CategoryMuay Thai

4 days ago

New Patreon Series – Kaimuay Diary | Episode 1 – Maintenance Mode

above is a 5 minute trailer for episode 1 of my new Patreon series Kaimuay Diary – I don’t write about my home gym, Petchrungruang, very often, given how much I have written on Muay Thai. Part of this is that I’m 6 years into my fulltime life as a fighter in Thailand, now with over 200 fights in the country, and the day-t0-day has become a little invisible to me, so I don’t think to post about it at all. At the beginning, everything is remarkable. But over the years those things become part of the routine and you don’t 

Accidentally Disrespecting you Kru
5 days ago

“I Know My Body” and Accidentally Disrespecting Your Kru in Thailand

Pattaya, Thailand – This isn’t a lecture from on high on how you should be, we all come to Thailand for different aims and purposes. It’s about how you might be offending your Thai instructor without realizing it at all, and a little on how you can re-balance the situation. Kru Nu is sitting on the dark, polished wooden bench that runs the length of the far side of the gym. He’s pinching the skin of his stomach between his fingers and frowning while I finish my set of curls. He’s gained a few kilos of weight since I’ve been 

1 week ago

Fight 177 – Sylvie Petchrungruang vs Nantida Sitweerachat

February 25, 2017 – Nongbuacoke, Isaan, Thailand This fight was 5 days after my loss to the World Champion Thanonchanok, going from urban Chiang Mai to a festival fight in the middle of Isaan. This is the amazing thing about how I’ve been able to fight in Thailand. You can be fighting surrounded by bars, and be facing a world champion, and then in fields, facing another experienced fighter just a few days later. There are wonderful distinctions to fighting in Isaan, like the kind of unassuming but very skilled opponent who you just can never guess how they fight by 

Large and Small - Injuries I've had fighting in Thailand
2 weeks ago

Large and Small – The Injuries and Ailments I’ve Had Fighting in Thailand

Injuries and illnesses both large and small I’m often asked whether or not I’ve experienced a particular type of injury that the person asking is currently suffering from, generally seeking advice on how to deal with it. I’ve been very lucky in that I haven’t suffered any large, chronic, or debilitating injuries throughout my 6 years as a full-time fighter, only very rarely taking time off from training, and fighting over 200 times in the country. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t had any. I realized recently that I haven’t generally write in detail about my injuries, at least as 

3 weeks ago

Fight 176 – Thanonchanok R.R. GilaLampang (Kaewsamrit)

February 20, 2017 – Loi Kroh Stadium, Chiang Mai full fight above – This was my third time facing Thanonchanok in as many months, which for me was a great signal of my growth. I had fought her twice before but many years ago. The first meeting, I had no business being in the ring with her at all. She was a world champion, I was just learning the ropes of being a fighter in Thailand really. The second time was so close I could have won with a single big move in the last round… she’s great testing grounds 

You Don't Have a Personality - mental training
1 month ago

You Don’t Have a Personality – Connecting The Dots In My Mental Training

I recently discovered and been diving into a mindset podcast – largely for women – by a woman named Kara Loewentheil: “Unf*ck Your Brain.”  It’s a big recommend. She’s a mental coach and offers tons of really insightful tools and explanations for free on her podcast and I’ve been getting a lot out of each and every one. In the last year I’ve been full-on committed to making the mental adjustments that not only will help me succeed in the ring, but also live a happier life, doing the thing I have the most passion for. I completed a very 

Who's The Fighter - blog post sylvie von duuglas-ittu
2 months ago

Who’s The Fighter?

When you walk into a gym, how do you spot the fighter? Some would have it that he’s wearing a certain color shirt or shorts or prajaet on the arm; some would tell you just look at how she hits the bag; some places would have that caliber of customer quartered off into a special ring or area of the gym so everyone else could feel that separateness, something to aspire to. Look for the guy who is dripping sweat and grunting and that’s him. But it’s not the chiseled Adonis struggling to pull his eyes off his own reflection in 

Impossible Goals - 450-Lumpinee-Gold
2 months ago

The Impossible: 450 Fights, Lumpinee Belt, Olympic Gold

At some point around 130 fights, when I became the westerner with the most fights ever in Thailand, my new goal of 200 fights was met by some of my followers with a kind of, “awesome, and after that?” Like, the 200 was inevitable, rather than insane, which is what that number had felt like prior to breaking the 100 mark. It was insane, if you think about it. Only one western fighter I knew of had even fought a 100 times in Thailand. Then, having cruised past 100 the idea of doubling it to 200 didn’t even feel impossible 

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