LengLeng

Thanks for sharing. It is funny, only during the last couple of weeks I started thinking about head injuries and whether I ought to be more careful. My current trainer goes pretty hard and many times, well I am not blacking out, but I just feel that my head is taking hits and it gets affected. And then because I started thinking of it I started noticing that sometimes I forgot small things. Like the name of the condo where I lived two years. Could be because of stress or cognitive bias of course. My best friend used to be one of the best female boxers in Sweden (amateur) and she took part in a study where they investigated whether there is a certain gene that will make some boxers more prone to brain damage than others. I should ask her for the outcome of the study. I remember she was suffering as they did bone marrow tests or something. Except from headache in the back of the head I feel ok. Staying away from boxing and things that make my head shake or bounce (running, jumping) and instead swimming, bicycle and yoga. I stocked up on Omega 3 and will get into ketosis this week. I will start with a high fat breakfast followed by 24 hour fast and a long bicylce ride to deplete glycogen. It seems to be the fastest way for me to get into ketosis. I wonder whether sensory deprivation tanks like float tanks would be good for healing? I have tried it once and it was pretty amazing. I should probably care more about trianing my neck as well, lethwei fighters are quite crazy with their neck training and I saw kids doing head stands against a wall after a training for what seemed to last forever. Haven't seen that in Thailand, but it might be common as well.

Yes! I really do believe this from my own experience and (uneducated) research.

Yeah it's how it is with health care here... Yeah it was outside, so basically like concrete. I'm still a bit shocked it went as well as it did.

Oh if it was a Thai hospital and they said MRI not necessary they were probably pretty sure as my experience is they are happy to do any tests. My injury happened during the evening and although I almost lost balance in the shower afterwards,because of night curfew and that I felt ok, it felt better waiting until the morning. I tend to hold my breath when I get nervous and with the face mask I think some of the dizziness came from lack of oxygen. My trainer went with me for translation and the first doc at a Thai affiliated hospital (SML) told me I definitely needed a scan and neurosurgeon. She referred me to SSC. At that place they wouldn't let me in, got concerned I'm a foreigner even though I have 0 travel history since January. Eventually they sent us off saying I should find a different hospital, because they didn't have the specialist I needed available right now. So my trainer called one of his students who is a doctor who told me I don't need a specialist right away but a general practitioner can do the first check. So I went to a private hospital (Parami which has good reputation). Triage area was outside under a little tent. And then the doc (not a specialist) asked a lot of questions also questions like where I am and so on. He did the touch nose touch finger things, I had to close my eyes and tell him where I felt a tickle, he checked my neck for stiffness or looseness, checked my smell, pupils, I had to do a lot of gesture things with my hands and he also explained very well what and why he checked this and that. All in all it was very similar to neurological checks I've done in Europe. Right now I feel a bit like I wear a helmet forehead pain and neck pain. But ok and thinking doesn't exhausts me like the day after.

Hey @kevin and @Sylvie many thanks for these this very helpful replies. Although I have very little experience/knowledge I also instinctively feel my head needs to be still somehow. Omega 3 of course, excellent advice. And it might be a good idea to start keto again. It makes sense it would be beneficial for the brain considering the nice sharp focus ketosis gives you and also the science on Alzheimer's and ketones.

Hey thanks so much. Yeah it hurt so much but ok..stitches from slipping in the shower sounds more painful. I could get time off work, but I'm involved in the country's covid response activities so it's more my own choice.

Two days ago after training I was doing some body work (my gym in Yangon opened up with some measures in place). My body and head were pretty sore after some tough sparring. I played around with tractor tires and I tried to lift and flip one overhead. But I lost balance, fell backwards smacked my head into the asphalt and then the tire smacked me in the face. I didn't lose consciousness and no amnesia. I have a lot of scrape wounds in my face and my nose was bleeding a lot but no back head wound, just a big bump. No nausea no sickness just dizziness and aches. The day after -just to be sure- I went to the hospital (had to go to three in total jeez) and a doc did a neurological examination checking reflexes and all that stuff. Nothing seemed to be wrong and they didn't feel the need for a scan as I had no symptoms of inner swelling. It was a nasty hard blow but I doubt I even had a concussion. Anyhow, I rested one day and thought I would do some light swimming today. Unfortunately I have to work although thinking feels overwhelming a bit. Since fighters are the best to ask about these stuff, any advice on how to get back into training? What to think about? I feel so stupid getting injured like that first day back...

You need to pay up front and later be reimbursed by your insurance provider I meant.

Discipline equals freedom by Jocko Willink. Can't hurt me by David Goggins. I guess these might be obvious though.

But you would probably have to pay up front I guess?

In a yoga studio I visited in Thailand they would use the word Ning a lot as in presence and stillness when holding a pose.

This is really interesting, thanks for sharing. The dynamics between Thailand and Myanmar are very interesting due to the history. In general I feel Thai muay thai people don't like Myanmar at all whereas middle class Thais will not be too influenced by history. I got a lot of "oooh I am so worried for you Myanmar no good Myanmar very bad" from gym people when I said I was moving. And whenever I post footage from my training on facebook muay thai trainers from Thailand will message me and be upset because "this is not good this is not muay thai etc. etc." From Myanmar people, well when talking to friends who are Bama (Burmese) they feel that Thai people don't like them ("they are afraid of us") but they don't really mind Thais, but they hate being looked down upon. But then other people from Kachin and Karen or other etnic groups (Myanmar has so many ethnicities and active civil wars and there are many areas not controlled by government) it is a bit of beggars can't be losers mentality. To be able to fight in Thailand means money. And many will have relatives who work in Thailand. Regarding the relationship between muay thai and lethwei it is really hard to find out much more than that lethwei is really old. Once lockdown is over (we have some lockdown light here) I plan to visit thut ti lethwei gym and talk to their owner who apparently is an advocate for pure lethwei and speaks english very well. Oh and back to the topic, yeah he works hard. Apparently when he was younger he worked in the mine with his dad and then came home and did pushups and pullupsand all the work and watched videos with his hero van Damme and eventually found his way to Yangon where he started fighting until a knee injury stopped him. He is one of the trainers at LeDuc's lethwei camp in November this year, hoping it will still actually happen.

This is such an engaging topic I've followed for a while but been reluctant to post because I find it so hard to discuss my mental health openly. Although I too feel muay thai can do so much to empower you, I feel it can easily break you down. If you're in a vulnerable mental state, training in a Thai muay thai gym can add tonnes of bricks to the mental stress. It's hard to deal with hard sparring when feeling like you're made of glass and you're stuck behind a wall and you can't really hear anybody else but the critical loudspeaker in your own mind. And also especially since relationships in Thailand are so important and maintaining relationships can be draining or impossible when you're in a state where you cannot even maintain the relationship to yourself. Add to this promoters with other interests than putting on a good fight card. Or trainers demanding respect. Further, as a woman, there are so many invisible barriers to climb. And sometimes it doesn't matter what you do, doors simply don't open. I think for me personally, I might have at one point taken on too much and probably should've stayed away from the gym and all the relationship maintenance for a while until I was stronger. Instead of trying and trying and getting disappointed. Even though I'd go back to my gym in a heartbeat if I could (my plan was to be in Bangkok right now to fight) my mental health benefitted tremendously from training at a gym with no active fighters and having the space just to push myself how I wanted and play around for a while. Anxiety is awful, it's like a dragon in your chest clawing. But at least there's some kind of moving energy. Depression is how I imagine dark matter. It just swallows you.

Most gyms shutting down in Bangkok as per government request. Owner of Numponthep gym and well renowned promoter Num seems like he has gotten infected as well. Stay safe. Myanmar is also shutting down cinemas, night clubs and public events. No confirmed cases but they only tested less than 150 potential cases with a population of more than 50 million people. Gyms still open for now.

Oooh...yeah I feel it too as if it will get more intense. I'm just worried ppl will start panicking and other countries will close their borders to us. I'll train one way or the other.

Some of my gyms in Bangkok have considered closing down but not done so yet. The SuperChamp host Matthew Deane has posted on Instagram he's confirmed Covid-19 and I heard this Sunday's show has been cancelled. Some arenas, including, JF Stadium in Pattaya have canceled fights on ad hoc basic. I'm in Yangon and Myanmar has no confirmed cases but that does not say anything pretty sure it's already here. No gyms have closed down yet but other larger events including this years new year/water festival. I've had a sinus infection this week so worked from home, fatigued, but no fever no shortness of breath so went back to the gym when I felt better. Through my work I'm involved in the public health sector and if there's an outbreak it will not be good. Next week there will be further guidelines for working arrangements, travels (restricted for now), public gatherings, etc. There's some panic, people stocking up and I sort of expect gyms to announce they might close temporarily as well.

This is good advice. I'm sure these are very useful. Im not using anything though, maybe ankle protectors I place on my shins instead. Since I do laser treatments on my legs I'm a bit reluctant to try the apple cider vinegar potion @Sylvie mentioned. Afraid it will burn. I'm slowly being conditioned. And I love sparring tough and getting used to train with pain especially since I do not have any current upcoming fight opportunities. But recently a new trainer came to my gym. He's from Myanmar but spent a lot of time in Thailand and I watched him shadow (he's probably close to 70) and it was such a beautiful muay that came out of it. I realised he spoke Thai so we could communicate and he showed me a lot of beautiful moves and he did not want to block at all. Instead he just backed up, ducked, used head movements which looked so elegant. So I've been trying that a lot which of course limits shin on shin impact. He also did not want me to spar hard rather learn moving the body. Nevertheless I love being able to learn pain through training. So I'll do both styles.

Do you use force and block like in a fight or you kick with your foot?

I don't really comment on politics in countries I work in and I don't really want to either Myanmar politics are way too complex for discussions like these. But I think you misunderstand my point. I couldn't care less about which of these disciplines are more pure, I find these debates stupid. What I do see is similarities in what it means to grow up in Thailand or Myanmar and fight for a living. And how far this is from westerners dreams of fighting "real fight" and experience a traditional gym ("but the trainers should speak english please"). I'm myself a westerner with these kind of fight aspirations and it's probably why this clash of cultures fascinates/disturbs/interests me so. Please feel free to edit my post if you have issues with whatever things I wrote (and really did not claim were facts).

Yes Kevin, obviously I'm aware of the history between the two countries. Nevertheless, if you look online google lethwei muay thai there are lots of discussions by foreigners on which form is the most pure etc etc and "muay thai being a watered down version of lethwei" and so on. There was recently some argument between LeDuc and Liam Harrison etc. It feels like this sort of thing is many times also fuelled by westerners. And it's a bit ridiculous. I think the general claim (from people who prefer lethwei) is that since lethwei is supposedly older than muay thai, muay thai must have been influenced by lethwei. Haven't done any own research though. And that wasn't exactly the point with my post either.

First of all, apologies for bringing Myanmar traditional boxing (Lethwei) into this but as far as I understand muay boran (and other fighting styles in the region) originates from Lethwei. I feel there are some people who want to create an impression of animosity between lethwei and muay thai, but I just experience it as two beautiful versions of the same thing. Anyhow, one of my teachers sent me this old photo from his home in Kachin State, northern Myanmar and one of the most active armed conflict zones. And I wanted to share just to remind foreigners who come to fight in Thailand or Cambodia or Myanmar what cultures they are actually interacting with and where your trainers actually come from. My teacher in the photo is a sweet, friendly guy in his 20s. He works at three different gyms in Yangon that focus martial arts fitness and he leads his classes with enthusiasm and smiles. He sleeps at the gym where I'm training. Regardless of skill level he'll find and push you beyond your boundaries. He has had about 30-40 fights and is currently recovering from a nasty knee injury and subsequent surgery, waiting to be able to fight again. He's also waiting for an invitation and visa to go teach at a western gym in a western country. To prep for the visa process he goes to English school in his free time. His biggest dream is to become a One Championship fighter. And he keeps his body fit in the meantime. This photo simply got to me. It's just such a harsh reminder of what it means to really want it. The endless hours you put in that no one is there to see. And it, as so many times before, painfully reminded me of how spoiled I am as a foreigner when trying to choose the most suitable gym for me, or complaining about pad holders style, or not getting fights, or the whatever. And the caption I was given with the photo also summarizes the attitude so well: "Now ok before ok you know?"

Oh let me know if you need any advice on finding a gym. I'm at a fitness lethwei gym which I wouldn't really recommend as currently there are no fighters training there and they don't teach fighting styles. But I have a good connection with 2 trainers who give me extra work and one was up until recently an active fighter (knee injury but just waiting to recover to start fighting again) and they know gyms in the country.

Yoga in general is great for physical and mental well-being. But it also benefits muay thai by helping you improve balance, have a calm mind, controlled breathing, and of course keeping your muscles and ligaments and all that stuff healthy, which will help you remain injury free. Same goes for weightlifting, muay thai can he hard on your knees, strong legs help prevent knee injury. Or hips or shoulders etc. A lot of times muay thai practice will be repetitive, doing the same stuff over and over. Adding other kinds of exercises will function as a counter-measure keeping your body alert.

In general 6 times/week. I try to add running in whenever I can, either in the mornings before work or before or after training. My sessions are around 2-3 hours and always involve pushups and pullups. Trying to have the discipline to add some strength training as well (goblet squats, dumbbell snatches, weighted lunges, turkish getups). Sometimes I'll mix it up with some crossfit. Struggling to add yoga back into my routine which would probably be very helpful. If I do not have access to a gym I still try to train 6/week and focus on some calisthenics and high intensity stuff.