Muay Thai is Thailand’s national sport, and is similar to kick-boxing, using both hands and feet.
Many students in Phuket train solely for fitness and some out of their fascination for the sport, while many even take it to another level and train to for real Muay Thai fights. In many Western countries, Muay Thai gyms can be found in every corner. Some boast their superiority and genuine Muay Thai training techniques, but many tourists prefer to learn in the country where the sport is most famous. And increasing numbers of Muay Thai students means more camps. In Phuket alone there are nearly 20 camps, including six that are popular with hosting foreign students. One of the more well-known is Rawai Muay Thai Camp. Co-owners and husband and wife team Preecha ‘Tuk’ Choke-kuer, known during his fighting years as Sakeddao Sor Yupinda, and Diana Campillo first set up their business in 2003. These days it is a hive of activity, with between 70 and 100 students training per month. Each student pays approximately B10,000 for a month-long training stint. But the camp came from humble beginnings. Diana says she moved to Thailand from China in 2003 during the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak. She met Tuk in Thap Lamu, north of Phang Nga, while on a diving trip. Tuk told her about Muay Thai and took her to a fight, and from that moment on, she was in love. Tuk said he grew up in Phang Nga but he and his three brothers had to travel to Bangkok to train in Muay Thai to win money in fights to help support the family. Then he met Diana, who gave him the idea to set up a training camp. "So I rounded up my family, my brothers, and set up this camp in November 2003. Back then we had only one boxing ring, four punching bags and five students to start with. My brothers and I had to do everything ourselves, from cleaning the floor, washing and cleaning gear, to training students." Fast forward eight years, and there are 18 trainers and six general staff. On a slow month they have about 70 students enrolled, and on busy months there are over 100 students. "We take care of our students like we do our friends. They travel all the way here, they stay with us, train with us, they even fight with us. And when they go back to their countries, they tell their friends about Muay Thai, about Phuket and about us. "We get emails saying ‘My friend trained at your camp and told me that it’s a great experience and I would like to come to train at your camp too’. Our reputation was built by word of mouth from our former students." The Rawai camp was also the first to open its doors to female students. "Not long after we set up this camp, Diana suggested that we should cater to female students. Muay Thai has long been a male dominated sport, but over the years we have seen a healthy growth in the number of female students. Some train a few months only for fitness, some train for years and become fighters. But the number is without a doubt increasing. "The training maneuvers were awkward at first for some men, as they were not sure how to manage the training and touch the female students without them feeling any inappropriateness. But they then develop a friendly relationship and gradually work through the awkwardness between genders." Vanessa ‘Ness’ Murray, a Jetstar Airways cabin crew member from Australia, is one of the female Muay Thai students who found Rawai Muay Thai Camp a very good place to train. She has spent the last two weeks training at the camp. "I did boxing in Australia for fitness, but then I thought Muay Thai sounded interesting so went on the internet to look for a Muay Thai camp in Phuket and Rawai Muay Thai Camp came up. "I read reviews from students and decided to come here. It’s a very lovely place, friendly staff and good trainers to help you every step of the way. I will come back again in November and stay longer this time." Another female fighter who fell in love with Rawai Muay Thai Camp is 44-year-old British woman Geraldine ‘Gerri’ O’Callaghan, who has been training for three years. She has competed in 30 fights, with 22 wins, 1 draw, 7 losses, and 4 KOs. Gerri fought at the Queen’s Cup on August 12 and lost, but even with a big cut under her right eye she still can smile about it. "It’s an honour to fight at such a big event. I’m very proud. Too bad I didn’t win." Gerri says she noticed a lot of differences between her gym at home in the UK and in Phuket. "Here in Phuket, you have one trainer for one student but back in UK you have one trainer for the whole gym. When you have one-on-one training you learn many things, many techniques. You can learn a whole lot more than when you’re in other countries where you train with other student holding pads for you – like two children playing. This is why many foreigners come to train Muay Thai in Thailand. Nothing compares to this." Diana says the key to making students – male or female, young or old – feel comfortable to train in their camp environment is respect and discipline. Students are taught to be humble and respectful to other people, fellow students and trainers alike. Trainers will remind students to be polite and pay respect towards others, to wai (Thai greeting where hands are in a prayer-like formation) their trainers and opponents, to take care of themselves and to always stay healthy. Students are advised to be careful about drinking and to take caution when driving or riding a motorbike. Rawai Muay Thai Camp also helps out those less fortunate. Coming from a poor family themselves, the four Choke-kuer brothers never hesitate to help out others. Tuk takes in young boys in hardship like 14-year-old Yaya who lost his father three years ago, to train and fight to save up money to support his mother and five siblings. The same with 16-year-old Pom – an orphan who has been fighting since he was eight years old. Tuk took him in to live at Rawai Muay Thai Camp three years ago and like Yaya, Pom has been saving up prize money from his many fights. Tuk is proud of the two boys and their many wins. He hopes that with hard work, sweat and blood, one day these two boys will become Muay Thai champions and bring pride and glory to themselves and their family. "We don’t just train them to fight. We teach them about discipline, about being humble and never using their Muay Thai skills in the wrong way. We give them opportunity in life, that is the most important thing, the best thing we can give to someone." The only setback for Muay Thai camps in Thailand is the visa issues. Students who want to train in Thailand must obtain an education visa from the Thai Embassy or Consulate in their home country. Most Embassies and Consulates only issue one-month to three-month visas. Only the Royal Thai Consulate in Brisbane, Australia, and the Royal Thai Consulate in Hull and Birmingham in the UK, issue one-year visas for foreigners who want to train Muay Thai in Thailand. However the Muay Thai Association is pushing for the Thai government to pass a new regulation allowing a Muay Thai visa, which would allow students to obtain a six month to one year visa for their training. "If you think about it, hotels and resorts in Phuket are nearly empty in low season. But if you look at Muay Thai camps like ours, we rarely have that problem," Diana says. "Muay Thai students are not seasonal tourists, they don’t come for a few weeks for some fun in the sun, they come anytime of the year, some stay a few weeks, some a month, some for three months and some stay for years – it all depends on their visa. I wish the government would look at this and realise that this could be a big boost to the economy in Phuket and in Thailand."
–Kazira Hanshanasattru