Road of Muay Thai - 1

At some point in July of 2020, I made the decision to learn martial arts. I had spent a good portion of my life up to that point being a fan of MMA(Mixed Martial Arts) and other combat related sports. Why specifically mma? I had several reasons for this. 

My sister's husband, who at the time was only a boyfriend to her, exposed me to the UFC(Ultimate Fighting Championship) back in 2010s. The UFC being the premier mma event to be broadcasted on tv. 

My mother was and still is a big fan of K1 and Pride, both being a combat organization, now consumed by the UFC, but in it's hay day was the premier kickboxing/mma organization through the 90s. 

My close friend being a student of the game and current practitioner which served as a mutual interest for our friendship.

Why specifically July of 2020 I will cover a little later. When I started, I had already been a fan of the arts for over a decade on and off. I was definitely no stranger to it, nor the concept and theory of fighting. In other words, I was a backseat fighter. A spectator fighter. However I decided to take on this endeavor finally after 10 years of deliberation. Maybe it was more. Maybe I wanted to learn to fight much longer ago. It's difficult to say if my choice in the matter was decided by the financial cost, by my health, my circumstances.

Maybe the stars aligned, or did my actions result in this consequence? I was in a situation where I could receive high level tutoring from my close friend. A free trial of martial arts. He who has practiced Taekwondo, Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo, Wrestling, all aspects of effective unarmed combat through what's commonly known as MMA. Through our friendship, I've witnessed him spar others, compete in amateur events. I know fairly well how serendipitous this is and finally decided to take advantage of it.

The reality of the situation was 2 guys in their late 20's playing rock-em sock-em robots in a garage full of old furniture, a lawn mower, on an oil soaked carpet laid out to catch oil from a car no longer present. A comical scenario I'm sure for the neighbors. His guidance was supreme, cultivated through years of different coaches, teachers, masters of various disciplines, summarized in an easy to digest format. He taught the important aspects of combat far before I fully understood why.

The base fundamental martial art I wanted to learn and was being taught was the art of Muay Thai. As a beginner to any combat sport, I was extremely out of shape. Eager to learn, passionate to practice, but consider the timeline. July 2020 was only a few months into the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping the globe. To that point, I had been working from home for the past 2 years. An atrophied frail creature, with fears of a threat which can't be seen. I had already done research earlier in the year in February and March, knowing this virus was coming. Reading early scientific journals relating to it, the devastation it could reap to a person who wasn't in good health. I am aging as we all do, and I knew my physical peak will arrive in the next several years and that if I were to maximize the physical condition I was in, it was now.

Now the reality of situation was 2 friends staying active, limiting majority of contact and quarantining. 2 responsible adults doing their best out of the situation they were given. How admirable. Perspectives are a damn scary thing. 

The road only gets longer from here. For what reason do we create a road map for a destination we haven't set?