Tag: Camp

Muay Thai Camp Saturday, 7/27/2019 Day 4… End of year, and pants dropping oh my.

A picture of the whole group. Credit: Elise

Saturday, 7/27/2019 Day 4

Stats:

Steps – 31,935
Calories – 5,337
Active minutes – 394

I finally made it to day 4. I was only able to due this with friends and family supporting me. Every night after a day at camp. We would shower, talk, and I would pass out. Then get up and do it again. I was worried I would not make it this far. I was told there were some people who could not do 4 days. This was an amazing adventure, and I am so much the better for it.

This day my body was tired but kinda resigned to the process. It seemed my body just said ahh well I guess we are doing this again.

Looking back on this day, it was amazing. I got to work some of the most inspiring people in the martial arts.

And while I am finishing this post 5 months later. I wanted to finish this post before the new year. Man did I cut that close.

Total for this whole 4 day period of time we did: 250 rounds, 7500 knees

That is mind boggling. 250 rounds, and 7500 knees!

Having a post take this long is good on some level. I can focus on the highlights of the last day, of the entire camp itself. I don’t have this swirling whirlwind of emotions, thoughts, ideas, and everything just trying to shoulder each other out of the way to get down on the page. I have a bit of clarity. =)

High Lights:

  1. I got to work with masters of the martial art I love Muay Thai. Who are also masters of other martial arts as well.
    • Ajarn Chai ( Surachai Sirisute )
    • Ajarn Parker
    • Ajarn Greg Nelson
    • Trigg
    • Kru Aron (Juice)
    • Khun Kru Carro
    • Khun Kru Elise
    • Khun Kru Krysta (my trainer/coach)
    • Nichole G.
    • Kru John H.
    • Khun Kru Sonya Y.
    • Raja
    • Many more I cannot remember, and all part of my tribe now, my extended family. If I did not get an Title (Ajarn, Kru, Khun Kru) correct please let me know I will make the change.
  2. 1 week of Muay Thai training. It is amazing what you learn just dedicating your time all of your time to one thing. Normally we split it between our obligations, our jobs, our bills, and add training in too. You soak up the training like a sponge.
  3. This kind of good stress, good challenge, good push beyond your abilities, will show you what you are made of. It sounds cliche but it really will. It will ask you to go further than you have before, and you will decide in that instance to give up or continue. To pull from reserves of power, and will that you never though you would before.
  4. You get to see so many people who have the same love you do for the art. You get energized by their love, you get to make connections, and friends with people who dedicate themselves to what they love. That alone is in infectious.
  5. For me it was ground breaking. I got to see masters in their art. I got to get past a plateau I felt I was on. I pushed forward. I have made leaps and bounds in my art.
  6. Last but not least a dropping trousers story of my first Muay Thai camp. One of my now friends, a beautiful lady I met at the camp, whom I love and she is so supportive. Was asked to come up and test for her Khun Kru test, this is the test to go from Kru, to Khun Kru. In it you have to do the Wai Kru. You also have to have Thai shorts on. She did not, and she ran over and asked me to use my shorts. I was wearing workout tights under them. Without hesitation I dropped my shorts and handed them to her. She thanked me up and down. She was so grateful that I was able to help her in the last minute. I would do it again and again. I have grown to love this community, and this is what this community does for each other. We will help out when and where we can. We will do what we can for each other.

Training:

  1. Kick shield – knee – lean to avoid uppercut – knee – teep OR elbow 8 – 6
  2. Kick shield – knee – elbow 4
  3. Trigg 10
  4. If they go to your left, punch straight left
  5. If they go to your right, punch straight right
  6. If they cut in, left hook
  7. Dip and wipe
  8. Shovel hook cross hook (jab)
  9. Shovel hook hook cross

“In a stressful situation, you don’t rise to the highest level of your training, you fall to the lowest level of your mastery.”

John Holt

So yeah… This is 5 months later. I had such an amazing adventure. This is the end of the year, and I look back on this amazing adventure. That I was asked to go to this camp is an amazing honor. I was able to attend Thai Camp in Oregon. This opportunity to learn from some of the best instructors/trainers/coaches ever.

I took time away from my family. I took time for myself. I learned so much about my art, I learned even more about myself.

I plan on going again this next year. I need to learn as much as I can, and I look forward to seeing friends, and team mates again.

Thank you for reading. I am sorry it took so long to get done. I have just had a lot of life happen between then and now like we all do. I did want to get it done before the new year. So yay I did it! Just one day away. I hope you all have a had a fantastic year. I hope the new year is what you all are looking forward to. Keep working hard, keep trying to be the best you can be. As always please feel free to ask questions.

Thai Camp… This was the best and one of the hardest things I have ever done.

Oh man where do I start? 4 days, 10 hour days of training Muay Thai. Working with the best of the best in Martial Arts. I am going to have to break these posts into digestible chunks. I just got home off my flight and am starting to decompress. I got home, showered, started a load of laundry, and took a 2 hour nap.

We did 250 rounds the entire weekend. That is not including instruction and practice. Rounds being 3 minutes with 30 second burn outs. We worked in 5 different stations. Each of the 5 stations we did 4 rounds per station, and many many laps around each station. (note: some of the rounds were 2 minutes, but you get the picture.)

The camp was all outside, in nature, no air conditioning and no gym mats. We worked on uneven ground, with pot holes, grass, gravel, dust, and dirt. We were all sweating up a storm, and we were all working our rear ends off.

This camp was put on by the WBTA (World Thai Boxing Association). It was started by the living legends themselves, Arjarn Chai (Surachai Sirisute) and Guru Dan Inosanto themselves.

It is a camp for instructors and some select students by invitation only. We go to hone our Muay Thai skills and bring them to the next level.

I was asked to come just a month before camp and had less than 4 weeks to condition up. I was honored and amazed to be asked. I was scared I would not be ready, and that I would not make it all the way through camp. I have been told there are people that did not make it and people that leave after the second day.

I knew I was going to learn so much, and that I was going to be pushed to my limits. I was going to be asked to perform like a top notch athlete or like a Thai Fighter. What I did not account for was the community, the family, the love and support that everyone gave, and shared. I now have an extended family of support and love. People that I can ask questions of and know they will help me on this journey. They will help me cultivate my skills for Muay Thai.

I cannot thank Ajarn Chai, and Guru Dan Inosanto enough for taking the first steps to bring Muay Thai and Kali to the United States. For their continuing dedication to spreading and teaching future generations about Muay Thai and Kali. For creating such a wonderful family such as the WTBA and for being so gracious to us all. I cannot thank all the Ajarns and all the instructors enough.

I have a lot of decompressing to do and a lot of notes to go through. But I will post more about my adventure, my learning, and my love for Muay Thai. I will write about all my experience at Thai Camp. Also The food is/was fantastic.

I was invited back again next year, and I can’t wait. But I need to rest now. =)

Thank you for reading, keep your hands up to protect your face, and keep being the best you that you can be. Respect to you all.

Conditioning Day 11… Rest day, and lots of baking

Today was a rest day. It is day 11 in my 22 day Muay Thai conditioning training. I am doing this training to get me ready for Muay Thai camp put on by the WTBA (World Muay Thai Boxing). It is a great honor and very daunting to get ready for in such a short time. I meant to get some yoga in, or something, but I have been baking all day.

I am after all a Pastry Chef and some times my job takes over any of my extra free time at home. I made and decorated cake, 48 gluten free cupcakes, Prosecco raspberry coulis, vanilla/chocolate swiss meringue butter cream, and coconut pastry cream.

The pictures above are a cake I made today. I hand made all the flowers and let them dry for about a week. I made the cake, coconut pastry cream, and swiss meringue butter cream from scratch.

I was bad and did not really eat a lunch today, and boy did I feel it. I went to work and after working at my bakery job today I was ravenous.

So today was a rest day. I did nothing exercise related.

I hope you all had a great day. Keep being awesome and working to be the best you that you can be.