Beginners practice punching techniques in pairs on the floor of the Baan Muaythai Club in Kemang, South Jakarta
If standard aerobics classes or slogging it out on the treadmill at your local gym are just not shifting those unsightly fried snack-induced love handles you're lugging around, then you might want to give muaythai a go.
Muaythai, often wrongly referred to as "kickboxing" (see box right), is the name of a traditional martial art and ring sport from Thailand that incorporates the use of arms and legs in a total body cardio workout.
Muaythai's fast punches, quick kicks and powerful knee strikes offer a fun, dynamic workout that will leave you dripping with sweat -- and begging for more!
Two gyms have popped up in the last few years in Jakarta where people of all ages, men and women, can learn this ring sport and form of self-defense. They are the Muaythai Training Camp (MTTC) Indonesia and the Baan Muaythai Club.
In 2002, a group of friends interested in learning muaythai heard about Dodi Karya, an Indonesian muaythai fighter who had been training and competing in the sport in Thailand for more than a decade (see page 24), and tracked him down. The group started training with Dodi in the basement of the Performer gym, which is located in the Panglima Polim area of South Jakarta.
Word spread quickly and more people came to learn muaythai from the experienced fighter, eventually prompting some members of the group to rent a bigger studio in the Performer gym complex where they could install a boxing ring and offer students better training facilities.
The MTTC gym was opened at the end of 2005 and founding members quickly formed a team of muaythai fighters to compete at the 2006 World Muaythai Amateur Championships, an annual event that sees amateur muaythai fighters from all over the world compete in weight-category elimination-style contests.
Dodi and the MTTC team trained four Indonesian former kickboxers -- three men and one woman -- in the art of muaythai, adding elbow and knee strikes as well as clinching moves and low kicks to their repertoire. The team was successful, bringing home two silver medals and one gold in the first World Muaythai Amateur Championships to include a team representing Indonesia.
Baan Muaythai Club, meanwhile, opened its doors in January this year in an effort to offer students another training gym and to help spread muaythai's reach in the capital.
"Muaythai is a complete package ... technique, tradition and culture. There are so many moves and tricks to learn and it can be quite acrobatic," Dodi said.
Ever since he started teaching muaythai in Jakarta, Dodi has been molding several of his students to become muaythai trainers themselves. One of these trainers is 25-year-old Arif.
Arif, who hails from Sukabumi, West Java, first came to Jakarta in 2000 seeking employment. He boarded in the family home of a cousin -- Dodi's wife. After several months watching Dodi train in the backyard of his home, Arif decided he wanted to learn muaythai.
In the beginning, he said, muaythai was just a hobby to him; something to "pass the time". But he soon found himself wanting to expand his knowledge and skill in the martial art and he even decided to have a go in the ring.
"I competed in two bouts ... I lost them both. But it was a good experience," Arif said.
"Muaythai is both effective and efficient. Each part of your body can be a weapon ... it's really interesting," said Arif, who since 2005 has enjoyed working part-time as a muaythai trainer while also studying for a degree in information technology at Borobudur University.
He said he liked the dynamic flow of muaythai, its use of elbows and knees as weapons and the physical and mental stamina it demanded. He added he enjoyed teaching people how to use correct muaythai technique, in particular, how to land elbow strikes.
"I like showing people how to use their elbows and knees ... the footwork, how to move and use their whole body. It's great ... I get to exercise while also earning a living."
While the MTTC and Baan gyms have different management teams and owners, both say they are happy to work together to introduce muaythai to the public and help build a muaythai community in Indonesia. In order to do this, they share information, teaching methods and ideas, and trainers.
Arif puts people through their paces at the Baan Muaythai Club in the mornings and heads over to MTTC to train people in the afternoons and evenings. His mentor, Dodi, works the opposite schedule; dedicating the middle part of the day to MTTC before teaching muaythai at Baan until late in the evening.
There are up to 100 members at MTTC and around 80 at Baan, with numbers increasing weekly. Both MTTC and Baan offer classes for beginners through to advanced muaythai enthusiasts, with mixed classes, cardio classes and private sessions on offer. Both gyms also run children's classes.
In addition to Dodi and Arif, both gyms have a number of other trainers ready to assist students as they learn and enjoy muaythai. So get out there and give it a go -- there's nothing like smacking those pads after a frustrating day battling the macet!
For more information on learning muaythai in Jakarta, contact MTTC or Baan:
MTTC (Muaythai Training Camp) Indonesia
Jl. Panglima Polim II, No. 2 (second floor)
Blok M - Kebayoran Baru
Phone: (021) 7208362
BAAN Muaythai Club
Wisma Semeru building (ground floor)
Jl. Taman Kemang No. 18
Kemang - South Jakarta
Phone: (021) 7196502
http://www.baanmuaythaiclub.com/
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