Christmas at Charn Chai

The gym is buddhist as is the majority of Thailand so Christmas really could have slipped by unnoticed if it weren't for the effort made by Bee, Kerri-Ann and some of the fighters living here in Pai.

Training was on as usual but I took the day off. Largely because I was hungover from Xmas eve where I mixed way too many different drinks until far too late.
Around 10am I had a knock on my bungalow from Ben and Ally inviting me to join them and a few others at a nice hotel restaurant for a xmas lunch together. We sat round drank red wine and ate good quality western food that wasn't burgers or pizza. It was really nice, beautiful location, good wine, lots of food, xmas music and good company. Exactly what xmas is supposed to be.

In the evening we all met up at the gym where they had set up a xmas tree, bonfire and various embarrassing party games. I've commented before on how the trainers seem to love physical humour. No change here. I couldn't avoid getting involved and we ended up in a race to eat a cucumber hanging from a line above our heads... followed later by a game where you have a balloon tied around your waist and you have to pop each others balloons whilst preserving your own... not using your hands.... like i say 'physical humour' ensued. Check my instagram for a little video of the macho proceedings. Head trainer Bee shaking his little stinger whilst wearing a santa hat. This place is a far cry from the steroids, tribal tattoos and macho nonsense i have heard is synonymous with Phuket and other gyms down south. I think we are all really grateful for that!

There are chicken coops at the gym. I always thought these where just functional farm animals. Turns out the gym also raises and trains fighting chickens. So on the right hand side we have the matts and the ring and humans and on the left we have the coops, the sand and all their supplements and training tools. I had no idea but its a massive passion of the trainers and they love these chickens. They even have them spar in little training pads so they don't get hurt. So as part of the xmas celebrations we had a new member of the team arrive at the gym, A (Bee's brother) seemed pretty chuffed.

Needless to say the Sangsom and beers were flowing and everyone had a great night together. With Pet leading the charge as always!

Num leaving the gym and Wit's knee injury

So my previous post about Num leaving the gym due to a liver injury seems to have been a little misinformed.

Num was lying about being injured. He is and was well enough to fight. His father had sold him to a gym in Bangkok.

Now that the dust has all settled it has come to light that Num's father and Bee never had a contract relating to Num and his time training and fighting for Charn Chai, largely because Bee did not feel it necessary. An open discussion about re-locating Num to Bangkok to fight for a different gym was possible but instead a slightly underhand approach was taken (which I prefer to think was directed by Num's father as opposed to Num himself).

Either way the result is the same. Num ducked a fight which led to Wit getting seriously injured. Num now trains and fights in Bangkok but remains in contact with the Charn Chai trainers. I really think this was out of his control and his father has just seen both the chance for him to be in a closer location and also a bit of pay day when signing a contract so has just moved Num around like a pawn.

I wonder if he'll ever get matched up against a Charn Chai fighter in the future.

Wit struggling on with his crutches:

1 round of pads with Bami

Using the GoPro I made a video of one 4 minute round of pads with Bami.

Hopefully I can compare this with earlier footage and see how far i've come in the 2 months in Thailand.



Anyway, back too it. Temple run in 20 minutes.
REALLY don't want to go... it's so damn cold, even in my bed fully clothed with an electric blanket I'm shivering.

Num - Leaving the gym

If you also follow me on Instagram you will have seen a video of a really nasty knee injury from the fights at Kalare Night Bazaar last friday. This knee injury befell Wit who had stepped in for Num who was injured. Wit is now back in Pai, in a full leg cast, resting. They hope he won't be out too long but knee ligament injuries are hard to predict. The feeling around the gym is his recovery will be anything from 6 weeks to 3 months with some (people with old knee injuries) saying he may never be the same again. Sad news but Bee seems to remain positive about his recovery so fingers crossed he bounces back like the young man he is.

Still that video of him crying and screaming in pain is hard to watch, especially when you know how tough these guys are.

The whole incident with Wit has somewhat over shadowed the injured Num. I was under the impression Num had received a rib injury in training and was out for that one fight whilst he recovered. I was wrong. Num is in the middle of the picture below. (Gow, Num, Dan).

It turns out Num had received an injury to his liver and after consultations with his doctor he had been instructed he could no longer fight. As quick as that. One minute signed up for the fight card and in training, the next his entire fight career is over and more than that his time at the gym.

Num's family live much further south closer to Bangkok, and had essentially signed him over to the gym to train, live and fight in the hope of a lucrative fight career. But with the news from the doctor and before word had really spread Num had left and returned to his family.

It's really sad news, especially with him leaving without a proper goodbye. He will definitely be missed, not only because he was  regular face around the gym and a really nice lad but he was a damn good aggressive fighter and always really exciting to watch. He fought a very forward head down aggressive style that never seemed concerned with the judges score card.

There is talk of sending him a Christmas care package from everyone at the gym. I really hope that happens.

Visa Run - Mae Hong Son

Yesterday I took the day off from training and made the 240km round trip to Mae Hong Son on the border with Myanmar (Burma) to go to the Thai immigration office to apply for a 1 month Visa extension.
Essentially if i get this extension on each of my 3 entries i get an extra 3 months in the country. So 6 months becomes 9.

It was a beautiful ride through the mountains. So many steep climbs and decents and some truly amazing scenery. Problem with having the inevitable wait at the immigration office meant you can't really stop to enjoy the views. You need to crack on because before you know if you have turn around and head back and you don't want to run out of day light. Largely because the temperature drops so much.
It's a weird balancing act between setting off late enough that the dark side of each mountain has had some sun to dry off the road but not so late you are riding back in the dark. Wet slippy roads on these off road knobbly tyres is so sketchy.
I almost got it spot on but was glad to have a hoodie, gloves and tracksuit bottoms for the last hour. I set of at 10:30am and got back around 18:30. Like I say its just pure twisting mountain roads the entire way. I was making a good pace and it still took all day.

Before heading to the Immigration office make sure you have passport photos of yourself to hand over and photocopies of each important page of your passport relating to your stay in Thailand. I didn't know about this and finding places to get this done in Mae Hong Son wasn't particularly difficult but it was a little stressful and meant I had to queue twice which was a big waste of time.

My Visa extension was approved and with the fee of 1900 baht paid they stamped my passport and sent me on my way. Next visa excursion will be 18th January where i actually need to leave and re-enter the country. Need to do a little research but i believe that is a ride to Chiang Rai and then across into Laos.

Although these Visa runs are annoying they do force you to adventure and by bike you end up seeing some weird and wonderful places. The photos can't do it justice. There is this on valley the Mae Hong Son road (1095) that is straight out of Avatar.  Giant flat faced mountains sprouting out of nowhere with a layer of vertically growing trees. Like giants teeth.

All in all, a successful trip.

Morale - The run up to Xmas

So this last week has been tougher than most.

Instagram is full of group pictures from London of people enjoying the cold weather, Xmas shopping and drinking in pubs with open fires. It's a beautiful time of year back home and i really feel like i'm missing out. I have been reaching out to more people via email or whatsapp in an attempt to stave off the feeling of loneliness but both the time difference and the fact most people in the UK are busy with their working lives makes it difficult. Either that or I'm out of sight out of mind. It's hard not to let these feelings sneak in.
Everyone is all cosy and prepping for the family time together... i'm alone eating the same 'Super Health Salad' as I have had twice a day for god knows how long now.

It might be time for a food binge.

In fairness my training is suffering as I don't have any energy and i can't concentrate.
Could be time to stop being so militant and just start eating more.

Right now I'm 87Kg's. I'd want to fight at 80Kg's. Cutting this 7kg's whilst still fuelling my training is going to be real hard. When I was last in Chiang Mai for the fight night I bought some basic protein powder aimed at training recovery as opposed to building muscle. I really hope this makes a difference as everything is just getting on top of me a bit. The isolation from home. The hunger. The fatigue.

It's not that I want to quit or go home. It's just the thought that this is all voluntary and I could just as easily be on a beach in Southern Thailand eating and getting drunk or in America learning to hunt. Instead i'm here, running in the heat, sweating my balls off and hop scotching from one injury to another. I'm in the grind. Running the same stretch of road, hitting the same bag.

My right shoulder is proper fucked.
Bami is having to create a fighting style for me that solely uses the right hand as distraction and defence. The moment i reach out anything past 70% extension or above 9 o'clock i get shooting pains through the rotator cuff. It's horrible. It aches 24/7. Tiger Balm and Voltarol pain relief gel take the edge off but i can still feel it. Once I get back to the UK I am going to see a shoulder specialist and see what they can do for me. I suspect I have a grade 2 torn AC ligament and it may require surgery or extensive specific physiotherapy. The massages I have been getting here have helped but my recovery seems to have plateaued so I'm just bouncing between slight improvements with rest and then slight backwards steps after training.

It is what it is. Just got to plough on.

Mr Baan's massage - Pai

Having sampled many of the massage places in Pai I can honestly say this is my favourite.

I think it's the closest thing I will find to a physio here in Pai.

They are trying to help recoup my shoulder. Limited progress, but still some progress.

Been about 8 times now. After each session my shoulder swells for a day or so and then is slightly more mobile than before.

Convinced I have torn the AC ligament in my shoulder. It's on my to do list to get it looked at by a specialist once I'm back in the UK.

Personal Training in Thailand - Making the most of your time in the gym

So the traditional thai style of training is great. 2 sessions a day, both with a heavy conditioning and fitness element with a singular technique focus each session allowing you to drill and then lightly spar with gym mates before taking to the pads with a trainer to work them into you're progressing fight game. For example, switch kick in the morning and then clinch trips in the afternoon before pad work or sparring with the same trainer who is preparing you for a fight.

As a farang you can expect something slightly different. Or at least this has been my experience so far. The class sizes have been absolutely massive. A gym which usually caters to 8-12 tourists seeing over 40 show up. With very few being repeat visitors. This has turned the group classes into a Muay Thai themed fitness bootcamp. All well and good to get fit. But doesn't work for developing new techniques or being able to work repeatedly with the same trainers to address weak points or missing skills.
It now makes way more sense to me why the trainers seem so laid back. They are spending these sessions teaching beginners the same basics again and again day in day out, the faces change but this is their grind. Their 9-5, and you can forgive their slight disinterest. They will still try and correct what they can but 90% of the faring will do their best then ask to pose for photos before buying a t-shirt or shorts and leaving never to be seen again.
Its funny to think how many pairs of 'Charn Chai' Muay Thai shorts are heading home with people who still have no idea how to position their feet, wrap their hands or throw a jab.

With this in mind I have stopped attending the morning training sessions and instead have opted for a 1 on 1 personal training option with Bami. We meet at 11am and do at least an hour of pure technique on the pads, working with plenty of space simulating a fight environment. During the night it is bloody freezing. I have actually bought an electric blanket. Getting out of bed at 7am in the freezing cold to go train is damn hard. Its so nice to be able to wait for the sun to warm things up and then train at 11am.

This is a massive positive change from the group classes. Its 'High Season' here in Pai, meaning it's their busiest period of the year for tourism. This is due to it being the winter and the Thai's travel here to see the mist and feel the cold and generally experience something different to the dry heat of the south of the country. What that means is that Pai is its busiest for short term visitors from November until February.

Only down side of the 11am start is there isn't much of a rest gap between the 1 on 1 and the afternoon group class which starts at 3. But that is a price i am very willing to pay for those extra hours in bed whilst its freezing out. The training is just better and it is helping a shit load with my morale. Being able to chill in bed and wake up slowly then go for a run on my own to warm up is really nice. By the time we train I am actually fully awake, fed and ready to concentrate.

Anyway, back to the personal training and choosing the right trainer:

Over the first month of group classes I have managed to get a feel for the different trainers, their strengths and areas of focus. Within the gym you will find excellent trainers, bored trainers, retired fighters and active fighters. Sometimes it takes a little time to figure out who is the best fit for you.

I have noticed that the retired fighters will drill lots of kicks, kick catches and trips. The bored trainers will just make you repeat the same movement countless times (the usual 30 kicks left, now right) without offering any corrections.
Some retired fighters who were known for certain skills (boxing, clinch) will favour this.
The young fighters will tend to want to mess around and play physical humour jokes on the other trainers. They also seem to have the shortest patience when instructing, and get frustrated with the language barrier easily.

These factors make choosing the right trainer really important. At a basic level all of the trainers have so much to offer so once you can get them to invest in you I think they will all be really good value. But i felt i wanted to find a trainer I could communicate with (the language barrier is an issue) who could shape the skills i have to a more fight oriented style i.e. teach me the glue and linking movements that brings everything together and would allow me to flow when in the ring. This meant I wanted to train with an active fighter. Someone who will push the conditioning element and teach me the basics of winning a fight without mindlessly drilling pads or skipping onto clever trips and counters i am not ready for.

For me there is also the physical element to consider. A lot of the Thai trainers are just too small to hold pads for me. Don't get me wrong they are strong as shit. It's just they can't hold the pads high enough to simulate a target for me and as a result certain techniques can't be mastered. The knee being the most obvious. They want me up on my toes and throwing my hip forward. When I do that my knee comes out over head height for some of the smaller guys.


Having watched others doing 1 on 1 training sessions I have seen a couple of trainers I want to work with eventually to develop my head movement, defence and most importantly my clinch game. But as a first step i have started to be trained by Bami (you can see him fight in an earlier post). Bami is Dutch/Korean, has had about 70 fights and fights at 75kg's. So far he has been amazing, definitely the right choice.
First thing he did was chat about any injuries I had, any strengths/weaknesses I wanted to focus on and what I wanted to get from my training. This was exactly the conversation i was hoping to have. I was able to explain some of the long term injuries i carry and he has shaped the training to work around these issues so I don't feel quite so broken. Being right handed and having a busted right shoulder has killed my confidence, not being able to throw right punches or elbows made me feel like there was no hope of fighting because i was missing such a key ingredient.

By training in a way where we warm up the shoulder fully and throw combinations that don't require big right hands or elbows I have started to believe again that i could fight. So far we have not had many sessions but they are such better value than the group classes. The learning curve is so much steeper. Training with him is exactly what I was hoping for out here. The one on one attention analysing what works for me, steadily building my confidence in sparring and giving me more tools to go to that I am actually able to employ in a free moving sparing environment.

Bami having trained in Holland also brings a slightly more Dutch style to his fighting compared to the traditional Thai. He doesn't neglect the boxing element and favours more powerful strikes and a more stable stance rather than a higher frequency of kicks approach that a lot of the Thai's use. This is just perfect for me as it's teaching me to move better and use my reach without feeling I am limited to single kick strikes and counter kicks. It is also very familiar to the Bas Rutten instructional DVD's I used to watch when i first started out oh so long ago.

Doing the 1 on 1 sessions has also lead to improved communication when working the pads which is a massive issue here. When you skip from 1 trainer to another each session you never build up the short hand and familiarity with a trainer where you are able to quickly process what he is asking of you.
All the combinations become so wooden as you need a second to translate what they have asked you and then interpret what that means from that specific pad holder.
To give you an example, when the trainer Gow says 'Left hook' what he actually expects is 'left jab, left hook'.
When he says 'Right hook' he actually wants 'Right straight, Left hook'.

And the best of all... when he says '1,2, Hook' what he holds pads for is... 'Jab, cross, left hook to the body, left hook, right straight, left hook, pause, left hook, right straight.'

Each trainer has different short hand and different amounts of English and different levels of patience when you do what they ask but not what they meant. Often you'll just see people stop and have to say 'Show me' because what they call out and what it means might not have anything in common. This would all be fine if you could always pad with the same person as you'd figure it out pretty quickly but like i say you have to really go out of your way to ensure you get the same pad holder each session and it only takes one session with someone different to undo a lot of progress and make you feel like a novice.

However, the most important benefit of the 1 on 1 sessions I have felt is the mutual investment in progress towards a fight. Once you utter those words "i'd like to fight" (no matter how many caveats they come with) the team spirit kicks up a gear and you go from a tourist passing through to a member of the gym who may eventually represent the gym in the ring. All of a sudden you are not in it alone.

Daniel 'Bami' Van Corler - Charn Chai Muay Thai (Fight Video)

Another trip down to Chiang Mai night bazaar to watch several of Charn Chai's fighters in action. Hugely successful evening seeing all 3 Charn Chai fighters win (Op and Bami by KO and Mae by decision).

Mae won her re-match by decision against a very experienced and tough girl from Singapore who must have had 10kg's of muscle on Mae; and knocked her out 2 weeks earlier.
It was amazing to see and had one of the best crowd reactions of the whole night. Huge respect to her for getting in there and taking the victory.

Daniel 'Bami' Van Corler of Holland also took a victory in knockout style. He looked massively confident and comfortable in the ring and it just seemed a matter of time before something big landed.
Then it did.

 Below is a highlight video of Bami in action:


I have not edited or posted the Thai fighters fights as yet. Largely as they don't seem bothered. They would rather watch the uncut footage once and then move on. I guess as they fight so often it doesn't carry the same spectacle.