Year: 2020

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Gym-dependence Day 3rd August 2020

Gym-dependence Day

Here what you need to know about training with us

Booking classes 

Join us at Phoenix Muay Thai on the Wix app to easily stay updated and get in touch with me on the go.

Join with this link: http://wix.to/RcCvC6w. Got the app? Use the invite code: 01S1DW

A fresh registration needs to be filled in 

https://phoenixmuaythai.co.uk/disclaimer-form/ 

Please watch youtube videos on arriving, going to the toilet and leaving. 

Arriving 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdA-9kwMhzM

Going to the toilet 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unxrthfTI8w

Leaving

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpk01X5N85o

Gym Being Cleaned

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Thailand’s 16-Year Old “Miracle Child” Picks Up Minor WBC Belt

 

By Corey Erdman Published On Mon Jul 13, 2020, 02:01 AM EST https://www.boxingscene.com

If you were to see Sangarthit Looksaikongdin in the ring without any background or context, you wouldn’t guess that he was 16 years old.

Or that he had turned pro at 14 years of age.

Sangarthit was in action on Saturday at The Bazaar Hotel in Bankok, Thailand on Saturday, as he defeated Kulabdam Sor Jor Piekuthai for the WBC Asia light welterweight title. To the casual observer, the bout did not look like a 16-year old fighting a 21-year old Muay Thai convert. Sangarthit was composed well beyond his years, boxing off the back foot and running his southpaw opponent into both lead and counter right hands round after round. The teenager did eat some heavy shots, particularly a flush left hand in the third round, but managed to temper Kulabdam’s fiery aggression particularly in the later stages. Scores were 97-94, 95-94 and 99-92 in favor of Sangarthit.

Outside of the ring, Sangarthit (born Phoobadin Yoohanngoh) is exactly the way you would envision a 16-year old being. His social media is impeccably curated, with well-staged influencer-esque photos and brief captions. He’s dressed in Supreme and accessorized with new jewelry from a local sponsor as he live streams his trip through the mall after his fight to buy a new pair of Adidas Boosts. In an interview posted by his promoter, TL Boxing Promotion, he reveals that he’d like to become a YouTuber as well as a boxer.

Where he would find the time to do that, or where he finds time to take part in normal teenager activity is uncertain. Over the past year, Sangarthit has managed to win the WBC Asia title at 140 pounds, win The Fighter tournament put on in Thailand, and also won the Hilux Revo Marathon in his weight class as a Muay Thai fighter.

Born into a fighting family, he is reportedly the 14th child out of 16 siblings. When he trains at the family gym, an outdoor hut in Bangkok, he is constantly surrounded by children. Sangarthit is young enough to technically be in the same school as many of them, but his life has a drastically different focus. His father and brother train him, and his fellow fighting siblings look on and loiter on the ring apron. Those siblings include women’s minimumweight contender Duangdawnoi Looksaikongdin (born Kanyarat Yoohanngoh), who was also 14 when she made her professional debut in 2014 according to BoxRec.

These stories of teenagers, children in some cases, turning professional are not unprecedented in boxing, but they are most certainly rare. In 1923, Nipper Pat Daly turned pro at the age of 10 (some accounts listed him as being nine), and by September of 1929, was ranked No. 10 by Ring Magazine at bantamweight, by far the most stunning achievement of a child professional boxer ever.

Eventually, rules would be set in place in most countries to prevent such things from happening. One doesn’t have to think hard to figure out why professionally boxing adults would be dangerous for children and teenagers, and how easily it could turn into exploitation, if it wasn’t from the outset.

Mexico still allows fighters under the age of 18—Canelo Alvarez turned pro at 15, and quite often prospects looking to turn pro early pick up early wins in Mexico. In the United States, select states will allow fighters under the age of 18 with significant amateur achievements to box professionally pending parental approval, as was the case with Tristan Kalkreuth for his 2019 bouts on DAZN. On the same day as Sangarthit-Kulabdam, 16-year old super featherweight Yoo Chan Lee had his second pro bout in South Korea as well.

sangarthit-looksaikongdin.jpg

But the phenomenon of teenage boxers is much more prevalent in Thailand than anywhere else.

“There’s often been a feeling that Thailand is the “wild west” of Asian boxing, allowing not just super young kids to turn professional but also allowing world champions to fight stay busy bouts against absolute novices and over-matched opponents,” said Scott Graveson, founder of the indispensable Asianboxing.info, the best chronicle of the Asian boxing scene for English speakers.

“For some fighters it’s handled safely. They don’t tend to throw the kids in super tough, but overall the safety does look really lax at a lot of Thai shows. Thankfully there does seem to be a growing level of care in how shows are handled. TL Promotions and the WP Boxing shows have higher production standards than what we were accustomed to in Thailand for years. There is, of course, a few bouts that look very out of place, but by and large they are prodigies against novices. I suspect in the US some of the sparring for teenagers are tougher than some of the early bouts for the Thai teens.”

With regards to Sangarthit, the question is whether the minor title he now holds is merely symbolic or a sign that his brain trust has intentions of maneuvering him into riskier, more challenging fights. While he defeated Kulabdam conclusively, good portions of the fight were fought on relatively even terms, and his opponent in this case was a 2-1 duel sport fighter who had never gone past the third round as a boxer. Nonetheless, the minor belt he captured could theoretically see him enter the WBC’s Top 40 at light welterweight and put him in the neighborhood as far more developed fighters such as Shohjahon Ergashev (most recently ranked 33rd) or former titleholder Argenis Mendez (31st). Educated observers understand that these belts and rankings have little meaning, but their value still exists for promoters and matchmakers who need to play ball with sanctioning bodies. As impressive as he may look, it would be unwise to pay attention to those rankings and maneuver Sangarthit like a regular 9-0 prospect and not like a 16-year old.

“I’m not sure he’ll ever be a global star, but he does tick a lot of boxes to be a notable figure. He’s young, has a great back story, looks very mature for a teenager, has a good boxing brain on his shoulders, can box going forwards or backwards. The issue is going to be his development over the next 2 or 3 years. He’s going to have to be matched well to develop his skills, and I’m not sure if TL Promotions and Thairath have the financial clout to get him either the bouts he needs or the sparring,” said Graveson. “In saying that if they have the money and spend that on getting him experience stateside, getting him training in the US with some American and Mexican fighters at the weight, there’s no reason why he can’t become a star. I think naturally he’s a fighter with a higher ceiling than Teerachai Kratingdaenggym (Kiram Tewa) who fought for a world title at a similar weight, but we’ll have to wait a long time to see him reach that ceiling. The potential is there, but it’s how his team handle and nurture that potential that is going to be the tricky thing.”

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Thai boxing resumes, but audiences stay home

Boxers and referees go back in the ring after months out of work

BANGKOK (Reuters) — Thai boxing matches resumed on Saturday after more than three months as the nation eases its coronavirus lockdown, but fans of the popular sport will have to make do with watching on television for now.

Leaders of the sport hailed the return to the ring after the shutdown, which left hundreds of boxers and referees without work, and said they hoped spectators would be allowed to attend matches again soon.

“I’m very happy and excited to get back to the ring … But I feel a bit strange. I was used to the sounds of crowds cheering, but there’s no audience,” said Khathawut Tumthong, a 21-year-old boxer.

Thailand’s government has eased most curbs to try to revive an economy badly hit by the pandemic, with sports competitions among the latest activities to resume. No local transmissions of the virus have been reported for 40 days.

However, authorities have yet to issue rules on when and how audiences will be allowed at sports venues. In March, a spike in virus cases was linked to a boxing match in Bangkok.

“Today is a good start for the boxing industry,” said Viboon Jampa-nguern, head of Thailand’s boxing committee.

“Boxers are in jeopardy, they don’t have alternative jobs. The same goes for those who work as boxing referees, they don’t have second jobs to support them,” he said.

Thailand’s tourism-driven economy could contract a record 8.1% this year, with the number of foreign tourists expected to tumble 80%, the central bank has forecast.

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How to Choose the Right Martial Arts Gym

Finding the martial arts gym that is right for you is never an easy task, and it can be a daunting one. This article will arm you with the tools for making sure the place you choose suits your training needs. We’ll start from walking in the front door, through class, and all the other details you need to look for before committing to a gym.

PhoenixMuayThai-slider2
Phoenix Thai Boxing Training Area

1. Friendly and Helpful Staff

A good gym should have a personable and intelligent staff. An easy way to find out if the staff is good is to go to the gym and ask to observe a class. When you walk in, does the front desk person greet you and show you around the gym? Does he or she introduce you to some of the instructors? And are they friendly? The manner in which the staff acts can tell you worlds about the gym.

2. Schedule

Examine the gym’s schedule to make sure they can accommodate your needs. If they can’t, then there’s no reason as to why you should be there. Before signing up, make a plan as to what classes you would want to attend and make sure you get some information on the instructors who will be teaching. This will ensure that you can find the coach who is best for you, that you will be able to attend class consistently, and that you will get the best experience for your money.

3. Cleanliness

This is a big one for me and it’s a deal breaker for a lot of people. Some gyms can get pretty nasty, and if the gym you’re looking at isn’t clean, then it says a lot about the gym’s attention to detail. Dirty gyms lead to staph infections and the spread of other equally fun bacterial infections.

The gym doesn’t have to sparkle but there are some basics that need to be covered. Here’s is a checklist to go though when checking out a new spot:

Are the mats clean?

Are the pads and mitts organised?

Do people wear shoes or sandals when they walk off of the mat? (Because they should!)

Are the bathrooms clean?

4. Equipment

A good gym has the right tools to get the job done. They don’t need every toy ever invented for martial arts training, but the basics do need to be covered. If you’re in a muay Thai gym, then look for ample amounts of mat space, heavy bags, Thai pads, and strength equipment.

5. Quality Instruction

This is by far the most important thing to look for when choosing to learn a martial art. You could find the nicest facility in the world, but if the instructors don’t know what they’re doing then you’re wasting time and money.

A good instructor controls the class in a fluid and organised manner. From the warm up to the cool down, a good instructor will have the focus directed at honing a particular skill or movement. When observing the class, ask yourself if the information being taught is reflected the drills and exercises being performed by the students. A teacher who holds class in this fashion has clearly programmed the session in advance and demonstrates that he or she truly cares about the learning experience.

Another thing to look at when observing a class is the student body. The way a student acts can say much about the quality of the coaches and the gym as a whole. Here are some questions to ask yourself when looking at the students:

Are people sweating, smiling, and learning?

Are they good at what they’re doing?

If not, is the instructor helping them correct their mistakes?

If you answered yes to these questions, then you are in a good spot. Remember that at the end of the day you want to enjoy the training that you are paying for. Martial arts is not all fun and games, but it should be an overall enjoyable learning experience.

5. Community

Community is a huge part of the martial arts. When you join a gym, you should be joining a family. The gym should be a place where you can openly be yourself and where people hang out and socialise between classes. Before joining a gym, ask the front desk if they plan any events for the members and what the general culture is like.

Becoming a part of a community that is striving towards similar goals is just plain awesome. You immediately have a support system to help you when the going gets tough. That, in my opinion, is worth its weight in gold.

It makes my day when I walk into my gym and see students helping each other. It reaffirms that what I do makes a difference. Whether it’s sharing advice on nutrition, mobility drills to help with aches and pains, working on techniques, or just talking about where you can get the best margarita. Being part of a gym with a sense of community can change your life. If you’re ever in West Los Angeles, I invite you to stop by my gym to see firsthand what a great gym community is like.

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13 Rules for Proper Muay Thai Gym Etiquette

courteous of The Muay Thai Guy Sean Fagan

No matter how long or short you’ve been practicing Muay Thai, it’s always good to look over some general etiquette so the gym is a comfortable place for everyone.

1. Show up on time. Better yet, show up 10-15 min early.

One of the best quotes when it comes to punctuality came from the movie Drumline:

“If you’re on time you’re late, if you’re early you’re on time.”

Get off to a good start by showing your trainers that you’re game and ready to learn; the first step to doing this is respecting the class start and end times. Show up early to change, wrap your hands, and other things you may need to do before taking a class.

2. No shoes on the mat.

This goes for most martial arts, not just Muay Thai. Stepping on the mat with your shoes brings in all the dirty stuff from outside and can include diseases like staph.

3. Have and bring your own gear.

If you’re just starting out, it’s understandable that you need some time before ordering your first pair of gloves.

But if you’ve been training for more than a few weeks and plan to continue, you’re gonna need to have your own set of gear. This includes gloves, handwraps, shinguards, and shorts. Don’t expect your gym to have any on loan (it’s not sanitary anyway). If you consistently forget your gear, make a mental checklist before you leave the house. And don’t forget to bring your gear home!

4. Wash/air out/sanitise your gear!

There is almost nothing worse than having someone at the gym who smells bad! Avoid awkward conversations and confrontations by taking a bit of time to take the gear out of your bag when you get home from training so you can air out your gloves and shinguards.

Shorts and handwraps need to be washed just like your everyday clothes. You can invest in some deodoriser/sanitising spray for your gear, but airing your gear out usually does the trick (no moisture = no bacteria growth = no smell).

5. Other basic hygiene…

Cut your nails short so you don’t scratch people during clinching. This includes your toenails because people have been cut by long toenails and that’s just disgusting. Wear deodorant. Don’t wear a lot of cologne or perfume. Wash your clothes. Tie your hair back if it’s long. Use a towel or bring an extra shirt if you sweat more than other people. Don’t train when you’re sick so you don’t get others sick.

6. Wear compression underwear!

Under your thai shorts if you’re male and compression shorts if you’re female.Thai shorts generally have bigger leg openings so the wearer can kick more comfortably. Let’s not flash our private parts to everyone by wearing proper undergarments. We’re here to train, not get grossed out.

Also, as a side note to dudes, everyone can see your junk through your sweaty shorts if you don’t wear at least boxer briefs. This makes some people not wanna clinch with you ‘cause if you can see it, you can definitely feel it.

7. Shut up when the trainers are talking.

This is common sense. You know you shouldn’t be talking during school while your teachers are, and this is no different. When the trainers are giving group feedback or showing a new technique, be quiet so people (including yourself) and listen and see what’s going on. To learn, you have to open your eyes and ears before opening your mouth

8. Do what you’re told.

Okay, so, it might not be good general life advice to blindly do things, but let’s break down a few things that make this different in Muay Thai. You’re paying for lessons at a gym you like being at, so you know the trainers there know more than you do. Whether you’re there to learn new skills or just get in better shape, you trust the trainers there to do what brings you closer to your goal…otherwise you wouldn’t be there.

That being said, if you’re told to do 50 kicks or 100 situps, don’t make faces. Don’t complain. Don’t run to text people every other round. You don’t get more energy from making faces. You don’t get results from complaining. Just do it and let your progress speak for itself. And leave the phone alone until after class is done.

9. Don’t spar at 100%

(unless you already made sure your sparring partner is ok with it).

Wear big gloves for sparring. This has to be said a lot, unfortunately. If we’re on the same team, there’s no reason why we need to train in a way that will hurt each other. Save that type of for a fight. It’s okay to spar aggressively and catch your partner with shots, but do it in a controlled manner. 

Technical sparring is key (see below for some drills) and will get you much further (and less injured) than hard sparring will. Spar with 14oz and higher.

Also, know when to adjust your power against smaller people whose maximum power outputs are much less than yours. Light sparring against someone your size might feel very different to someone who’s 20 kg lighter than you. People are also under the impression that when they spar a fighter that they are going into a brawl.

Experienced fighters are the most controlled people you will ever spar with, so there is no need to throw a series of 20 combinations in a matter of seconds.

10. Clinch hard, knee softly.

The same goes for clinching as it does for sparring, especially since muscling won’t get you anywhere in clinching as you further your training. It’s perfectly fine to use your upper body power as you’re not hurting anyone with it – just be controlled and stop cranking their neck when you already have their head down. Knees can slap but should not be hard.

When clinching, you’re probably not wearing any gear to cover your knees, and knee shots hurt! Use mostly the inside thigh near your knee to strike, and if you ever use the knee cap, go very lightly.

11. Wash your hands before clinching.

Ever smell your hands after taking them out of your gloves? Yeah.

12. Respect everyone.

This includes your trainers and training mates. You can always learn something from anyone, no matter what their level is. They’re on the journey with you.

13. Have realistic expectations.

This is a big umbrella that houses many, many mistakes people make. Don’t expect to do a lot of flashy spinny moves on your first day (if you want purely flashy and spinny stuff, maybe Muay Thai isn’t the sport for you).

Don’t think just because you’ve been in a few street fights that you can just jump into sparring… and don’t expect to be “good at Muay Thai” just because of those street fights. Above all, remember it takes time and consistency to progress. I’ve met a lot of people who were super down on themselves for still being “not good” their first month. Keep going and don’t give up.

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Muay thai didn’t heal me – but it brought everything into focus

Fighting helped me escape what I found most difficult. If I could bottle up the feeling I get when I step in the ring, I would

Elena Cresci

Published:

07:00 Monday, 06 January 2020

Follow Elena Cresci

When people find out that I am an amateur muay thai fighter, the first thing they often ask is whether I am scared when I get in the ring. To a certain extent, yes: thai boxing is known as the art of eight limbs, where punches, knees, elbows and kicks all come into play. As an amateur, I’m not at the elbows stage just yet, but even so, fighting isn’t exactly a risk-free activity.

The truth is, I am a fighter because I was looking to escape parts of my life I found more difficult than being punched in the face.

Outside the ring, I am the master of avoiding things I don’t want to deal with. When I was 16, my grandfather died in a house fire the day before my GCSEs started. My reaction was to not tell any teachers or friends until later, pretending that it didn’t happen. I thought I was being mature, but all I was doing was tucking away the grief and trauma to fester for another day. In the background, anxiety and depression became the fabric of my day-to-day life, but only in parts I could safely hide from others.

Denying the erosion of my mental health became a recurring theme throughout my 20s. I had wanted to be a journalist for years, with wide-eyed dreams of making a difference. But as a young member of the newsroom adept at navigating the murkier parts of social media, I was often the person looking for the worst possible videos on the internet in the thick of terror attacks.

Those first few hours after a suspected terror incident are crucial to figuring out exactly what is going on, filled with misinformation from bad actors and people who are just vying for retweets. In among those are the witness accounts, pictures and videos that tell you what is really going on. I wrongly assumed my mental health would be safe when I switched off my screen.

When the panic attacks and flashbacks began, death and violence was on autoplay. Even when I was away from computers, I felt an overwhelming sense of shame – what journalist can’t handle the realities of the world? It turns out I was dealing with the effects of vicarious trauma, where someone is affected by traumatic incidents they weren’t directly exposed to.

A very bad day meant crying on the tube during rush hour, which became peak panic attack hour. I’m not proud of the person I became: irritable, miserable and not much fun to be around. I quit my job, got another one, only to quit that, too. Anger would swivel to hysteria most days and I couldn’t figure out why – it is only recently that I have pieced together why my mental health crumbled in this way.

One day, I got an email about a local charity boxing event, where you trained for eight weeks and then fought at the end – and this particular event offered the option to do muay thai, a sport that I had always wanted to try. As a teenager, karate had been a big part of my life, although I was never much of a competitor. At 18, I did one tournament, got knocked down and hated every minute of it. I knew a muay thai fight would be much harder. Thailand’s national sport is one of the toughest combat arts around. The thought of it terrified and exhilarated me in equal measure.

That first fight camp was probably more exhausting than terrifying and I realised exactly how unfit I was when I threw up after the first session. I got battered in every sparring session I attended, ending up with a gigantic bruise on my left leg. I cried in the showers, limped out of the gym and thought about not going back. But I strapped my leg up and ended up winning that first fight.

Two years and seven fights later, taking up muay thai was the best decision I ever made. I train six times a week, hitting pads, clocking up the rounds on the bag, sparring, clinching and topping it all off with strength conditioning and more running than I thought possible.

Last month, I fought, and won, at the Indigo in the O2, alongside some of British muay thai’s best and brightest. If I could bottle up the feeling I get when I step in the ring, I would. The adrenaline when the bell chimes; looking at my opponent’s chest and trying to figure her out, like a dangerous puzzle: is she a kicker or a puncher? Does she like to clinch and knee or is she going to try to sweep me to the ground? And how likely is she to knock me out? All of that is even sweeter if your hand gets raised at the end.

Muay thai didn’t heal me, but it brought everything that was foggy into focus. And it means much more to me than just fight night: my fight team is my family. I have won fights, I have lost fights. But the real fight has always been within myself.

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Classes Time Table

The age range of the groups is to be used as a guide only. Which group a child will be placed in is dependent on height, weight and suitability of students to be paired together. 


Private lessons are available on request.

ALL CLASSES COST £6.00

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Muay Thai Fighter Fights For Life

Australian muay thai competitor fights for life in Thai hospital

Credit to Ulises Izquierdo

The fight took place in Thailand last year.

A Melbourne-based martial arts fighter is fighting for life in Thailand after competing last year.

Sy Leafa, 23, has been in hospital since September 9 after a muay thai bout in Bangkok’s Lumpinee stadium ended with him getting hit by an elbow to the head in the fourth round.

Shortly after the referee declared a loss to Leafa, who lived in New Zealand before moving to Australia, the young athlete showed signs of feeling unwell while leaving the ring.

“They took him to the back and he started seizing up. It was pretty horrific for everyone there,” friend and teammate Jack Jenkins told AAP.

“They rushed him to the hospital and he had brain bleeding. They said they needed to do a brain operation to release the pressure on his brain immediately.”

His first operation went well, but 24 hours later he had more surgery during which they removed part of his skull. He’s been in a coma ever since.

His chances of surviving looked bleak, but he no no longer needs life support.

Leafa is still in a coma, but his condition is improving and has started to respond. His friends and family hoped to have him back in Melbourne by the end of October, but a series of medical complications have dragged out the process.

So far his medical expenses have been paid for by friends and through money raised by a GoFundMe campaign set up by Jenkins, which raised $40,000.

However, that money ran out this week. It will cost about $60,000 to safely take him to Australia through a medical transport company by February.

The young man’s chances of a complete recovery are low, but his friends are refusing to give up on him, hoping to raise another $80,000 for his care.

“We definitely feel like it’s our responsibility and absolutely the right thing to do to get him home to ensure he gets the best chance he does,” Jenkins said.

Leafa arrived in Melbourne aged 14, from New Zealand. He had trained full-time in Melbourne and competed in professional fights since he was 18 years old, learning with Australian UFC fighters such Jimmy Crute, Jake Matthews and Ben Sosoli.

In June last year, he won a one-year sponsorship in June that allowed him to move to Thailand to chase his dream of professionally fighting at the highest level.

“He’s the type of guy that would give you his last $10 if you needed it,” Sosoli told AAP.

“I’m pretty sure one of the first things he’s gonna ask for when he’s back up is when he’ll be able to rematch that guy from his last fight.”