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It was a few minutes before 3 p.m. on a sizzling Friday afternoon in Menteng, Central Jakarta. Out of breath, I was taking a short break while watching Hadial “Iyal” Rahman train a woman at the CenterBase Muay Thai Camp.

“Your turn!” Iyal shouted, to which I could only reply with a wave. I was going to need at least two more minutes to catch my breath.

I had decided to take up Muay Thai, a combat sport that requires a lot of body movement and burns calories effectively. Perhaps another reason I joined was because of my soft spot for the 2004 film “Million Dollar Baby,” starring Hilary Swank. Boxing, Muay Thai, you get to hit something in both sports.

Originally from Thailand, Muay Thai, also known as Thai kickboxing, is a self-defense sport that incorporates mainly standing kicks and punches as well as fast blocks with the elbows and knees. Though often considered a tough sport, Muay Thai has developed from a pure martial art into a training regime that is popular with men and women of various ages.

“We even have 13-year-olds training with us here,” said Iyal, who has been with the CenterBase Muay Thai Camp for more than a year. “This is not a high-risk sport. It might not have a lot of followers if it were.”

Iyal added that people with heart problems and asthma could still join in, but it was strongly recommended that they declare their health status prior to starting training.

“We can adjust your training depending on your health. Just take it easy,” he said. “The most important thing is that you let us know about your health condition from the start. Once we had a participant, perhaps too embarrassed to tell us about his condition, who had an asthma attack during the warm-up session. We don’t want things like that to happen.”

My initial impression of the sport is that it teaches you self-discipline as well as awareness. During each training session, the trainer acts as an opponent whose hand movements, for instance, should be monitored by the student to keep constant watch for an “attack.” And you always have to protect your face by keeping your hands up, because you never know when your opponent might aim a fist at your nose, all in good fun, of course, during training.

Regular Muay Thai training can also improve stamina and help shape the body.

For these two reasons, Iyal said, Muay Thai had become very popular among women, at least at the gym where he teaches.

“I can say that in Indonesia, many people take Muay Thai purely as a form of sport for their fitness program, instead of as a professional martial art. And the fact that regular training will eventually shape your figure, especially your arms, makes a lot of women decide to take up this sport,” the 21-year-old said.

A participant at CenterBase Muay Thai Camp, Chindera Soewandy, said she made the switch to Muay Thai from yoga and Pilates. “I think a tough sport like this suits me better, because it is very dynamic. Although I joined purely to get fit, not for self-defense reasons, I find it so much more enjoyable than the kinds of workouts most fitness centers offer,” said the 24-year-old fashion retail manager, who trains twice a week.

Some first-timers, like Hana Soraya, come to a Muay Thai training session simply out of curiosity.

“I came here with some friends and I think it’s really exciting,” the 21-year-old medical student said. “I want to train regularly to get fit and to learn self-defense.”

Iyal says people can opt for a regular training program, which is mainly a cardio regime, or they can join a program in which more self-defense skills are taught.

“Know what you want and that will help you reach your goal,” he said.

For more information on Muay Thai training, contact:
CenterBase Muay Thai Camp
Jl. HOS Cokroaminoto No. 115
Menteng, Central Jakarta
Tel: 021 9127 1196