As some of you may know, Kwester Karen McCarthy recently spent a month training in Thailand. Anyone who knows Karen at all knows she is never one to shy away from a new adventure – you get the impression she’d try anything once – and that she can make friends where ever she goes in little-to-no time at all. Karen approached this trip with characteristic enthusiasm and open-mindedness, and has kindly agreed to do a short interview with us, allowing the Kwest family a chance to hear a little more about her trip, what the experience was like and whether or not she would recommend a similar adventure for fellow Kwesters. Read on for her take on training in Thailand and some images of her time there.
KW: Hi Karen! Thanks for agreeing to share a bit about your experience in Thailand recently. To start off, how did you first become interested in MuayThai and how long have you been training?
KM: I’ve always been interested in taking Muay Thai but didn’t know where to look to find training. I had just finished taking yoga, when coincidentally my husband saw the sign in Osborne Villiage for Kwest and I have been training Muay Thai there since 2008.
KW: What made you decide to head to Thailand to experience training there?
KM: Visiting Thailand has always been on my bucket list anyway, so when my brother approached me with the idea to go train there for a month, I jumped at the chance.
KW: Tell us a little bit about the camp you stayed at.
KM: I stayed and trained at Sinbi Muay Thai just south of Phuket. The accomodations were right outside the ring and were basic but clean. It was great staying and sleeping right at the camp. There was no need for an alarm clock since I could hear the other people at the camp skipping in the morning and would know that I had to jump out of bed to get going.
KW: What was your daily/weekly training schedule? What was a typical class format like?
KM: We trained twice per day, 7:30am – 9:30am and 4:00pm – 6:00pm on the days that I attended, which was 5 days per week. Morning and afternoon training sessions were similar formats. Usually we started with skipping, then running in and out of the heavy bags set up around the gym. We did some shadow boxing with help from the instructors, then half of the class would work on the bags and the other half went into the rings. Each person in the ring had a trainer and we would do five 3 minute rounds of padwork. Then the two class halves would switch. Once we finished in the ring and with the bags, the students paired up and practiced our technique on leg sweeps, clinching etc. You don’t have to do the full schedule, it’s up to the individual to stop at any time.
Click “Read More” below for the rest of Karen’s interview and additional photos.
KW: How was training different in Thailand as compared to Canada? Things like instruction, other students, environment, culture, etc.
KM: The training was actually very similar to the training at Kwest. They are both difficult in their own ways, where there was less emphasis on repetitive movements in Thailand and more time spent on learning new moves. It didn’t matter what level you were at, everyone was friendly and helpful towards each other. The culture in the gym was very respectful but fun. The trainers loved having a good time with us while working us very hard in the 40C heat.
KW: Were there any big surprises? Any surprises in areas that you thought would be more different but weren’t, or things that you didn’t expect that took you by surprise?
KM: I was surprised that no one wore headgear, and the trainers wouldn’t hit me. I asked my personal trainer to hit me and he wouldn’t. They mostly just practiced moving defensively. There was no real sparring, so I was disappointed in that respect. On that note, there is an ‘Advanced’ class later on where there is sparring between students, who are exceptional fighters. I was also surprised at the different levels of skill that were training there. It was nice to see that anyone could train there, and I wasn’t even the worst one!
KW: How about the Thai culture in general – what was the experience of living and training amongst the Thai people like overall? Any interesting things about Thai culture that you really noticed or remember now that you are back here?
KM: The Thai trainers loved their alcoholic beverages : ) and were always up to hang out at night. We would go out and play pool, go to bars or just sit on the side of the road and have a few drinks. None of them spoke English, but we always managed to communicate. The Thai people were so kind and accommodating, they were the nicest people I have ever met.
KW: Favourite part about the experience?
KM: Actually just the whole experience of being in Thailand and training there for 4 weeks with my brother. We went to Bangla stadium to see fights three times. I have to mention how amazing and cheap the food from the street carts was as well. I could get a large piece of bbq chicken on a stick wrapped in a banana leaf for about $1cnd (salmonella medication was only $36 cdn hahaha).
KW: Worst part about the experience?
KM: Only the salmonella poisoning from some bad fish.
KW: Would you return to Thailand to train, and would you recommend it to other students?
KM: I would definitely go back to Thailand, but would probably only do drop in classes next time, only because I’ve already had the full-time experience. I would recommend this experience to anyone interested in training in Thailand.
KW: What do you think is the singlest most lasting thing that you took away from this experience (a technique, something mental/emotional, etc)?
KM: My tattoo will last me a lifetime! I learned a couple of new techniqes, for example a spinning back elbow {ed note: coincidentally – this technique is on Kru Kelly’s plan for Fun Friday this week!} I also met people from all over the world and had the opportunity to get to really know them and their culture on a personal basis, due to the fact that we all lived and trained under the same roof for so long.
