Thai Boxing Training on a Tropical Island in Thailand

  Thailand

• Other Cities in Thailand: 
Koh Tao

Description: The islands in the Gulf of Thailand all have a distinctive flavour and choosing one is a bit like being a kid in a sweet shop. Koh Tao is renowned for breathtaking scenery, great snorkelling, buzzing nightlife and of course white sandy beaches; all of which sound pretty good fun to us. This isn't your normal island holiday though and there'll be no time for reading that airport novel on the sun bed. You will be spending 6 days a week in the gym polishing your Thai Boxing skills under the expert supervision of professional instructors. Don't forget, the harder you work in the gym the more you'll appreciate your post-training dip in the ocean.

Muay Thai, or Thai Boxing, is usually regarded as a very hard, external style of martial arts. It is referred to as "The Science of Eight Limbs", as the hands, shins, elbows, and knees are all used extensively. However, because of its roots in mostly Buddhist Thailand, it also has a spiritual aspect. Thai boxers typically perform Buddhist rituals in the form of dancing before beginning a match.

Muay Thai involves boxing techniques, hard kicking and knee and elbow strikes. Low kicks to the thighs are a distinguishing technique and stand-up grappling is also used and allowed in the ring. Muay Thai practitioners develop a very high level of physical conditioning.

The training involves rigorous physical training, similar to that practiced by Western boxers. It includes running, shadow-boxing, and heavy bag work. Much emphasis is also placed on various drills with the so-called "Thai pads". These pads weigh five to ten pounds and cover the wearer's forearms. The trainer wears the pads and may hold them to receive kicks, punches, and knee and elbow strikes or use them to punch at the trainee. This training is vaguely similar to the way boxing trainers use focus mitts. The characteristic Muay Thai round kick is delivered with the shin, therefore, the shins become conditioned by this type of kicking.

Full contact, full-power sparring is usually not done in training, due to the devastating nature of the techniques employed. Thai boxers may box, hands only, with ordinary boxing gloves. Another training drill is for two fighters to clinch and practice a form of stand-up grappling, the goal of which is to try to land a knee strike. However, full-power kicks, knees and elbows are typically not used in training.

Today Muay Thai is regarded as a prestigious national sport that is practiced by hundreds of thousands in Thailand with more and more Thai girls also becoming interested in the sport. It has spread over the entire world and is enjoying incredible success. It is hoped by many Thai fighters that Muay Thai will soon become an Olympic Sport.

Highlights: Trip Highlights:
* Giving on of the world's toughest sports a go
* Becoming part of the community on this stunning island
* Food! - Thailand's famous for it and rightly so

What kind of skills you need to go on this type of project:
Muay Thai is a vigorous workout and produces tremendous cardiovascular endurance - you should therefore have a good level of fitness to undertake this course.

Although the local people of the area are used to seeing and dealing with Westerners around the island, you will be expected to observe Thai culture.

You will need to bring boxing equipment (e.g. running shoes for training out of the ring) with you and you can purchase some boxing gear in Koh Tao (such as training gloves, hand wraps, Thai boxing shorts and T-shirt).

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Thailand Independently

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network

i-to-i Meaningful Travel's Mission Statement: i-to-i is an award-winning organization providing unique opportunities for you to travel, work and live abroad. Thousands of travelers aged 18 to 80 have joined our volunteer vacations and over 50,000 have learned to Teach English as a Foreign Language through our tailor-made TEFL courses. With over 400 projects on 4 continents, you can join the worldwide i-to-i volunteer community on an extended adventure in areas such as teaching, community development, sports coaching, conservation, building or internships in tourism, marketing, journalism, or health.

Year Founded: 1994