By Sandra E. Hoodgin
Muay Thai has been a gift to me. It has affected every aspect of my life in more ways than I ever could have imagined. There are many more than five things that Muay Thai has taught me, but here are the top characteristics that I discovered about myself by training and fighting Muay Thai.
Strength
I learned how much physical strength I truly possess. I never imagined that I could throw a man almost twice my size. Nor did I ever think I’d be able to handle the “active rest,” which is just a kind way of saying torturous interval exercises between rounds of boxing. I accomplished physical feats I never thought were possible. And that is because of Muay Thai, my coaches, and my teammates demanded my performance.
Resilience
Muay Thai taught me to get up even (and especially) when I’m face-down on the floor and I do not think I can move anymore. There were frustrating days when the technique of a combination eluded me or when the conditioning reached peak intensity. So, I had to channel Muay Thai resilience to pick myself up and keep pushing forward.
Confidence
Once I began training Muay Thai, my confidence exploded. Not only did I feel like I could defend myself physically, but I felt much more confident handling myself in a variety of other difficult situations. Muay Thai is also a great conversation starter. I found that it was easier to talk to people when explaining what I do in the gym and in the ring (plus, people seem genuinely fascinated by it).
Discipline
This is one the biggest points. I never imagined that I could maintain a rigorous (at times daily) gym and workout schedule. Muay Thai taught me that, even when I am physically and mentally exhausted, I need to get my work done so that I can improve. Additionally, Muay Thai also taught me (through brutal example) the importance of a good diet. I went off all junk food, unnecessary carbs, processed foods and sugars cold turkey when I was training for the WKA World Championships. If not for Muay Thai discipline, none of that would have lasted a week.
Who I Am
I really found myself and came into my own at the gym. This may in part be due to my age when I began. I started at the age of 16 and I was the definition of a wallflower. Now I just
celebrated my third anniversary at TAG and I have come out of my shell. I met some of my closest friends and some of the most amazing people who have helped me grow and develop as a person more than I possibly could have if I had the typical high school experience.