Updated my Thailand trip photos

[Damian Mavis]

Hello everyone, I finally finished updating my photos section of my website from my trip to Thailand so anyone that is interested in seeing pics from various camps and fights in Thailand can go check them out at www.honourtkd.com

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

[Tom Yum]

Nice pics Damian. How much did the entire trip cost? Living quarters, food, training, insurance etc.

[Thai Bri]

Excellent pics!

You live the dream. Respect.

[darrianation]

Cool stuff! Very good website. I really liked those MT pics. I can’t wait to go to Thailand. I am going again probably in September. I can't wait you have totally got me psyched for it.

[Damian Mavis]

Haha I'm glad your psyched... I'm psyched just thinking about going back! I've got a trip planned for December but I am itching to go back like today.

Tom Yum the cost can be high or low depending on how you live. I personally spent a few thousand dollars (Canadian) in 3 months but I did a fair amount of shopping and eating more expensive food. You can easily spend way less.

The ticket from Canada is about $1400 Canadian.

Hotels can be as low as $4 a night but I landed up getting sick of living cheaply and eventually spent alot of time at hotels that cost $25 a night. That is still cheap but more than $4! They do have high class expensive hotels but I didn't check them out. They sure looked beautiful though.

A meal can cost as low as $0.75 and it's good but I landed up discovering things like M&K and Sizzler and would usually spend $7 to $10 and stuff myself silly. I would alternate between cheap Thai food and more expensive restaurants.

Muay Thai camps can vary but bottom line it's very cheap. Fairtex was like $30 Canadian a day but that included EVERYTHING. 2 excellent healthy meals a day and a room with a fan (or more for air) and 2 training sessions a day (like all camps) and beautiful grounds and a nice pool to lounge in during the mid afternoon. Other camps were usually cheaper but not as nice, although some had excellent training regardless of niceness. Some camps just charged for training sessions and you looked after yourself. the cost for each training session might be $7 or $10 for the whole day.

Uhm... other than that I can't think of anything else you HAVe to have but the shopping is really cheap. I landed up buying a whole wardrobe pretty much and it was way lower than what I would pay in Canada. Muay Thai equipment is insanely cheap compared to Western prices.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

[OctaviousBP]

Nice site Mr. Mavis, although one recommendation: More Dave!

I'll see ya soon, and I might have a little somethin' for you when I get back.

D

PS - With regards to anyone planning on a long term stay to train and fight, I've been here for 7 months and have spent 4400$ Canadian, with a fantastic lifestyle.

[Bryan Popejoy]

Mr. Mavis,

great photos!

makes me miss Thailand.

you wouldn't happen to have contact info or a website for the ISS/WMTA Camp, do you?


Thanks!

Bryan

[Damian Mavis]

Yes, yes I do have the web address for ISS! It's: http://www.issworldwide.com/

That was a fun camp to train at because Sifu McGinnis is a very interesting person and is a K1 promoter so just being there a few weeks I met and got a little training from 2 K1 champions. Peter Aertes and Nick.... something (I'm embarassed I forgot Nicks last name). At least I was under the impression Peter was a champion at one time. Peter was actually a very cool guy and although he didn't physically show me anything like Nick did, he talked to me for about 30 minutes about preparing for my fight and how much rest I should get and other invaluable info I was happy to get.

Dave! heh.... yes my website needs more Dave.... I might be moving to Thailand so maybe if you come visit me we can train somewere and get photos of Dave up! I saw Natasha last night at the academy, she looks great! And I mean that in a nice not oggling your girlfriend way!

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

[Damian Mavis]

I added a write up on my website talking about all my training experiences in Thailand. There's a section for each camp I checked out.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

[Bryan Popejoy]

Damian,

I just noticed, One of the Thais from ISS/WMTA Camp is quite the accomplished fighter. He's wearing long blue shorts(not muaythai shorts).

His name is Sakmongkol, he's a former Lumpinee champ, now in the twilight of his career. But man, oh man-he's something else.

I'd love to go train at ISS just to try and watch him work...if I ever get back to Thailand!

[Tom Yum]

Hey Damian 2 more questions (you're getting us all drooling over Thai-style training).

1. Were you able to integrate your TKD kicks in your fight/training? Which ones?

2. How did you train to withstand knees from the clinch? I have sparred with Int'l rules and find it difficult to whether several rounds of knees even at relatively light contact levels; thus I don't work on the clinch as often as I need to and resort to keeping pressure with boxing rather than getting into the clinch.

[Damian Mavis]

I took photos of the guy in the blue shorts because he was very good and trained very intensely, I had no idea he was a Lumpinee champion. Kool

Hey TomYum

1. You bet, I actually won my fight with a turning sidekick which is a classic TKD technique. It's a spinning kick that directs its power straight into the ribs or stomach area. Mine landed just under his ribs and sank right in and up into him... which sounds pretty bad and felt awful... I'd never felt my heel penetrate someone like that before... ok that sounds even worse. He went down and didnt get back up for a few minutes but afterwards he seemed ok.

I stuck to traditional Muay Thai until I threw that kick in the second round. When I train I use TKD techniques sparingly.

I find sidekick, turning sidekick, axe kick and very rarely a spinning hook kick can work as a surprise.

2. I don't do anything special when I train clinch but I am pretty defensive when I train it. I'm more concerned with surviving it then dishing out much during clinch. I tend to jam their knee by raising my knee and sometimes pushing against them with my knee, either that or I stay close and turn my hip away from the blow when I feel them begin to knee. I'm talking about plum here, I'm thinking you mean when your opponent has you in the clinch in which case I try to get my elbows into their knees when they try to strike.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

[retired]

very nice pics mate (jealousy hurts), i think a friend of mine is going over in december

[Jamiefighter]

I am so jealous. I wish I had enough resources and time to go over to thailand(to train and fight), but I'm a starving college student-I have to wait a few years

[retired]

Starving!!!!!!!!!!! using up my taxes more like. LOL