Ongkiatco, Mariah Yvonne Muay Thai - N

Reflection on Thai Boxing: A Fighting Chance

I used to cower in the thought of Muay Thai or any form of physical fighting. Seeing

fighters kick, punch, or elbow their way for victory baffled my mind as to why such violence

is shown and admired until I realized that the art of Muay Thai averts the conventional

meaning of violence – it is not inherently bad. From the documentary entitled Thai Boxing: A

Fighting Chance, it is shown how deeply rooted Muay Thai is to one’s life specifically in

one’s survival, passion, and goal. For Gong Prai, this combat sport drives him to provide food

for his family, education for both his sister and him, and just simply getting by in life along

the poverty line. His fights and victories indeed encompass not just the enjoyment of it but

the chance for life itself. Without Muay Thai, Gong Prai can possibly end up like his friend,

who passed away from drug abuse. Much like the Filipino pride Manny Pacquiao, he entered

the world of boxing as a pathway out of poverty. When he was younger, Manny became a

fighter because he had to survive. With nothing and no one by him side, Manny had no

choice but to depend on myself. Since boxing was something he was good at, Manny

Pacquiao trained hard so that he could keep himself and his family alive.

For Boon Term, Muay Thai brings out the life in her. In years of oppressing her desire

for this sport due to gender-oriented beliefs, I felt like she was living a life society made for

her since Muay Thai back then was forbidden for women. A reason for this assumption is her

willingness to put her passion of Muay Thai beyond her marriage. I feel like mothers

generally sacrifice their aspirations in life to take care of her family but upon knowing Boon

Term’s decision, it may reasonable to presume that Muay Thai is embedded into her in a

sense that it frees her from social conventions – the life she had always chosen to live.
Nonetheless, the fighter whom I could relate to the most is Sam Sheridan. For him, Muay

Thai was not about money or a life-long passion – it was mere goal in life. To have a real

Muay Thai match in a real Muay Thai ring was an experience he longed of achieving. Being

a Harvard graduate, it was puzzling to the family and friends of Sam why he would yearn for

such a thing and get himself beat up. I think that Harvard made Sam feel like he his capacity

for learning is limited to only what society and the business world deems relevant. As Sam

mentioned in the documentary, practicing Muay Thai was still a form of gaining knowledge

and experience. Quoting Muhamad “don’t tell me what a man knows but where he’s been”, it

seems like Sam prefers experiencing as much life as he can – beyond what mathematics,

literature, and science could ever teach. Training for Muay Thai has widen his understanding

of discipline, commitment, and honor; values of which comes along with Muay Thai.

A few years ago, I never would have imagined myself stepping into a Martial Arts room in

Ateneo for the first semester of my first year in college, cherishing the ancient art of Muay

Thai. Training in my Muay Thai class has given me great pleasure and great pain. Contrary to

the situations of Gong Prai and Boon Term, wherein greater sacrifices are made such as

education and marriage, my pain and struggle only limits to my mind and body. I can’t deny

that there are times where I would want to cut class and just rest my body specially when I

have body sores and open wounds on my foot. Aside from that, I would see my coach’s demo

on traditional moves and think to myself, “can I even do that?” Much like Sam Sheridon,

learning Muay Thai is a personal goal of mine. Sports or anything that has the potential to tire

me out has always been outside my comfort zone; however, I owe it to myself to go beyond

the boundaries I set for myself. With Muay Thai, I am filled with satisfaction like no other.

That being said, I study Muay Thai for its rewarding return, physical and intellectual

challenge, rich history and culture, and deep influence on the world – and mine.