me to realize another hidden benefit of the camp. Guess it takes spending so much time in the toilet to realize this but those small tile and concrete cubicles, and they sould really put this in the brocure, THEY'RE A SAUNA! So how does this happen? I'm food and travel savvy, yeah? It's not that I ate anything unusual or of suspect origin. Always careful with what I drink. Thing is we drink from a communal water bucket during training. It's filtered, clean water but only say half a dozen cups for 2 dozen fighters plus trainers. You make sure you give water to your Kru, to other fighters, etc. You dip the cup in water by hand and pass it around. These things happen. No big deal. Builds the immune system. I shouldn't complain. Sweating out the sickness is a fast remedy. Beyond that I walk back through the camp to see a teen-age fighter, let's call hm Peach, don an entire sauna suit to go running in Bangkok! This after 30 minutes heavy rope. Seems he has trouble making weight and is fighting at Ratcha tomorrow night. Check weatherchannel.com to get a sense of how brutal this must be. And the kid is lean and ripped. Such is the way here. I flushed my system with water all day and opted to skip breakfast. Slept a bit and by 3 o'clock felt ok to train. Still a bit of stomach trouble but I got through it. Of course, never show it. Once the kids could see my discomfort it was line-up and hit the Irishman in the belly like a damn carnival booth without the prizes. Should've charged them a fee. Then, after each hit, "Jep mai?" DOes it hurt? To which I respond without puking through a forced grimace, "MAi jep." Doesn't hurt. Another first is that, Watcharachai, one of the most amazing fighters ever produced by Kaewsamrit, trained with us today. Anuwat is not their only champion. Watcharachai, get this, went undefeated HERE IN THAILAND from 2000-2003 in Stadium fights! It's almost unprecedented. He's the nices t guy too. There were about 4 other new Thai fighters at the camp today so I'm glad I didn't miss second session. There was a lot of good energy. Training wound down and as I'm showering comes another first (get your mind out of the gutter). The Big Rain. It's rainy season where I'm living and there's been a bit of drizzle and small downpours routinely. Even saw a rainbow yesterday(no Candice, no Leprechaun to chase - guess my peeps are on strike here). This was a different animal. Full-on Monsoon crush that lasted 2 hours and flash flooded everything. Had to move all the shoes from the camp entrance to keep them from floating away. Thunder. Lightning. Awesome. I love a good storm. "A real pisser," as my Grandfar would say. Then while the storm subsides I get a knock on my door around 7pm. "Gin Kao!" - GO eat! What?! Second meal DOES exist. I'm not sure if this i a direct result of the storm since they knew we weren't going anywhere, but I'm grateful. It was wonderful and timely since training through stomach sickness had me feeling weak. We're talking mixed sauteed vegetables w/glass noodle, a spicy red-brown completely Bangkok style dry curry w/pork and bitter young pepper, and one ofmy favorite fighter's foods, "kai gao mai sook" which loosely translates to "stuffed omelette, not fully cooked". SO good. While eating dinner I get to talking to the Mongolians, one has excellent English and seems to be more like their manager as he doesn't train and he always speaks for them. They've been here a month but have to fly back home this weekend. Then one is to fly back here in August to fight in Queen's Birthday! That's awesome and a big honor. They ask how old I am and can't believe I'm 30... Ok I told them my real age but they thought I was like 27. Cool. If they were Brits I'd say they were just being polite but hey, these are HUNS. They kep it real. So they ask my fight weight and I ask about the kid fighting Queen's BDay. 70 kilos. Listen, he's a nice kid. Fit. Trains hard. And one thing these guys pride hemselves on is toughness. Show no pain. But I'm not blowing smoke when I say I'd put Justin in with him in a heartbeat. No bullshit. They've a couple heavier kids too. 76/78 k and 82+k. The 82K kid is all muscle. But if they matched with Matt and Aaron. I bet our guys hands down. I'm amazed and so proud that out of these gyms in Philly and Jersey we've built a camp with fighters capable of competing with anyone in the world. It blows my mind and makes me feel happy and accomplished. Captain's log. Tuesday, May 29, 2550. Wait, you didn't know that? Oh yeah, it's th year 2550 here. I've time traveled more than you thought. Catch-up. Ok enough of that. I trained both sessions today and fel good. German kid, MArtin, showed up to stay and train atthe camp today. I think I'll be ok to clinch again by tomorrow. The bad-arse Laos kid, Prap, is fighting Sunday at Ratcha. Prap is his nickname, though he's on the website under his fightname which is completely different. If you google Kaewsamrit Gym you'll find it. You can see pix of my trainers and camp brothers. JuanMario is he Spaniard(also fighting Sunday), Phillip fr/ London. Probably a lot better to check this out than wait for my pix upon return, because though I can write a bit, I'm the worst kind of photojournalist. I'll come back with rolls of film dedicated to things that caught my interest at the time. Like pix of the camp dog, Loki, a 200lb Mastiff. He starts his bark as if starting the prop on a WWI bi-plane. Hilarious. Five minutes till he really gets it going then it's unstoppable, all hours of the night. I'll have pix of random Wooden Indians (a personal fave) or just other seemingly unconnected thingsthat I find amusing at the time. The Wats (temples) where I go to pray and meditate are amazing beyond description, but I feel uncomfortable photographing them as I'm no tourist there. I don't like taking too many shots at the camp either as I'm training and working to be up in it, not looking from a distance. I usually relent a bit near the end and rush a few shots of the peeps that matter. Oh, before I forget again. One other thing that makes me smile daily: I haven't bought equipment yet. I brought Mexican gauze and tape for my hands and two pair of shorts. I've been using camp gloves, yeah? But guess which brand? Give up because you'll not guess this. They're red w/white backhand and knuckles like an Olympic style. 10 oz. Velcro. Good enough for now. But I shit you not, where it might be labeled, Windy or Twins, etc. It reads... The Insane... CHARLIE... MADE IN HELL. What's that? I so want to keep them. Ah, this place. Wednesday. Today was a good day. I still didn't run but trained harder than ever on pads. I'm concentrating on each hit being as hard and as solid as I can deliver. I'm still resting between combos but it seems to bethe way here. I notice even the top fighters hit the entire round as a series of sprint and rest. You go go go - non-stop through say: jab, hook-cross, lead kick, lead kick, rear vertical elbow, lead horizontal elbow, rear striking elbow, hook-cross, rear kick, shin block, rear kick, rear knee with cross grab, rear kick - BREAK. And so it goes. Was so tempted to clinch, but I think I'd be wise to wait a bit. It's hard because they ask everyday and I don't want to lose face. I'm having trouble explaining the difference between pain and actual injury. Don't wantthem to think I'm just a punk. Paid camp rent today and sprang for my own handwraps. I had to get them. They're like a green tartan pattern. Then second session began an hour eraly at 2pm. Though no one informed me so I literally ran downstairs in my underwear when I heard the bell, 'cause ny shorts were still hanging to dry. The reason for the early start was two kid fighting at Ratcha tonight, Peach the sauna suit boy and another kid I haven't seen much. I'm going to go Sunday instead to see the Prap fight. SO I got to spar full-on today! I don't mean full intensity, just full sparring - not just clinch. Three rds with Kat, same tall kid who cranked my neck. It was good. Everyone was saying, "farang soi muaythai" - beautiful muaythai. I swept him repeatedly and could punch him at will. He's southpaw so I when he jabbed I rolled my lead hook right over top his reach. Strange thing though. Rd 2 we clinch up, exchange knees, but as I step back he's pointing to my eye. Now I know I didn't take an elbow or a punch for that matter. Sure enough, I'm cut. Turns out ( I didn't even notice till now) he's wearing thumbless bag gloves to spar. Punching too! Anyway his thumbnail cut my right eye a bit. "mai bpen rai" - No big deal. He didn't mean it but at least they yell at him to put on sensible gloves. The two Mongolians who've been away for the weekend returned today. They had fights in Ko Samui. The Aaron built one has 9 new stitches across his left eyebrow for his trouble but won by KO in Rd 2 with punches. The chubby, older one who is Matt's weightlost decision but looks no worse forthe wear. Gotta get you guys here. The Huns could not hang with Cool Hearts. Thursday passes pretty uneventfully save forthe fact that I apparently busted up my foot sparring Wednesday and so now can't skip, can't kick, and can't move that well on it. I actually spent a sleepless night worried I broke a bone and would be sitting out which would REALLY upset me as I'm here for this reason: to train. Though it's badly swollen it's healing. Also I boxed the German kid today. He says he lived and trained two years in Rawai and Phuket before coming here. He's younger and much fitter than me, about 2 inches taller maybe 76-78K. We did two 5 minute rds and he quit. He couldn't hit me unless I let him and I just punched him with everything. Listen, I've come to terms that I won't be top fighter at this camp, but I can't handle not being top farang. SO if you come, you gotta spar. Especially if you've trained 2 years here! Friday June 1: Morning session pretty standard. I'm just working punches, elbows, knees now because my foot is still swollen and difficult to move let alone hit. Really concentrating on hard hands though. I got the most sleep yet between sessions. After breakfast I hit the Internet for about 90 minutes. Walked back to camp and read a chapter in, A Dirty Job, by Christopher Moore. Then fell fast asleep despite the 96 degree temps and 89% hunidity. It was the type of sleep that had me believing I missed training entirely, it was that deep. When I awoke and checked the time on my IPOD it was only 2! Stil had an hour. Weird. Foot pain prevented me from skipping again so I warmed up with 30 minutes shadowboxing. Definitely the most productive training yet. I hit 3 rds Thai pads and one long rd focus mitts straight through. Bag work. Then the most strength training I've done here. Afterward when they asked me to clinch, I decided it would be ok today. Hope my neck agrees with me tomorrow. I worked with the thick older fighter who came back this week. He's damn strong but I did well. The kids were giving me thumbs up and telling me to knee him harder since he manhandles everyone in the clinch including Anuwat. He threw me pretty good a few times right away but I learned to bear down and not take any chances with him. I hit him with a lot of knees and held on to find openings. I moved and turned him ok, but could NOT throw him for three rds. It was great fun and I seem to be gaining ground with my fitness and that's key just now. Woke at 6am but still didn't run. I've decided to start this coming week, devil may care. My back and shoulders are really tight but not injured. So far so good. I spent a good 30 minutes warming up and (yes, Junior) stretching. Hit 4 rds of pads, hard and straight through. Felt I could've done another but instead worked bag with special intensity. Not a spectacular session, but good. I've been training ten days at this point and still doing minimal work compared to when I was competing. I'm probably still sweating barley and bacon grease atthis point, y'know? Not easing into training after a long lay off is a key contributor to burn out. So I'm patient. You can learn a lot just by watching and emulating. 90% of success is just showing up. After a bit of rest following breakfast I'm up again at 2. Shadowed a straight 30 minutes then right to pads again. REALLY tight in my mid back now. In a good way. Like I can feel the neglected muscles kicking off the cobwebs and waking up. I feel strong already. Another good but not particularly memorable training - oh, save for the fact that Kru Den had me sailing in flying elbows and knees for the first time. Must look like a Macy's Parade float to these guys as I launch myself through the air! He's been telling me I have good strong knees though. Again, the day to day stuff here is as important or at least as noteworthy say as the training. See, I brought hair clippers with me but even though I have a working adapter - no dice. They're blown. Suffice it to say that after eleven days here with no manscaping (Jackson you know where I'm coming from, pretty boy) I'm a hairy beast. So today the Thais took to pulling my chest hair out whenever possible in the clinch. Ha! THAT'S FUNNY! As close to the nipple as possible? Yeah, cool! Excellent. Thank you! After training it was straight to the shower barrels and razor in hand I attackedarms, chest, face. Much better. I hadn't much though about it but the much less hirsute Asians will find anything to dig on, as if my belly weren't enough. This works great in reverse too.Nothing seems to piss them off more in the clinch then a nice 2 day stubble. Sorry, man. HA! After all the grooming and such it was again time to hit the Internet for some correspondence (not much going on here but training, get it). Then dinnertime. Now the food at the camp is great but sometimes you just need a change, to venture out, a little something different. I found this little cafe/restaurant/karaoke bar last week. I like to call it "Georgio's" as the green neon sign in Thai characters looks pretty damn close. I hit that up for dinner and MAN! The spiciest hell-fire spitting meal I've had since coming back. Awesome. Yeah I speak enough Thai to get by but I don't read a character really. So the menu is pictures and Thai characters. I point and we're good. Then I ask for a side of rice and "nam pla prik" fich sauce with chilis. Waiter brings a massive plate of fried beef w/garlic. Peanuts. Cilantro. Scallions. Fresh sliced ginger. All these sides are raw which is standard. Also a plateful of "bird dung" chilis. Of course I couldn't resist. I ate almost all the peppers. Everything wasso full of flavor but halfway through I lose the ability to speak. Ever spend time sled riding let's say, in weather so cold your face goes numb? Now your lips bounce together uselessly in attempted speech? Yeah, like that only from a relentless and self-inflicted abundance of pepper oil. Probably looked like a Looney Tunes character. Swollen lips. Sweating. Red in the face. Ear wax melting. Tears clouding my eyes. Nose running. Beautiful! I needed that. SO refreshing in hot weather. Tomorrow(Sunday) two camp kids will be fighitng at Ratcha Stadium. The phenom Laos kid and a Spaniard training here named Juan Mario. I plan to go watch then meet up afterward with Casey in the evening. She'll be on her way back from a Visa run to Cambodia extending her sty so she can fight on the 14th at Theprasit Stadium in Pattaya. So wish her luck and think good thoughts that day (12 hours in advance). I got emails from Candice and Matt informing me that Danika kicked arse and fought well, and LISTENED to her corner! I'm so glad but honestley, expected no less. Congrats to her and to Justin and MAtt and everyone that helped prepare her. Thanks to everyone who helped in anyway, traininig, or support, going to watch etc. It all matters. Camp is an extended family and it takes everyone to make it work. Thanks also to Brad for allowing me this rather extended trip and for holding it all together in my absence. There's a lot of behind the scenes work that he does that keeps things flowing seemlessly. Ok, enough sappiness, too early here for all that. I love it here, yes, but though it's only been eleven days I DO miss being a trainer too. It's in my nature. I've always been a bit of a gypsy so it's easy for me to travel. I don't wanto to focus on the things I miss because I'm really ableto tune them out. I've developed an amazing capacity to ignore. But let's just say: BEER, chocolate(yes I LOVE chocolate, sorry - or how bout kill two birds with one stone - a chocolate stout! - Viking Twins you're with me here, yeah?) peanut butter, and of course the OTHER thing. (CAndice I miss you the world -and you're in trouble when I return!) Actually it's kind of cool not eating junk. No cheese, no dairy at all really, nothing deep fried, no bread, minimal sugar. Though I must tell you the Thai's are evil geniuses when it comes to confectionary deviousness. Gotta stay strong. Next wek I'll let you know how the fighters here make out at Ratch. Everyone train hard and be readyfor my return. ANd when you see Candice, tell her she's the ONE. For Me I mean. She's the one for ME... You know what I mean. Prologue: Tuesday evening, Mark, the Aussie comes up to me during training, "Hey you allright, mate? You've got that look. I've played enough Aussie rules and I know that look." He's a good guy so I don't blow him off. I explain that I could just kick myself for getting so out of shape. My technique is good enough to fight forthis amazing camp but my conditioning is in the tank and my weight is a joke. "How old're ya mate?" he asks. I tell him the truth. "Ah easy there young man. I'm 39 and training for my first fight. I just took it up last year," he says. So we index our extensive laundry list of injuries. He's much smaller than me and played Aussie rules football his whole life, which can take its toll. I never would've guessed he's older than me, though. In great shape. "The main thing is you're here now," Mark continues. And I know he's right. It's advice I'd give but I've always been my own worst patient, yeah? "Focus on that, " he goes on "you're training now. You made the choice. It can only really get better now , mate." It's good advice and goodto hear. I AM here now. I AM training. That's al that matters. The past is just that, past. Always moving forward. Never going back, Rigel

Kru Rigel's Journal From Thailand!

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Ok kids, here goes the first installment of what will ostensibly be a weekly blog concerning my training here in Thailand, my misadventures in travel, and of course, track the progress of my "come back" from retirement # 3 as a pro fighter. Compressing any week into a brief synopsis is an unenviable task. Compressing THIS past week is another thing entirely. So I don't think I really will. I'm Irish and it's almost considered a sin to conserve words when one has plenty to spare. So Hopinfg to be fair of voice and glib of tongue, (ah, blarney) I'm just going to let fly off the cuff and leave the rest to you. Read, peruse, edit, whatever you like. On a solid three hours sleep I woke at 4 AM Monday morning still needing to pack. Which I did by 5 AM when my ride promptly arrived. A cup of coffee and an M150 later and Candice, LuLu, and myself are in the car en route to JFK. My flight leaves 11:50 AM which would seem to give plenty of leeway, but Monday morning NYC traffic can determine otherwise. A short 13 hour flight to Tokyo, 4 hour layover involving one $2.96 USD pint can of Kirin Special Lager, Sumo on Tele, and another 6 hour flight to BKK finds me in Bangkok in a taxi. With the address printed up for me in Thai I'm not much help to the driver in finding the camp. So it's 1:30 in the morning and I'm finally tucking myself into my rather spartan bunk. Well, no tucking actually as it's 89 degrees and humid but you get the idea. I'm in RM 1 at the camp and the only farang (foreigner) actually staying on premises. It's a room with three electric fans, two bunk beds (unoccupied), and a small armoir/ cabinet. Perfect. Oh yeah, I brought four books to read and already finished one on the flight. It's called, Flight, Actually by Sherman Alexie, the preeminent NAtive American author of our time. Easy read and I highly recommend it. ROUND ONE Ok, so I have barely slept for days and somehow lost a day in the process of traveling East. It happens. But when they start ringing the bell at 6 AM, like Pavlov's dog, I'm not about to miss it. Well it's good to make everyone smile and man do they get a kick out of me. This camp is hardcore and I'm the only farang at morning training. Still rocking the Robert Smith grease-hawk and not in the best of sorts. It's about 90 degrees and muggy and the Thais are laughing their @#*'s off as I skip heavy rope for 30 minutes for the first time in 2 years. Btw, at the advice of my trainers (and with very little protest from yours truly) I'm not to run at all the entire first week. To ease in and better acclimate myself and to be able to concentrate on technique and padwork. Anyway they're calling me "Phom Puay" which is a gentle euphemism for fat bastard that at least implies they think I'm somewhat muscular in a meathead farang sense. Still not sure I'm a fighter. All rounds are 5 minutes with about a 1 minute break, though the break varies according to who's minding the bell. Rope is straight through however. Once I've finished skipping (and managed to keep from drowning in the pool I have created) I'm told to wrap hands and grab the distinctive egg-shaped, notched Thai hand weights that I've missed so much. Shadowboxing. So this is good. They get to see I can move a bit and I'm not full of it like so many big farang with aspirations of fighting here. Then it comes with all the subtlety of a scratched record, "Ayoo a rai?" How old are you? Then even worse - get on the scale! Here it is folks, no sugar coating, 100 precious kilos. That's exactly 220 lb. When last I fought in Thailand two years ago - 70kilos! More laughter from the camp. This is great. Anyway now I'm just hoping one of the Kru's will take pity on me and allow my unworthiness to hit his pads. All the old guys are talking so much smack on me... till one (later tells me his name is Daeng- the color red) says, " Rittichai - I see you in Pattaya. I know you. Coban Lookchaomaesaitong. Pattaya" I haven't been there since '99, btw. " I see you in Pattaya, you train with Coban, my friend. You fight Dutch. Knock out!" It's true I was 28 years old and KO'd a Dutch fighter w/ knees in RD 3 (my preferred KO rd) in a pick 'em up fight. But the fact that he remembers is something. Then he tells the other Kru's, "Rittichai(my name)- POWER. STRONG." Cool. I'm in. Not so fast. I get the youngest, fittest Kru, Den (as common a name as Dave here - 3rd Kru I know with same name). He's awesome, about 6'2" and still in good shape. He bears a striking resemblance to a Thai version of my childhood friend, Dave Brown, who would clearly be portrayed in film by Vince Vaughn. So I'm comfortable with this Thai Vince Vaughn right away. But is he with me? First thing is that damn inside hook I throw, palm facing me. "ohh - No good!" Den says. Than proceeds to show me palm down which I've struggled with since transitioning from boxing to muayThai 15 years ago. Out of respect, I do it his way and feel like I'm going to break my thumb each time. (later in the week I would have the great Anuwat Kaewsamrit work on the same punch with me. Here is the top featherwt. in the world, 6 belt holder 4 of which are Lumpini Stadium, fresh off his 2nd rd KO ofthe top Dutch fighter in Holland just last Sunday) So who am I to argue? As he's showinfg me I start to get it. Inside chopping over the shoulder swing. It's not going to replace my hook. Will simply be another weapon all together. Good to keep an open mind. Den continues to work with me. Though now all the other Kru's are calling me "ma ba" or mad dog, because of my panting between rounds. Listen. It's hot.. and I'm fat. Fat guys pant when sprinting pads. Sorry. He works some simple but really slick elbow technique and set-up with me. As always it's the details. A subtle hip pop really helps to deliver power to the favored rear vertical elbow. Angles mean everything at this level too. Surprisingly enough he doesn't mind the way I kick. I've always had power, yeah, but Thais usually disdain the way I move my kick. My original Kru taught me and it's worked for me. But this is a punch, clinch, elbow camp and I sneak under the radar. Power is enough. He likes my long, Samart style lead side teep that I've taken to using to get a bit of space to breathe. So that's cool too. I make 2 rds of Thai pads and 1 rd of focus mitts before Den says, "enough - hit bag." If you've ever trained with me you know that really means, "I can't take it anymore- get out of my sight." Hey, three 5 minute rds Day One in this heat with no sleep is good enough for me. Then it starts, " Dah rahk - dah rahk" This is a new one to me. Are they still calling me dog? Damn. Thought we worked past that. I would find out days later fr a Mongolian fighter training here that they 're now calling me " The Rock" not "dahrahk" as a sort-of compliment. I don't know. My Bangkok Thai is as rusty as my padwork at this point. So I should be past ego atthis point and know my limitations, I'm not and I don't. First training session I should be happy to finish on bag but NOOO. Den says, "clinching, clinching" and I eagerly jump back in the ring with a wiry Thai kid who has about 4 inches on me if not more. This is a stark contrast to the majority of the camp. Aside from Den there is one other tall kid, I think the younger brother of my clinch sparring partner. The rest are pretty short here. Well this actually went really well. He's pretty damn good, and so young. Why wasn't I sent to Thailand instead of Kansas at 10 years old? I surprise them here. I throw him as much as he throws me. Though he has the upper hand with straight knees they dig my, Man of La MAncha vs. the windmills flying side knee. Had to pull it out, his hip is near my chest level! Even fighting through fatigue I'm able to acquit myself well for a full 3 rds though I'm pretty sure I tried to sneak out of the ring after each rd. Downside? I can't clinch for the rest of the week due to my neck and arm being so badly tweaked. Should've known better. Moving on. The rest of the week goes on much the same. Morning session is 6-9 AM at this point. Afternoon starts with 30 minutes rope at 3 PM and goes till after 6. Light sparring in afternoon/evening session and clinching EVERY training. (but not for me). I get to know some of the fighters as the week goes by. Toy is one of the tops and there's a 19 year old Laos kid who just rips pads and kills in the clinch. They're calling him the next Anuwat, "Same Same" they say. Of course, Anuwat is there regularly and holds pads for younger fighters and helps everyone. He's so fast, so strong and hits so hard. It' s criminal he's 127lb. There are 4 Mongolians, who until Friday I thought were Japanese. 2 Spaniards, one who is real deal fighter and his friend just training. An Aussie and a Londoner namesd, Phil, going on 2 years at this camp. A small but bad-arse Japanese female (105lb) who left Saturday for home, and two Swedish girls. I'm the only farang training both sessions at this point. I think most miss mornings because they don't live on premises. I have no choice. Breakfast is after morning session. Awesome, healthy, spicy, clean Thai food. Usualy 2-3 dishes to put together with rice. The fruit cart pulls up behind his bell daily at 10am. Until you've had fresh, sup pa rot, Thai pineapple, you've not had pineapple. Though the deal with the camp for all inclusive stay is to provide 2 meals a day, it seems the second meal is a myth. Which is fine by me, I'm no stranger to Thai cuisine. From the basics to the most exotic, I'm game to give it a shot. Anyone that knows me knows you'd be hard pressed to find something I won't eat (ha!) Put it on a stick, satay it, hand it over. Bamboo rat? Sure. Bats? Why not? All variety of insect? Bring 'em on. Black rice, red rice, sticky rice, non-glutinous rice. All manner of fresh fruit and vegetables. Especially raw. Yum! Here's the rub. I've lived in Thailand a bit but even in the most remote spots I've found good food. Where I am now is a bit of a conundrum. There are some carts, yeah. Aside from the preponderance of 7Elevens (which will from this point be known simply as "7") there are very few restaurants around camp. It's a hardcore camp as I've stated and I think that is reflected in the area. It took me 3 days to find Internet. This was a quest worthy of Sam Spade. Finally I learned to knock at seemingly closed pet food store - Ancient Grandfather takes you through laundrette/ dog kennel to knock on door with black painted window. Then you enter a small, sweltering room filled with teens and adolescents at frenzied play with online ganes. (Matt Makowski's of the world... unite and take over) The computers are fast enough, but I kid you not, they're coin-op. 45 minutes for 10 baht is Not bad. That's about 33 cents just now. So it took me till Thursday to finaly get the wig clipped. Shaved head and full-face straight razor shave for 50 baht! About $1.75! No nicks or cuts either. Feel like more of a fighter already. Definitely no rock star once the coif is gone. Damn. On the way to the barber I was side tracked by another quest. To find a suitable relic Buddha amulet for Candice. Easy enough to do here. Right away I found, Phra dtom Sua, something about tiger monk. You see, Candice's fight name is, Sualek, or little tiger. So what could be more fitting? So the spirit man /vendor lists the attributes for me as he has me examine the amulet through a jeweler's lupe as if I could distinguish authentic from fake. All very good till, like every salesman, he has to pitch one too far. "Protect you from bullets, " as he squeezes a demonstrative trigger finger. Wait a second. " I'm from Philly," I tell him. I'm pretty sure he followed up with, "no guarantee." I'm still considering. I've yet to find a working International phone, by the way. Usually not the case but probably for the best anyway. Isolation can distill the soul. It was Friday before I stopped feeling the phantom vibration of a cell phone in my pocket. However, to counter that is another unfortunate development. I've been TO Central (the single largest mall next to King of Prussia I have ever seen) 3 times this week. Again, if you know me even a little, you know I've been to malls in the States about that many times this decade. But for pharmacy, books ,etc. It's the only game in town. Only a $3 taxi fare though far from walking distance. It's air conditioned and I can get an honest cup of coffee for 50 baht. A lot more expensive than the 10 baht I pay each day for a can of Birdy ready made iced coffee from 7 but well worth it on occasion. As I pen this now, I sit sipping my 3rd Black iced coffee at Black Canyon Coffee. A forgotten pleasure of my last two trips to Thailand. The logo reads, "The best coffee is as black as the devil.. hot as hell... pure as an angel... and sweet as love!" (www.blackcanyoncoffee.com) How cool is that? With a strange Western theme, Starbucks this ain't. So yeah, I've metamorphosed into a Bangkok Mallrat. How's that for a Kharnic slap in the face? Which brings me to my last rant/ observation before I get back on track and finish with training speak: A devastating and oft overlooked by-product of globalization? Thai hipsters. I don't know which is worse, Filthsters or their SE Asian counterparts. (no offense Charlie and Justin) The Thais have cooler hair, that goes without saying. And of course infinitely less ironic facial hair. Another good thing is I cam pretend I don't understand what they're going on about. I do that in Philly too though. The downside is the hipster ethic here seems a bit more affested if that's possible, and certainly more posh. So first 5 days of training bhind me. As I always say, "fighters train every day." Well we at least get Sunday afternoon off. Morning training was solid. In fact they then take the bags and ring ropesdown each Sunday so you MUST rest. Also for routine maintenance and weekly cleaning. This coming week I'll begin running and up my strength training, which consists mainly of tons of crunches, pull-ups, push-ups and handweights. They're screaming, "yip yip" 20 20 then "sip sip" 10 10 while I hang from pull up bar. I drop and raise arms in victory, " sorn sorn" 2 2. they laugh. Hope to be able to clinch this week also. Within 3 days I'd already gained a notch on the belt so must have lost some weight though haven't sat on scale since day one. At least I've gone from everyone laughing, YES, I train shirtless, to asking me how long I stay and calling me "the rock" apparently and not "the dog". Sometimes regaliing me after pads with the odd chant of , "K1 K1" . That reminds me. There is a 23 year old Japanese K1 Max fighter also training here. I'll get his name. Must be long term becasue he's also enrolled in school. He's really something, especially his hands. Of course the Thais try to kill him daily in clinch sparring. No this camp is not for the faint of heart. Sleep on a cot in a room that is melting. Wake with the sun and train foryour breakfast. Your toilet is a hole in the ground. Though there are four of them! You shower twice a day from a four foot barrel of water with a bowl to pour overhead and ribse. This is also the laundry. The food is nutritious and delightful when you get it, but hunting is part of the fun. The fighters are all young, fit, and helpful in a wolfpack sense. They'll show you your faults let's just say. But from my own experience nothing good in life ever comes easy. If you can buy it without blood, sweat, and tears, you'll never truly own it. My hands and feet are bloody and blistered. My eyes swollen. My neck and now BOTH shoulders pulled and in pain. Pretty sure I pulled my left arse cheek though that may be a latent bowling injury from last Saturday. Despite all this and despite being alone in a crowd. I'm smiling... Until I have to type this later I guess. Chok di Khrap, Rigel - the palest, fattest Kru in the 'hood

Newsletter
Daddis Training Centers Newsletter
March 2007
in this issue
Muay Thai Exam
The IFL (International Fight League) Goes Prime time!
Saturday Wrestling Classes Coming Soon!
Next "South Jersey Grappling Championships" Date Announced!
"Online Training" to be offered to members of Daddis Training Centers!
Children's Mixed Martial Arts "Open House"!
Happy Muay Thai Day!
"The Expert In Anything Was Once A Beginner"

Hello everyone! I have a ton of news and updates for you, so I'll get right to it. See you in class! Brad Daddis



Muay Thai Exam

Regularly scheduled Muay Thai classes will be cancelled this coming Wednesday (March 21st) at our Philadelphia Academy due to the Muay Thai exam. If you are taking test, please make sure you are ready to begin the technique portion of the test by 5:30pm. Do not be late! Good luck!Philly muay Thai students not taking the test that day are more than welcome to train at the Cherry Hill location that evening.



The IFL (International Fight League) Goes Prime time!

It is very exciting to see how far along the sport of Mixed Martial Arts has come. And, now the popularity will soar even more with the IFL being aired on "My Network TV" (Channel 4 in Cherry Hill and Channel 17 in Philly). The show is on at 8pm on Monday nights! Who would have thunk it! Five years ago, MMA on primetime television would have been a dream. Now, it is a dream come true. For those who missed the premiere episode, you can watch it in it's entirety by clicking the link below. Good luck to Coach Pat Miletiches Quad Cities, Silverbacks! They've won the championship that last two seasons in a row and I have a good feeling they will do it again.
watch video...



Saturday Wrestling Classes Coming Soon!

MMA is a combination of 3 major factors... Striking, Submissions/BJJ and Wrestling. To be well rounded, you have to be good in each area of the game. Although we already teach wrestling takedowns and technique in the regular no-gi Submission Grappling Classes, we wanted to take one day a week to focus even more on the takedowns and throws that wrestling has to offer. Many of todays MMA champions are great wrestlers including Sean Sherk, George St. Pierre (not known for his wrestling but a great wrestler), Randy Couture and even Chuck Lidell. They all have one thing in common and that is that they can all wrestle. We are still working on the times for the class. I will know by the middle of next week and will post the times up in the academies. All MMA students are welcome to attend this class as part of their program.



Next "South Jersey Grappling Championships" Date Announced!
The tourney will be held at the Cherry Hill location on June 2nd. This one is going to be even more exciting than the last! For more info, please click on the link below.
Read on...



"Online Training" to be offered to members of Daddis Training Centers!
We will now be offering e training for our members! Members of our schools will be given a password shortly. You will be able to go to the "e training" page of our site and log in. From there you will be able to videos on anything from how to jump rope to how to throw a jab. In this section you will be able to find test requirements, tips, BJJ instruction, Muay Thai instruction and MMA instruction for all of our curriculums! This is just another way to help our members learn and progress in the arts we teach. The e-training page will be launched in mid-April. So no excuses for not training while you are away on vacation! We will keep you posted on the exact start date.



Children's Mixed Martial Arts "Open House"!
I am exciting to announce the start of our Children's MMA classes to begin this Spring. Our Open House is on Saturday, May 12th at the Cherry Hill facility. It is going to be a blast for the whole family! We will have food, games, give aways and more! All day long we will be offering free introductory lessons to the children as well. Keep your eyes peeled for an e- mail all about the details of the open house. If you are a current member, please spread the word about our children's program. We appreciate your help!
Read on...



Happy Muay Thai Day!
Happy Muay Thai Day everyone! Okay, so I am a couple days early, but I didn't want to bother you with another e-mail:)For those that are new to Muay Thai, learn more about Muay Thai day by clicking below and scrolling down to the section about "Nai Khanomtom"
Read on...



"The Expert In Anything Was Once A Beginner"

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Children's Mixed Martial Arts
South Jersey Grappling Championships
email: braddaddis@msn.com
phone: Headquarters:215 467-1008
web: http://www.daddisfc.com

BJJ, Muay Thai, Mixed Martial Arts And More!

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