Master Sken's Thai Boxing Show

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Master Sken's Demonstration

Master Sken's Interview

Bob Sykes: How does your training schedule these days compare to that of twenty years ago?
Master Sken: Compared to the old days my training is far lighter. Nowadays I spend a lot more time teaching my students and I have a lot of instructors teaching for me so I spend a lot of my time both teaching and advising them. However, I always find time during my teaching to maintain my own training, conditioning and sparring ability. It keeps me sharp, keeps my mind alert and, as you know, Bob, there is no end to the learning. When I was much younger the training routine was very intense and included a lot more in the way of running. These days I like to do much more in the way of walking with my wife, Kay. In the morning we do between 45 minutes and one hour.

BS: Is this speed walking?
MS: No, just relaxing and talking, we do it everyday, 45 minutes to one hour in the morning then about the same at lunch and at night time about six o'clock, I walk for between 15 and 25 minutes. This is our hobby and it's helping me to keep myself fitat the same time. In the old days we'd do a lot of pad work, skipping rope, press ups, a thousand a time and very hard free sparring.

BS: How do you feel someone needs to train in order to become a professional Thai boxing competitor?
MS: They would need to do at least six days a week. In Thailand, for example, they spend between six and nine hours a day, six days a week. In Europe, because many people have full time jobs etc, one would need to do at least two or three hours, six days a week.

BS: How important a factor is physical conditioning for Thai boxing?
MS: It is very important, that's why Thai boxers do so well because they're mentally and physically conditioned into a thoroughtraining regime. When a conditioned Thai boxer steps into the ring they know that they may be attacked and probably hurt so they have to condition themselves physically and mentally to accept pain.

BS: Muay Thai boxing is renowned for being a complete system, however, does it, in your view, possess any weaknesses?
MS: If a Thai boxer concentrates on the clinch and the knee solely then the weakness will be a lack of boxing and if they concentrate on the boxing yet forget to train the clinch, the knee and elbow, then the weakness again is obvious. Muay Thai is complete as a system itself and I believe it has not many weaknesses.

BS: So the weakness is brought on more by the practitioner than the actual system?
MS: Yes, that's why I advocate that the teacher or master should teach the student or fighter the complete art of Muay Thai, which is called The Art and Science of eight limbs. Where you are taught fist, blow, knee and kicking - especially for clinchwork and grappling - the art of Muay Thai is second to none. Once you delve deep into the system it is excellent for groundwork or floor work which is very evident in the ancient art of Muay Boran. Muay Boran is the ancient Muay Thai, where the warrior used the art not for the ring but for the battlefield. Hence, when they used a skill or technique on their opponent and their opponent fell down, they'd follow through till that opponent was dead by dropping either on the knee, drop the elbow, pull an arm or twist the head.

BS: The Muay Boran that you demonstrated earlier reminded me a little of the many South East Asian systems that I've encountered over the years. Is there maybe a connection between Muay Thai and Filipino or the Indonesian arts?
MS: I can not say if there is an actual link, however, I always find that martial arts, no matter where they are from, are connected in some way, some how, to each other. I have seen Muay Thai masters demonstrate a technique where the stance was very, very low, similar to Pencak Silat. It's always refreshing when a Thai Boxing master demonstrates sometechnique that I have never seen or never trained, for me it is another part of learning.

BS: Do you teach the art of Muay Thai separate to the sport of Thai Boxing or do you manage to marry the two together?
MS: Between 1977 and 1991, when I concentrated my students/fighters solely for competition, I only had a small handful of well seasoned students. So from 1991 I did my best to steer the students more toward the complete art of Muay Thai i.e. the Muay Boran, the clinch, grappling and street self defence where it is so effective.BS: I'm sure that there's a lot of people out there who may not be drawn toward Thai boxing the sport, but would really prefer to learn Muay Thai/Muay Boran the art.

Thank you Master Sken for another inspiring interview.

Master Sken's History - The Move

After finishing my education in Thailand I decide to go to the UK. I arrived in England 1977. I took a job at a Night Club as a Bouncer. There were many incidents that kept me sharp and aware. I also attended College in the daytime helped me to improve my English language. I was still extremely disciplined and liked to train regularly, people would notice and ask me if I would teach them private lessons. As the lessons grew I felt it was getting to the point where I could teach full time

In 1978, I started to teach professionally.

Between 1979-1981 I had to leave England for Holland . I started teaching at Samurai Gym in Amsterdam . I taught many Dutch nationals, European Champion and World Champions.

Meanwhile back in Manchester my instructors were still teaching a handful of students. In between teaching their classes and working they relentlessly persued trying to get me back to Britain . In I981, they managed to organise a work permit and Visa. I returned to find that they had formed a new Muay Thai association the BTBC and elected me as their Chief Instructor. It lasted a short time due to the internal politics of the company. This led me to leave the association and formed my own, Sitnarong International Muaythai Association (S.I.M.T.A.)

In 1991 I started to teach Muay Thai for Keep fit and Self-Defence and a small percentage for competition. The number of students rose from 10-100 people. People found they could train without getting hurt and as a result.. S.I.M.T.A. grew rapidly

I taught in Manchester and the surrounding areas for 16 years then moved to start my new Headquarters at Stockport .

History of Master Sken - My Education

I moved again in 1966 this time to attend Piammaythi Wittayakarn School . The Arjarns and Krus, who I will always be grateful too passed on their knowledge, which allowed me to continue to fight so that I could earn just enough money for food and education.

I was there for a short time then I moved over to Sattahib High School , where I was reunited with my brother. He had being practicing Tae Kwon Do with Grand Master Sook Joon Ahn at U-Tapao American airbase. I immediately saw some techniques that I wanted to learn and asked my brother to help me. My brother took me to meet Grand Master Sook Joon Ahn. After that meeting I decided it would be beneficial to add Tae Kwon Do to my repertoire .

The school belonged to the Royal Thai Navy (20 kilometre from Pattaya City ), Cholburi Province . Many American GI's were stationed there. The GI's had a huge interest in martial arts and they asked me to start teaching them. I found I liked to instruct and that I developed my skills through passing on the different techniques.

On many occasions I found myself being challenged by the Americans and Japanese. They were hard fights but they served as a learning curve earning me a reputation for being a good fighter.
Often for recreation I would leave the base with my friends and travel to the North of the country, where we would participate in Muay Thai competitions, receiving money for food. We oftened travelled to Chiangmai and visiting the local tribe's people, walked many miles up the Doi Intanon. One of the highest mountains in Thailand .

I finished my education at Sattahib and moved to Bangkok . Successfully passing the entrance exam to Srinakarinwiroj University of Physical Education. Here I was able to concentrate on the finer points of Muay Thai, learning the history, refereeing, judging etc.

The timetable was pretty gruelling. I would wake at 4.30am to go jogging for 1 hour returning to my apartment to continue with my personal training for 1 hour. After which I would walk to the University. Most of the day was taken up by various disciplines such as Track and Field, Volley Ball, Swimming, Dancing, Krabi Krabong, Muay Thai, Rugby , Tennis, Takraw and many more. It was a four years course and extremely demanding, physically and mentally.

My study period was almost over and after having around 145 fights unbeaten I soon had to take some life changing decisions. I had always had an interest in travel but I also wanted to fight at Lumpinee Stadium. For the Thai fighters this was theirs and my ultimate challenge. But it would be a hard choice as the life of a Professional Muay Thai fighter is a short one. Often with little prospects at the end it. After considering long and hard, I decided to travel and continue my education.

History of Master Sken - The Beginning

THE BEGINNINGMy birth place was Numpi, Ampur Tron Thongsaenkun, Uttaradit Province in the North of Thailand

In 1962 my father became part of the law enforcement in our village holding a high position. He became a highly respected member of our village community and villages around the Uttaradit Province . He was a determined man against the corruption that was prevalent in our country at that time. After arresting a local man for stealing funds he became a target for those that had become irreverent towards our laws, unfortunately life is cheap for those that are desperate and my father was shot dead in 1963.

Many times before my farther died he would take me to watch many Muay Thai competitions. I would watch the fights with great enjoyment and interest. This lead me to be introduced to one of the camps who was owned by a friend of my fathers. He was a grand master called Krisana Suwan and Khai Pichai Dabhak (Broken Sword). Praya Pichai Dabhak was the name taken from a hero who was a bodyguard of King Taksin the Great; he fought in the battlefield so ferociously that he broke his sword in half.

After watching the young Thai fighters I started to train. My cousin who I idolized helped me to learn. He showed me brilliant fighting techniques which I can remember to this day.

When I was 8 years old my mother became ill after the death of my father. Not being able to look after me I moved to Pahkai Village to study at the local school. My P.E instructor, who happened to be the owner of a Muay Thai camp, started teaching me Muay Thai seriously. He gave me the fighting name Narongnoi Lukborlhek, Narong being my father's name; Narongnoi is Narong Junior Lukborlek Luk means son or daughter. He became one of the most important influences in my Thai Boxing career. We travelled many places participating in Junior Muay Thai competitions for the different schools in the area. This assisted in raising money to pay for my education.

At this time I was living with the monks in a Buddhist Temple called Wat Phai Lom, Uttaradit. It is about 140 kilometres from Chiangmai. I met a Buddhist Monk named Pi Yai he started to show me Muay Thai and meditation. Guiding me through Buddhist Philosophy, teaching me about calmness, respect, discipline and most importantly Dthamma (knowledge and wisdom from Lord Buddha)

Muay Thai Boxing History

Muay Thai started way back in the medieval ages when wars were fought with bows and arrows, swords, and pikes. And in hand-to-hand combat arms, legs, knees, and elbows were also used as weapons. This sport which was included in military training was made famous by King Nareusan 1560 A.D. During one of the many battles between Burma and Siam he was captured. The Burmese knew of his prowess as the best unarmed fighter in the realm and gave him a chance to fight with their best for his freedom. Upon his return to Siam he was hailed as a hero and Siamese-style boxing, as it was called then, was soon recognized as a national sport. Boxing in this style reached its zenith of popularity about two hundred years ago, i.e., in the reign of Prachao Sua (King Tiger), when it was indulged in by all classes of the population.

From those days up until the early part of this century, the fighters, particularly those in provinces, used horsehide strips and later help in lieu of gloves. It was also a practice at one time to grind pieces of glass into the help if both contestants agreed. Since these practices were obviously dangerous to the fighters' health, regular boxing gloves were introduced about 50 years ago and have been used ever since.

To the Thais, Muay Thai is regarded as a prestigious national sport. Thai boys will in one or another way, intentionally or unintentionally, learn how to box Thai style. Even Thai girls will know enough of the basic principles and to be able to use it for self-defense when necessary.

Muay Thai, called Thai Boxing by foreigners, is our national sport and is now getting more popular in many countries, especially in Japan where a large numer of young Japanese are now being trained to fight professionally. But in Japan this fighting is called "Kick Boxing." At present "Kick Boxing" is internationally known as a Japanese martial art. Surely the true name, "Muay Thai" should be retained internationally as the Japanese terms Kendo, Judo, or Karate have been.

There is no [clear] evidence to show the time of origin of Thai-Style boxing. It can only be assumed that Thai boxing existed since the Thai emigrated from the South of China. [Further archaeological work needs to be done in this area, both in the Thai and English languages.

The [Tai tribe] immigrants had to hide from attackers and met with resistance from local people. In short, they had to fight endlessly for their survival. By the time they managed to settle in the "Gold Promontory", the Thais had gone through to countless battles and many lives had been lost. The ancient weapons consisted only of spears, swords, pikes or bows and arrows. But in hand-to-hand combat weapons become clumsy, and elbows, knees, feet and fists became more practical. This must have been extremely successful, as it was then developed into a form of martial arts used in battle, and this was the origin of Muay Thai.

When the Thais finally settled down and built a city, and extended their territory to become a large country, there was a need for an army to defend the country. Soldiers in those days had to learn Muay Thai along with the use of traditional weapons. Thus there was also the need for Kru Muay, or teacher of Thai boxing. Various tactics for attack and defense were developed, called "boxing tactics". Later, laymen began to take up this form of fighting, as a form of self-defense, and as a handy qualification to become a soldier, which would also lead to further advancement depending on their ability and talent.

During the Ayudhya period, which was a period of consecutive fighting against the neighboring countries of Burma, Cambodia and Vietnam, history records state that King Sri San Petch or Khun Luang Sorasak known as Phra Chao Sua (The Tiger King) often boxed incognito in various up-country temple fairs. He is said to have been a skilled boxer, and enjoyed the sport so much that he often disguised himself thus in order to test his skill against villagers and thus became quite a legend in his own time.

When Ayudhya fell in 1767 A.D. many Thais became prisoners of War. In 1774 the King of Burma held a festival to celebrate the Chedi containing the Bhuddha's relics in Rangoon, with various forms of entertainment and festivities. This included a boxing display for the King by a Boxer named "Nai Khanom Tom" a prisoner of war from Ayudhya. Pit against Burmese boxers, Nai Khanom Tom defeated 10 Burmese opponents in a row, and also became quite a legend.

During the reign of King Tak Sin the Great, the King had a close aid-de-amp named "Phraya Pihai Dab Hak" who had studied the art of Muay Thai with many famous teachers and displayed his talent for the King. As a result, he was chosen to become a soldier, and was later promoted to the position of Chao Muang (governor) with his name recorded in history.

In the Ratanakosin Period, Muay Thai was still a national art form, with competitions in annual national festivities. Time-keeping was done by floating a pierced coconut shell. When the coconut sank, a drum would be beaten to signal the end of a round.In 1788, during the reign of King Rama I, two french brothers arrived in Thailand by boat, having defeated many boxers across the Indo-China Penninsula. King Rama I consulted the Crown Prince, his brother, who offered to find boxers to fight against the Frenchmen. Phraya Phra Klang would accept the challenge, settling the bet at 50 chang (4,000 bhat). The Crown Prince chose a boxer named Muen Plan of the Royal Guards. The match was held in the grounds of theGrand Palace. Muen Plan wore full battle regalia--bare-chested, seeped in magic charms, cabalistic writing and oils to ensure invulnerability. When the fight began, the large French fighter tried to attack, aiming for the neck and collar-bone. Muen Plan defended himself with Muay Thai. The other Frenchman, seeing his brother making no progress became frustrated, and pushed Muen Plan's back to stop him from backing away. Members of the Royal Guards saw this break of boxing etiquette and proceeded to help Muen Plan tackle the two Frenchmen until they had to be carried back to the boat. They set sail the next day, with no thought of ever challenging a Thai Boxer again.

During the reign of King Rama V, Thai boxing matches were widely popular, boxing matches were held for the King's pleasure, ad skilled boxers received titles from the King, for example Muen Muay Mee Chue from Chaiya, Muen Muay Man Mudh from Lopburi, Muen Cha-ngad Cherng Chok from Korat. Also in this period boxing camps were established. Members of the royal family sent out talent scouts to recruit potential boxers from up-country and arranged matches between camps. Winners would receive money and valuable prizes. This period could be called the Golden Age of Muay Thai.

During the reign of King Rama VI, Thai boxing matches became more widespread. Matches that used to be held in make-shift rings in any available courtyard became a standard raised ring surrounded by ropes. The first ring was built in 1921 at Suan Kularp field. Although standard rings were available, boxers still bound their hands with rope. Foreign boxers came to take on Thai boxers. An important free-style match took place between Young Harntalay and Chin Chang from China which attracted a huge crowd of spectators. The result was that Young Harntalay floored Ching Chang with a beautiful kick. In this period, they also had referees in the ring, and kept time by the clock. These innovations were probably adopted from abroad.

Rope binding was needed until 1929 when boxing gloves took its place. Earlier at the Lumpini Park Ring, a Filipino boxer gave an international style boxing exhibition with boxing gloves. Later, gloves were also used in student boxing matches called "Muay Farang", and in professional international boxing between Thai and foreign boxers. This led the organizers of Thai-Style boxing to see that gloves are less dangerous than rope-binding, and decided that gloves should be adopted in Muay Thai, but fighting with elbows, knees, feet and fists would still be allowed.

Although many improvements or changes were applied from the type of ring, breaking each bout into rounds, using the minute-system of time-keeping, and using gloves, one aspect of Thai-style boxing remained the same--the jock strap. Originally, the jock-strap consisted of a triangular-shaped pillow tied to the waist, with a strap tied behind from between the legs. The pillows were red or blue color according to the boxer's corner. These pillows were used until one boxer went to Malaysia and saw foreign boxers use jock-straps. He brought the idea back to Thailand, and since then jock-straps have replaced the triangular pillows.

During the reign of King Rama VII, in the revolutionary period, permanent boxing stadiums were established both in Bangkok and in the provinces. They gradually disappeared in 1942 during World War II. After the war, boxing stadiums sprang up like mushrooms overnight. Skilled boxers from up-country flocked to Bangkok to take part in tournaments. Finally the first standard boxing stadium was established--the Rajdamnern Stadium, in 1945. Rules were set, and later on regular bouts were set at 5 rounds of 3 minutes each, with a two-minute interval between rounds. The weight was taken down in stones like race-horses, and later converted into kilograms.

In the early days, the match-maker system was used; the stadium officials would organize matches providing cup or talent jackets as prizes. Matches were not classified into weight groups until many years later when the pound system replaced stones and kilograms. International names were given for each weight group, such as flyweight and bantamweight. Matches were arranged to select a champion for each class, following the international style.

Muay Thai is still developing, but what remains unchanged is the use of the pipe and drums as musical accompaniments for the matches, and is considered a unique characteristic of Muay Thai. Muay Thai has been initiated under many names, which have not received prolonged interest because the original has already became known world-wide.

Many additions have been made to the regulations of Muay Thai. It is forbidden now to hit the private parts since this technique has become quite infamous as a form of attack and is considered debasing for the fine art of Thai boxing. Muay Thai remains a national art form. If all parties concerned help to uplift and conserve this form of martial arts, and pass it onto following generations, it will remain a valuable possession of the Thai nation.