Video: Training At Klong Toey Slum Gym

The first video is of Bell and Gaew skipping rope in the gym, its part of the warm up before the more serious training begins. The second video is of Gaew 17 working out with trainer Bong later on in the 3 hour training session. This video is not as intense as some of these workout gets, on some of the training days I saw Bong really push his boxers to work hard so that they would be ready for the ring. He would scold them and challenge them to be the best they could be, slapping them (with the training glove firmly) if there was an opening but also praising them and encouraging them when they did something right. Bong is a former champion Muay Thai boxer and has also won the trainer of the year award in Thailand, he wants whats best for his boxers. Muay Thai is a serious sport with potentially deadly consequences, you need to train hard so that that you limit the danger you face in the ring. For many of the young men and boys at this gym boxing is the only thing that prevents them from being pulled into a life of crime or substance abuse, Muay Thai, the gym, and the trainers give them the love and discipline they need as well as a firm foundation to build a life on.