TRAINING IN THAILAND: RAMBAA SOMDET'S GYM
At the beginning of last year, on 11 February, 2016 to be exact; I decided to commit to training and learning Muay Thai, consistently. Prior to that I flirted with the sport. Well... I flirted with exercise in general, but I didn't have the confidence or drive to commit to anything. I was anxious and lazy to put it simply. Being so inconsistent in training, or with anything for that matter, and not seeing any progress, began to make me feel bad. It wasn't long before I found I was the sole reason for my feeling bad. I was constantly letting myself down. I would always find excuses to avoid anything that may have bettered myself, anything I might have failed at, and I would always break the promises I made to myself; especially those to do with exercise. They may have been small promises, but when you never follow through with, or finish anything for yourself, and always let yourself down, it begins to take it's toll. I mean, that doesn't give one a real sense of pride now, does it? Most importantly, I recognised that and decided to make a change; not just for me but for those around me. Especially those who tried to guide me toward a healthier life, both physically and mentally, despite my reluctance and self pity party. Well, it's just under 12 months since I made this commitment to myself, and to say I'm pleased is an understatement. I've learned so much in the past year, and am doing things I honestly never thought I would have had the co-ordination or fitness for. I'm lucky to be a part of an amazing gym/family in Brisbane, Corporate Box Gym; and to be trained by such talented professionals, who really are experts in the sport - my Thai brothers Rock and Moon, and of course my handsome husband.
I also begun sparring; another thing I never thought I'd have the confidence or skills to do, and now something I'm excited to improve and participate in more this year. On top of all that I had the opportunity to train in Thailand. Such an amazing experience that was made even more special with the kind feedback I received from the trainers.
Although I didn't train as much as I would have liked, I enjoyed every minute of it. It won't be the last time we visit, so I'm not overly upset about it - I will do more training next trip. This time I also wanted to have a holiday and a relax. Mission accomplished. After arriving in Pattaya we caught up with Moon who organised for us to train with Rambaa Somdet at his gym around Nong Prue. Rambaa "M16" Somdet is a Thai mixed martial artist, and former Muay Thai fighter, also having fought K-1. To say he is talented is an understatement. He was Thailands first MMA World Champion, holding position of the best 115lb from 2007-2012. Rambaa fights in the fly weight and straw weight divisions, so it was cool to learn from someone little like me. He had a lot of handy tips and tricks specifically for people who may have a disadvantage in reach and size.
Rambaa was also the first K-1 Max Champion back in 1999, approximately. Crazy, hey? He's really captivating to watch in the ring whether its Muay Thai, K-1 or MMA. In between his insane defence, and brutal beatings he's busy dancing around the ring. You can watch some of his highlights below. The gym was set up a bit different to the traditional Muay Thai gyms, and I suspect it is because they teach MMA there also. Whatever the reason, it does not follow the same arduous workout routine you tend to find in the more thai boxing focused gyms. I wasn't complaining, I had replaced training for eating and drinking so an easy transition back into it was ideal. Even still, "easy" wasn't that easy.
After I warmed up we started off doing pads, Rambaa held for me which was cool. I felt as though I was in a good rhythm, my footwork felt sharp and I felt strong. My fitness was the only thing letting me down. I was gasping for air. Gasping.
After a few rounds boxing we did some Muay Thai on the pads. Once pads were finished we broke into a small group and did different drills, both defensive and attacking.
Rambaa walked around helping us out, showing us different techniques and using us as punching bags. We did quite a bit of clinching which was good and certainly appreciated as I haven't done a lot before. Moon was there too, so I got to do some sparring with him.
During our very basic sparring session Moon told me a few things to focus on. I have a tendency to be a bit repetitive so I need to mix up my combinations more; change things and be more unexpected. My partner constantly tells me to engage my core more, and this trip was no different. I'm working on it, I promise.
I can't say I feel 100% confident sparring yet, I just haven't found my rhythm or flow. I guess I haven't practiced too much, come to think of it. I still overthink a lot, I feel as though I need to really concentrate when it comes to throwing combinations rather than it coming naturally to me. I want to get to a point where it just comes to me, where I'm able to be proactive and reactive naturally.
When we returned to Rambaa's gym the workout followed the same agenda. I did pads with another trainer and as much as I'd love to tell you his name, I can't. He spoke less than no English so we didn't get that far. It definitely made doing pads interesting, slightly harder but still fun. I felt didn't have my rhythm as much, maybe because I was trying to decipher what I was being told to do.
Surprisingly enough it wasn't a disaster. We managed to communicate with each other well and I certainly benefited and took some of his lessons with me.
After watching the videos of me training I noticed I'm still a bit unbalanced. My fiancé is on the money with the whole "engage your core" thing. I need to stay strong when I'm blocking and not move backward. I also noticed how lazy I get when I am tired, I drop my hands and start kicking upward instead of turning my hips over more. I got some good feedback from Rambaa, specifically he complimented me on my leg kicks and some defensive work when you catch a kick. My partner said he had good things to say about my technique too which was awesome to hear. I never thought I'd care that much, but hearing it really meant a lot to me.
I loved training here, even though I might be a bit biased as it's the first gym in Thailand I trained at - forgive me. In saying that I think the knowledge Rambaa has to offer is amazing. His MMA background definitely assists in his ability to teach you how to move peoples bodies and limbs around you. If you're not already aware, he developed an elbow technique that was never before seen which he taught us while we were there. It's little things like that as well as his experience and ability to communicate in English (and Japanese) that made learning from him so enjoyable, easy and productive.
If you want to know more about this place then head over to their Facebook page. Otherwise you can visit another write up on 8LimbsUs.
As promised, here is a video of Rambaa "M16" Somdet's highlights.
E.xx
