THE CAMP PETSIHMU
THE CAMP PETSIHMU
Special report by Serge TREFEU (2012)
The Petsihmu camp is a typical camp of the South of the Thailand, it is situated in the region of Thungsong, the region considered as producing very good fighters. When I arrived in the camp which account twenty fighters, half of the boxers of the camp had just fought on Bangkok. The board, where we register the name of every fighter, the date and the place of its fight, was almost full.
Certain boxers had go in their family after their fight, the others did not train, they rested in their room, the camp was thus a little bit deserted. Because the boxers of this camp fight regularly in stadium of the capital. But as the Petsihmu camp is in 700 km from Bangkok, the fighters often leave for group. They stay a few days in Bangkok, so it allows them to fight all at the same time in different stadium, in Lumpinee, in Radja, in Omnoi, in the Stadium Asawindam and in TV7. The manager of the camp Mister Mou who lives near Thungsong City has a big house in Bangkok, it is thus him that welcome the boxers for their stay in the capital. The fighters fight essentially for Werapon Panchuay, a big promoter of the stadium Lumpinee.
The infrastructure of the camp is new because the camp just been improved recently, the ground formerly in earth gave way to a ground in concrete and the roof in sheet of palms was replaced by a wide roof in sheet steel. The summary bungalow of the boxers were destroyed, there is there only two, and a building henceforth acted as rooms for nakmuays. Toilet are in a hut near the boxing ring, but the boxers got used to going behind the camp, in the middle of palm trees. It has been 15 years since this small camp is opened, today he gets modernized little, the comfort improved for the fighters can only bring better results to the camp…
The owner of the camp is called Vitaya Petsihmu, it is him who created this camp. In the 80s, Vitaya was a great boxer who often made his name resound in the stadium of Lumpinee!
The first champion of the camp was Chontung Petsihmu who gained champion’s belt of Thailand in 2005. Today this camp to several boxers of top levels, practically that in the small categories. Most hardly is doubtless Yokwitaya Petsihmu who was a champion of Omnoi in 115 lbs and who is now N°3 in ranking of Thailand in 118 lbs. There is also Chalamkhao Petsihmu who was twice South Champion in 106 lbs, Djalunchap Petsihmu who fights a lot in Lumpinee and Radja in 122 lbs, Ployvitaya Petsihmu is N°6 in ranking of Lumpinee in 105 lbs, Vitayalek Petsihmu is N° 7 in ranking of Omnoi stadium in 100 lbs, finally, Mafeuanglek Petsihmu in 112 lbs, Denvittaya Petsihmu in 108 lbs, Morakot Petsihmu in 109 lbs and Suvitlek Petsihmu in 105 lbs a lot often fights in the stadium of Lumpinee and Omnoi.
In this camp ” Muay Khao ” (Strong in knees), the boxers are supervised by two trainers. Here, they make a great deal of exercises muscular very hard, exercises which allow to sculpture the body without setting of volume and which also make work the cardio. Exercises as to jump in the rope with weights attached to feet, to climb and come down to a rope stick on the roof, several times, very well to strengthen forearm, make abdominal muscles with a weight behind the head, lift a weight with its mouth to develop the muscle of the neck, and of course a lot of skipping about on tires, to develop the muscle of calfs…
The morning training starts very early, at 5 am the boxers wake up, at 5:15 am they are going all to run. After more than one hour of jogging and 17 km in legs, they train till 7:30 am. For the jogging of him after noon, they begin at 3 pm and run only 7 km, then the training end generally at about 7 pm. The boxers in preparation of fight who are going to make intense rounds in paos are massed before the session, they are completely massed with the nam muay (Heating Oil). It allows to warm well muscles and to avoid so the muscular strains which are the obsession of the sportsmen of top levels. The rounds of paos are of 5 minutes, the boxer is going to make seven and to follow by 4 rounds in punch bag. The morning, the boxers do not practise session of clinch but for the training of him after noon, they make one hour of clinch!
Practically no foreigner came to train for Petsihmu, the boxers remember only one “Farang” (Foreign) which came, there are about ten year, train a few days here…
This traditional camp of the South of the country forms for several years good boxers, and Petsihmu does not risk to close because in the region of Thungsong, warrior’s earth, the young fighters do not miss…
