Muay Thai Kickboxing: Day Five - shup shup tip....

by day five Pet and i had been working together already for six sessions and heading into our seventh & eighth.

having chosen to work my sparring sessions with Pet, we had built a really nice rapport and we were having fun at training where we could always have a laugh which always makes a huge difference in my world. whats training without having some fun.... why be so serious!!!

therefore training with the one trainer over a period of time you were able to learn their body language quickly & get yourself to a stage where it was visual cues only. it meant that we had moved to the next stage and i knew my level of fitness & understanding of this art of fighting was coming together.

"shup shup tip".... has been ringing in my head. it is Pet breathing out every time i punch, kick or elbow and tip means to do a push kick.

for those that know me well and have seen me train you know that there is a bit of grunting going on. therefore Pet & I got described as the noisy duo working in the back boxing ring.

i've uploaded a little video and you can check it out...

Day Five - morning and afternoon

1. same same but different day

feeling really good and absolutely loving the training. i knew i had moved to the next level of fitness & experience when Pet started to do a few more complicated combinations and adding in some extra cardiovascular work in between sets to wear and tear me out a little more.

no complaints and having the best time.

still training with a massive blister on the ball of my foot. don't seem to really notice it while i am training but i certainly notice it before and after as I can hardly walk on it. continuously changing the dressing to prevent infection.

Muay Thai Kickboxing: Day Four - TEAM BOX!!!

after making the decision to go away with a group of people who i hardly knew.... i was a little apprehensive. you never know what the dynamics will be between different personalities but i am pleased to say that this group had blended perfectly and was part of what made this trip an awesome experience & so much fun!!!

being with a group of like minded people only made it easier to stay focused and motivated as we were all in the same boat. we all tried to eat healthy, stay off the alcohol and have early nights. we all knew we could not afford to head to training feeling like crap to begin with, as we were going to get hammered from training and obviously wanted to get the most of the experience.

bullet - the main organiser and ex pro muay thai kickboxer. trained & fought in thailand for at least six months. slightly A.D.D. just a big kid!!!

chez - bullet's girlfriend who was pleased she completed a week of training after not being able to train for nearly 8 months with her body being riddled with injury. easy going and relaxed. stomach of steel!!!

dexter - dexter's third time to the muay thai kickboxing camp experience. great sense of humour, funny, loud, intense at times and a heart of gold.

dropbear - dropbear had arrived in thailand sick with the flu and had spread the love to a few of the team members which they were not happy about. very easy going and a good laugh.

manky bear - had been training with bullet for just over a year and decided he wanted to test his skills out at the camp. inquisitive, one who wasn't afraid to share his sweat and generous.

and then there was me.... an innocent, well mannered asian girl :)

i'm dedicating this entry to "TEAM BOX" as doing this on my own without your support and friendship would not have been as inspiring and so much fun!!!

Thankyou to each and everyone of you as you were all a very important part of the equation of Team Box!!! May we all have very fond memories of Dragon Muay Thai and Suzie Wong's 2010 :)

Day Four: morning & afternoon

1. same training as mentioned previously

i was over the hump of the brick wall, not feeling so fatigued and calves were feeling back to normal. after spending the first few days & in fact the whole team were walking around limping, people knew that we had been training as we all had the same limp & very visual bruises.

i was now training with cuts & skin off my knuckles and a massive blister bigger than a size of a fifty cent piece on the ball of my foot. ankles & foot still swollen and losing my toenail on my right big toe. old bruises healing and fresh ones in tact. all in all not so bad as i knew that my form & technique was coming together. left leg was getting stronger than the right due to my collapsed ACL.

Muay Thai Kickboxing: Day Three - "Pet!!"

meeting my trainer "Pet!" on the second day was the absolute BEST!!! i had the best of the best training ever both morning & afternoon.

i felt energetic, worked hard at my 85 - 90%, willing to learn, inspired and had a tonne of fun. i would rate it as 9.5/10 (this is for Tuesday 1st June 2010.)

after having an awesome day of training on Tuesday, i woke up at 4.30am, bouncing out of bed at 5am.... i was absolutely itching to train regardless my right calf had completely seized up.

"Pet" had such a kind, gentle, humble nature with a tonne knowledge and could speak better english than most of the trainers where this became a problem at times for others.

he had been fighting since the age of 8 years old and i cannot remember how many fights he said he was in.

he is powerful although he has put some weight since his fighting days.

we clicked & i admire him for his patience, humble nature, experience, good sense of humour and being a great trainer with a genuine smile & heart.

standing on the other side as a trainee and not a trainer.... i would like to think that i will take on board & learn from Pet's his kind, positive, humble nature, experience, patience, respect for others. what i had learnt & experienced from "the G*#@" is i do not want to be vindictive and have his type of energy..... which was negative.

the differences in trainers - different strokes for different folks

all trainers have their own beliefs as to how the form & technique should be and what they personally believe in. that's why we are called "PERSONAL" trainers.

i found this difficult at times when i had various trainers tell me to do it one way and another tell me to do it another way. in the end i decided to do what felt most natural and feel the kicks and punches instead of analysing everything as it started to do my head in and i was getting frustrated.

Day Three: morning & afternoon

1. same same routine but different day

morning session: worked at my absolute hardest trying to push to my 90 - 95%. successful training session - 9.5/10

afternoon session: feeling pretty lack lustre and hit a wall. described at 'the BRICK WALL' usually hits you on day three. also waking up super early didn't help my cause.

Muay Thai Kickboxing: Day Two - a new playground!!

after sharing stories in the pool and a couple feeling a little disheartened with "the G*#@" including me, we decided to head to the second part of the gym which was located at the back.

we had all initially thought that this part of the gym was specifically for the fighters. we turned up and learnt that we were allowed play.... Hooray!!!

the atmosphere downstairs was so much more relaxed in regards to the way the system was set up. the upstairs gym had a very structured program which i think suited beginners and people who were keen to lose weight..... similar to Tiger (another gym down the road). it was the same program morning and afternoon.

the downstairs gym: everyone was there to learn form & technique, perfect their punches & kicks, obviously get fitter & stronger. there were quite a few people training for fights that were coming up in thailand or people who had travelled from a far to train, go home and fight. some had even been there for 3 - 12 months purely training.... hardcore!!!

therefore with the atmosphere being electric with willingness to learn, better tunes, everyone was already motivated as all had a story of their own and why they had travelled to thailand to learn this art of fighting.... everyone was left to their own devices to warmup, stretch & get in the ring with their own trainer.

their was admiration towards those who had incredible kicks and form & technique. it was amazing to watch and only inspired others to train harder to perfect themselves.... obviously including me.

Day Two: morning & afternoon session

1. skipping
2. stretch
3. sparring rounds: 4 x 3 minute rounds morning & 5 x 3 minute rounds afternoon with a trainer of your own
4. practice kicks, knees, elbows etc on bags (a hundred of each)
5. abs
6. stretch

you will find the training is roughly the same everyday as it was described as "groundhog day"

i say practice makes perfect and bring on the chance to perfect those kicks!!!

Muay Thai Kickboxing - Day One

arriving at the gym at 6.45am for a 7am start, humidity thick & warm, i was filled with excitement, supporting a headache and not quite sure what to expect we started with the skipping warmup. skipping on a concrete floor with a thin sheet of carpet over the top i knew my calves were going to get a hammering. i had also found out that there was an optional 5 kilometre run before the class starts.

being spoilt and having two trainers wrap up my hands at the same time.... i didn't know what to say but smile and thank them.

heading into my first set of one minute rounds with a trainer which team box has now nicknamed - the G*#@

being very excited and willing to learn anything and everything maybe my enthusiasm got me into a bit of trouble.

one of my first kicks i accidentally kicked the G*#@ in the balls.... Oops!!! i apologised profusely....

then he asked me to kick him in the ribs which i did and he missed catching it therefore he got wounded. from then on he wanted to make sure that i knew who was boss as he was more than happy to hit my head & kick my legs from under me and have me hit the ground nice and hard, with no apologies.... this happened in both the morning and afternoon session a plethora of hits, kicks and falls!!! he also finally managed to rip my earring out as well....

after the first morning session had finished, i walked away with some of the biggest bruises i have ever had, swollen feet & ankles and tightening calves. to think i was going to head back for another session in the afternoon i knew this was the start to a new mental, emotional & physical challenge as this was what i had signed up for..... my goal is to complete 14 sessions in total.

not being that close to team box just yet i wasn't really able to express how i felt.... i smiled & learnt to suck up the pain from my bruises and swelling in my feet & ankles.

after the afternoon session had finished, i had one of the american girls come up & say that the G*#@ really had it in for me!! i had thought that too but didn't want to take things personally and then found out that one of the other boys from Team Box got the same treatment as well. that's when the nickname "the G*#@!!!" came about.

Day One:

1. 10 minute skipping & 5 minute warmup with the trainer
2. 5 minute stretching
3. punches & kicks on the bag
4. 4 x 1 minute rounds in the ring with a trainer, afternoon session 5 x 1 minute rounds (one on one)
5. more practice kicks on the bag
6. pushups & situps
7. stretch
8. averaging two hour workout instead of 3 hours

same program for the afternoon

T -1 R&R

the final day for some rest and relaxation....

therefore we hit the beach, got a massage, i bought some new boxing gloves, dinner and an early night....

T - 1

1. rest day - last day before D - Day

T - 2 settling in...

with the flight running late and sitting next to an older man who smelt like he had just consumed a bottle of whisky & twelve packets of cigarettes which he then topped up with at least a dozen beers before we landed.... i was more than ready to get off the flight, stretch my legs and get some fresh air.

jumping into a cab with a couple of the team.... we were tired and ready to get to the resort to catchup on some zzzz's, as this stage it was heading into 4am sydney time (thailand is three hours behind.)

if only it was that easy.... after bullet (one of the main boys from team box) had mentioned that the thai people drive a little crazy, speed and it was normal. our cab driver hits a girl on the back of the scooter after he decides to take off before the light goes green..... the girl comes off the scooter and skids on her back for about 10 metres with no helmut.

at this stage we are all shocked and i felt incredibly ill as i was in the front of the cab. my worst fear had crossed my mind and i wanted to be sick....

we find out that she is alive and not quite sure what was going to happen with the cab driver & the girl. details were exchanged and we continue on to the resort.

arriving at the resort we find out that i do not have a room available regardless i had booked the accommodation three weeks prior and my new found team mates were kind enough to let me bunk in with them on a spare bed for couple nights. finally we hit the sack after 5am sydney time....

T - 2

1. rest day - recovery from the excitement
2. check out the boxing gym and meet some of the trainers
3. meet the rest of the crew from team box

T -3 up, up and away

i am finally up, up and away....

who would have thought that just over a couple of months ago i was sitting on my lounge thinking about a journey and randomly decided to raise the bar with my boxing and dive straight into this physical challenge....

with a week of muay thai kickboxing as the physical challenge and having the opportunity to travel with a pro kickboxer was already a great start. then randomly another once in a lifetime experience falls into my lap, what are the chances? the invitation is to join twenty medical students from the US in a course to live & learn about 'eastern holistic practices' for a week at a beautiful retreat on one of the virgin islands in the south of thailand.

this is perfect 'yin yang' experience

T - 3

1. rest day - fly out to phuket thailand

i'll try and keep the blogs as updated as possible.... obviously it will depend on time and where i can get on the net.

once again thankyou for all your support as it has been overwhelming and has touched me dearly...... wish me luck :)

T - 4 hit me!!!!

here's a fun training story....

this random guy whom i had never seen in class before was very loud and rowdy!!!

having a chance to spar with him was hilarious as he wanted me to hit him!!! with the combination of ducks etc he had refused to duck and i was forced to stand on my tippy toes to ensure that the pad went over his head and not hit him.

he yells out "HIT ME!!!" and i refused to.... then he just stood there every time he was suppose to duck, he just didn't. finally i decided to just go for it and i hit him with the pad!!! BAM!!!! he screams "YES YES, NOW WE CAN PLAY!!!!" and he grabbed me around the neck and wrestled me to the ground. Too funny & a good laugh!!!!

T -4

1. ride class with a twist - the final cycle class until i get back. just remember this week is my week of tapering therefore training sessions have quite limited.

T - 5 kudos

if you have been following my blog from the beginning you would have read about the boys messing me up in this intermediate/advanced kickboxing class which certainly gave me a very cold reception.

in brief: the boys weren't afraid to give me a run for my money considering i had NEVER sparred before. after a few jabs to the mouth (without a mouth guard) and a couple of big hits to the head and one guy nearly ripping my earring out, i had adrenalin running through my body, a thorn in my side & a mission to ensure i wasn't going to get muscled out of this class.

kudos to those boys: after being put into a position to defend myself and deal with a class full of male testosterone they set me in the right frame of mind to FIRE UP!!!! everyone knows i love to 'fire up' with training and they dangled the right carrot to force myself to head into the next level.

investing time into the bag i finally got my own back.... "the cheeky assassin!!!" ( must apologise as i have to rewrite that entry that i lost ) lets just say i finally earnt my cred and they now have respect for me.... happy days :)

T - 5

1. 1 hour ride class without a twist - technically a rest day but did a fill in cycle class for JC

T - 6 "are you ready?"

"are you ready?" has been the most recently asked question of late.

i will admit i am no guru in the muay thai kickboxing hence obviously attending class, putting it into practice, absorbing as much information as possible then drawing from my craft and working it together.

after seven weeks of specific training the results have definitely spoken for themselves and i am happy with my preparation.

although i'm feeling strong & healthy, there is no doubt that i will be mentally, physically & emotionally challenged but that it what i signed up for :)

T - 6

1. rest day - as i had mentioned before this is my week of tapering.

T - 7 countdown...

well doesn't time fly when you are having fun...

with only four sleeps to go before i fly out on friday and seven sleeps till i start my first day at the muay thai kickboxing gym in phuket.... i am officially on the countdown.

this is the week of tapering off and ensuring i effectively rest my body so i am not exhausted and tired by the time i hit the real training.

great advice from a couple of trainers who have been keeping a close eye on my progress and taking a keen interest in my preparation.... thankyou :)

T - 7

1. interval weights training set working at 80% not 90% - i've pulled back on the intensity as i want to ensure that no injuries occur between now and the event..... last weights session until i probably get back.
2. flexibility - high kicks 3 x 20 reps on each side
3. 1 hour form & technique kickboxing - last class before thailand

kickboxing class - tonight the theme was "southpaw" (my favourite - NOT)

- working intensity at 75%

T -8 'zen'

'zen' means meditation in japanese.

after a week of challenging moments.... there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel!!! maybe not in the sky as we have had a very, very wet week.

with another rest day and the weather permitting.... it is the perfect day for settling the mind, resting the body and centring ones self. i have realised the importance of taking the time out as i know a clear mind is better than a clouded one and being able to give more substance to my clients, friends & family means the a lot to me.

it has taken me a long time to realise that i have to give back to myself to ensure that there is a happy balance, especially with a career where it is people orientated and your energies are of giving nature.

T - 8

1. rest day - getting sorted for thailand & settling the mind with some good tunes

T - 9 "hardcore smurfs!!!"

today i dedicate this entry to the hardcore smurfs that came out and played for the 80's Let's Get Physical!!! workout.

i am very PROUD of you all!!!

• thank you for all making the effort to dress up and there were some AWESOME outfits!!!
• thank you for turning up and making it all happen despite the rain :)
• you are my new 'HARDCORE SMURFS!!!" who roughed & toughed it out in the torrential rain!!!
• kudos to you as you know who you are.
• stay tuned for the pics!!!

T - 9

1. rest day - nut bush city limits dance.... Lol!!!!