I was not prepared for this.
When we first decided to explore Kensington Market, JM immediately suggested that we do a class at Krudar Muay Thai. From the very beginning of our relationship, any time we discussed working out (or even walked within a 1 km radius) he’d bring it up. After 8 years of mild persistence, it worked!
So, before you rush through this and press play (this is why the video’s a little further down, muahahaha), a bit of context: for the past two years, I’ve been doing High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT-style workouts at least 3 times a week, and also run HIIT classes myself. Suffice it to say, I’m fit. Not like Crossfit-fit, but like, have beer and pizza at night and run a 10k the next morning.
God Damn it, Muay Thai broke me!
God Damn it, Muay Thai broke me! And we only did a 30 minute session! I felt winded, nauseated, and for some reason, doing high knees with a jump rope was confusing the hell out of my body. I was all limbs with no directionality or control.
O.M.G
It was hard.
While most HIIT classes are 90-100% capacity for 30-60 second bursts with about 15-30 seconds of rest in between, our Muay Thai conditioning was 80-90% capacity, for chunks of like 7 or 8 minutes at a time. Guys, watch the video two times in a row — that’s how long one set is!
A set, a cycle, a round? I’m not quite sure what they call it, but it was long. So imagine a 90 minute class like that: sweet lord, you’ll be done. I stepped in thinking, I got this, it’s like any other day. No dude, no, it wasn’t.
So, for millennials like myself, click on the video below to watch my Krudar Muay Thai Experience. For the Gen X’ers like JM, read below for more details!
Tayloring our experience
Taylor, our trainer, started off by showing us around the gym. The main level houses their ring and a large floor space for classes, and in the basement, there’s a full gym with free weights and cardio machines, where the fitness classes take place. (Check our their website for prices)
Like most combat sports, Muay Thai’s history is rooted in war. Dating back a few hundred years, the technique (originally called Muay Boran) was developed as a battlefield tactic, when Thailand (then known as the Kingdom of Siam) was battling against the Burmese. It started not as a sport, but as a way to survive. It’s also known as the Art of Eight Limbs, as it uses two fists, two elbows, two knees, and two shins.
Like most combat sports, Muay Thai’s history is rooted in war… known as the Art of Eight Limbs, as it uses two fists, two elbows, two knees, and two shins.
Thai’d Down
At Krudar, they try to keep the training and gym culture as authentic as possible. The name Krudar comes from the founder and director, Kru Darwin Miranda. Kru is an esteemed title in the Thai language, meaning instructor or master of Muay Thai. The latter half of the name, Dar, comes from Darwin. Bang! Minds blown!
Kru Darwin has been immersed in Muay Thai for over 25 years. And while I’ve only really spoken to him twice, and have only seen him teach a beginner’s class and an advanced class, I can tell you that he’s extremely dedicated to the martial art and to every one of his students. You can see Kru’s patience and knowledge come through as he interacts with each student and provides constructive, tailored feedback. I recall seeing a student punching a heavy bag on her own and when Kru noticed that her technique needed an adjustment, he stopped what he was doing to help.
Whenever any of the students or fighters talk about Kru, it’s always with pride and reverence, and it’s easy to see why.
They’ve got something for everyone
So, did I mention that this was my first time taking a Muay Thai class? Well, it’s actually my first martial arts class ever. I know, right? Being an athletic Asian and all, you might think I’d know that stuff, eh? Well, believe me, Krudar’s got something for everyone, from professional-level fighters to first timers like myself. Asian or otherwise.
The classes are 90 minutes broken up into two 45-minute halves. The first half focuses on strength and conditioning: think jumping jacks, squat-jumps, and body-weight exercises. This is where you learn to pace yourself or you’ll throw up — ask JM about that one. The last half of the class is the technique portion: shadow boxing, learning the basics like stance and guard, plus all the weapons, from punches and elbows to knees and kicks. This is where you discover that you thought you knew your shoulder and back muscles, but you don’t.
Taylor put us through our paces in our one-on-one sessions, which were like shortened classes. The first half was warm up and conditioning, and the second half was technique. I can summarize this experience pretty quickly: burning.
Final Thoughts
I have this thing where I love to see people suffer, not in actual pain, but from physical exhaustion because it tests you. It tells you about your body, about your state of mind. So do it. Just do it! No, I’m not sponsored by Nike, nor are we sponsored by Krudar. We paid for our sessions: money, sweat, tears, lactic acid. And it was an amazing experience.
