Yoddecha Sityodtong was a student of the legendary Kru Yodtong at Sityodtong Camp Pattaya, Thailand, champion fighter, and King’s Cup winner. His photos were plastered on the walls of Old Lumpinee and he fought all over the world, including in Italy, Australia, and Croatia.
Yoddecha was one of the biggest names in Muay Thai in his era. He eventually became a Kru at Evolve MMA in Singapore, teaching many students, and also training top fighters - not just in Muay Thai, but for MMA striking too.
Now based in the UK, Yoddecha is teaching Muay Thai to new and established practitioners alike and wants to pass on his knowledge to those who want to learn the sacred art. You can see more of him in action on Instagram and Facebook.
I was 11 years old and started at the legendary Sityodtong Camp- Vichiam Sityodtong took me to the camp after he saw me and asked if I wanted to go learn. I said yes, desperate for a better life and an opportunity for money. For a long time, everything was so hard every day and it was tough to adjust to this new way of life. Even mealtimes were a struggle as I often was too slow to get any food!
The thing I loved the most about life at the camp was that you always had your friends with you- you could laugh and joke every day. We loved going out to the movies on our day off as a rare treat. I still have those friends today- we don’t talk too often but we still help each other out when we need it and I can always call on them for anything.
What techniques that you learned from your Kru have you adopted in training your students?
Kru YodTong took really good care of me. Win or lose, champion or not, he still looked after me. He made his relationship clear that he was my Kru and not my father. No matter how much he did for me, and how he rescued me, he told me I should always love my parents; my mum and my dad, even at the time they weren’t in my life. He taught me how to be a good person, not just a good fighter.
I learnt everything from Kru YodTong- Muay Thai isn’t just about the physical capabilities but also the mental game; being a smart fighter. We would spend a lot of time on strategies, feints and tricks, setting up knockouts. A lot of people would underestimate this training but it’s what set Sityodtong [Camp] above the rest. We spent a lot of time on perfecting the basics also, step by step. Good fighters come from this type of training- you can’t expect to get in the ring after one lesson and miraculously know what to do.
[I learnt] mental support was also essential- the life of a fighter is not easy. [You have to think about] winning, losing, money, no money, seeing family or not- there are a lot of ups and downs and sacrifices, and it’s important to be grounded and humble- having a good support network is essential. There was no place for having an ego over the years. Respect and humility were always mandatory- no matter how successful you were.
I hope to teach this to my students too, and to take care of them and be a good role model.
Kru YodTong first and foremost is by far my biggest influence. [And so was] everyone at Sityodtong, from the cook who made sure I was fed, to the pad holders, and my campmates.
There was one older Nak Muay (practitioner of Muay Thai) when I first joined Sityodtong - P Boy, aka Parpoom Sityodtong- I used to do his washing, give him massages - anything he needed - and when he fought and won he would give me 500 baht (11 pounds)! He’d also take me out to eat. He was the one that took me with him to Ratchaburi to look for my parents when I got older. I don’t know where he is now but he was a big influence on me.
Samart is also my favourite fighter- I love watching his fights and his techniques. I learnt a lot from his fights. I still don’t think anyone compares!
There are many influences around me all the time. It shapes the way you are, having good people who support you around you.
My favourite fight was against Saddam Kietyongyuth in Pattaya. I got three cuts but I won round 5 by knockout - I was the underdog and everyone thought I’d lose so badly, so hardly anyone watched the fight! I won overall though...there were quite a few people that lost money that night!! The bookies that had paid out already thought I had lost but my win changed everything up!
My journey has taught me to work hard towards my goals/ to focus on the bigger things. I’ve wanted to work hard and train to be the absolute best to take care of my parents and earn money for them. I’ve carried that in my heart and it’s motivated me to train harder to get to the top.
When I first came to the UK, I wanted to do a lot of seminars and meet a lot of the students in the west (the UK, Europe, America). I have heard of some of the fighters coming out of the UK and I have fought in Italy many times also. I am not very good with English and technology so meeting people is important to me and my teaching. Covid stopped all that so it was frustrating. But it has given me an opportunity to meet new people in my local community from all different walks of life, and outside of Muay Thai, which has been a positive.
One thing that’s important in martial arts is the people around you- you can’t get better without instructors, pad holders, sparring partners, and fight opponents. Even the people in the gym you chat to, and those who encourage each other [are important]. There is a limit to that in online coaching. I hope that the martial arts community will get stronger and come together after this. The gyms in Thailand are being hit hard and people can’t visit them. People and businesses are suffering. Fights in Thailand are also on hold. People are pulling together to keep the industry alive but it’s really hard. Hoping that everyone comes out of this stronger and more united.
People have also realised how fortunate they are- before, it was a lot more prevalent how people chased the latest trends and fashion, wanted to go on expensive holidays and show off to the masses how well they were doing. Now, covid has made people really think about what is important in life and brought communities together to help one another. Some people have struggled to buy food and essentials for their families and children. Muay Thai gyms in the west have been putting on seminars to send money for food, clothing, etcetera to keep the gyms going in Thailand. Gyms are closed and trainers aren’t getting paid so everyone is finding ways to help which is amazing and really makes a difference. The pandemic will forge closer bonds no matter how far away people are when they help each other; they’ve shared something together that can’t be taken away.
Andrea Harkins is an experienced martial artist practitioner and instructor. She’s an author of three books and runs her own blog, The Martial Arts Woman.
Her first book shares the stories how martial arts can empower women and how female martial artists and instructors can break through gender barriers in a male dominated sport.
Her work has been featured in Martial Arts Illustrated UK, MASuccess Magazine, Martial Arts Business Magazine, and The World Martial Arts Magazine. Her mission is to make the world a better place through martial arts and positivity. She was inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2017.
She agreed to speak with Made4Fighters to share her experience in the industry and advice for other female martial artists.
I began martial arts in 1989 because my husband wanted to try it. He did martial arts as a child and there was a community center nearby that had a martial art program. I did not like it at first. In fact, I hated the first class because I thought I could never do any of it. People were sparring, yelling, breaking boards and it seemed too difficult and scary for me.
People in the audience could not really tell I was pregnant because I was fairly small framed and with my gi on it was not that noticeable. I had trained with the same instructor my whole martial art career and they already knew of what I was capable. Physically, I felt fine, but having had a couple of miscarriages in my past, I was cautious.
My instructor didn’t want me to miss the test knowing that it would be a while before I would be able to return and I had worked so diligently up to then to achieve this. In the test, I did not spar or do falls, although I had done them enough in class to earn the rank.
The biggest lesson is that I am more capable than I realize. This is an important lesson for everyone. Martial arts teach you to break not just boards, but personal barriers. Once you face martial art obstacles you step back and reassess who you are and I concluded that I was not living up to my potential because I didn’t believe in myself or have the confidence. Once I gained the confidence in martial arts, I decided that fear of failure no longer matters.
What matters is effort, drive, and taking risks that can better you in the long run.
Let’s face it, women have a lot of worries and concerns and rightly so. Everywhere we go and everything we do is coupled with a slight fear that someone will try to physically assault us or try to prey upon our vulnerabilities. We are generally smaller and weaker than men, physically. That means that we need to learn ways to actively and inactively defend at all times.
Martial arts provide these tools - how to escape from grabs, empowering kicks and punches and how to use leverage and other skills to overcome larger sized attackers. This builds the confidence we need to live productive and powerful lives without always looking over our shoulder.
There is no one martial art that I can recommend because it depends upon the woman’s motivation. Does she want to learn to spar and fight? Lose weight? Meditate? Flow? Break boards? Defend?
Every martial art is martial and teaches martial aspects, although in different ways. Once a woman knows what she seeks from the martial art, she can choose the style that works for her.
There are so many inspirational stories in that book. I actually wrote half the book about my life in martial arts and the other half is from contributors. To pick one that is a favorite is nearly impossible!
One of my favorites is Master Kim Tran who escaped from Vietnam to later become a martial art master. I also appreciate Janice Bishop who unexpectedly became blind and had to reconfigure her whole life and training.
There are also stories of women who suffered from cancer and used martial arts to overcome. And, of course, my own chapter called “Destined to Die” when I talk about how I saved my unborn child through my own unwavering commitment to my own truth, and not what doctors told me, as I learned in martial arts to follow my own truth. Each of the stories in this book reflect the ultimate power of the martial arts woman - the recognition that she can and will overcome thanks to her martial art mindset.
Striving for success in life requires that you believe in yourself and are willing to work for your success. This is decision number one. Nothing else can happen if this is not in place. The next thing is to find someone who is already successful in doing what you want to do. I’ve owned my own program for many years and I know what is important to have.
Use the advice of someone who has had success in what you are trying to accomplish and follow it. This book is a step by step “how-to” that covers finding a location, making business decisions, and using leadership as a tool.
Everyone who wants to build a brand or a business really has no choice but to use social media! When I was writing my first book, my publisher said, “Now you need to promote yourself on social media and start posting pictures and information about you and your book.” That was a long time ago and the idea of promoting myself was really foreign to me.
I worked with a semi-professional photographer and he took a bunch of photos of me in my uniform. I started to post them and the followers rolled in. Building the audience is good, but then you must realize that only a small percentage of any audience actually takes action or purchases your product or service. The most important thing is to be genuine. Don’t try to be like someone else. Allow people to get to know you a little. Show pictures that spark interest or grab someone’s attention.
Test various platforms. I do not use Snapchat, for instance. It’s for the young and trendy and I am 58 so that doesn’t work for me. But, I do like Facebook and LinkedIn. Find what you like and what is important to you. Test different posting times and types of posts and then follow up on what is successful for you. Trial and error builds your knowledge and your social media abilities!