10 am TODAY. School blessing ceremony.

Posted on January 13, 2012 by jimlin

Have you seen the bigger, faster, stronger, ass-kicking-er new gym yet? If not, you must! I personally have been battling a horrible cold and don’t want to get you all sick, so I haven’t been able to get there myself. Getting you guys sick would be bad mojo.

But you know what’s good mojo? Getting the blessing of Buddhist Monks! And that’s just what’s happening today at 10am. In true Thai cultural tradition, five monks will be at the gym performing a blessing ritual to welcome the new gym, new year and good vibes.

All of you are welcome (and encouraged) to attend. By the way, it’s also Kru Walt’s dad’s birthday. Happy birthday!

Nothing motivates like results: Coach Shawn Powers

Posted on November 16, 2011 by jimlin

Do you sometimes look in the mirror and tell yourself “this is the best I can do,” because you are too busy, too tired, too old, or simply have too big a hill to climb to get to where you really want to be? It happens to all of us.

But what makes the difference between accepting the status quo and totally destroying it? Motivation. A great coach also helps. We’re here to bring you both. Meet our strength and conditioning coach, Shawn Powers.

This is Shawn a few years ago; someone who could have easily looked in the mirror, made and excuse and gone on living his status quo. But instead of doing this, he got motivated to make a change. His first step? He checked out Sityodtong’s Fight Fit Boot Camp, where our amazing team of coaches, led by June Michalowski pushed him to push himself. And that’s when results happen. The beautiful thing about results is that they motivate you to get more. Shawn eventually turned the results he gained from boot camp into some insane motivation, jumping headfirst into the world of strength and conditioning over the next couple years:

2009
Hard Style Kettle bell Certification (HKC) with Pauvel Tsatsouline/Dragon Door
Underground Strength Coach with Zach Even-Esh/Joe DeFranco
Bull Strength Conditioning (BSC) with Joe Hashey/Synergy Athletics

2010
Combat Core Conditioning with Diesel Crew
Accelerated Muscular Development (AMD) with Diesel Crew
Lean Hybrid Muscle with Elliote Hulse

2011
Kettle bell Jiu-Jitsu/Coach … Joey Alvarado
Shadow Jiu-Jitsu/Coach … Joey Alvarado

Now, it’s safe to say that Shawn has achieved enough results to motivate an entire gym:

Lucky for us, he’s now Sityodtong Los Angeles’ Strength and Conditioning Coach. Coach Shawn serves as inspiration and motivation for all of us. And he’s a damn good coach, as well. His strength classes will push your limits. They will make you cry for mommy. But they will get you results.

Shawn’s Strength and Conditioning Classes are held on:
Tues. & Thurs. 7am-8am / 5:30pm-6:30pm
Extreme Conditioning: Sat. 8:15am-9:15am

Shawn Powers Developed Styles of Training:
Blunt Force Trauma (BFT) – Combat Athletics Strength & Endurance
Extreme Bodyz – Kettle bell & Body Weight Strength, Stamina
Lean Bodyz – Total Body Transformation
Underground Strength Camp (The USC) – Explosive Athletic Strength & Conditioning

Sityodtong LA’s Mini Wrecking Crew

Posted on November 10, 2011 by jimlin

We start em young at Sityodtong Los Angeles. If you’ve ever wondered what they do over at our kids’ affiliate Kid Power Martial Arts around the corner from the main gym, the answer is kicking butt (they are too young to kick bad words like ass).

If you want to get a glimpse of what the Wrecking Crew holds for the future, just make your way down to Double Dose Muay Thai on November 19, 6 pm. They are holding a kids-only Muay Thai event, and our very own Cira is fighting in it. This night of fights is fully sanctioned and legal, which means you don’t have to follow the 1st rule of fight club on this one. Talk about it all you want. In fact, help us get as many people out there as possible to support Cira in her ring debut!

It’s $20 to get in ($10 if you are under 12) and the gym is located at 14189 Foothill Blvd. #105, Fontana, CA 92335.

We wish Kru Toy could stay forever, but…

Posted on October 31, 2011 by jimlin

For everyone who was lucky enough to train with Kru Toy, October was a month to remember. Now that it’s close to November and he’s getting ready to return home to Thailand, we want to send him off Sityodtong LA style. No, not with clinches and knees, but with a night of revelry and Thai food.

Come thank Kru Toy in person, wish him well and simply hang with the coolest Muay Thai coach this side of Lumpinee Stadium this Thursday night (Nov. 3) from 6:30 to whenever at Pattaya Cafe (across from PCC). Here’s the address:

1525 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91106

Josh Aragon ends four year layoff with a W

Posted on October 31, 2011 by jimlin

On Saturday Oct. 22, Sityodtong LA’s Josh Aragon stepped in the ring for the first time in four years to take on Alex Numinski on the amateur card at the M1 Grand Muay Thai Championships. He stepped out a winner:

Despite his own fears of ring rust, Josh pushed the action and worked the clinch in signature Sityodtong style, working the knees and taking his opponent down several times. After the final bell, Josh stood victorious by the judges’ scorecards.

Congrats, Josh! Can I have some of that “ring rust”? It seemed to work for you.

Who said fights are bad for a relationship?

Posted on October 12, 2011 by jimlin

On Saturday, October 15 Sityodtong LA’s power couple, Laban Spicer and Melissa Pabian will be throwing down. Luckily, not with each other. Come support them at 8:00 at Kru Rex’s gym at 15424 Cabrito Rd. in Van Nuys. Tickets are $20 at the door.

In other upcoming fight news, Kru Walt and Kru Toy are preparing Josh Aragon “for total war!” as he gears up to return to the ring on Friday, Oct 21. at the M-One Grand Muay Thai Championships taking place at Club Nokia in Downtown LA. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.

Sityodtong’s Eddie Estrada Remains Undefeated with Victory at Proving Grounds 6

Posted on October 5, 2011 by jimlin

This past weekend at Fight Academy in Pasadena, CA, our own Eddie Estrada entered the cage and took care of business.

Going up against Jonathan Del Rosario (3-1) of Submission Factory, Eddie pressed the action and tied his opponent up with clinches and knees. Sorry the pictures are so blurry. The guy hits fast and hard.

After 3 rounds of this…

I finally got a clear picture.

With this victory, Eddie’s undefeated record stands at 4-0. Rock on.

Kru Toy and Kru Walt approve. Congrats, Eddie!!

Legendary Muay Thai Trainer Kru Toy Schools Us All

Posted on October 4, 2011 by jimlin

On Saturday, October 1, Kru Toy, world-renowned trainer of Muay Thai and MMA champions worldwide graced our ring at Sityodtong Los Angeles and showed us “a few things.”

As the son of Sityodtong’s founder Kru Yodtong, Kru Toy has spent his life learning how to teach Muay Thai “in the Sityodtong style” from his father. On Saturday, Kru Toy spent three hours demonstrating, teaching and fine tuning our skills, timing and technique. The only thing rivaling his technical mastery was his ability to teach it in a way that was accessible, realistic and attainable.

Covering the finer points of body positioning, stances, blocking and simple jabs, Kru Toy broke down everything we all assumed was reflex by now. Everyone needs a little recalibration every now and then. Getting that from one of the most sought-after striking instructors in the world? Priceless.

Kru Toy also covered the basics of Muay Thai’s offensive arsenal: the round kick, teep, knees and elbows, as well as how to effectively pad for them. Trust me, if you’re taking Kru Toy’s techniques and learning them well, your partner better know how to pad. Nobody likes to limp home from practice.

The seminar ended with clinching drills and tricks. Being a unique element to Muay Thai, as well as a deciding factor in so many Muay Thai and MMA matches today, it was only fitting that Kru Toy saved this for last. Sityodtong knows clinching. Above, Kru Toy demonstrates what to do when getting thrown around in a clinch. “You just fly…” Rather than resisting power with power, you go with it — until you land where you land and unleash a whole bunch of clinching tricks (all of which he generously shared with us) to gain the upper hand and proceed to make your opponent wish he never touched your neck.

All in all, it was an amazing three hours. For students of Muay Thai, the experience wasn’t far off from spending the day on the field or in the court with … well, just name any coach who’s the best in your favorite sport and fill in the blanks. Kru Toy will be here roughly a month more, and he loves to hang out at the gym and give people pointers. Take full advantage of this opportunity to let a legend totally school you.

Sityodtong Los Angeles: Bigger and Badder

Posted on September 10, 2011 by jimlin

When Sityodtong LA first opened its doors in 2003, the gym was in a tiny strip mall across from Tops on Colorado. My biggest concern each night was whether I would get a parking spot for class that night. That is until Kru Walt cracked my ribs. After that, it was don’t get kicked in the ribs by Kru Walt.

But soon after, even parking was no longer a concern because we moved to our current location. I remember walking in the building and thinking “wow! we’ve made it! And there’s even an echo up in here.” And I knew that I’d always have a place to park no matter how packed it got, as long as I was willing to walk into Staples and buy a highlighter. Not more than a couple years later, we managed to even outgrow that!

Now that I have enough highlighters to last 3 lifetimes, we’re moving once again. This time, calling it merely a gym would be doing it a great disservice. This here is a bonafide emporium, or at the very least a complex:

Before you think “Hey! they built an entirely new fighter’s complex without telling me!” don’t fret. The above is merely a designer’s rendering. If you go there now, you can get some great deals on Halloween Costumes. However, If you stick around until our official opening date of January 2, 2012, you’ll be able to enjoy the following:

3X More Training Space
Full MMA Cage
More Classes
More Equipment
Large Parking Lot
Separate Kids’ Training Center
5x Larger Weight Room
Juice Bar
Muay Thai Events
Mixed Martial Arts Events

You probably want to know where it is. As of this writing, I haven’t gotten the exact street address from June, but you can’t miss it. It’s the big building on Rosemead, between Colorado and Foothill. If you drive past it right now, it’s a Halloween Store, and they won’t let you spar in it, or so my son and I were told as they escorted us out the door…

So, 2012. They say the world is going to end that year. I say go down punching, kicking, elbowing and kneeing — at the best gym ever.

Muay Thai Premier League Open Training Session: 7pm Tue Aug 30. At our gym!

Posted on August 30, 2011 by jimlin

If you haven’t heard of the Muay Thai Premier League yet, you will before long. Set to make its international debut at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach on Sept. 2, the MPL features 24 of the world’s top Muay Thai competitors, including Buakaw Por Pramuk, Yodsaenklai Fairtex and Nathan “Carnage” Corbett, competing in a league format for supremacy on the world stage. After its debut in Southern California, events will be held in Italy, The Netherlands, and Thailand among other countries before it returns to Los Angeles for the finals in May.

If you’ve purchased your tickets, you are one lucky Muay Thai fan, because you simply cannot put all those world-renowned fighters under one roof and not expect battles of legendary proportions to ensue. If you’re reading this post, then consider yourself even luckier, because now you know that a number of these fighters will be gracing OUR RING in an open training session starting tonight at 7pm.

If you need a little motivation, inspiration or just want to see some major skills in the ring, drop by the gym tonight. We are extremely lucky to have this rare opportunity to get this up close and personal with the BEST IN THE WORLD. Let’s take advantage of it!

If you haven’t purchased your tickets, get them here.