CatherineS

I want to get a Muay Thai tattoo because it changed who I am as a person, my world perspective, yadda, yadda. The thing is, I’m not “legit” enough for a Sak Yant. I haven’t trained in Thailand, am not closely tied to Thai culture outside of Muay Thai, don’t consider myself a Buddhist, and would definitely feel like a bit of a fraud getting one. I *do not* look at other people in a similar position the same way so this isn’t a criticism of anyone in a similar situation who has gotten one. The question is, are there any Muay Thai tattoos that aren’t Sak Yant that are not completely hokey or ridiculous? Or is this just best left alone and the idea scrapped entirely? Is it disrespectful to the tradition of the sport and would only serve to Westernize something not really meant for westerners outside of training? I’m not looking for an answer I want to hear on some of the cultural questions. Seriously seeking some thoughtful considerations.

The mental thing is a bit tougher to wrap my head around. I’m really starting to grasp just how significant the mental and emotional aspects are when it comes to making the decision to fight. I’m a pretty tough person but I worry about crumbling in the ring. I keep waiting to feel closer to ready and anywhere near confident but it hasn’t happened yet. I worry that that part won’t ever come. That part has me more nervous than being physically ready.

Thank you for the specific recommendations about how to get ready! This breaks it down into what seems like something doable and specific. I guess I feel like I’m a bit all over the place in terms of what exactly I’m supposed to be doing and I’m feeling a bit unsure. I’m planning on speaking to my new coach a bit more about it but this is a great place to start.

Thank you for that feedback! This at least gives me some idea of where the bar is set for serious training in Thailand. I’m in the US and from my understanding, the idea of fight camp is more of a western thing? Fighters in Thailand are coached to be fight ready pretty much always? I don’t have firsthand knowledge of this but that’s been my understanding from people who train and fight there. Like almost all amateurs, I have lots of life commitments, including 4 young children. I just started training at a new gym that is much more of a fight geared gym than the one where I started. The level of serious training is quite different, which is what I was seeking. But it’s giving me a more realistic view of what it’s going to take to get to the new coaches idea of being ready to compete. It’s... a bit overwhelming. I’m excited and motivated to really start accelerating my training. But what I don’t want to do is overcommit and end up having to walk away or half ass training and end up getting seriously injured. I started training 16ish months ago after 10 years of being pregnant 4 times, taking care of babies and small kids, and doing little in the way of fitness. I’m also on the “mature” side at 41 so the rate of improvement in conditioning might be a bit on the slower side. While not overweight, I had very little strength and endurance when I started out. Those have vastly improved over the last year+ but I’m definitely not where I want/ need to be from a conditioning or skill aspect. All that to say that I started at almost zero so it’s a slow but steady uphill climb with training. I daydream about taking a few months off and just focusing on training but that is just not going to happen. Lol. Thats interesting about the idea of thinking we are working harder than we actually are. Lol. I’ll have to start paying closer attention and maybe hold myself more accountable to accuracy of how much I’m actually working. Thank you again for taking the time to share your experiences and ideas about getting ready for competing. You guys are generous and awesome.