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Two LMA practitioners have decided on their own to participate in a Thai-boxing competition. Since it was their decision, the rest of us supported them in their training. I suggested they explore the Muay Thai Development League (MDL), and now, they are just a week away from their first competition. I have no experience with this organization (or any Thai-boxing organization), but based on their description and the recommendation of some comrades, it seemed like the ideal place for practitioners to get their start.
Rather than being pressured, competition naturally arose from their love of training—just like everything else. One practitioner has only been training for three months.
This is a video of their preparation based on our understanding of the rules. We found that they don't have divisions broken up by age or skill level, only weight and gender. M is in the first clip wearing white headgear. She's in her late 30s in a division with women mostly in their early 20s. It's unclear who she will be matched with and whether she will get more than one match. Our practitioners understand this is not life or death. It's meant to be fun and a life experience. If it doesn't feel right, they know they can stop anytime. If they only get one match, that's also fine.
The second clip features the second participant from our community, A, sporting black gloves. He's in his late 40s in a division with much younger participants in their 20s and even late teens. He's going for the experience and not putting much pressure on himself. Our philosophy is clear—if, at any point, the joy of the practice is compromised, they are free to withdraw. After all, the essence of LMA is joy, and that's what we strive to uphold. The organization has its rules; we have our own.
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From Play to Competition