Preparing for Master Chai's Oregon Training Camp

[Normal]

Why is that Johnny Cash song, "A Boy Named Sue", running thru my head?

Hey my middle name is Brian, that would be a real Manly type name.

Congrats right back at you Bry, hows Tik? Any morning sickness yet?

Jen is out there in NC with them now so I have to drive out to Ft. Bragg tomorrow to get her back. Hey, I'll bet they'll pay me good money by now to get her outta there.

Catch you later

[chalambok]

1991

This is the cover of the first flyer ever for the Pacific Northwest Muay Thai Camp. 16 years now; perhaps in 16 more years a little Popejoy will be here kicking the bags, helping us to build a strong muay Thai tradition in the United States. If we are lucky, Master Chai will still be letting people do pushups and Ajarn Danny will be counting rounds.

[chalambok]

Silver Falls State Park

This is a view looking South from under the North Falls. In the park itself there are about 16 waterfalls, 2 of which are over 130 feet in height. From where this picture was taken to the South Falls is about 5 miles by foot. Most attendees swim beneath the South Falls, and only a couple of times has the tour gone to the North Falls. Not sure if there will be a tour this year, as there is a rumor that Master Chai is bringing some guest instructors as a surprise. Usually this means the afternoon break is shorter, and the falls tour is cancelled. Sometimes as a bonus on the last day of my Krabi-Krabong Intensives we take a hike around the falls trail. Believe me, after 80+ hours of training in 7 days this is quite the leg killer, and we have yet to complete it. If you are standing beneath the North Falls, looking straight up you can see holes in the cavern ceiling, created when the lava flowed in so fast the trees did not have time to burn. Over the centuries those trees rotted away, leaving the holes. The Pacific Northwest Muay Thai Camp has been at Silver Falls 12 of the past 15 years, and this year is lucky 13.

[chalambok]

North Falls

This is the same falls as in the last submission, taken from a different angle. Now you can begin to see the scale, it is over 132 feet high. Perhaps other people will post some pictures from past camps for everyone's enjoyment. I have posted this little story before, but for those who haven't heard it...South Falls is about 167 feet. Don Griswold's brother was once fishing up at the top and was swept over. Luckily for him, his wife was swimming below and rescued him after the impact knocked him unconscious. Don is our friend who sometimes drums for us during the workouts. Another South Falls story: one Sunday after Bruce Raymer and myself had been doing krabi-krabong we walked down to the overlook and Bruce's dog, Wrinkles, leaped over the rock wall. Wow, we were blown away. We ran down to the bottom and he was standing there, breathing like he had just run a marathon, and covered in shit. Kind of funny now, but at the time it was horrifying.

[Little Apple]

those are pretty, I can't wait. Hey, do we fly into Portland or can we fly strait to Salem?

[chalambok]

Good question

This should be in the flyer, but I am not sure if we put it in this year or not. Of course, you can fly into Salem if you wish to. But, it is cheaper to fly into Portland and then take the shuttle bus ($20) to the Salem airport, where we will arrange for you to be picked up. It is also probably faster. Many people who have been to the camp before will rent a car in Portland, and if you spot them at the airport you can maybe just catch a ride up with them. That is one reason we ask people to please wear TBA clothing when they fly in, to make it easier on everyone, especially newbies trying to hook up. The advantage for us is we do not have to find a driver and rent a van to pick up one or two people. Bruce Raymer usually will come down and get them, take them to his house in Salem until we have a full load. You will notice several Oregon telephone numbers on your application, use them when you get into town.

[Caddock]

Good to know about the shuttle, I can't seem to get any of the online airline sites to book a flight to Salem, they can't find the destination city. Anyhow I am relieved.

[Oregon MT]

Run, run early, run long, run often...

In my limited experience, it's the repetitive running before, during and after hundreds of rounds (and extra pushups for some) that make the camp especially difficult.

Try and get an old copy of the vocabulary list for the written test to avoid the pushups.


chok di

[chalambok]

Inside the lodge

Unlike Camp Wilkerson, site of the last 2 camps, at Silver Falls shadow boxing is done inside the lodge, between the two ranks of heavy bags. Anyone coming from Australia or New Zealand should recognize Barry Paige. We miss you, you old heed.

[chalambok]

Detail

This is what the back of the first camp tee shirts looked like. I believe there were only 50 of these made. I was kind of blase about camp tee shirts until I saw a student in Montreal with a red shirt from '92. I know personally no red shirts have ever been made, because Master Chai does not like the color, so it seems there is a thriving counterfeit camp shirt industry. Is that funny or what? After we discovered people were using camp certificates as teaching credentials the phrase "this is not a teaching certificate" was added some time in the mid-1990s.

[Caddock]

After we discovered people were using camp certificates as teaching credentials the phrase "this is not a teaching certificate" was added some time in the mid-1990s.

Pretty shifty people out there. Is there such thing as a teaching certificate? Should people be able to present something that says teacher on it when saying they represent the TBA and Ajarn Chai?

Info on the levels above the first test that happens at seminars etc is somewhat hard to find. At least it has been for me out here in the wild.

[chalambok]

TBA Certification

When the Thai Boxing Association of the United States was in its infancy, it was to become an association of instructors. While this has remained at the core, there are now a bunch of fighters, who incidentally may or may not be accredited as instructors. So, in answer to your question yes, there are indeed teacher certifications. It is simple, although there are 5 different levels of instructors. We need not concern ourselves here with the top 2 levels, they consist of Master Chai and Dan Inosanto exclusively, Ajarn Dan's being the only Senior Instructor Certificate and, having never seen it, I cannot describe it. Below those 2 are 6 Full Instructors, certificates clearly stating we have attained Full Instructorship in Muay Thai and signed by Ajarn Chai and Lieutenant General Chatchai Thumraksa, Royal Thai Army Specialist. General Chatchai was also closely affiliated with the Buddhai Swan, and is an expert in Ler Drit. You will also probably never see a Full Instructor Certificate, unless you are lucky. There are under 30 Associate Instructor Certificates extant, and they also are signed by Master Chai and Lt. General Chatchai, and state the recipient has attained that status. At the bottom, but still uncommon, are the approximately 1600 Beginning, or Apprentice, Diplomas. These are the basic teaching certificates, and are signed by Master Chai and by the Consul General of the Royal Kingdom of Thailand in Los Angeles, in 1986 (when mine was issued) Mr Sumet Wasantapruek. Nowadays they are also embossed, and may have a golden star, also embossed. Any reputable instructor will be happy to show you his certification. Anyone asking to see mine will get laughed out of the building and told to do their homework. If you question someone's personal integrity, go to the TBA website and write, call or email their state and regional directors.

[Caddock]

Thanks Chalambok,

I did get to speak with Ajarn Chai about this a little at the last seminar I attended, he alluded to the very few Full and Associate instructors there were and the number of testees that he sees on his travels.

I wasn't asking out of concern about anyone in particular but just wondering about how the organization worked. I have seen the Apprentice certificate, I haven't seen anything else other than seminar certs and I just like to ask questions to see what it sparks conversation wise.

Thanks again for the details. Edit: I really appreciate the pictures you've been putting up too.

[chalambok]

The field at Silver Falls

Everyone freestyling in the field outside the main building at Silver Falls. Perhaps you might recognize a few people Check the short guy training with the guy in the rainbow shorts...lol

[HudsonKane]

The 2006 information packet indicates that there is a shuttle at the end of the camp to the Salem airport at 2pm. What would be considered the earliest "safe" time to book a flight out Salem?
Thank You!