My first Muay Thai fight
I remember my first amateur fight just like it was yesterday.
There I was in the blue corner, decked out in the full works: gloves, shin pads, chest guard, and my favourite Danger Equipment shorts. My coaches Wilson and Eugene were my cornermen, and I had friends from my then-gym (Hilltop Academy) rooting me on.
I remember feeling my heart almost beat out of my chest, and my deep, regulated breaths – a desperate attempt to calm down. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’d repeated the same prayer: to survive this.
The match begins and she comes charging at me like a bull seeing red. Lots of flailing hands and blows exchanged, but mainly on her end. Yep, definitely a brawler. I’m taken aback and my mind goes blank. What’s my game plan again? A loud whistle pulls me away from my state of shock and plonks me back into reality. Round one is over.
I return to my corner where my coach takes out my mouthguard, splashes water on me and gives me a pep talk. Rest time is a tight one minute before the bell rings again to signal the start of the second round. I’m barely ready, but the show must go on.
When you’re in the ring, time comes to a standstill. Every sound is drowned out and all I hear is my heavy breathing. Deep breaths in through the nose, out through the mouth. For a split second, I look into my opponent’s eyes and feel her fear. Focus!
“Use your knees!” From afar I hear a familiar voice, faint yet firm. I muster my courage and soldier on, walking toward my dreadful opponent. As soon as she approaches and I see an opening, I attempt to drive my knee into her torso. She gets more aggressive as I struggle to keep my calm. Her heavy punches land in with my feeble guard, but I grit my teeth and counter with kicks.
My mind is now a mishmash of anxiety, jumbled together with all sorts of questions. Why did I sign myself up for this? Why are her punches landing? Why isn’t my push kick making her move? My thoughts are interrupted by the final bell, which signifies the end of three intense rounds. I swear I’m never doing this again.
We gather to the centre and the referee announces the winner. “From the blue corner…” My hand is raised and my team erupts in cheers. I look up in disbelief. What a surreal moment!
After thoughts
In life, nothing always goes exactly as planned. Looking back on my fight, the situation was far from what I’d expected. For one, I’d clearly underestimated my opponent. I didn’t manage to fully execute my coach’s game plan either, letting my fear and self-doubt overcome my flow. But I’d also learned so much through this experience. And I’d never felt more alive. I’ve never been happier to just be a regular member (good riddance, fight camp!) of the gym. So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be having as much cake as I want to.
At least until my coach looks me up again.
This story is dedicated to my coaches Wilson, Eugene, and Toey, as well as my beloved teammates at Hilltop Academy Singapore, especially my fight camp buddies Ziminh and Yi Hui.
