I do a lot of strange things. You could say that I am trying very hard to live a life that is a bit odd just for the adulation. This school is actually one of the main reasons that I decided to move to this city because the idea of being in a combat school seemed just strange enough for me to really want to do it.
I first went by months ago (I think it was August of last year) to scope the place out and I met the instructors. The thing that really impressed me was the CV (resume) of the head instructor Jongjet Pungsai. He was a member of the Royal Thai Military Police, a member of the Special Forces, and a personal bodyguard for hire for Thai celebrities and even a former Prime Minister. He also happens to be not especially huge - which says a lot.
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that's him on the right
He also spoke excellent English, which of course, would be crucial if he was going to be able to teach a vast majority of his students. I only needed to meet him once to understand that this is what I wanted to do for the next year. I am not a small guy and I don't really want to hurt people, but I do like the idea of knowing that I can protect myself and my friends/family if the need arises.
The first day I was taught some basic stances and grappling, which is something that I am sure we are going to be doing a lot more of over the coming year. It was kind of like a military environment with a little bit of humor mixed in. There were 5 instructors teaching our class and all of them wandered around the 18 or so of us to monitor and ensure that we were using the correct techniques. It was my first day (and only one other person in the class can also say that) so of course I was making lots of mistakes.
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We didn't participate in this, but one of the things that this class focuses on is disarming opponents and we received a demonstration from a master instructor and a 3-year student and i'll tell you what... I truly believe that these tactics would work in a real-life situation.
One of the things that they say is that "it doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman, if you are big or small, it doesn't even matter if you are fat: If you follow these techniques you WILL be able to defend yourself." I also liked the motto in huge letters on the wall that said "never strike first, but always strike last."
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The fact that this class comes with a full administrative section that gets you a one-year Education Visa is just an added bonus. I am very hopeful that I will emerge from this class with some real knowledge and maybe a little less weight on me.
It's really too early for me to gauge if the entire course is going to be as incredible as today was, but I am hopeful. They all seem very dedicated to their craft and take is very seriously. This is NOT a method of bypassing the visa system... it is a real school and I am excited to attend class again tomorrow.