While in the taxi, I remember being filled with anticipation. I've also always wanted to train in Muay Thai. Muay Thai looked so bad ass, what with all of the vicious knee and elbow strikes, not to mention your standard kickboxing techniques. I'm sure a few fight scenes from Ong Bak flashed through my head.
Retracing our steps, we made our way to the training room. We recognized a few of the people who were there training during our first visit a couple of months prior; they seemed pleased to see us, geared up and ready to go.
A few of the students, perhaps the small few who felt confident enough in their English to talk to a foreigner, made an effort to greet us. A mix of surprise and relief came over their faces when they found out that I could speak a little Vietnamese. I was no longer the strange-looking foreigner attached at the hip to his shorter Vietnamese wife, but rather a strange-looking foreigner who could hold his own in a Vietnamese conversation (slight difference).
What caught our eye and becomes worth mentioning in this post was the gender breakdown in the class. Out of the 10 to 15 students in the class that day, around four or five were women in their late to mid 20's. This was a pleasant surprise. Muay Thai had always come across as an activity exclusively for men for no other reason than I had yet to see a Muay Thai bout featuring women. Granted I've only seen a handful of Muay Thai matches on T.V. and online, the ones I did see only had men. It was very refreshing to see women training in Muay Thai. We learned that one of the best and most experienced students in class, Van, was a young woman no taller than Thuy.
Attention was called and everyone quickly lined up to begin class. The student at the head of the line yelled out a short series of three commands to put us at attention and bow to the instructor who was now standing across from us.
The instructor waved for Đức, one of the more senior students in the class, to lead everyone in a standard series of stretches.
After stretching out, the instructor had everyone get their hand warps and boxing gloves for warm-up striking drills, which usually consist of basic movements such as blocks, punching combinations, kicks, and elbow and knee strikes.
Since Thuy and I were new to the class, the instructor pulled us off to the side of the mat to teach us how to punch correctly. Thuy and I would spend the rest of the class practicing punching techniques and basic punching combinations, along with a few defensive techniques such as blocking straight punches and roundhouse kicks.
One attack or defense warm-up drill typically lasts around two minutes; the class spends around twenty to thirty minutes on warm-up drills. For the short sixty to ninety seconds between drills, students would go over to the windows, grab the metal security bars for stability, and practice various forms of knee strikes.
The next phase of class was spent practicing new techniques. The instructor called the entire class over to the center of the room, and then he pointed at one of the senior students to join him. The student threw a strike, and the instructor demonstrated a new technique at normal speed a few times before breaking it down step-by-step.
Students then paired up to practice the new technique with each other. Since I was one of the tallest two students in class, the instructor asked Chiến to pair up with me.
I remembered Chiến from my first visit; he was noticeably one of the most skilled students in class. I actually remember feeling lucky that we were paired to train together, even though I knew that it had only to do with the fact that Chiến and I were about the same size, and nothing to do with any perceived skill or previous experience I had coming into the class.
Chiến came over and stood in front of me, ready to practice. He had a bit of a skeptical look on his face. It could've been because of the obvious language barrier, but it also could've been because he didn't know where I was in terms of endurance, dedication, and skill level. I knew this man wanted to train. He didn't seem like the type to attend class just to socialize and make new friends.
I was determined to prove myself. I'm no slouch. I'm here to train hard and learn quickly.
After the first couple of drills, it looked as though I was starting to gain his confidence as his training partner. I soon got the feeling that I could learn a lot from Chiến. So long as I continued to put in the effort, remain receptive to his feedback, and correct my mistakes quickly, I figured he would at least be amenable to being my training partner in future classes.
More techniques were introduced and practiced. Using very simple Vietnamese to make sure I understood correctly, Chiến told me which techniques to ignore for the sake of having more time to practice the basics, and he corrected me on everything from stances and proper defensive positions to better punches and kicks. Chiến was tremendously supportive, which was a pleasant surprise given the stoic, borderline stern demeanor he exudes in class.
The class time passed quickly. Before I knew it, one of the senior students called out for everyone to line up so we could end class.
Just as we did at the beginning of class, everyone lined up side-by-side in a straight line while the instructor stood in front facing us. The senior student standing off to the far left at the head of line ordered everyone to stand at attention and bow--a motion that involved putting both hands, palms facing each other, together and raising them in front of our face while bowing our head. This was similar if not the exact same way that people from Thailand traditionally greet each other. After the bow, everyone gave a quick round of applause.
The class remained silent for a brief moment while the instructor shared general announcements. I can't remember what the exact announcements were for that particular class, but they usually involved things like special tournaments we should watch, classmates who were actually competing in those tournaments, special social events being organized on national holidays, or the arrival of a new shipment of uniforms.
Once the announcements were over, the teacher led the class in reciting the class motto.
"Muay Saigon," the instructor yelled.
The class yelled back in unison, "đoàn kết, quyết tâm, chiến thắng!" Unity! Determination! Victory!
Each student then ran in a single-file line over to the instructor to give him a high-five, calling out their own name while slapping the instructor's extended hand.
Class had ended.
As we were packing our gear, a few of the students who we had met at the beginning of the class came over to ask how we liked it. Thuy and I both enthusiastically responded with our approval and with a promise to return for the next class. The students, now our new classmates, smiled with a sense of pride and satisfaction.
Two foreigners would be joining their training ranks.
What an oddity we must have been. A Việt kiều and American married couple, living in Vietnam for volunteer work, decides to invest the time in training at their Muay Thai school.
These classmates would become our training partners, our new friends. We would have a number of fun times together, mostly in class, but some outside of class, as well.
Retracing our steps, we made our way to the training room. We recognized a few of the people who were there training during our first visit a couple of months prior; they seemed pleased to see us, geared up and ready to go.
A few of the students, perhaps the small few who felt confident enough in their English to talk to a foreigner, made an effort to greet us. A mix of surprise and relief came over their faces when they found out that I could speak a little Vietnamese. I was no longer the strange-looking foreigner attached at the hip to his shorter Vietnamese wife, but rather a strange-looking foreigner who could hold his own in a Vietnamese conversation (slight difference).
 |
| Van (left) will put a hurtin' on you if you get out of line. |
Attention was called and everyone quickly lined up to begin class. The student at the head of the line yelled out a short series of three commands to put us at attention and bow to the instructor who was now standing across from us.
The instructor waved for Đức, one of the more senior students in the class, to lead everyone in a standard series of stretches.
After stretching out, the instructor had everyone get their hand warps and boxing gloves for warm-up striking drills, which usually consist of basic movements such as blocks, punching combinations, kicks, and elbow and knee strikes.
Since Thuy and I were new to the class, the instructor pulled us off to the side of the mat to teach us how to punch correctly. Thuy and I would spend the rest of the class practicing punching techniques and basic punching combinations, along with a few defensive techniques such as blocking straight punches and roundhouse kicks.
One attack or defense warm-up drill typically lasts around two minutes; the class spends around twenty to thirty minutes on warm-up drills. For the short sixty to ninety seconds between drills, students would go over to the windows, grab the metal security bars for stability, and practice various forms of knee strikes.
 |
| The instructor teaching techniques |
Students then paired up to practice the new technique with each other. Since I was one of the tallest two students in class, the instructor asked Chiến to pair up with me.
I remembered Chiến from my first visit; he was noticeably one of the most skilled students in class. I actually remember feeling lucky that we were paired to train together, even though I knew that it had only to do with the fact that Chiến and I were about the same size, and nothing to do with any perceived skill or previous experience I had coming into the class.
Chiến came over and stood in front of me, ready to practice. He had a bit of a skeptical look on his face. It could've been because of the obvious language barrier, but it also could've been because he didn't know where I was in terms of endurance, dedication, and skill level. I knew this man wanted to train. He didn't seem like the type to attend class just to socialize and make new friends.
I was determined to prove myself. I'm no slouch. I'm here to train hard and learn quickly.
 |
| Me and Chiến, bro'ing down at a Muay Saigon field trip |
More techniques were introduced and practiced. Using very simple Vietnamese to make sure I understood correctly, Chiến told me which techniques to ignore for the sake of having more time to practice the basics, and he corrected me on everything from stances and proper defensive positions to better punches and kicks. Chiến was tremendously supportive, which was a pleasant surprise given the stoic, borderline stern demeanor he exudes in class.
The class time passed quickly. Before I knew it, one of the senior students called out for everyone to line up so we could end class.
Just as we did at the beginning of class, everyone lined up side-by-side in a straight line while the instructor stood in front facing us. The senior student standing off to the far left at the head of line ordered everyone to stand at attention and bow--a motion that involved putting both hands, palms facing each other, together and raising them in front of our face while bowing our head. This was similar if not the exact same way that people from Thailand traditionally greet each other. After the bow, everyone gave a quick round of applause.
The class remained silent for a brief moment while the instructor shared general announcements. I can't remember what the exact announcements were for that particular class, but they usually involved things like special tournaments we should watch, classmates who were actually competing in those tournaments, special social events being organized on national holidays, or the arrival of a new shipment of uniforms.
Once the announcements were over, the teacher led the class in reciting the class motto.
"Muay Saigon," the instructor yelled.
The class yelled back in unison, "đoàn kết, quyết tâm, chiến thắng!" Unity! Determination! Victory!
Each student then ran in a single-file line over to the instructor to give him a high-five, calling out their own name while slapping the instructor's extended hand.
Class had ended.
As we were packing our gear, a few of the students who we had met at the beginning of the class came over to ask how we liked it. Thuy and I both enthusiastically responded with our approval and with a promise to return for the next class. The students, now our new classmates, smiled with a sense of pride and satisfaction.
 |
| Thuy and I in uniform |
What an oddity we must have been. A Việt kiều and American married couple, living in Vietnam for volunteer work, decides to invest the time in training at their Muay Thai school.
These classmates would become our training partners, our new friends. We would have a number of fun times together, mostly in class, but some outside of class, as well.
What you are doing is awesome!
ReplyDeleteI am actually writing a paper on Muay Thai in Vietnam for a class I am taking at my University. If its ok with you I would really like to hear about more of your experiences to use for my paper. I would really appreciate it!
Hi David! Thanks for the message. I'd be happy to connect to talk about our experiences at Muay Saigon and anything else relevant to your paper. As you might've noticed, we really enjoyed our time training there. Please let me know the best way to reach you, we can go from there.
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