Articles
Training with the Thai's
Page 1 - Introduction
At 6:45 a.m. a group of 20 young fighters from one of Bangkok's Muay
Thai Boxing camps gather and start their day with a brisk 40 minute run
through the city's crazy and dangerous traffic. Six mornings a week the
fighters slice their way through the hot and smoggy air dodging cars and
pedestrians. Sometimes a trainer follows on a bike ready to offer a swift
kick in the behind to anyone who slows.
This warm-up is followed by a full day of Muay Thai training )
so
intense that only a few foreigners attempt to endure it. One such adventurer
is Spanish-born Pedro "Villalobos" Solana, 1998 I.S.K.A. (USA)
middleweight champion of Muay Thai, who traveled from his residence in
Atlanta to Thailand in 1999. Determined to take his Thai Boxing skills
to the highest possible level, Villalobos worked his way across Thailand
for more than one year training at 45 different camps and fighting in
several stadiums in Thailand.
When Kruu (instructor) Villalobos returned to Atlanta he brought back with him a deep understanding of Muay Thai training and tradition. He came home with a burning desire to keep fighting and as he puts it, discover his limitations. "If you can fight Muay Thai in Thailand, you can fight anywhere in the world," he says. Kruu Villalobos and his fighters train to win. They put great emphasis on strategy, technique and proper form. Villalobos drills his fighters in authentic Thai Boxing routines with an intensity that equals his experience in the Thai Boxing camps and a spirit that honors the profound traditions of this ancient fighting art.
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