Thursday, April 3, 2008
Muay Thai Culture
Muay Thai, also known as the Art of the Eight Limbs, employs eight points of contact when striking: fist, elbows, knees and shins. These fighters are trained from as young as they can walk until the toll of their training breaks their body down to the point where they cannot continue - typically in their early twenties. They calcify the bones used for striking and build muscles as sheathes of armour. To many, this is their only path to a better life - no different than many disadvantaged American youths turning to Football or Basketball. The Thai youths merely pay a higher price.
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4 comments:
very interesting story..and the pictures are great!
Your pictures are evocative and gritty in content. Your own story is interesting to juxtapose against relatives left behind. Keep up the good work.
I am not a photagrapher but I respect the art. Sebastiao Salgado: The Photographer as Activist is a video that you might find interesting.
I am trying to find something to write about on an ongoing basis in the blogging world. It is not as easy as it looks.
Irene's site you recommended is nice and girlish. She is prolific beyond my abilities.
Good luck with your very good work.
R.L.
Thank you. I'm familiar with Sebastiao, his work has influenced mine early on. It's good to see that people are interested in what I do. Too often that's not the case...
Lung Liu,
My wife is training (and fighting some) in Muay Thai in Thailand. We are currently in Bangkok, and were very moved by your remarkable photos. Where are the "camps by the tracks" so that we can see what you were photographing?
Again, thank you so very much for showing the soul of Muay Thai.
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