"Let´s go and watch some fights!"

It is Wednesday night and again I am at Loikroh Stadium and the air is filled with the mix of the traditional Muay Thai music and the electric sounds of chart songs. But this time I am not preparing to step in the ring as I did just on Sunday, but playing pool with a friend – but maybe it would be better if I would fight instead of playing pool: Basically I do not have any skills for this game.

Anna from Sweden will fight her 6^th fight tonight which is the first one for Team Quest. Even if I should be relaxed because it is not my show time tonight, I am slightly nervous. Anna seems to be quiet relaxed and is joking around while she gets her hands wrapped but for me it is always weird to see a friend fight. It may be the feeling of being powerless or of not having any influence on the fight that causes this restlessness. After having had a bunch of fights, the body got too used to switching into fight mode - now the mirror neurons trick me to make me wanting to fight myself.

I am leaning over the pool table and aiming with the billiard cue at one of the balls, when I hear Ni shouting my name behind me. When I turn around he beckons me over: "One of the fighters didn´t show up. You want to fight tonight?" A few seconds I stare at him and think about it. Back in Germany I always took one week off after fights but since I am here the pace is a completely different one. Sunday was fight night, and while on Monday I did not train, I already trained on Tuesday and today – two training sessions and a fight on the same day?

"Well... I don´t have any equipment with me" I reply. Ni grins at me and the promoter simply says: "No problem! Just go and get it from your flat!"

Back home it is difficult to get a fight. Weeks before the event you have to tell the promoter that you want to fight on the card and then you hope that you get an opponent and he does not get hurt while preparing for the fight. And now, they offer me a fight right away? I cannot let this chance slip through my fingers.

"Okay! I´ll fight!" The promoter starts laughing and gives me a thumb up.

"Nat can take you home on the motorcycle – get your stuff and come back!" Ni commands.
We jump on the motorcross bike and race along the Chiang Mai nightlife, avoiding big traffic jams in the center by speeding through tiny side alleys. I get my stuff and we return to the stadium. Ni wraps my hands in a hurry – Just when I start to warm up, it is already time for Anna to enter the ring. She delivers a good fight and finishes it in the fourth round.

Then it is my turn. My opponent is quite aggressive and attacks me with furious attacks of flying kicks and a spinning elbow. It is a huge difference if you have time to focus on a fight or if you step in the ring on short notice. I am physically in good condition, but I am far from being completely focused. I get distracted easier by the audience and in the second round my opponent makes me nervous when he becomes more relaxed, drops his hands and goes forward without being scared of getting hit.

I switch into a more aggressive manner and use more boxing – the fight becomes faster, less technical and harder. It works: I can cut off his way, land a huge boxing combination and when we end up clinching he goes down. He does not get back up so my hand gets raised by the referee.

Anna and me after the work is done

Another fight, another victory and more experience in the ring on my record. I am glad that I accepted the fight. It was still fun but I definitely prefer to have time to focus. That I got nervous shows me that I lacked self-confidence.
The mental preparation is quite important – maybe I should accept more fights on short notice in order to get more experience in focusing faster during fights ;)