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The Future of Muay Thai

Nightshade
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Nightshade Contributor

Nightshade

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Posted

Hey I just want to thank you Sylvie for doing what you do regarding the Mauy Thai library and this website, plus your courage and bravery to go out and actually pursue the lifestyle your living.  I've learned so much and have actually gotten into watching the sport of Mauy Thai which I've grown to really enjoy.  I think it's important to go to the source to learn it, especially because it's actually the grappling or the Mauy Khao style that pumps me up as far as skill mastery is concerned.  The two things that impress me most in martial arts is skilled evasiveness when fighters slip impossibly fast strikes and high amplitude sweeps.  Basically at a point where I'm realizing that I'm never really going to get any good at clinch fighting unless I head over to Thailand and have the time to do it everyday.  I do kickboxing right now in the US but they do not know how to clinchfight.  I don't know I guess I felt like communicating all that with all of you but here are my questions on the matter.  

First of all where do you see Mauy Thai going in the US?  I feel like many MMA fans actually want to watch Mauy Thai and don't even realize it.  I'm talking about people who boo whenever there's an extended grappling exchange.  I think someday when I'm much more experienced and competent I'd like to open an actual Mauy Thai gym in the US (and not kickboxing like 99% of them truly are) and maybe grow awareness of the sport over here.

Second of all how are things looking in Thailand?  How do you see things playing out in the next couple years?  Has covid changed the landscape is it now much less kind to foreigners? I know Thai's are smaller people in general I'm assuming I'll have no trouble getting fights being around 150lbs?  

Also income wise, any tips trying to stay afloat financially while training in Thailand?  I've got some decent savings but I'd want to at least try to generate income out there.  Is fighting a legitimate way for a guy with 0 fights?  

And last if you could recommend a resource for someone looking to get that Mauy Khao experience?  It's just so cool lol

I'm really kind of looking to change up my lifestyle.  I've always used martial arts to blow off steam and keep me grounded plus I loved and love the sense of camaraderie that comes with doing something as difficult as training.  I'm very happy that I found this website and the Patreon so I could see someone making it happen.  At some point I know I've got to just make the call and do it but I'm just trying to gather as much information as I can so I can start to mentally picture how it's going to go.

Anyways thank you very much for all your hard work and dedication as well as taking the time to read this!  

 

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Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu Fellow Traveler

Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu

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Posted

Thanks so much for your kind words. I'll try to get to the parts of your post that I am able to answer, I don't have my thumb on the pulse of American Muay Thai so I have no idea how to speculate there.

Covid has had a big impact on Muay Thai in Thailand. It has shut down a lot of the provincial fighting, which was the true lifeblood of Muay Thai, put innumerable people out of work, shut down gyms and had many fighters quit for lack of income, created a different structure for fights so that the 3 round "entertainment Muay Thai" has become more prominent and traditional 5 round fights are only being put on by the Old Guard Bangkok promoters. The future of Muay Thai, in my eyes, looks grim. But for folks who like the "international" entertainment style, the future looks bright. It has not affected foreign fighters in a negative way; if anything, the opportunities have increased to fight on bigger shows (money/exposure wise) because they're these 3 round promotions that want every fight to be Thai vs Non-Thai.

Likelihood that you can support yourself financially off of fighting alone is vanishingly small. Working online and teaching English seem to be the most frequent income bases for long-term stay in Thailand.

For Muay Khao training I'd recommend training with Kru Diesel at his gym in Singburi, https://www.fighthousethailand.com/sing-buri

 

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