Video: Nu Training with Bong at the Klong Toey gym

This is Nu a young Muay Thai boxer at the Klong Toey gym training with Bong, Nu is 12 years old and a talented boxer. Bong was joking and having fun with Nu who is a very serious young man (when it comes to his boxing!), but he let his guard down and smiled-laughed after these videos were shot (you can also hear Nu laughing in the video #2 at one point). When Nu smiles his whole face lights up, I shot several 4x5 portraits of him, hopefully some will turn out. The trainer Bong (Khune Kai Sri Wit) loves Muay Thai and the young boxers he trains, he tries to the best he can for them so that they can be good boxers in the ring and good people outside the ring. When Bon one of the older boxers from the gym was knocked out in a professional match Bong was very upset about it (I shot photos of Bon recovering from the knockout, will post those later).

Sorry for the low quality unedited vids, they were shot on my last last day with my cheap digital camera. I had a better quality video camera in my room but it was just to much to carry, I was already carrying a 4x5 camera, 2 lens, 25 film holders, a Leica rangefinder with 28mm lens, along with a spot meter, 35mm film, portable flash, tripod, reflector etc. Next trip I might try to get the higher quality video camera out and shoot a few vids, I would love to do some interviews, thou I am not sure my Thai is up to that.

Note: the knockdowns are part of the training and something that happens often in real matches, the boxers need to learn about it at a young age. The floor of the gym has a 1/2 inch thick layer of well used rubbery material to help the boxers avoid injuries. The gym is built in the open air under a freeway, the roof of the gym is the underside of the concrete freeway (you can see this in the second set of training videos above where the boxers are jumping rope).