No Mercy, No Escape!

[William]

Cont...

Modern Thai Boxing:

The high incidence of death and physical injury led the Thai government to institute a ban on muay thai in the 1920's, but in the 1930's the sport was revived under modern regulations based on international Queensbury rules. Bouts were limited to five three-minute rounds seperated by two-minute breaks. Contestants had to wear international-style gloves and trunks (always either red or blue) and their feet were taped - to this day no shoes are worn.

There are 16 weight divisions in Thai boxing, ranging from mini-flyweight to heavyweight, with the best fighters said to be in the welterweight division (67kg maximum). As in international-style boxing, matches take place on a 7.3 sq meter canvas-covered floor with rope retainers supported by four padded posts, rather than the traditional dirt circle.

In spite of these concessions to saftey, all surfaces of the body are still considered fair targets and any part of the body except the head may be used to strike an opponent. Common blows include high kicks to the neck, elbow thrusts to the face and head, knee hooks to the ribs and low round kicks to the leg and calf. A contestant may even grasp an opponents head and pull it down to meet an upward knee thrust. Punching is considered to be the weakest of all blows and kicking merely a way to "soften up" one's opponent; knee and elbow strikes are decisive in most matches.

To be continued...

[NRC]

Bill!

I just sent an email to your spiritone account. Hope your move went well. Drop me a line sometime if you get a chance.

Nate

[William]

Cont...


The training of a Thai boxer, and particularly the realationship between boxer and trainer, is highly ritualised. When a boxer is considered ready for the ring, he is given a new name by his trainer, usually with the name of the training camp as his family name. For the public, the realationship is perhaps best expressed in the ram muay (boxing dance) that takes place before every match.

The ram muay ceremony usually lasts about five minutes and expresses obeisance to the fighters Khruu, the trainer, as well as the guardian spirit of Thai boxing. This is done through a series of gestures and body movements performed in rhythm to the ringside musical accompaniment of Thai oboe (pii) and percussion. Each boxer works out his own dance, in conjunction with his trainer and in accordance with the style of his particular training camp.

The woven headbands and arm bands worn by the fighters in the ring are sacres ornaments which bestow blessings and divine protection; the head band (mongkon) is removed after the ram muay ceremony, but the arm band (kruang rang), which actually contains a small Buddha image, is worn throughout the match. After the bout begins, the fighters continue to bob and weave in rhythm until the action begins to heat up. The musicians play throughout the match and the volume and tempo of the music rise and fall along with the events in the ring.

Colored belts denoting training ranks, such as those issued by Karate schools, do not exist in muay thai. As one well known muay thai trainer has said, "The only belts Thai boxers are concerned with are the Lumphini Boxing Stadium and the Ratchadamnoen Boxing Stadium championship belts". Lumphini and Ratchadamnoen, both in Bangkok, are Thailand's two main muay thai venues

To be continued

[William]

Cont...


As Thai boxing has become more popular among westerners (as both spectators and participants) there are increasing numbers of bouts staged for tourists in places like Pattaya, Phuket, and Ko Samui. The action may be genuine, but it's amateurish and the judging is way below par. Nonetheless, dozens of authentic matches are held daily at the major Bangkok stadiums and in the provinces (there are about 60,000 full-time boxers in Thailand) and these are easily sought out.

Several Thai nak muay have also won world championships in international-style boxing. Khaosai Galaxy, the greatest Asian boxer of all time, chalked up 19 WBA bantamweight championships in a row before retiring undefeated in December 1991. At any given time Thailand typically claims five concurrent international boxing champions - usually in the flyweight and batamweight categories.

Meanwhile, in some areas of the country, a pre-1920's version of muay thai still exists. In North-Eastern Thailand, muay boraan is a very ritualised form that resembles tai qi chuan or classical dance in its adherence to set moves and routines. In pockets of Southern Thailand, fighters practicing muay katchii still bind their hands in hemp, and a more localised southern style in Chaiya uses the elbows and forearms to good advantage. Each year around Songkhran (the lunar new year) in April, near the town of Mae Sot on the Thi-Mayanmar border, a top Thai fighter challenges a Burmese fighter of similar class from the other side of the Moei River to a no-holds barred, hemp-fisted battle that ends only after one of the opponents wipes blood from his body.

To be cont...

[William]

Cont...

Another traditional martial art still practiced in Thailand is Krabi-Krabong (literally, sword-staff). As the name implies, this art focuses on hand-held weapons techniques, specifically the Krabi (sword), Plong (quarter-staff), ngao (halberd), daap sawng meu (a pair of swords held in each hand), and mai sun-sawk (a pair of sheild-like clubs strapped to each arm). Although for most Thais, Krabi-Krabong is a ritual artifact to be displayed at festivals or tourist venues, the art is still solemnly taught according to a 400-year-old tradition handed down from Ayuthaya's Wat Phutthaisawan. The King of Thailand's elite bodyguards are trained in Krabi-Krabong; many Thai cultural observers perceive it as a 'purer' tradition than Muay Thai.

Like Muay Thai 70 years ago, modern Krabi-Krabong matches are held within a marked circle, beginning with a Wai Khruu ceremony and accompanied throughout by a musical ensemble. Thai boxing techniques and judo-like throws are used along with weapon techniques. Although sharpened weapons are used, the contestants refrain from striking their opponents - the winner is decided on the basis of stamina and technical skill displayed. Although an injured fighter may surrender, injuries do not automatically stop a match.



Side note: Chalambok is welcomed to point out any inaccuracies possibly present.

Courtesy of The Lonely Planet.

William

[William]

More on Muay Thai History.

I was unable to locate the source that I obtained this write up from. I found it a year or two ago. If anyone recognizes it, please let me know.

William


The history of Muay Thai is the history of the Thai people - both though are difficult to discover.
When the Burmese army sacked and razed Ayuddhaya to the ground, the archives of Thai history were lost. With them, much of the early history of Muay Thai also went.
The little we do know, comes from the writings of the Burmese, Cambodian, early European visitors and some of the chronicles of the Lanna Kingdom - Chiangmai.
What all sources agree on, is that Muay Thai began as a close combat battlefield fighting skill. More deadly than the weapons it replaced.
As to where Muay Thai came from, its evolution, the sources aren't clear and often contradict each other. But there are two main theories.
One says that the art developed as the Thai people moved down from China; honed in the struggle for land. The other theory says that the Thai people were already here and that Muay Thai developed to defend the land and people from constant invasion threats.
The second, while controversial, has considerable academic backing and archaeological evidence. The first is, however, possible as the area opened up to the early pioneers.
What is known is that Muay Thai was an essential part of Thai culture right from its dawn. And in Thailand, it's the sport of kings.
In olden days, national issues were decided by Muay Thai contests.
The first great upsurge of interest in Muay Thai as a sport, as well as a battlefield skill, was under King Naresuan in 1584, a time known as the Ayuddhaya period. During this period, every soldier trained in Muay Thai and could use it, as the King himself did. Slowly Muay Thai moved away from its root in the 'Chupasart' and new fighting techniques were evolving.
The change in the art was to continue under another fighting King - Prachao Sua - He loved Muay Thai so much that he often fought incognito in village contests, beating the local champions. During the reign of the Tiger king. the nation was at peace. The King, to keep the army busy, ordered it to train in Muay Thai. The interest in the sport was already high but now it took off yet again.
Thai Boxing became the favourite sport and pastime of the people, the army and the King. Historical sources show that people from all walks of life flocked to training camps. Rich, poor, young and old all wanted some of the action. Every village staged its prize fights and had its champions. Every bout became a betting contest as well as a contest of local pride. The betting tradition has remained with the sport and today large sums are wagered on the outcome of fights.
Thai boxing has always been popular but like most sports, there have been times when it was more in fashion. In the reign of King Rama V, many Muay Thai matches were Royal Command fights. These boxers were rewarded with military titles from the King. Today the titles, like Muen Muay Mee Chue from Chaiya or Muen Muay Man Mudh from Lopburi are virtually untranslatable. They mean something comparable to Major of Boxing. At the time they were much prized and respected titles.
The Rama V period was another golden age for Muay Thai. Boxing camps were set up, talent scouts - at Royal Command - recruited potential boxers from up country. Match makers began to make the great matches which were fought for big prizes and honour. This thrilled the people then as much as the main bouts do today at the Bangkok boxing stadiums.
The matches then were not fought in a ring as we know it today - for Muay Thai that is a recent innovation. Any available space of the right size was used, a courtyard, a village clearing.
It wasn't till the reign of King Rama VI that the standard ring surrounded by ropes came into use, as did time keeping by the clock. Before this period, time keeping was done by floating a pierced coconut shell on a boat of water. When the coconut piece sank, a drum signalled the end of the round.
Muay Thai has always been a sport for the people as well as a military fighting skill. In all its golden ages, the people have trained and practiced the sport whether they were King or commoner. It was a part of the school curriculum right up to the 1920's when it was withdrawn because it was felt that the injury rate was too high. The people however, continued to study it in gyms and clubs just as they do today.
For centuries the army fostered Muay Thai. Soldiers have trained and used the techniques for as long as there has been an army in Thailand. For the military it has always been the close combat fighting skill, the martial art of the battlefield. When a Thai soldier fights hand to hand he uses Muay Thai. But then so does every Thai person, male or female. Watching it, learning it, copying it is a part of Thai childhood. It always has been.
The people have always followed the sport and have been instrumental in moving it from the battlefield to the ring. They have been as much a part of making it a sport as have the Kings. One of the prime movers in transforming the sport was the Tiger King, who not only influenced fighting styles but also the equipment.
During the reign of the Tiger King, the hands and forearms began being bound with strips of horse hair. This was to serve a dual purpose - protect the fighter and inflict more damage on the opponent. Later, these were replaced by hemp ropes or starched strips of cotton. For particular challenge matches and with the fighters agreement, ground glass was mixed with glue and spread on the strips.
The changes that the sport has undergone have been changes to equipment used rather than radical change. For example, Thai fighters have always worn groin guards. A kick or knee to the groin was a perfectly legal move up until the 1930's. In the early days, the protection was made from tree bark or sea shells held in place with a piece of cloth tied between the legs and around the waist.
The groin guard later became a triangular shaped pillow, red or blue, tied around the waist with a through strap between the legs.
The pillow went, after a boxer on a trip to Malaysia saw a groin box. He came back with the idea, which is close to the original idea of the sea shell and since then, Muay Thai fighters have used them.
The 1930's saw the most radical change in the sport. It was then that it was codified and today's rules and regulations were introduced. Rope bindings of the arms and hands were abandoned and gloves took their place.
This innovation was also in response to the growing success of Thai Boxers in international boxing.
Along with the introduction of gloves, came weight classes based on the international boxing divisions. These and other innovations - such as the introduction of five rounds - substantially altered the fighting techniques that the boxers used causing some of them to disappear.
Before the introduction of weight classes, a fighter could and did fight all comers regardless of size and weight differences. However, the introduction of the weight classes meant that the fighters were more evenly matched and instead of there being one champion, there became one for each weight class.
Most Muay Thai fighters belong to the lighter weight classes. Seventy percent of all fighters belong to the fly and bantam weight divisions. There are welterweight and middleweight fights but they are not seen that often and the heavier categories seldom fight.
The establishment of stadiums, instead of makeshift rings and courtyards, began during the reign of Rama VII before the Second World War. During the war, they gradually disappeared but mushroomed again soon afterwards - Muay Thai had not lost any of its appeal. The boxers from up-country once again headed toward fame and fortune in Bangkok.
The glory could be found at stadiums like Rajdamnern and Lumpinee. Later, they fought in full colour fury on television. Thailand's Channel 7 started broadcasting the fights in colour over 20 years ago. Today all four Thai television stations broadcast free to millions of Muay Thai fans throughout Thailand - four nights a week.
The battle art has evolved into a popular sport. Ruled, codified and now with five three minute rounds, each with a two minute recovery period between rounds.
Those old timers around today who fought before the second world war, lament the changes brought about by the standardisation of the sport. The three minute round and weight classes has, they say, changed the sport as they remembered it.
"We had to fight all comers," one recalls. "Had to know all the tricks of the trade. We used strikes and techniques these fighters haven't even been taught. We didn't have these breaks and instead fought 'till one of us dropped."
They are also right. Muay Thai has changed across the years. Changed and evolved from a battlefield close quarters killing ground technique based on a fighting tradition passed on from generation to generation up to the present time.
But despite the changes of history, Muay Thai has lost none of its exotic appeal and even mystique. Muay Thai is still the fighting art to beat. The fighting art that defeats all challenges from Kung Fu, Karate, Taekwando and the latest kickboxing fashions. They have all come to Thailand, not just once but many times and from many places to test themselves.
Muay Thai has lost none of its appeal in Thailand. The television fight broadcasts rate among the Kingdom's most popular programmes.
In the provinces, villages cluster around any available TV to watch. In the city, people disappear from the streets while Thailand is watching Muay Thai.
Thai Boxing is also becoming increasingly popular outside of Thailand. It has its enthusiasts and practitioners in the Americas, Australia, Japan, Europe, as well as in many other countries around the world.
The illustrious history of Muay Thai will continue as it receives greater recognition and gains in international popularity.

[William]

Here is more on Krabi-Krabong written by Tony Moore.


Written by Tony Moore in remembrance to Por Kruh Samai

Some years ago I was watching TV, just relaxing in the late evening. My day had been taken up first by work and then afterwards play, which in my case was training in Muay Thai (Thai Boxing). Watching a Programme Transworld Sports and not paying too much attention suddenly the sound of Thai music and a picture of a Thai flag appeared on the screen. My attention was grabbed! This was my first real look at Krabi Krabong. The school featured in the Programme was the Buddhai Swan Swordsmanship Institute of Ayutthaya. On the Programme they announced that Arjarn Samai Mashamana was the only living Great Grandmaster of this ancient fighting art of Thailand.
In the interview Arjarn Samai showed many weapons and his family gave demonstrations of this fascinating fighting art. I was sold! My ambition was then to visit that school. It took me nearly a year before I found it. When I was visiting Thailand I asked many people if they knew about the school. Many did but nobody seemed to know where the school actually was. When I did eventually find it, I met the old man who I’d seen on TV. Little did I know that this person was to have a profound effect on the rest of my life.
Arjarn Samai came across a real gentleman in every sense of the word. He showed me around, talked to me about |Krabi Krabong and the Buddhai Swan and showed me many photos. In some of the pictures I noticed a foreigner, (which I later discovered to be Jason Webster from the USA who was the firs foreign student to gain a Gold Sash at the school.) So I, jumping in with both size nines, asked how one would become a student – well you never know until you ask! "Oh" the Great Grandmaster answered "You have to be personally introduced by a member of the school or a high-ranking officer or official of the Thai army or government" he told me.


Written by Tony Moore in remembrance to Por Kruh Samai

Well it just so happens that I have a very good friend in Thailand who works for the Crown Property Office. I contacted my friend and asked if it would be possible for him to come along to Buddhai Swan with me and also to give me a letter of introduction. We went back to the school and I was lucky enough for Arjarn Samai to accept me as a student.
The Buddhai Swan being steeped in tradition and adhering strictly to the old ways, the student must go through an Induction Ceremony. This began with prayers and offerings to the sacred shrines at the school. And the reciting of the pledge by the student to be faithful; to the art, the school, the head teacher and all the students. The student is then asked to drink holy water from the shrine. This is from a huge urn in which all swords from great warriors and teachers of the school are immersed. It is said that if one breaks the vow, any bad thing the student does will return to him ten-fold. The same is said if anybody dares to harm a student of Buddhai Swan.
After the ceremony the student is taken away to learn the dance known as Yodt Kru (the acceptance dance). Then the training began. My allotted time was from 11am to 4.30pm every day but some days I would stay at the school until 6pm. At the end when I was to say my farewells to Arjarn Samai and his family, I was told I would be awarded Red Sash (Instructor Grade).
Can you imagine the thrill; all I had wanted was to just visit the school. And then to train at the school but here I was an accepted member and representative for the school. This was my introduction to Arjarn Samai and the Buddhai Swan School. Since then I have had many opportunities to learn at the school, to get to know the history of both Arjarn Samai and the founding of the school. I would like to take you now into a world of wars and battles, mysticism, spirits, heroism and sacrifice which is interwoven with the story of Buddhai Swan.


Written by Tony Moore in remembrance to Por Kruh Samai

The history of Buddhai Swan is rather incomplete because all records were destroyed in the great siege of Ayuddhaya in 1767 so most of the facts stated here have been passed down by word of mouth through successive generations. King U-Thong (Rama Thibodi I) founder of the city of Ayuddhaya built the Buddhai Swan Temple in Ayuddhaya in 1350. The Temple belonged to the monks from Lanka and also housed a school for teaching Thai weapons. The system taught is believed to have been Phraya Arjarn Prong’s and the Pichai Sung Kran system. The school was established to teach the Siamese art of self-defence, Krabi Krabong.
Major Generals and all Officers’ of the army attended the school to teach them the methods by which to protect their country. And themselves It is a recorded fact that three Kings trained at the Buddhai Swan Temple: Phraya Taksin, Putt’ a Yodt Fa and Somdet Paworn Raja Chao Mahaseeha Sook Raknarn. Probably the most famous of these three King’s would be Phraya Taksin. To write even a brief history of his many exploits would take up a whole tome by itself.
Suffice it to say and I quote "Taksin, one of the most remarkable men who ever wore the crown of Siam" (from "A History of Siam by W.A.R. Wood). We cannot talk about King Taksin of course, without mentioning his renowned Commander-in-Chief Phraya Pichai Daab Hak (Daab Hak meaning Broken Sword). In the heat of a fierce engagement his sword broke in two. With one sword and the hilt of the broken one he led his army to victory.
On two occasions Ayuddhaya fell to the Burmese. The first time during the reign of King Naresuan the Great 1555-1605. An outstanding warrior King from Thai history, not only saving Ayuddhaya but declaring Siam’s independence from Burma. The second time was in 1767.


Written by Tony Moore in remembrance to Por Kruh Samai

During this time, Ayuddhaya was a centre for trade and commerce and the fighting arts were sadly neglected. The city was easy prey for the Burmese who supposed that if they captured Ayuddhaya and with it the Temple of Buddhai Swan, it would weaken the Siamese people because it was the Burmese belief that Buddhai Swan was the fighting spirit of Siam.
Fortunately this was not to be. They had done wrong to a student of Buddhai Swan; in this case, Phraya Taksin and the prophecy once again proved true, when King Taksin, rising from the ashes of the destroyed Ayuddhaya, built up his own army and routed the Burmese with great loss to the enemy. (Incidentally, during the same period a similar school existed in Burma named Samnak Daab Pra Kanee. This school no longer exists today.) On Two occasions, warriors from Buddhai Swan have played a major role in keeping Siam a free country. Solid proof of the efficacy of the fighting system taught by Buddhai Swan.The name Buddhai Swan is something the Thai people are rightfully proud of.
Gradually throughout the next two centuries the Temple of Buddhai Swan fell into disrepair, until the birth of somebody destined to re-establish the school’s fame. No man could have been better suited to carry the name of Buddhai Swan forward into the 20th century than Por Kru Samai Mashamana who loved his King and country and his students who became part of his immediate family.
Nothing and nobody was more important than the preservation of the Siamese art of self-defence. Today the original Temple of Buddhai Swan is being excavated and many artifacts and treasures have been discovered at the site. A monument to the three kings who studied there stands proudly on the site as a reminder of the school’s glorious past. Arjarn Samai Mashamana (who was known to his students as Por Kru, meaning father-teacher) was born on 5th May 1914 in the Maharat District of Ayuddhaya.


Written by Tony Moore in remembrance to Por Kruh Samai

His father worked with the countryside development agency and was believed to be the only expert in the full traditional weapons system of Thailand. We believe that it was from his father that Por Kru Samai’s interest and love of the weapons system began. After these wars, the Siamese capital was moved from Ayuddhaya to Thonburi and then to it’s present site Krung Thep (Bangkok).
This move was instigated by King Taksin because the new site was far easier to defend and more importantly because Ayuddhaya was irreparable. A man of high moral principles, Por Kru Samai dedicated his life to humanity. Early in his life he worked as a teacher in youth clubs in no less than thirty-six provinces across Thailand. He was also a very famous photographer for the PIM-THAI newspaper. Due to the nature of his pictures he found himself in life-threatening situations on at least two occasions. During the Second World War, Por Kru Samai worked closely with the underground movement who was attempting to undermine the Japanese occupation. He wrote the truth about the now infamous "Death Railway" and the corruption, which was rife at that time, This also must have been a very dangerous time for him. Just after the war, Por Kru received an incandescent vision from the spirit world.
n the vision he was told to rebuild the Buddhai Swan Sword Fighting School of Ayuddhaya. The following day, Por Kru, motivated by the vision, walked for miles seeking the designated place to build the school. He was led to a large tree, the place where the school would in the future be re-constructed.
His sole possessions were fifty satang -½ baht (nowadays the rate is 58 baht = £1.00) and a small bag containing that day’s rice ration. Undaunted, he went into the bush at the side of the path to cut himself some rattan and bamboo from which he could fashion some training weapons.


Written by Tony Moore in remembrance to Por Kruh Samai

Passers- by stopped to ask him what he was doing. He explained that he would soon be opening a sword fighting training school named after the historically famous "Buddhai Swan." In a short time people began to train there and news travelled quickly about the Great Grand Master with knowledge of the full system of the Nation’s self defence and traditional martial arts. Just as in the past, many high-ranking army and police officers became students of the school. As the school’s fame spread, wealthy benefactors presented themselves to Por Kru wishing to become Patrons of the Institute. Very soon their contributions helped to re-construct a purpose-built school dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of Thailand and to helping promote Krabi Krabong worldwide.
In 1956, His Majesty the King of Thailand presented Buddhai Swan with their own Standard. This flag was awarded to the school for their dedication in educating people in the Thai weapons and culture of their Nation. On 6th November 1957, Buddhai Swan received legal permission from the Ministry of Education to promote traditional Thai Fighting Arts and to organise Krabi Krabong worldwide. Por Kru has since been honoured many times by the Thai Nation. Two of his most coveted awards were presented to him on behalf of His Majesty the King.
The first for his dedication to the art of Krabi Krabong and second to "A real Thai Person" meaning polite and humble, and also for "Helping the Thai people to know more about their ancient methods of fighting which had saved Thailand from invasion many times". This was the first time in the country’s history that such an award had been presented. The Buddhai Swan School has always been in great demand to give demonstrations and perform re-enactments of famous battles, often for the Royal family of Thailand.


Written by Tony Moore in remembrance to Por Kruh Samai

It was Buddhai Swan who gave the spectacular demonstration of the re-taking of Ayuddhaya, which actually took place in the ancient ruins of that city, during the state visit to Thailand of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth of England in 1997. This was a great feat of organisation and choreography, all arranged by Por Kru Samai and his family. This demonstration has since been shown on TV all over the world. How to describe Por Kru, the person? I can only reflect upon my own experiences and one particular incident that comes to mind.
Por Kru had invited me to come to Thailand to train with the Buddhai Swan students as they prepared for a demonstration to be performed before Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand. During my training at the school I was taken seriously ill with food poisoning and spent most of the day lying in bed. Por Kru’s son Kru Werayut told me, that it would be better for me to go to the hotel and get some antibiotics from a pharmacy. I took this advice and left for my hotel.
The next day saw me really sick and unable to leave my room. I needed to get better and quickly. After a full day spent trying to recover, I returned to the school. First to greet me was Por Kru Samai, who told me in no uncertain terms that I would not be able to give the demonstration because I had missed an important day of training. Por Kru then retired to his room – no more said! Steve Wilson from the USA had also been invited to give the demonstration.
He felt that it was a hard decision and was sorry for me because I had put so much into the demo. "It’s Ok" I said "I’ll just have to work harder today". I trained all day with no breaks just a sip of water now and again. Steve worked with me and when he felt tired he took a break during which I continued to train staying on and training well into the night. After a time, Por Kru came from his room and said "Show me the demonstration". Steve and I did our thing. "Good" said Por Kru "Tomorrow training for demonstration".


Written by Tony Moore in remembrance to Por Kruh Samai

I thanked him. I knew it would have been pointless pleading illness because I had missed an important day of training – after all you can’t call a war off for a day because you feel sick! The only way to prove you really wanted to be part of the team was through hard work.
Anyway I did give the demo and also spent five days as a member of the Thai Army. This to me sums up the nature of Por Kru, hard but infinitely fair. The only way you earned something was through sheer hard work and perseverance. Today, I am a 9th degree Gold Sash, the highest award you can receive from the Buddhai Swan.
All this has been possible because of my Father-Teacher, who called me his son and allowed me and granted permission for me to carry the name of Buddhai Swan. I will be forever grateful to Por Kru Samai Mashamana who on 28th August 1998 passed away and in his own inimitable manner donated his body to science.
This was the story of Por Kru Samai Mashamana, a unique man who has earned more than just a mention in the History of the Martial Arts.

[William]

Muay Thai 101

I just thought I would bring this back out of the archives for some of the MT newbies.


William

[Szczepankiewicz]

Wait a minute.....

1) You know Chalambok?
2) You moved from Oregon to Rhode Island?
3) You didn't stop by?

DANGIT!

[William]

Wait a minute.....

1) You know Chalambok?
2) You moved from Oregon to Rhode Island?
3) You didn't stop by?

I waited all night for you at the Sizzler in Twin Falls. Where were you?


William

Note to self: Never order seafood in Idaho again!!!

[Szczepankiewicz]

No no, we agreed on 'The Pilot' in Mtn. Home.

I can't believe you stood me up.

No matter, I shall exact my revenge on your elderly compatriot in Oregon City....



Spanky

[chalambok]

sorry I'm late

Thanks a lot William. Ajarn Samai was like a father to all of his students. I have seen him sleeping in his recliner and wake up to correct Tony and I whenever we would do something wrong. He was a very spiritual man. And totally unpredictable. I was riding with he and the family toward Ayuthaya to buy some swords. Off in the distance was a large temple, with a parking lot full of cars. Curious, we found the entrance and pulled in. As we walked toward the door, I could hear chanting from the inside, 9 monks first and then the crowd. We took off our shoes, stepped across the threshhold and the first words I hear from the microphone are "and Mr Steve Wilson." Standing ovation. Well, not quite, but a resounding round of applause from all present. PaKroo and I were ushered to seats at the front, given heaping plates of food and tea to drink. He turned to me, patted my shoulder, and said "I love travelling with you Steep."

[William]

It's back....again

I just thought I would bring this back out of the archives for some of the MT newbies...again


William

[William]

And again.

I have another article on master Chai that I'll wrap this thread up with (soon).



William

[gregimotis]

This Newb is glad to have it, thank you.