Wednesday, November 14, 2007
SPREAD OF MUAY THAI IN SEA (PART 2) -
INCREASING NO. OF GYMS SET UP IN SINGAPORE
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Under Muaythai.sg, there 11 gyms registered and this I believe doesnt cover all existing gyms in Singapore. The variety of gyms serve diverse needs of the population. We have the high-end gyms, such as the Singapore Island Country Club, which serves the upper class clientele who can afford and are willing to pay a substantial price for professional training. We also have community centers which cater to the middle class public. And of course with have the student clubs, like the NUS Muay Thai Club, which not only trains but also participates in inter varsity competitions.
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The gyms in Singapore however contrasts to those in Thailand. Especially when compared to those in the provinces. Singapore gyms provide modern equipment and safety is highly prioritised. As seen in movies, the Thai fighters are very likely to train outdoors. They not only practice on punching bags but also kick trees using their shins to allow them to be hardened. This acts may result in wounds and infections yet it is accepted as a component of the martial art. Hence, the training in Thailand is definitely more strenuous and extreme. It is set up for nurturing of the toughened professional fighter. Singaporeans adopt the sport more for fitness and self defense rather than building a career of professional fighting.
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Singapore gyms also are not like training camps in Thailand. They do not house trainees. They only meet in times of training. This contrasts with the communal spirit of Thai training camps where the fighters train together, eat together and sleep together from a young age. This is most probably due to the martial art not being an integral part of our culture. It is an imported sport from a culture that isn't ours. The practice of the martial art is thus not taken as seriously as it is in Thailand.
Credit:
http://muaythai.sg/muay_thai_gyms_singapore, viewed on 14th November 2007
Pictures: BXG Boxing & Fitness, http://www.bxgfitness.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=61, viewed on 14th Noverm 2007
That's all for now,
Izzah (:* my stories -
5:21 AM
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
ONG BAK
PHEW!!!
Just had yet another dose of Muay Thai in ACTION!!
nope Ong Bak is not the name of the protegonist Tony Jaa who fights with absolute potency..
Ong Bak is actually a statue of a God that is worshipped in a small village, and believed to have powers and divinity to protect the villagers and keep them safe.
so you can imagine the terror when the head of the statue was cut off and stolen by Don!
He was actually backed by triad leader, Khom Tuan, who is the ultimate villain, wheel-chaired bound but held a whole lot of influence.
Tony Jaa, starred as Ting in the film is actually a monk but especially gifted in the the art of Muay Thai. Down to earth and staunch Ting was thrusted into the "limelight" as he vowed to return the head of the deity back to the temple. He landed in the boxing ring by a twist of fate, but it all ended well, with the restoration of the Ong Bak's head back to its original place, and Khom Tuan dead as the head of the buddha crushed onto him.
A serious of chase-scenes, the sweat and the intense and slick Muay Thai moves, breath-taking Muay Thai ring actions against the villains blew my mind as i gaped at the acrobatic flair of Tony Jaa. The actions in the ring actually encompasses three different fighting styles, Muay Thai, standard boxing, Jeet Kune Do.
whoa, the flexibility and potential Muay Thai has.. o.O
The fighting Scene was choreographed almost the perfection, with lots of brutality and dynamism. However, the movie was almost blew out of proportion for its commercialisation purposes, thus, the Muay Thai moves lacked the traditions and was instead, more for a Hollywood blockbuster impact.
nevertheless, as what the film boosted, its--
No stunts, just Raw actions!
What's so significant about this movie is that Muay Thai is now even penetrating the movie industry! It is not confined to the individual's private gym routine or mere interest anymore!
:DDD
[photo credit: affichescinema.com]
BoonEe~ <3* my stories -
7:38 PM
Sunday, November 11, 2007
WHY WE SHOULD TAKE UP MUAY THAI!
This is starting to get sooo addictive. No matter where I go, I'll just automatically look out for stuff that relates to Muay Thai. Hmmss. Think I'm really gaining interest in this sport!!! -big smile-
This current big hoo-ha about Muay Thai has led me to wonder what was so fascinating about it. Is it just like the bubble tea and donut phase that we have experienced but a million times healthier? Or is this sport here to stay? Whether permanent or not, it must offer certain benefits that causes its popularity to soar.
Here's why everybody, and i mean everybody should give Muay Thai a shot! (this is purely from a girl's point of view)
1. The movements that involve twisting the hips and waist will guarantee a drop-dead gorgeous body in like 3 weeks. -winks-
*Warning: Abdomen's gonna hurt like crazy for the first couple of days!
2. Muay Thai really trains our stamina. Great for preparing for all those marathon shopping trips! =)
3. It's always good to know some form of self-defense. Because it's better to be safe than sorry. Especially when we're such pretty ladies. =P
4. Most people are able to master the self-defense techniques of Muay Thai in a relatively shorter period of time as compared to those of other martial arts.
Remember that there are always 2 sides to the story...
So, before we get all excited and start signing up for Muay Thai classes... Here are some information that we should know:
- Physical strength is not everything. But it determines how long you can defend yourself.
- Older people are not as effective as the younger generation in using Muay Thai during fights.
- Don't even think of battling with someone who looks bigger and more muscular than you. Because you'll lose (most of the time).
- Be careful during training.. Or back and neck problems will haunt you during old age.
I guess that as long as we take care of ourselves during training and practices, everything will be well and dandy~ So, for beauty's sake.. erms. as well as health and safety's sake, start those lessons!!! =D
Information obtained from: http://www.usmta.com/Fighting%20Systems%20FRAME.htm
**Wan Shin
(training to be a promoter for some Muay Thai gym. =P)* my stories -
11:46 PM
WOMEN'S DILEMMA
Sometimes being a women can really be tiring. We cannot talk or laugh loudly in public, cannot open our legs wide in public, have to wear those killer heels(ironically, heels is classified as a sex symbol and men like it very much), make sure that we are well-maintained everytime (imagine the time spent on make up and setting the hair), the list is endless. Women are stereotyped to be demure, gentle, loving and tender. And if you are not, oops sorry, u are classified to be more manly....
You see even though women in Thailand are increasingly participating in Muay Thai, they fight their guts out during the match, regardless of how messy their appearance is on stage. But once you are off the stage, ooo...totally different story. You have to be demure again and portray the role of a gentle little women.
Not only does this happen in Thailand,in fact on global status. That day, i was waiting for a bus to go home, there was this old Malay lady who asked me whether this bus go to her destination. I said "yes". Later she asked me where i was studying at and i told her NUS. So she went on to say that i must work harder to get a good degree. Then this question came, she asked, "So are you more of a career women or a home-based women". I do not know how to answer her question so i just give a (weak) smile. So she go on to say that women have to juggle between work and family and it is hard to get a balanced stand among this two. So she went on to say that whether i was thinking of attaining better degree like a Phd. She said that it is easy for men to study more because thay can afford to get married at a later age but women, cannot!!
This make really think that although nowadays society always say that both and women have equal status. But...it is hard to do so. We have heard of stories where women complained that others have taken over their job after they came back from their maternity leave. Or worse, SACKED!!!! So how can we have equal status as the men? Question worth debating...
Esther -_-???* my stories -
5:03 PM
RESPECT AND SALUTE FOR WOMEN
Hmm....to add on to xiaokai's point. There are many boxing organizations operating mainly in the rural areas. Women boxers will participate actively in the sport, not because they love the sports (maybe a few of them really like the sports), but because participating in a match will bring them some source of income to supplement their family. After reading such a fact, i was totally disheartened. They are so poor thing...they fought so much and suffered from many injuries like a bloody nose just to get some meagre income. Haiz...
Facial appearance is like the most important part for women. But in order to help alleviate their family from their dire state, they have to sacrifice! Really respect them. (SALUTE!!) This makes me think how fortunate we are to be born in Singapore where most of us do not have to worry that even our basic needs will not be meet. Sometimes, we really have to see the worse side of life before we realized how fortunate we are and will start to treasure the things that we posses.
To know more about women's status in boxing, you can visit: http://www.horizonmuaythai.com/women_boxing.html
Esther -_-''''* my stories -
4:36 PM
SOME OF THE REASONS HOW MUAY THAI GOT SO POPULAR
- MEDIA & CREATIVE EMPLOYMENT OF THE ART
Hey hey hey! Thai boxing in Singapore is getting more and more popular.. actually i feel that the media influence plays a big part in promoting Muay Thai in singapore. The rising number of people interested in the Thai boxing maybe also because of movies like "Ong Bak" , " Muay Thai Chaiya" and "Beautiful Boxers". Such movies portray that boxers are calm, determined and fit.
Being a Singaporean, actually we are quite concern with our appearance and the way we portray ourselves in front of others. HAHA! With the influence of the movies, some Singaporeans naturally will fall in love with Thai boxing. The spreading of Muay Thai in Singapore is still going strong this year as 16 of the world’s top Muay Thai players were here in Singapore for the filming of the Asian version of American’s reality show “The Contender” which will be shown on AXN channel next year! I can actually see how excited Thai Boxing Fans are! I believed that with this reality show will it will definitely bring more awareness about the Muay Thai boxers in singapore and bring about a hike the number of people interested in Muay Thai in Singapore.
Actually i also found out that Muay Thai is also a route for females in jail to gain freedom. In Thailand, there are women who are trained in Thai boxing and if they gain recognition and win in the championship, their prize for the competition will be freedom. Hence in another words, if they win they will be freed from jail sentence. I feel like in such manner, it kinds of act as a motivation for women in jail to take up Thai boxing so as they will be able to get out of jail in the shortest time! I actually find that its a creative idea to do so! ( : hahaha
*xiaokai =]
p/s [credits:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/306396/1/.html http://www.muaythai.com.sg/
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2823712
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/06/14/national/national_30036811.php ]* my stories -
3:08 AM
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