Blog

Interview for the Muay Thai Guy Podcast

Muay Thai Guy is a site created by Sean Fagan, which has tips for training and techniques, nutrition and motivational material. There’s also a podcast, where Sean interviews fighters and promoters, and shares his own thoughts on various issues surrounding combat sports. Previous interviewees include Kevin Ross, Tiffany Van Soest and John Wayne Parr.  Sean asked me to do an interview with him for The Muay Thai Guy Podcast. Under The Ropes has only been Read more

By Under the Ropes, ago

Prison Fight 4: Battle for Freedom at Khlong Prem

On October 4th, I was lucky enough to be able to attend Prison Fight with a few other members of my gym. Prison Fight is a charity event that organises fights between foreign fighters and Thai prisoners in Muay Thai and boxing bouts, and the promotion tours around various prisons in Thailand. The latest Prison Fight show was the fourth, and was held in Khlong Prem Bangkok Central Prison. Khlong Prem is a high-security penitentiary, Read more

By Under the Ropes, ago

Losing your Mojo: When Nothing Feels Right in Training.

Living in Thailand and being able to train every single morning is something I feel thankful for every day. I get to wake up and go straight into doing what I love, without having to think about anything else first. I often think of how lucky I am to have such an amazing opportunity. Nevertheless, there are some mornings when I don’t feel quite so enthusiastic about it. It doesn’t happen often, but there have Read more

By Under the Ropes, ago

Preparing for your First Fight

I’ve received emails from several women this week who are getting ready for their first fights, so I thought I ought to write a blog post on the subject. Before I start, I’d like to point out that Sylvie von-Duuglas Ittu also wrote a post on this topic a while ago, ‘How do you know when you’re ready to fight Muay Thai?, which is definitely worth a read.  The main concern that I hear from Read more

By Under the Ropes, ago

An Unfamiliar Mouth Guard

As I stepped into the ring for my eighth fight, everything was fine. After the ram muay, I walked back to my corner and opened my mouth for my trainer to put in my mouthguard. As he did so, something didn’t feel quite right. The mouthguard that normally fitted perfectly refused to sit in the right place. I felt a little confused, wondering if he’d put it in upside-down or something, but hurriedly walked to Read more

By Under the Ropes, ago

What a Trainer Means to a Fighter

As a fighter, your trainer is everything to you. They sweat it out with you every single day, putting in just as much hard work and dedication as you do. You work constantly work together to carve yourself into the best fighter you can be, and perhaps even a shadow of them. It’s an emotional process, and one that creates a bond that is hard to understand by those outside of Muay Thai. Your trainer Read more

By Under the Ropes, ago

Being Told to Give Up – Guest Post for 8Limbs.us.

After my 11th fight, it was suggested to me that I stop fighting altogether. This was something that struck me emotionally, and I was unsure how to react. I spoke to Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu, who told me that’d once experienced a similar situation. She then asked me to write a guest post on the experience for her site. “After my last fight, I wasn’t feeling my best. I’d given a poor performance and felt like Read more

By Under the Ropes, ago

ITBF Title Fight, Manchester, UK – 30th June 2013 vs. Sarah Gibbs, Kao Loi Gym.

In June of this year, I travelled to England to fight on a promotion called Amazing Muay Thai at the Middleton Arena, Manchester. The show had been highly anticipated by everyone I met during my stay in Manchester, but none more than me. It was to be my 11th fight, but a first in many ways; My first title fight, my first fight outside of Thailand and my first fight that my parents would see. Read more

By Under the Ropes, ago

Gym Hoppers & Loyalty in Muay Thai

This post was revisited during the process of writing Toxic Gym Culture in Muay Thai & Other Martial Arts. As a result, parts of this post have been edited since its original publication. “Looking back, I realised that much of that post was coloured by the fact that I was in a toxic gym at the time. Rereading it reveals the cult-like mentality I had back then. The idea of others choosing not to stay Read more

By Under the Ropes, ago

‘A Fashion that Hits Hard’ – Article for Grazia Magazine, Spain, 12th June 2013

I was lucky enough to be featured in the June 2013 issue of the Spanish Grazia magazine. This is something that came about entirely by chance, as journalist Javier Casado originally wanted to interview Master Toddy for an article on women in Muay Thai. During his interview, he asked if the gym had any current female fighters, at which point my name cropped up. After that, Javier decided to do a photoshoot and interview with Read more

By Under the Ropes, ago