Fight of his life
> The Muay Thai martial art has become an integral part of how Jerry Ng looks at the world
BEYOND being a form of sport, Muay Thai also serves as a way of life, where students learn values like respect, strength, and selfdefence.
With 18 years of the martial art under his belt – 10 of them as a teacher – Jerry Ng, the 36-yearold head coach of Ultimate Muay Thai Gym in Kuala Lumpur, attributes the sport’s increasing popularity to its accessibility, despite the strenuous classes that usually put a damper on a person’s desire to learn.
“It’s actually very easy to learn,” he said. “When you learn anything, if you have heart, you’ll learn everything faster. If there’s no heart in it, even if you train with a very famous trainer, there’s no use.
“[However], our classes are very tough. Some members train for 15 to 20 minutes and they vomit. Some people fall because they get tired.”
Ng adds this can happen regardless of your goal, whether it is to pick up skills for selfprotection, for health or to lose weight, or simply to lead a stronger, better, and fitter life.
Along the way, you will learn about Thai culture, and how the highly regarded combat art can provide a laundry list of benefits, beginning with respect.
According to Ng: “You learn how to respect people because before you fight, [you need to] have ‘wai kru’.
“Wai kru is respect towards your trainer, your family, your gym, your friends.
“So, when you learn Muay Thai … it’s a sport, but you learn how to respect people, which is more important.”
A teenage Ng was first introduced to the martial art through newspapers and Thai movies which featured it.
Although Ng’s family did not fully approve of the sport when he was younger, and likened it to fighting, they finally gave in, under the condition that he had to earn his own money.
“They said it was better to learn Taekwondo, but I wasn’t interested. After turning 18, I came out to work … and started learning Muay Thai.
“I thought [Muay Thai] was very cool. I got very interested, and from the first day, I really liked it.”
He started joining competitions, before eventually becoming head coach.
“Until now, even after retiring from fights, I’m still learning new skills all the time.”
Despite the benefits of being able to get stronger, and physically defend oneself from harm, Ng recommends to only utilise Muay Thai as a way to escape dangerous situations, and not to fight back.
“I cannot say that after you learn Muay Thai for a year or two, and there’s a robber, you can fight them. No, that’s stupid.”
Ng explains: “You must save yourself first. Don’t say ‘I know Muay Thai, I can stand here and