Muay Thai gym in PortlandWhy Muay Thai when there are so many things out there you can do? Ask yourself what are you looking for? Fitness, challenge, stronger will, the strength to follow through with your goals, comradery that is next to family, or a beautiful art that will keep you inspired for a life time. Muay Thai will give you all of these and more.

Where Muay Thai Comes From

Muay Thai originated in Thailand. It comes from an even more ancient art Krabi-krabong. Which was developed by the ancient Siamese warriors it is a weapon based martial art use for wartime battle. Muay Boran was derived from Krabi-krabong and later became known as Muay Thai.

In 1968 Master Chai Sirisute brought Muay Thai to the USA and popularized the sport in our country. In 1982 Master Sirisute took a team of fighters to Thailand to compete in the National championships and Master Sirisutes team walked away as champions. It was the first time in history that the Thai’s had lost to an outside country.

Master Chai always stresses the importance of family, which has fed in to his students and changed lives around the world. I will always be grateful to come up in the sport with such a good influence.

Traditional Muay Thai in PortlandSo what are the benefits of practicing Muay Thai? Well I hinted about some of them in the intro. Let’s get a bit deeper in to the conversation.

1- Fitness and health- this is so important for many reasons being fit and healthy physically, mentally and emotionally will bring us and those around us happiness.

2- Stronger will- how many people do you know that are like drones going to work making enough to pay the bills. When they get off work they are stressed and tired so they eat, watch tv or maybe go our for a beer with friends. While these activities are not bad once in a while when they are your norm they bring negativity to your life. When you have no inspiration to be a better person and no desire to grow you slowly start to die faster than you were intended to.

3- Goals- training in Mauy Thai will teach you to accomplish your goals. In the beginning there are things that you just can’t do. Then you discover that training is fun and challenging so you keep trying then you get it and experience the satisfaction of all of your efforts. This builds your confidence and allows you to see the pattern of these accomplishments and start to see more success in other areas of your life as well.

4- Comradery- this is powerful. When you inject yourself in an environment where everyone is building on their strengths, making their weaknesses become stronger and accomplishing their goals amazing relationships are formed. One of my mentors used to ask people that were at a high level of martial arts skill “if I were to give you a million dollars would you give up your black belt?” This would mean that not just all of your martial skill would be gone but all of the life lessons, friendships and any personal growth you experienced from the practice would be gone as well. Never once have I ever met anyone who would take this deal. I wouldn’t do it for a 100 million.

5- Inspiration. How many hobbies or activities can offer all of these benefits and also keep you inspired for a lifetime? I have been training for almost 30 years and love the training more now than ever before. I am still learning new things every day and seeing new ways to apply things I have already learned.

Sounds great, no? If you are interested in training it is important that you be smart in your approach. We are all at different stages in life. You need to know your limits physically and mentally so you find a pace to train and grow that you can remain consistent with. As you grow and age you also need to evolve with your training so you can continue for the long haul. This does not have to be a sport only for the young.

Once you find a qualified instructor who inspires you set your pace, get to work, have fun and enjoy the ride.

Make sure you are realistic with your goals. If you can only train two days a week you are not going to be the next Muay Thai champion but you can sharpen your skillset learn the art and improve your health. It is important to set goals that you will accomplish to build your confidence and momentum will follow.

Stay focused and consistent. Life will always throw you curve balls it is up to you to find your own whip, if you will, to keep your motivation strong. You can make excuses why you don’t do something or you can make excuses why you make it happen. I started teaching martial arts in 1989 and believe me I have heard more excuses then you might think are possible. Use the practice to live with inspiration and drive to get the most out of everything you do and never stop doing better.

When you practice Muay Thai others will notice your confidence, see your desire and will be drawn to your positive life style.

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