Never ever would I have dreamed that one day the Great Saenchai would hold pads for me.
I had been dreaming of training Muay Thai in Thailand since I started this great martial art back in 2013. After losing 50lbs and having gained a good level of mastery, I was finally ready for a pilgrimage to the homeland of the art of the eight limbs.
While researching for the best gym to train in Bangkok, I stumbled upon Yokkao’s website, which advertised a personal training session with the Legend. A rich sum of 8000 THB ($330 CAD) allowed for an entire hour with the Master, up close and personal. This would be epic! I thought. Imagine you could train with Bruce Lee, or Muhammad Ali. I did not think twice, and without hesitation, the session was booked.
In case you don’t know, Saenchai is a world class Muay Thai fighter and champion, known for his spectacular acrobatics. There isn’t a single MMA fan that doesn’t know him. He’s like the Mayweather of boxing or the Bono of rock music.
Communication and coordination with Yokkao’s staff was prompt and smooth. Once in Bangkok, I headed to their gym the next day, as scheduled. Finding the gym with a taxi was impossible due to their limited knowledge of the mega city.
Holding the directions on my phone written in Thai, saying “Yokkao gym, Saenchai”, only got me blank stares. There I assumed everyone knew who and where the champ was. After much frustration I hailed a Grab (similar to Uber), and the driver knew exactly where to go.
I didn’t know what to expect as to the kind of person Saenchai would be in real life. Once I stepped into the gym I was warmly greeted by the staff. After changing into my workout clothes, he humbly came up to me, shook my hand, and exchanged small talk. Of course, I told him how much of a fan I was and how long I've known him for. He kind of understood, and in his broken English, proceeded to ask me about my Muay Thai experience.
After a quick warmup and stretch session, he showed me some of his signature moves – Knowingly, the Ali shuffle, the question mark kick, his unique hop teep, and the two-step flying knee. No scissor kicks for this guy because I could not bend like he did. We completed the training with pad holding and a final light sparring match. I was trying as hard as possible to appear strong but the extremely hot air and smog were getting the best of me. I concluded the training on my back, being tossed around like a rag doll. I respectfully bowed, shook hands, took many pictures, and profusely thanked him for this awesome experience.
Training with Saenchai exposed a side of him shaped with humor and humility. He jokes with everybody and never displays arrogance nor a superstar ego. I came back to the gym in the subsequent weeks to train in classes and every time I saw him, we fist-bumped like we were long time bros. Saenchai is a living legend. Having the opportunity to openly meet him and train with him is well worth the travel, especially for Muay Thai fans.
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