Muay Thai

Muay Thai. Thailand’s national sport! Muay Thai is to Thailand what baseball and football is to the United States.

So what is Muay Thai? Muay Thai is like kickboxing. It’s called the art of eight limbs because it uses hands, elbows, knees and feet for combat. Combat?

So who exactly am I fighting? Well mostly myself! Everyday it’s a fight to be better than I was the day before. To push myself harder than I did before.

The sport has truly saved my life. I was always an athlete. Since the age of 4 I’ve been climbing on kitchen countertops, trees, and drain spouts. After my parents caught me hanging on the refrigerator door, they knew I had to get into something to keep me busy. No, they didn’t put me in Muay Thai at the age of 4! However, in Thailand, that is not uncommon. I played softball. I played it so much, I eventually became a collegiate athlete in the sport and received scholarship money! Isn’t that every athletes dream? YES!! So what happens when it’s all over? What does a collegiate athlete do with themselves after they have reached that level and graduated? I entered the workforce. I worked 8-10 hour days. I stopped at the fast food restaurant on the way home and sat on the couch watching the boob-tube. Depressing uh? Yep, the sedentary American lifestyle is not all it’s cracked up to be. After a few months of this routine, my clothes didn’t fit anymore. I had gained 50 pounds! I was miserable and something had to be done. I hate going to the gym. I need something progressive, something with accountability and camaraderie. So I joined a martial arts school that offered Muay Thai. Little did I know at that time, it was going to change my life forever! Not only did I feel better about myself working out and noticed myself getting stronger, I also had this re-assured feeling. I felt confident in my abilities to protect myself. I looked people in the eye and no longer stared at the ground when people talked to me.

Here I am 4 years later, teaching it to teenagers in high school. Hoping to give the same gift to young minds that I have found for myself in this wonderful sport. Come January, I’ll be fully immersed in the great country that the sport originated, grew and flourished. I…..CAN’T……WAIT!