New Gym

Wow.. so many things have happened since I last posted and I haven't had a lot of time to get to an internet cafe to write about them.

I've taken a break from Sasiprapa for a while. It's been 3 weeks since my last fight and my chest still isn't right. I think maybe something broken so I'm not training hard, mostly jogging.

I did run into an old friend at the local mall from a gym called Sor Ploenchit. The gym takes in mostly kids who have no parents or come from poor families. He's had 260-270 odd fights and won a few belts in Thailand. He's just holidaying here, sorting out some visa stuff before he goes back to Australia to help out with teaching muay thai over there and luckily for me he's the head trainer at this gym so I get to train there for free.

The gym is really impressive. I already knew a few of the kids from last time I visited him there and they're always happy to see us white folk. It's a large gym and really well built. It's obvious the owner has put a lot of thought into its design. It has a hard wooden floor, the ring is softer then I'm used to though, you can work 360 degrees around the bags and the equipment and gloves etc are in good condition. There are a lot of mirrors and floor space in the middle. They even have showers, no hot water, but working showers, not just a bucket of water and a cup.

So I'm planning on staying there for a week or so, just some light training to stay in shape and spend some time with my friend. We play games with the kids, take them to the pool, buy them lunch (they're too poor to eat 3 meals a day) and just muck around with them a lot.

While the gym is good, it's not a tourist gym and doesn't usually take in or train new students so I'll try and make the most of the opportunity and get some photos to post up.

I'll update more as soon as I can, and try and get some photos.

Back into it

This mornings training -
6km jog
2 rounds shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
2 rounds heavy bag
3 rounds thai pads
2 rounds heavy bag
3 rounds technique work
50 knees heavy bag

Not bad for a start up session after over 1 week off. I haven't lost much conditioning or fitness. Looking forward to fighting again in 3/4 weeks time. I ran into the owner of the gym yesterday as I was buying breakfast and he told me to get my ass back to training, train for 3 weeks and fight again. Fun times.

This aftenroons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
3 rounds thai pads
2 rounds heavy bag
2 rounds tyre/footwork with weights
A lot of rounds grappling
50 knees heavy bag

Thats it, end of the day thank christ. After tomorrow I have no excuses, time to knuckle down.

Fight Round Up

Ok so it's been one week since my fight and I've stopped hurting enough to sit down at a computer and write about it.

So on the night of the fight we all got loaded into the minibus to Pattaya. There was about 14 of us and only 13 seats so I got to share mine and after a 2 hour journey, arrived with a sore back. No problem really but it was a sign of things to come.

We got to the Sityotong 'International Stadium' which in reality is a ring surrounded by go go bars. People can sit at the bar and drink and watch two fools smash on. Great stuff.

We all split up and got food then met back at the 'International Stadium' to 'check weight'. Checking weight involved my trainer and another trainer sitting around a pool table surrounded by gogo dancers, matching everyone up based on rough height and experience. I was up against a Thai who had 10 fights experience, and I found out afterwards, had just gotten out of prison. I also drew the last fight (they probably knew it was going to be a short one) which meant I wasn't fighting until around 12:30am.

So I hung around and watched some fights, met an old ex fighter named Chang who gave me some great advice (keep your hands up) in between sipping his beer. He also let me feel his calf muscle (I didn't ask for this).

Eventually 12:30 came and I was started to get tired, but excited to get into the ring. I was still surprisingly calm by this stage.

Got into the ring, managed to not fuck up the wai kru and before I knew it the fight was on. First he kicked me square in the arm and I was surprised how hard it was. Followed by a hook and a flurry of punches, none of which got through (thank god for Changs advice). Once that was over I thought 'fuck this' and wanted to knock this guy out. Up until then I thought it was going to be an easier fight than this.

So I managed to hit him with a few shots straight through his guard, and just worked on simple combinations, 1-2-kick, 1-2-hook-kick. I moved him back into the corner and his leg was starting to give out every time I kicked him. I remember having a brief moment thinking I was going to knock him out very shortly when all of a sudden he stepped up and hit me with a knee (left) to my chest. It winded me but before I got a chance to get my breath back or move he pushed my hands down and hit me with the same shot again, just to the right of my sternum. That was enough to drop me and the fight was over.

It wasn't a straight knee, I actually felt like I'd been stabbed and couldn't breathe properly for a couple of days afterwards. I couldn't lay down from sitting or move around without a really intense pain in my chest. It's been getting better slowly, day by day, but one week on it still hurts and I haven't been training. I'm going to try going for a run this afternoon, just 2kms and see how it holds up.

Surprisingly I met the owner of the gym and he wants me to go back to training tomorrow, train for 3 weeks then fight again, which I will do if I can run today no problem.

Although the fight was over quicker then I wanted, I was really enjoying it and pleased with how I fought (apart from the knockout, obviously). I just wish it had gone on longer but it's all a learning experience isn't it.

Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with some more training news. Thanks to everyone who emailed me, sent messages of support etc. It really does enter my mind a lot when I'm training and fighting and it helps a lot.

Last Sparring Session

Last sparring session this afternoon before my fight on Tuesday. Am I excited? Well...not really, to be honest I'm more looking forward to it being over with so I don't have to run so damn far every day.

Anyway, as promised, here are some photos from Boo's channel 7 fight (lost by 1 point), starting with a random photo of some lighting taken from my balcony.

I hate running. 100% absolutely, jing jing. There is nothing good about it.

In preperation for my upcoming fight, Im running for around one hour before I start training every day.

I have to keep dodging crazy motorbike drivers, sometimes I get chased by soi dogs, and smile at the stupid comments the thais make as I drag my tired carcess past.

Training is as usual, running, shadow boxing, thai pads, bag work, clinch sparring, boxing sparring, sit ups, push ups, eat, sleep, train again etc etc. It's not a glamourous or exciting life. I certainly couldn't write a book about it...well not the training anyway...

This mornings training -
8km jog
6 rounds clinch sparring
4 rounds heavy bag
100 kicks heavy bag
100 knees heavy bag
2 sets pull ups
2 sets shoulder press
2 set bicep curl

I got hit with an elbow this morning, which was unexpected, but it didn't hurt anywhere near as much as I thought it would. Also, I seem to have taken some skin off my ass from doing so many damn situps. Talk about uncomfortable.

Fight

So I'm fighting in Pattaya on the 28th of this month. I have no idea who I'm fighting...I guess it doesn't matter so much.

Nothings really changed at training, I pretty much follow the same routine, except a lot more of everything. More rounds on the thai pads, more push ups/pull ups, more sparring. I sparred 4 different guys yesterday which was um, challenging.

There's a new/old trainer at the gym. When I say old, I think he's worked there before but I'm not sure. He's a terrific pad holder but loves smashing the thai pads into your head. Lots of fun.

Some interesting stuff has been happening at the gym, a couple of guys almost got knocked out during sparring, one guy was left bleeding from his mouth after going at it with a K1 fighter. I'll have some photos of Boos fight on Channel 7 tomorrow. He lost that fight but it was great to watch, a lot of elbows.

I'm exhausted from training and trying to eat as much as I can, so I'll leave it here for now

This mornings training -
4km jog
2 rounds shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
2 rounds upper cut block
1 round teep kick block
3 rounds heavy bag
2 sets shoulder press
2 sets bicep curl

Tee the trainer decided to try and kill me this morning, I don't know why. Good session but I was knackered from only 3 hours sleep last night. 2 x M150 energy drinks saw me through the session though.

Hello everybody.

It has been a while since I updated my blog and I'm in 2 minds as to wether to keep it going.

I had almost 3 weeks off training because of a skin infection (another one!) which pissed me off throughly. In that time I watched a lot of movies, applied for a job and was turned down, and generally just lazed about. I was supposed to fight on the Queens birthday next month, but now I'm not sure if it's still happening.

Martin, as far as prices etc go, it depends on if you're staying at the gym, how often you're training etc. It may have changed since I started training there. The owner of the gyms email is Thakoonp@hotmail.com - you're best emailing him for up to date and accurate info.

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
3 rounds thai pads
1 round teep kick block
1 round upper cut block
4 rounds heavy bag set combos
2 rounds tyre/footwork
50 teep kicks heavy bag
50 knees heavy bag
2 sets shoulder press
2 sets bicep curl
2 sets situps

Day of the Motorcycle Accident

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
4 rounds heavy bag
50 elbows heavy bag
2 x 50 knees heavy bag
2 sets shoulder press (max)
2 sets situps (max)

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
4 rounds heavy bag
2 rounds tyre/footwork with weights
50 elbows heavy bag
50 teep kicks heavy bag
50 knees heavy bag
4 rounds technique work
50 knees heavy bag
2 sets push ups (max)
2 sets bicep curl (max)
2 sets twisting situps (max)

Long day today, although a minor motorcycle accident outside the gym provided a distraction. The kid who crashed was alright, but he was racing another motorcycle when he tried to overtake a taxi and didn't realise he was headed straight towards a parked truck. Anyway, he dropped the bike and slid, clipped the taxi and ended up under the ute. He was fine but the taxi driver was mega pissed off and grabbed him and dragged him into his taxi and drove off. God knows where they went.

This mornings training -
4km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
2 rounds heavy bag
2 rounds thai pads
1 rounds focus pads
1 round teep kick block
3 rounds muay thai sparring
50 knees heavy bag
50 teep kicks heavy bag
50 elbows heavy bag
30 kicks heavy bag
2 sets pull ups
2 sets push ups
2 sets sit ups

And to think I wanted to take it easy this morning because I only got 5 hours sleep last night. Anyway, it was a good session. Ritchie won his fight in Pattaya last night, congratulations man!

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
2 rounds heavy bag
2 rounds uppercut block
2 sets shoulder press
2 sets bicep curl

Lazy lazy. The gym was busy so hard to get any bag work done, but yeah...damn lazy.

National Clinch Day

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
5 rounds clinch/grapple sparring
1 round teep kick block
2 x 50 knees heavy bag
2 x sets pull ups
2 x sets push ups
2 x sets sit ups

I forgot to mention the sword vendor I saw yesterday. In Thailand people ride past all hours of the day or night on bicycles peddling all kinds of stuff, blankets, fruit, brooms, ice etc. Yesterday I saw someone pushing around a basket full of gnarly looking swords and knives for sale. Funny thing is that all the motorbike taxi guys were buying them.

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
2 rounds heavy bag
2 rounds uppercut block
3 rounds clinch sparring
2 sets shoulder press
2 sets bicep curl

Thank god that's over. Most of the ferang went to Pattaya to watch a fight (sure) so the gym was relatively quiet today.

My neck hurts from grappling so much. That is all.

Queens Birthday Fight

This mornings training -
4km jog (because I'm a fucking lazy donut)
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
4 rounds heavy bag
4 rounds technique work
Wai kru practice..just something different I guess
50 knees heavy bag
60 kicks heavy bag

Got asked if I want to fight at the Queens Birthday in August, which I jumped at. Gives me a lot of time to prepare though. Something sooner would be cool but I can't complain about that.

This afternoons training -
2km jog
3 rounds boxing shadow boxing
3 rounds boxing sparring
4 rounds heavy bag
2 sets pull ups (max)
2 sets push ups (max)

Good sparring, have a bit of a black eye but nothing got through my guard, moved around a bit more, felt good.

Got offered a fight on the 11th, I don't know if that's July or August, at Lumpinee or Ratchadamnern but it means I'll have to drop almost 2 kgs. I don't know where I'm going to find that. I wonder how much body hair weighs? Anyway, it's still in the works so I don't know what's happening yet.

This mornings training -
4km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
1 round heavy bag
3 rounds thai pads
1 round teep kick block
3 rounds heavy bag

Bah... no energy whatsoever this morning. I didn't even have the energy to open a second bottle of M150. I was going to go for a swim but I can't be bothered doing that either.

Another Rainy Day In BKK

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
2 rounds upper cut block
2 rounds teep kick block
2 rounds heavy bag
50 knees heavy bag
2 sets shoulder press
2 sets bicep curl
5 rounds technique

Just going through the motions this morning as the gym was busy. I do like being left to train alone though, it really gives me a chance to work on the things I want as opposed to someone barking orders at you.

This afternoons training -
2 km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
2 rounds teep kick block
2 rounds uppercut block
4 rounds grapple/clinch sparring

The gyms over run with Kiwis (NZ) at the moment, but they seem like nice people. Definately have to get out on the piss with them while they're here though.

Internet Warriors

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
2 rounds fast punching
1 round heavy bag
3 rounds thai pads
2 rounds heavy bag
2 rounds teep kick block
4 rounds technique work
50 knees heavy bag
2 sets pull ups (max)
2 sets push ups (max)
2 sets sit ups (max)

Imran lost last night by KO in the 3rd round. Photos up soon

This afternoons training -
2km jog
3 rounds shadow boxing
5 rounds muay thai sparring
3 rounds heavy bag
2 sets shoulder press (max)
2 sets bicep curl (max)

Today on a forum I encountered a keyboard warrior of the highest order. He/she took great offence that I said martial arts gyms back home are overpriced (imo $200 a month is overpriced), and started ranting about all kinds of irrelevant shit, to try and discredit me. Apparently 13 years of martial arts experience is not enough to open a muay thai gym, which is a goal of mine later down the track, nor is training in Thailand from people who have 200/300 fights experience.

Dear reader, every now and then you will encounter some pissant who is either jealous or trying to make up for missing chromosomes, who will try and put you down without knowing absolutely anything about you. These are more common on martial arts forums, but they do exist elsewhere as well. Unfortunately, the easy access of the internet coupled with no parent supervision means anyone can post shit about anything and put other people down in an attempt to make themselves feel good. My point is, arseholes exist, just ignore them. Especially witt from Perth. Actions do speak louder than words, and my actions over the past 13 years mean far more to me than some pathetic child whinging on a forum does.

Teep Kick Fakes

This mornings training -
6 km jog
1 round shadow boxing
3 rounds thai pads
2 rounds teep kick block
2 rounds tyre/footwork with weights
2 sets shoulder press (max)
2 sets sit ups (max)

The pad holder (Tee) taught me some different techniques for the teep kick including fakes. If I could have a session like that every time I'd be happy.

I haven't been doing a lot of ring work lately, no sparring or grappling, but I don't mind that so much for now. I've been pushing myself harder on the pads, learning to relax more and getting more into the thai way of fighting.

Imran Khan is fighting tonight at Lumpinee so as usual I'll get some photos and post them up tomorrow.

Germans and Smoke Inhalation

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
1 round uppercut block
3 rounds thai pads
2 rounds heavy bag
1 set ab wheel (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set pull ups (max)
1 set sit ups (max)

Pad work was good, jog wasn't bad, bag work kind of sucked. One of the guys said I'd lost so much weight over the last 9 days of not training that I look like a marathon runner. God I hope I can fight soon, I'm getting bored of kicking things that don't kick back.

This afternoons training -
2km jog
3 rounds shadow boxing
3 rounds heavy bag
3 rounds thai pads
3 rounds heavy bag
3 rounds muay thai sparring
1 set ab wheel
1 set pull ups
1 set push ups
1 set sit ups

Great fun today, while I was walking to the gym I passed someone who had what looked like an exhaust attached to a chainsaw motor. It didn't take me long to find out what this was as two masked people walked up and down the soi with them, pumping toxic white smoke into the drains. Judging by the amount of cockroaches that came scuttling out afterwards I'm assuming they were to kill the insects or rats, or whatever lives and breeds down there. Of course because the camp is quite open it all came billowing in. If I'm still around on Monday I guess it wasn't so dangerous. Jesus I inhaled a lot though.

Also today, 3 rounds of muay thai sparring with some cockhead. The trainer said 'no power, no power' so as usual I thought, great, no power. I later found out the guy I was sparring was a) German, and b) only here for 2 weeks. I like Germans, but they don't seem to like me and always try and prove they should have won the war by knocking me out.

Anyhow, After 1 round I had enough of being teep kicked hard in the stomach. During round 2 I figured out how to make him teep kick high. During round 3 I caught his kick and aimed a hard kick squarely at his supporting leg. Success! He fell down, swore, got up, hopped around, swore, punched things (static things, not me), swore, and hugged one of the poles so he didn't fall down again. Although I hate hurting people during sparring, there's a limit to the amount of shit I'll take and I'm pleased with how it went because it meant I was able to make him do what I wanted (fake a short jab so he kicked high), and also that I'm using my head while I'm fighting.

Later on, my trainer called me over and I thought he was going to make me do 100 knees or something, but he pointed at my ankle and asked "you block?" I said "I catch, kick, like you teach me" and he let out a hearty laugh. He thought it was great.

Tomorrow's my day off, I'm looking forward to a sleep in. See you Monday if I haven't died from that smoke..

Oh Hi

This afternoons training -

2 km jog

1 round shadow boxing

2 rounds fast punching

3 rounds thai pads

1 round uppercut block

1 round teep kick block

1 round heavy bag

50 x knees heavy bag

1 set situps (about 200)

2 sets pull ups

1 set push ups

6 rounds technique work

Good to be back. I haven't been training for a week and a half because I got an infection in my arm (photo below). It caused my arm to double in size and made me swear a lot. I started on antibiotics before it started swelling because I knew was I was in for, but it didn't prevent it. In hindsight I should have gone to hospital and gone on IV antibiotics. There's always next time (but hopefully not).

So many new faces at the gym, I don't know anyone there...well almost no-one.

Good luck to Phet and Sammuk who are fighting in Germany tonight!

This mornings training -
4km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
5 rounds muay thai sparring
3 rounds heavy bag
2 sets pull ups
2 sets push ups
1 set sit ups

Muay thai sparring is improving, but my checks need to be a lot quicker. I didn't get tagged in the head for a change, probably due to the hard boxing sparring lately making me paranoid about dropping my hands. Felt so funny to do muay thai sparring after all this time boxing though.

This afternoons training -
2 km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
4 rounds heavy bag
4 rounds uppercut block
1 round tyre/footwork with weights
2 sets pull ups
2 sets push ups
1 set sit ups

Ahhh...shit...

This mornings training -
6km jog
2 rounds boxing shadow boxing
3 rounds boxing sparring
3 rounds heavy bag
2 sets pull ups

Got rocked by a body shot shen I was boxing today. Dammit. Usually I don't bother to cover up because 1 - I'm too concerned about getting punched in the head and 2 - I should be able to take them. If one thing is going to let me down in a fight it's my stomach. I do 2 sets of sit ups every day! Getting punched shouldn't bother me! Not a good session, very disappointed.

This afternoons training -
20 mins skipping
2 rounds shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
4 rounds thai pads
4 rounds heavy bag
2 sets pull ups
2 sets push ups
1 set sit ups

This mornings training -
4 km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
4 rounds heavy bag
1 round tyre/footwork
2 sets pull ups
2 sets push ups
1 set sit ups

There are a lot of people fighting at the moment, or getting ready for fights. Consequently I feel like I'm training for nothing. Very annoying and hard to stay motivated but what can you do?

I heard they are remaking the old Karate Kid movie, except its going to be a kung fu style movie? Features Will Smiths kid as the karate kid, and Jackie Chan as Mr Myiagi. Strange concept, I don't know if I'm comfortable with this..Karate Kid was one of my favourite movies when I was young.

This afternoon I ran 2km, then skipped the rest of the session. I was feeling dizzy when I woke up after sleeping this afternoon, and when I was walking to the gym I couldn't walk in a straight line. I got home, drank 2 electrolyte drinks and ate a good meal and will train all day tomorrow and Saturday.

This mornings training -
4km jog (yeah lazy I know)
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads with Bangsen
1 round heavy bag
2 rounds teep kick block
2 rounds uppercut block

Good training this morning, I wasn't left on my own so I learnt a lot about teep kicks and correct way or throwing hooks. It's amazing how different the style here is to what you learn in the west. I'm still tired, but I felt good on the pads for a change instead of killing myself during the run and having nothing left afterwards.

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round boxing shadow boxing
3 rounds boxing sparring
3 rounds heavy bag
3 rounds thai pads
50 elbows heavy bag
2 sets pull ups
2 sets push ups
1 set sit ups

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round heavy bag
3 rounds thai pads
3 rounds heavy bag
1 round tyre/footwork
2 sets pull ups (max)
2 sets push ups (max)
1 set sit ups (max)

I don't know why I'm exhausted today. Too tired to eat, too tired to wash clothes. I felt like being sick after the run this morning. I've started back on the vitamin pills, I hope that helps otherwise I may have to go onto something stronger (like rum).

Congratulations Jo/Nut

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
3 rounds thai pads
1 round heavy bag
1 round teep kick block
1 round uppercut block
50 knees heavy bag
50 elbows heavy bag

Nut won his fight at Channel 7 yesterday. I tried to get some video/photos but some fat people were sitting above and in front of us and I had an ok view if I shifted around constantly but they weren't good seats for capturing any of the action.

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
2 rounds heavy bag
1 round teep kick block
1 round uppercut block
50 elbows heavy bag
50 knees heavy bag
2 sets pull ups (max)
2 sets push ups (max)
1 set sit ups (max)
5 rounds grapple/clinch sparring

I'm training harder in the hope that Takhoon will actually offer me a fight instead of saying I need more confidence or I need more experience or whatever. Everyone else seems to be fighting except me. It's hard to stay motivated when you seem to be training for nothing.

Unlucky Parowit!

Commiserations go to Parowit who fought today at Channel 3. He got hit with an elbow in the second round and while it didn't seem to bother him, it did take 4 stitches to close and is probably what lost him the fight. He still dominated his opponent for most of the fight.

I'm going to Channel 7 tomorrow to watch Jo fight, but here are some photos of todays fight.

Parowit has had a lot of fights lately, so hopefully he can now take a much deserved break and get some rest.

Elbow in the second round that opened him up and put blood all over the canvas.

Typical Parowit sweet. He does this so cleanly and easily.

Body shot that made me squirm because of it's force

Left hook heading straight for his opponents jaw.

I'm an Idiot (News To My Friends I Know)

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
4 rounds heavy bag
2 sets pull ups (max)
1 set sit ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)

Welcome back .. to me! I haven't been training for a couple of reasons, one is I've been sleeping like a dead man, the second is my thumbs been killing me, so much so that I wouldn't have been able to put a pair of boxing gloves on anyway. I had intentions of going this morning but I simply overslept.

So whats new? Well I went to MBK to watch the fight on Wednesday night, but it got cancelled due to threat of rain. I have to say it's been raining almost non stop this week and it's making training impossible due to the slipprey mats. There is some carpet on the mats, but if you dare stay off that carpet 1cm, you end up on your 'gon' (ass). The photo below is not an exageration. It really does flood that badly when it rains in Bangkok.

Other then that, I lost my australian bank card. It's worth mentioning, if you intend to travel overseas, make sure you have a second card at home you can access. I didn't think that far ahead, so I've had a few headaches. Basically I had to do about 30,000 security checks over the phone to my bank in Australia, get a new customer registration number, change my mailing address, cancel my card, reissue a new one, register for internet banking, apply for overseas access then transfer money from my oz bank account to my thai account. Easy? God no. This took at least 3 days, and could have taken a lot longer. I just got lucky that the transfer didn't take the maximum 5 working days. Another lesson learned the hard way. DON'T BE AS STUPID AS ME. GET A SECOND BANK CARD BEFORE YOU TRAVEL.

Sore Thumb # 3

This mornings training -
4km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
3 rounds heavy bag
7 rounds grapple/clinch sparring
1 round heavy bag
2 sets pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set sit ups (max)

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
1 round boxing shadow boxing
2.5 rounds boxing sparring

I'm annoyed. I thought I would be happy if I didn't have to spar because my thumb still hurt a lot after Saturday. But how can I say no? Anyway, I lasted almost 3 rounds when Alex landed a punch on the sore thumb, which made me feel like I was going to vomit. Anyway, it was just an accident so I'm not cut about it, I am annoyed that it means I can't train how I want to tomorrow. I can punch (just) with my right hand, but no sparring and I have to be careful in grappling. I can't put any pressure on it or grab anything with my right hand. I don't know whats wrong with it. It's not broken, that's for sure, but it bloody well hurts.

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
4 rounds heavy bag
1 round teep kick block
2 sets pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set sit ups (max)

I didn't get time to post about yesterdays training but it was pretty standard. Probably the hottest day I've had to train in since I arrived, you could almost feel the heat compressing you as you ran.

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds boxing sparring
3 rounds heavy bag

Boxing was great fun for a change. I got hit a lot, probably the most times I've been hit in one session, but I'm moving more, punching faster, and trying some different combos which I just didn't have the confidence or skill to do before. Got hit with a cracking body shot, which I can still feel. Great fun.

Sabai Sabai

This mornings training -
4km jog
Thai massage

Boy I needed that massage. 200 Baht for 1 hour. Awesome awesome awesome. My legs didn't feel heavy at all after that. Thai massages hurt though, oh god they hurt in places. I might try and get one every month from now on.

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
4 rounds thai pads
2 rounds heavy bag
1 round uppercut block
1 round teep kick block
2 sets pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set sit ups (max)
3 rounds grapple/clinch sparring

Got kneed in a place I didn't want to get kneed at. Apart from that very happy so far, speeds improving, concentration is improving, fitness...well I'm still alive. Tomorrow I'm sparring with someone who has very strong hands so I'm keen to see if I'm learned anything since I almost got my head smacked in last time.

A lot of the people from the gym (mostly Thais) are fighting over the next 2 weeks so I'll have a lot of photos to show you soon, from Channel 3, Channel 7, MBK and Lumpinee Stadium.

RAWN

This mornings training -
8km jog :(
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds kick sparring
4 rounds uppercut block
2 x 50 knees heavy bag

I've really got to stop messing around and being lazy. It's cod rawn (very hot) today, and my ankle was killing me this morning. I'm still struggling to be as fast as I want to be. Although I can see how far I've come in the 4 months I've been here, I still have a long way to go before I'm where I want to be.

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
4 rounds boxing sparring
1 round heavy bag
3 rounds thai pads
1 round tyre/footwork with weights
2 sets pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set sit ups (max)

ha HAAAA! Today was sparring with the guy from Spain (Alex) who has really strong hands (and a strong head kick I found out this morning). However, I got tagged in the head a few times, but only with a jab when he was counter punching. I'm able to cover up now when he throws really strong combos, but it's a bitch trying to look out and watch for hooks. Anyway, confidence has gone up after that, despite having a slightly black eye and bruised/swollen nose.

The camps starting to look like a hospital emergency room. One guy has 13 stitches in his head from a knee from yesterday, another guy has a broken arm...I'm training with cripples!

Hrmmm

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
4 rounds heavy bag
2 sets pulls ups (max)
2 sets push ups (max)
2 sets sit ups (max)

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
2 rounds teep kick block
2 sets pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set sit ups (max)

Pretty standard day at training. I didn't train yesterday afternoon because I was sleeping...whoops..

Left kicks are getting better slowly, footworks improving I think, hand speed is good...ahh its all starting to come together.

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
2 rounds uppercut block
3 rounds muay thai sparring
1 set pull ups (max)

It's incredible how tired I feel after 1 day off. I was talking about this with someone else and they said they have the same problem, like on Monday they are back to square one. I was sparring with a kid who is training and living at the gym, just playing really. He is probably only 8/10 years old and already had 8 fights.

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
6 rounds heavy bag
1 set pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set sit ups (max)

I feel lousy so may not train this afternoon. Got a rest from kicking thai pads which was nice.

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
5 rounds grappling/clinch sparring
4 rounds muay thai sparring
2 sets pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set sit ups (max) (Thanks to the trainer who decided to belt me in the stomach with the focus mitt while I was doing this)

Gym was busy this morning with a group from England over for a few days so only sparring this morning. Met Riddles off muaythailand.com which was cool. Hope you enjoyed your training session and I'll see you again soon mate. Sparred with the thais which is always interesting, sometimes even fun.

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
2 rounds fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
3 rounds heavy bag
3 rounds grappling/clinch sparring
3 sets shoulder press (max)
1 set situps (max)
1 set pull ups (max)

Was grappling with someone new today, who isn't used to how we train. He took it as an opportunity to go as hard as he could, and use the pointy part of his knee. Usually when sparring in the clinch we use the inside so we don't get hurt for the next day. ANYWAY it was ok, he didn't have too much of a weight advantage. Hopefully he's learned for next time.

I Don't Remember Crashing A Car

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
3 rounds thai pads
2 rounds heavy bag
4 rounds grapple/clinch sparring
1 set pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set situps (max)

This afternoons training -
2km jog
3 rounds boxing sparring
2 rounds heavy bag
3 rounds thai pads

The last couple of days have been weird. Takhoon told me I was sparring with Imran on Friday. Imran is one of the best muay thai fighters in the UK. I am not. I asked Takhoon if he was joking and he said he was, but today he told me to do 3 rounds with him. Maybe the joke was that we were sparring on Thursday and not Friday. The Thais have a strange sense of humour sometimes. Imran didn't have a mouthguard. That always means no hard punches to the end, but always ends up in a body shot war.

SO anyway, Geoff killed my neck in the grappling this morning, and Imran killed the rest of my body in the boxing sparring. I've had car accidents that were a lot less painful then this.

Boxing Is Like Ballet, Except There’s No Music, No Choreography & The Dancers Hit Each Other

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
3 rounds boxing sparring
3 rounds heavy bag
2 sets pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set sit ups (max)

Boxing sparring was ok today, was up against Paul who is a very thoughtful boxer and doesn't come at you with the same combinations all the time. I'm still trying to make a strong connection between the physical and mental aspect of fighting, instead of just reacting without thinking to whatever is being thrown at me.

Sammuk is back training at the gym, which is exciting for me at least. Check the videos on the right if you don't know who he is.

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
3 rounds thai pads
4 rounds focus pads
3 rounds heavy bag
3 rounds grapple/clinch sparring
1 set pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set sit ups (max)

Got hammered in the clinch/grapple sparring, I hate to think what kind of bruise is going to be there tomorrow. Learned a couple of new techniques though.

Your Body Hears Everything Your Mind Says

This mornings training -
8 km jog
1 round shadow boxing
3 rounds thai pads
1 round focus pads
1 round heavy bag right kicks
1 round heavy bag left kicks
1 round heavy bag teep kicks
1 set pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set sit ups (max)

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round thai pads
1 round heavy bag
1 round tyre/footwork with weights
3 rounds thai pads
3 rounds uppercut block
1 set pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set situps (max)

I had to post this up because it's funny..and true..

You know you've been in Thailand too long when:

You think it’s normal to have a beer at 9:00 a.m.

You look four ways before crossing a one way street.

You realize that ALL your problems are caused by Thai girls or cranky ATMs.

You put sugar and chilli on your fruit

A Thai cop stops you for a minor infraction and you automatically reach for your wallet.

You think that a Honda Civic is a prestigious car.

You can’t remember the last time you wore a suit and tie.

You think a polo shirt and jeans are formal attire.

Someone tells you that watching Thai politics is like watching two chameleons making love and you understand the analogy.

You aren’t upset when the bar girl next to you eats beetles as a snack.

You haven’t had a solid stool for five years.

You wake up in the morning and realize that you have nowhere to go and all day to get there.

You think white wine goes well with Som Tam.

You understand when your Thai wife says, ‘My friend you’ or ‘Same, same, but different.’

A Thai bar girl you’ve just met tells you that her mother is deathly ill and you just laugh and walk away.

You realize that your Thai wife’s loyalties belong to

1. Her parents.

2. Her brats from a previous marriage to a Thai scoundrel who deserted her.

3. Any remaining blood relatives.

4. The family buffalo.

5. The family’s goldfish.

6. You.

The Thai Navy buys a new submarine and you’re not surprised when the first thing they do is remove the mufflers and hang a garland from the rear view mirror.

You become an expert on buying and selling gold jewellery.

Dogs become animals you'd rather kick than pet.

You flash your 4 indicator lights when driving straight on at an intersection.

It’s two days before payday, so you only go to bars with balloons strung outside.

You realize that all the important words in Thai begin with the letter ‘S’. Sanuk (Fun), Saduak (convenient), Sabai (comfortable), Suay (pretty).

You believe that buying a gold chain is an acceptable courtship ritual, or at least a form of foreplay.

You think a calendar more useful than a watch.

You go to a Thai Boxing match and a soccer game breaks out.

You stand in the shadow of a telephone pole while waiting for a bus.

Only Half Lazy

Saturday mornings training -
2km jog

Thats all unfortunately because I was knackered.

Afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
1 round heavy bag
4 rounds muay thai sparring
1 set pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set situps (max)

Sparring was good because for the first time for a while I wasn't just a punching bag. Was sparring with a girl who has a hard kick. Anyway, it was enjoyable to be able to relax and try out some different things for a change.

He Who Is Not Courageous Enough To Take Risks Will Accomplish Nothing In Life

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
3 rounds thai pads
1 round focus pads
1 round upper cut block
1 round teep kicks heavy bag
1 round tyre/footwork with weights
1 set pull ups (max)
1 set pushups (max)
1 set sit ups (max)

This morning was good, went with the short stocky trainer who is very technical, slow and very strong. Working on developing the correct mental attitude instead of just going through the motions.

Couple of days ago I asked the owner about when I can fight because I'm getting bored of training for nothing. He said maybe June, which made me swear. Of course I have to trust him, but its frustraing to keep training hard then being told you still have another month and a half to go. Anyway, it will give me time to work on some things, get fitter and stronger. Still have bad leg/shoulder/knuckle on my right hand so I'm looking forward to Sunday, ye daye of rest.

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round boxing shadow boxing
4 rounds boxing sparring
1 round heavy bag
3 rounds thai pads
1 round focus pads

Sparring was ok considering I was up against someone with REALLY strong hands. The first couple of rounds he went easy on me, and the last couple he unloaded which was cool. He hit me so hard at one point it seems to have bruised my forehead, but if I can take a punch like that and not get dizzy or have to stop then I don't have a lot to worry about.

The Reward Of A Thing Well Done Is To Have Done It

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
3 rounds thai pads
1 round focus pads
1 round heavy bag
1 round punching bag
1 set pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set sit ups with punches in the stomach (max)

Seems I didn't do a lot this morning, and that's absolutely right. I didn't train yesterday for two reasons, the first being my left calf muscle was really tight and sore. It's still sore today, and I can't kick properly. I think it's from doing 3 rounds just kicking with my left leg couple of days ago. The other reason was I was busy setting up a business here but I'll save the details of that for another blog. Roll on this afternoon...

This afternoons training -

2km jog

1 round shadow boxing

1 round fast punching

1 round heavy bag

3 rounds thai pads

1 round uppercut block

1 round tyre/footwork

1 round teep kicks on heavy bag

1 round tyre/footwork with weights

4 rounds grappling/clinch sparring

1 set pull ups (max)

1 set push ups (max)

1 set sit ups (max)

Thanks Syd (my best mate from home) for calling me today. Thanks to everyone else who offered support/advice about living in a foreign country. The cultural differences just get on top of me sometimes but it's ok. I'm definately not taking this trip for granted and I'm training hard almost every session, pushing myself as hard as I can. Damn it's hot! 40 degrees (I know Australia gets hotter but I'm not training for 4/5 hours a day in it 6 days a week). Apparently there's a tropical storm on it's way down from China.

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
2 rounds heavy bag
3 rounds thai pads
3 rounds heavy bag
1 set pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set sit ups (max)

Pushed out a few extra pull ups and push ups this morning, something must be working. Working up to getting fighting fit (literally). Funny this morning though, the padholder couldn't be bothered holding pads and I couldn't be bothered hitting them.

This afternoons training -
2km jog
3 rounds boxing sparring (I hate boxing)
1 round uppercut block
2 rounds thai pads
3 rounds heavy bag
2 rounds teep kick block
1 set pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set sit ups (max)

Sparring wasn't bad, only got hit a couple of times. One thing I need to work on is my footwork. At the moment I'm just leaning back to avoid punches instead of moving my feet. Put a couple of combinations I learned the last 2 weeks to good use. Still a long way to go..

Right now I hate Thailand. I'm bored of people pushing in front of me in the 7-11. I'm feeling homesick so I went and ordered a pork steak and it wasn't cooked properly (at all?) and I had to wait 30 minutes for the waitress to take my order when there were only 2 other people in there. I'm sick of dodging crazy motorcycle riders with a death wish and agressive dogs. I'm bored of the compressing heat every time I walk outside. Outside of the gym, no-one here seems normal. I asked the trainer at the gym if I can fight and he said one more month, even after I've been working and training so hard. God I want to go home.

First of all, Congratulations to Murray and Alicia from my gym in Australia, Kalamunda Kickboxing for their wins over the weekend at the local fight night. I don't know where Murray found another pensioner to fight. (I can say that because I'm thousands of kms away from him). Congratulations guys.

This mornings training -
None because I slept in.

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
3 rounds heavy bag
1 round focus pads
3 rounds uppercut block
50 knees heavy bag
1 set pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set sit ups (max)

Getting back into the full on training now and it feels great. Although my shin is still a bit bruised and lumpy from last week it's not painful at all. Now working on trying to kick with my left leg as hard as I can with my right.

The head trainers been working on me with my hands a lot this last week or two, so hopefully I won't get smacked in the head so much next time I get into the ring.

West I passed your message onto Imran, he was really happy to get a message from home. Thanks mate.

Congratulations Imran

This mornings training -

6km jog

1 round shadow boxing

1 round fast punching

4 rounds thai pads

3 rounds uppercut block

Yeah lazy day today which is always nice because I still have a few lumps and bruises in various places (including behind my ear?) from sparring. My fitness is improving as I'd hoped. It's so hot here in Thailand right now, I wouldn't be surprised if I lose another 2kgs this month.

This afternoons training -

2km jog

1 round shadow boxing

1 round fast punching

4 rounds thai pads

2 rounds uppercut block

Few people from the gym went to Lumpinee last night to see Imran (England) demolish Joey (South Africa) in less than two rounds. Here are some photos from the fight..

Nothing Will Work Unless You Do

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
4 rounds kick sparring
3 rounds heavy bag

No training this afternoon because Imran Khan (not the cricketer) is fighting at Lumpinee against some Frenchy. As usual I'll post up some photos after the fight.

My arms still swollen, but it doesn't look like their is a lego brick in there like it did yesterday after I got kicked. Interestingly enough, I've worn out an almost brand new pair of nike running shoes after 3 months, because I do so much damn running here.

My First Songkran

First the formalities....This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round fast punching
2 rounds thai pads
2 rounds kick sparring
4 rounds uppercut block

Training was good today, I'm still working on punching hard enough to knock someone out. I have a huge lump on my lower arm from sparring one of the trainers where I didn't check his kick. I have been training the last couple of days, but because it's Songkran (Thai New Year) it's really only been 3 rounds thai pads and a few rounds on the bag or uppercut block.

Now...Songkran here is really something you have to experience for yourself. Basically 3/5 days of partying. The tradition here is to throw water on everyone, and everyone who is outdoors is fair game. The other tradition is to paint peoples faces with white paste. Trucks drive past loaded with people on the back wetting everyone on the sidewalk. The Motorcycle Taxis blocked the street and were drunk and dancing around throwing water everywhere. Everyone is in such a great mood. Last night I went to Silom with my Thai friend and one of my mates from New Zealand. There would have been at least 30,000 Thais there, all in the street, dancing, throwing water around and painting each others faces with paste. It was a really fun night.

Someone asked on comment.. what ever happened the the chick who's number the cop gave you?

Well it took me a couple of days to figure out she was a compulsive liar so I told her to get lost. She broke into my apartment one day and I had to throw her out because security guards here are completely useless. After that she took a massive overdose of drugs and tried to kill herself. Thankfully she survived, but she still lives in the same apartment upstairs from mine. I've blocked all her numbers in my phone and thankfully I don't see her very often so we don't talk at all. Be warned...some girls here are completely nuts.

This mornings training -
6 km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
3 rounds heavy bag
1 round thai pads
3 rounds uppercut block
50 knees on heavy bag

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
2 rounds heavy bag
4 rounds thai pads
1 round tyre/footwork
2 rounds heavy bag
2 rounds uppercut block
50 knees on heavy bag

Working on sparring techniques more, even though I haven't been sparring. Working specifically on boxing defense. Was supposed to spar boxing this afternoon, and despite getting smashed the last couple of times I've done it, I was looking forward to it...but the guy I was supposed to be sparring backed out.

In other news, I've lost 2 kgs this month without trying, so now down to 68. Also, this next 3 days it's the Thai new year (Songkran) so a lot of places in Bangkok are closed, including internet cafes and my gym. So I will continue to run, do a lot of situps, push ups and shadow boxing, but I can't train or update my blog until Thursday at least. Happy Songkran/Easter everybody!

This mornings training -
6km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching on the bag
3 rounds heavy bag
2 rounds thai pads
3 rounds heavy bag
1 round shadow boxing
2 rounds grappling/clinch sparring

Congratulations on Your Belt Julie!

This mornings training-
6km jog (easy!)
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching heavy bag
3 rounds thai pads
1 round sit down and avoid heart attack
1 round shadow boxing
5 rounds technique
50 knees heavy bag
1 set pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set situps (max)

This afternoons training-
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching on the bag
2 rounds heavy bag
3 rounds thai pads
1 round tyre/footwork
2 rounds shadow boxing
3 rounds shadow boxing but concentrating on getting power into my punches
2 rounds uppercut block strong punches only

Still unfit but I'm very quickly getting back up to what I was at before I had to stop. One of the trainers told me my kicks are excellent, but I need more power in my punches, so that's the next thing I'm working on.

As promised, here are some more photos of Julies fight last night.

This mornings training-

4km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching on the bag
2 rounds heavy bag
3 rounds thai pads
4 rounds heavy bag
50 knees on heavy bag
1 set situps (max)

Feel a lot better boxing today, if only my fitness/running was good, I would be very happy indeed. My knees still hate running, and I can no longer tell my body to be quiet and do what I want, I have to listen to it. Anyway, I could run further today, train longer, I think it won't take long to get back up to speed. Soo soo!

This afternoons training -

None, because I went to support Julie at MBK where she was fighting against one of the girls from Tiger Muay Thai for a belt. I'm still editing the photos of Julie, but here are some from the muay boran demonstration to tide you over.

And one of Julie (blue) in action

So I Thought I'd Give This Muay Thai Thing a Try

Tuesday mornings training -
6km jog...almost died
1 round shadow boxing
3 rounds thai pads...almost died
3 rounds heavy bag...almost died

I think after that point the trainers took pity on me and told me that's enough. First time that's ever happened. After being out of action for 9 days I haven't lost any strength, conditioning or speed. What I have lost is fitness.

Afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
3 rounds thai pads
4 rounds heavy bag
3 rounds tyre/footwork
1 set pull ups (max)
1 set push ups (max)
1 set sit ups (max)

I've noticed my knees hate me, especially when I'm running. The mind is willing but the body is weak. I remember I had the same problem when I first started training here so I'll just push on with it and hope they improve. Some new guys at the gym, they all seem pretty cool, but none of them have tried to smack my head off my shoulders yet..

More on Infections

I've been asked some questions, not only via my blog comments but also via a couple of forums I subscribe to, specifically about my infection. As it's raining heavily outside and I'm rapidly becoming an expert on this subject, I thought I'd answer them for your enjoyment.

You've had a couple of infections, how did you get them?

The first was a staph infection, which I caught from grappling/clinching with someone else who had staph. Staph infections are not to be fucked with and it's important you get medicial attention pretty damn quickly.

I was blessed with the second infection from cutting my elbow practicing upwards elbows (sok cheng) on one of the heavy bags where it was ripped. I made the mistake of washing it with soap and tap water, and not a sterilising solution from the chemist. The quality of tap water here is awful so don't drink it, and don't wash open cuts in it! Not even for a dare!

Was the infection due to an open wound sparring?

Well, open wound yes, sparring no. However, Staph infection is contagious and can be spread spread by skin/blood contact so if you have any open cuts, cover them up with bandaids or tape before you spar to avoid any nasty surprises.

Is the gym unhygienic?

Yes, but nowhere near as dirty as a lot of other Thai gyms I've seen. If you're worried about hygiene there are some things you can do, (have your own water, use anti bacterial soap etc) but I've always been a fan of letting my body fend for itself, which in hindsight probably wasn't the best strategy.

Is your infection a boil?

No, and I did consider this when I got the first one too. Back home when I was very young our house got burnt down. We lived in the bush so we kind of had to made do with a tin shack for a while. Anyway, our water wasn't the best and caused us to get boils, which is a fond childhood memory. Actually the infection felt like a pimple for the first couple of days, which is why I ignored it.

How can I avoid infections when I train in Thailand?

Well, you can't. Even the Thai's can't avoid them. My doctor said there's nothing I can really do to avoid them either, and it's a common problem amongst us foreigners. Honestly, if you're only coming for a short time you probably won't have any problems. I only starting having problems after the first month. If you have problems with your lymph node or have a weakened immune system you may need to take extra precautions however.

In closing

Thailand isn't a bad place to get sick, especially if your apartment has free cable tv and room service. The hospitals can be expensive (average 1,000 baht for a first time visit inc medicine), but your trainer/gym should be able to point you in the direction of a decent/cheap one.

The medical attention I've had from the docotors and hospital here has been excellent, and I have no fears about going to a Thai hospital. They do like to prescribe medicine though, so ask what the doctor is giving you and make sure you understand why before you take and pay for it. Once your medicine runs out, it's always cheaper to take the empty packet to the pharmacy/chemist and get a refill rather than paying hospital prices.

That's all until I think of something to write about next time. On the plus side, the nurse I said today said it's looking better so hopefully I can still fight 13-15 April at Sing Buri, even after a week of doing absolutely nothing.

And Dan... I feel so sorry for you mate, to have the same thing on your ass. I can't imagine how painful that must have been. I hope your ass made a full recovery and thanks for letting me know about your similar experiences. I'm also a fan of just cutting the damn thing open and draining it but with a fight coming up hopefully I won't have to go down that route.

Can You Still Fight?

I went to visit my trainer today, to tell him about what had happened and to see about postponing the fight. His first question was "what happened?", his second question was "can you still fight?".

It's funny to me that having one week off training two weeks before a fight is no problem. I feel lazy after one day off, I can't imagine how I will feel after a whole week. But I love the level of committment and focus these guys have, and it's definately what I need. Even though I'm not training I'm still thinking about it. Thinking about countering and defences, and running through previous sparring sessions in my mind as I go to sleep. Training without training..very yoda and jedi mind tricks kind of stuff...

Taking The Bad With The Bad

I have been so lucky this week, I managed to get another infection...this time in my elbow. It's pretty bad too. I went to the hospital and they gave me antibiotics to take for one week plus I have to go there every day to get the dressing changed. If it's no better in one week they will operate.

But the most important thing...NO TRAINING FOR ONE WEEK.

Sigh..

What annoys me is in the best case senario, if it were better in one week, that would still only give me one week to prepare for my fight. I think it's impossible. Anyway, I am very lucky because now I can spend all week getting bored around BKK. I'll be back training as soon as I possibly can though.. it's a pity I'm taking antibiotics because I'd love to cheer my training partners from my balcony sipping cocktails as they run in the afternoons..

Maybe this week I'll profile some of the trainers or something, else I'm going to go stir crazy.

This mornings training
8km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching on the bag
4 rounds thai pads
1 rounds focus pads
4 rounds heavy bag
2 x 50 knees on heavy bag
3 sets situps (max)

This afternoons training
2km jog
1 round boxing shadow boxing
4 rounds boxing sparring
3 rounds heavy bag
3 rounds thai pads
2 rounds footwork/tyre
5 rounds grapple/clinch sparring
2 x 50 knees on heavy bag

Tired...and lazy... I have some photos of Matts fight from last night that I'll post up tomorrow when I'm not so tired and lazy. Matt lost in the final round on stoppage but dominated most of the fight. He was against someone with 10 times the fight experience he had. Karen won easily and is retiring undeafted. God Im tired.

This mornings training -
8km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
4 rounds thai pads
3 rounds heavy bag
2 rounds heavy bag, just kicks

Pretty standard day really, I'm drinking more water to try and increase my energy level.

Found out some more about the fight, apparently it's between 13-15 April at Sing Buri, which is where a lot of new thai boxers get their first fights. I'll post more when I get a solid date. Because it's during the Thai new year (Songkran), I guess they're still working out the schedule.

Whatever You're Ready For Is Ready For You

This mornings training -
8km jog
4 rounds thai pads
1 round focus pads
4 rounds heavy bag
5 rounds muay thai sparring
50 knees on heavy bag

Still feel very tired but at least I bothered to show up. Tomorrow Matt (England) and Karen (New Zealand) fight at MBK...near National Stadium BTS. Entry is free and the fights start at 6pm so come and support them.

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round fast punching
4 rounds thai pads
4 rounds heavy bag
1 round footwork
4 rounds technique work
50 knees on heavy bag

The Obstacle IS The Path

This mornings training -
8km jog
1 round shadow boxing
3 rounds thai pads
4 rounds heavy bag

I'm not ashamed to say I was exhausted after that, but I don't know why. Maybe the weather, because it's starting to heat up, but I'm going to be paying close attention to my diet as well.

Below are some photos from Parowits (Sasiprapa) fight yesterday at Channel 7. He won easily on points.

Wake Up Legs

This mornings training -
8km jog
1 round shadow boxing
3 rounds thai pads
4 rounds muay thai sparring
4 rounds heavy bag just doing kicks
2 x 50 knees
3 sets shoulder press (max)

Yesterday I couldn't train because my body wouldn't let me. I jogged 1.5 kms and it just refused to move. This morning was better, but my legs feel about 10kgs heavier than they are. I hope they wake up for this afternoons training.

My trainer told me maybe I can find during Songkran at MBK shopping centre against a thai. I was waiting for him to laugh when he saw the look of panic on my face but he didn't. I think he was serious..

This afternoons training -
2km jog
1 round shadow boxing
1 round fast punching
3 rounds thai pads
3 rounds heavy bag
9 round grapple/clinch sparring
2 x 50 knees on heavy bag
2 x 30 kicks on heavy bag