All of these lessons, I believe, have led me to become a better Muay Thai practioner. And they’ve bled into other areas of my life. Lockdown sucked, yes. But I can say, without a doubt, that I didn’t get nothing out of it.
Gabriel Incleto Bascara is a San Francisco, California native. As a child, he took taekwondo lessons until he reached orange belt. Recently, he started training in Muay Thai and finds it extremely fun to have a new challenge. He’s 26 years old. and with three years of experience in the medical field, he currently works as an EMT and aspires to be a physician assistant. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 doesn’t seem to be improving much where he is in northern California, making it an even stressful time for people like him who are on the front-lines fighting this virus. Please support the continuation of content on Muay Ying via Patreon “I receive notifications almost everyday of reports of new cases in the Bay Area,” Gabriel begins. “The county I live in, Solano, has 169 [confirmed] cases and two deaths due to coronavirus. In Contra Costa County, where I am based in as an EMT, there are 707 cases and 22 deaths. In the whole Bay Area, there are more than 6490 cases and more than 200 deaths.” The city of San Francisco was ordered to “shelter in place” from March 16, and the order recently extended to last until at least May 3. First responders like Gabriel […]
You may have seen videos of her teaching phrases in Thai on Facebook. Or you may have seen some of her shadowboxing clips on Instagram. Chompu Sriyotee is a business owner, teaching English to locals and Thai to foreigners. She’s also competed before, winning the IFMA German Amateur Championships in March 2019 while studying abroad for her master’s. Currently based in Bangkok, she’s been paying close attention to how locals are responding to COVID-19. “At first, most people thought it would only affect old people,” says Chompu. “Then reports showed that most patients are not that old. After that, Thai people became more aware.” To date (time of writing: April 25, 2020), Thailand has the fifth-most cases in Southeast Asia. There have been 2,854 confirmed cases of the virus in the country, with 2,490 recovered and 50 deaths. Measures have been put into place by the government mid-March to ban gatherings and sporting events (including Muay Thai), and to close certain types of businesses. You can see the timeline of events here. Please support the continuation of content on Muay Ying via Patreon Like in most other countries, it’s very difficult to find surgical and N95 masks, especially in stores available to […]
Baguio City in the Philippines has been dubbed the “Role Model City” of the country when it comes to flattening the curve during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The city was able to report no new cases for 13 days straight in the month of April. This is thanks to the sense of urgency and ability to be prepared from public officials and the people. In this city lives IFMA medalist Islay Erika Bomogao. At just 19-years old, Islay is a member of the Philippine National Muaythai Team and a member of her local MMA fight team. She’s been training Muay Thai and MMA for four years, and she’s been in the National Team for more than two years. In 2017, she won gold at the World Jincheon Martial Arts Masterships in Korea and in 2018, she also got gold at the IFMA World Youth Muaythai Championships in Bangkok. In 2019, she won silver at both the Southeast Asian Games and East Asian Muaythai Championships. In her province, she was awarded the “Most Outstanding Student”. Aside from these amateur tournaments, she has three professional bouts in Thailand, and in pro MMA rules, she has two. Please support the continuation of content on Muay Ying […]
With COVID-19 forcing the shut down of Muay Thai shows and fights, Thai fighters are without their main source ofincome. Unlike Western fighters, virtually all Thai fighters didn’t have a choice in the matter when it comes to competing. Driven by economic and financial hardships, they start competing at a young age to help their families put food on the table and make ends meet. If they show any promise, a gym, usually in Bangkok, will pick them up and sign them as a roster fighter. The alternative to Muay Thai is often farming. Muay Thai fights and gyms were officially ordered to stop on March 17, but many stadiums and promotions had already cancelled shows before that date. Now, with more than a month of no fights and with no end to the Muay Thai drought in sight, Muay Thai fighters are turning to other means to make income. The virus’ impact has not discriminated against level of fighter or their prestige – multiple time champions are picking up blue collar jobs that are available this time, as something is better than nothing. Please support the continuation of content on Muay Ying via Patreon Kulabdam Sor.Jor.Piek-U-Thai – Nicknamed “The Executioner” due to his streak […]
Since starting Muay Thai 17 years ago, Jackie Hom has amassed quite a few life achievements. Despite taking an eight-year break from the sport, she has nine amateur fights, two kids, and a gym. She also works as registered nurse and has been one for the last 12 years. As someone who seems to be juggling it all, she’s been fighting something else as of late that’s entirely new to her and the world: the COVID-19 epidemic. “I work in the Bay Area of California [of San Francisco], primarily in Santa Clara county. This was one of the first counties, after New York, to be hit the hardest with coronavirus cases,” Jackie informs. “This was also one of the first three counties in the U.S. to enforce shelter-in-place.” In Santa Clara county, there are currently 1,793 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 65 deaths (time of writing: April 16, 2020). The city of San Francisco was ordered to “shelter in place” from March 16, and the order recently extended to last until at least May 3. Please support the continuation of content on Muay Ying via Patreon Because Jackie works in a county hospital, she is a mandated disaster worker. “That means I have to report to duty […]
On April 10, there was a meeting held by the Professional Boxing Association. The meeting was coordinated by Somchat Charoen Watcharawit and members of the Boxing Board Committee (คณะกรรมการกีฬามวย) to figure out how to provide immediate help to those in Muay Thai affected by COVID-19.
