Insiders will know that the D-man is a martial arts junkie. He digs all sorts of martial arts and recently, he is a tad mad about BJJ. You probably already know this but for those who don’t, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is a combat sport that involves lots of grappling and ground fighting. This form of martial art enforces the principle of using leverage and techniques to force your opponent into submission, as opposed to using brute strength. Not only is it a great form of self-defense, the sport forces you to use your brain with your body, instead of letting them fight for the telly remote on the couch with a large bag of chips.
I was at the gym early to catch glimpse of the BJJ training session.
Even being a spectator was sheer fun. I was totally sucked into the action and watched my mates with wide eyes and gaping mouth.
Then again what can go wrong with grown, muscly men seizing, clinching and wrestling each other on the ground.
Right girlfriends? *wink*
Yesterday I found myself in a hot, stuffy, spicy Muay Thai gym again. D-man and I were there to watch our hero fight. He is the Thai equivalent of Peter Pan.
The bonus; I was flanked by my some of my favouritest, funniest, funkiest gym mates, including the coolest girl power you can find on this planet.
I like hanging out with them. Stops me from feeling that I am getting a testosterone overdose and growing a beard.
I like him too. Though his leanness often makes me want to stop eating. Forever.
And of course the entire “watch a fight” reason to go to Golden Mile was part of a greater plan.
D-man bought it for our pleasure. Its long, thick, tough, leathery, red and dark. Very good for stress relieve and satisfaction almost always guaranteed.
Nope, this post is not another feministic ego trip that dictates how women should rule the world. It’s just a small tribute to a girl I knew who trained like a soldier and fought darn hard.
My heart tears for “Boss”, the sweetest little thing I trained together with at Rawai Muay Thai. She lost her fight by TKO (in layman’s terms, it means your opponent whacks the hellouttaya and the referee fears for your life and stops the fight). After taking in multiple kicks and knees, she finally passed out and was carried out of the ring.
(warning: the end of this video’s a bad tear jerker, look away now if you’re all jelly and mushy and has a uncontrollable tap inside like yours truly)
She may be 10 but her spirit is well-aged. Practising Muay Thai toughens people like…like….like nobody’s business. This girl is a warrior and I am sure she will go far in life.
If you told me 10 years ago and I will one day love Muay Thai, I would have rolled on the floor laughing, and after having caught my breathe, called the asylum to get you locked up. Today, I sat in a stuffy, spicy 800 square feet room with roughly 90 other men, watching boys and men knocking the air out of each other with smiles on their sweat-drenched faces.
It was Valentine’s. There were candles in the bath and bedroom. Soft ambient music flooded the dark room. I gave D-man his present, wrapped in elegant white & gold tissue…
So the D-man & I decided to take on Thailand, the origins of our all-time favourite sports, Muay Thai. We chose Rawai Muay Thai in Phuket because of their reputation & because there were lots to do in Phuket (shooting, ATV rides, kite-surfing, bungy jumping, and almost everything else you can think of).
