This was published 13 years ago
Eight limbs, all very sore
Julie Miller emerges exhausted but delighted after trying her hand at a punch-packing national pastime.
Step up ... muay thai lessons on Koh Samui.
I HAVE Len in a headlock, his massive cranium filling the void between my biceps and chest.
He breaks easily out of my grip but then shows me how, with a slight adjustment to my fingers on the base of his skull, I can lock his head down with minimal strength.
"Then you break my nose, my jaw, everything. Bam!" he says, in an Arnie-like European accent. I raise my knee according to his instructions, tentatively whacking it into his face.
Muffled beneath my heaving bosom, I hear Len laugh; he's less than impressed with my fighting spirit. "You can hit me harder, you know," he says. "You won't hurt me."
Of that I'm sure. The man seems built out of concrete. And at this point, I'm not convinced I have the taste for blood required for muay thai, or Thai boxing.
My introductory session to Thailand's national sport is taking place in the fitness centre of the Anantara Lawana, on the resort island of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand. Seeking a fun, uniquely Thai experience, my daughter Jo and I had signed up without any knowledge of muay thai, expecting some soft aerobic exercise with a bit of play fighting and some punching-bag work – a faux workout, in other words, in keeping with the holiday spirit.
Instead, legs and arms are flying in every direction; from the corner of my eye I see Jo, wearing red boxing gloves and shin pads, swing a hook at her instructor's jaw before elbowing his knee and side-kicking his spleen. Bin, a wiry Thai ball of muscle, high-fives her efforts – she clearly has what it takes. That's my girl!
Meantime, I'm in a world of pain; sweat is flooding from every pore and I'm at the point of collapse from exertion. "Don't give up," Len growls, with no sympathy for the fact that I'm a middle-aged, ridiculously unfit mother. "Left, right, uppercut, hook, elbow, knee, now kick – hard! Again – hard!"
It's an incredible workout but somehow it seems so incongruous with the gentleness of the Thai spirit. How did this serene and passive culture, famed for its sweet smiles and angelic dispositions, develop and become masters of a ferocious and deadly martial art?
While seemingly a hybrid of English-style boxing and Asian martial arts, muay thai is intertwined with Thai history, dating back at least 700 years to the Sukothai period. Refined in the royal courts of Ayutthaya, this style of hand-to-hand combat is often referred to as the "art of eight limbs"; a marriage of grace and savagery that involves punches, kicks, knees and elbow strikes as well as the deadly head clinch taught to me by Len.
It is the most popular spectator sport in Thailand; there are boxing stadiums in every big city in the country attracting thousands of locals and curious farangs to weekly bouts. The island of Samui has two stadiums, with fights taking place at least three times a week (more in peak season), luring international competitors as well as a steady flow of Thai boxers seeking fame and glory.
As an attraction, professional fights are hard to avoid in Koh Samui. Although the stadiums are hidden in backstreets surrounded by sleazy girlie bars with names such as Club 69, a vigilant marketing campaign makes sure every tourist shopping in Chaweng is aware of an upcoming bout as an advertising-adorned songthaew cruises the strip, Rocky theme blaring and poncy Pommy accent announcing the time and venue for the fight.
Even beach babes sipping cocktails on Chaweng beach can't escape the onslaught, with a long-tail boat chugging up the coastline taking over noise-pollution duties, ubiquitous Rocky music distorting from overamplification.
Despite the publicity, family entertainment muay thai ain't and foreign women remain a rarity in the testosterone-filled dens of iniquity. Fights are violent, noisy, crowded and sweaty, with the baying for blood and roars of appreciation for bone-crunching blows an anathema to peace-loving souls. As I remove my sweat-drenched gloves, chest heaving and legs trembling from exertion, however, I can fully appreciate the value of muay thai as a form of exercise. From my calves to my triceps, every muscle has been worked to its limit; my heart rate has increased and I've rediscovered my previously dormant core.
I have also learnt valuable self-defence tips: if I'm ever attacked front-on by a huge man-beast such as Len, I'll know how to hit him where it hurts. In theory, at least.
The writer was a guest of Anantara Lawana and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Trip notes
Getting there
Thai Airways flies daily from Sydney to Bangkok with transfers to Koh Samui, priced from $1944. 1300 651 960, thaiairways.com.au.
Staying there
Anantara Lawana, located on the northern end of Chaweng Beach, has a "Stay 5 Pay 4" rate until April 30. Rate includes five nights for the price of four in a room or villa and daily buffet breakfast for two people. Rates start from 8100 baht ($267) plus tax a night. anantara.com
Boxing there
The Anantara Lawana has introductory one-hour classes for 250 baht ($8.24) a person. One-week courses arranged on request.
More information
tourismthailand.org,
muaythai.com.au.
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