Picking up his trusty old sword brought back memories that gave 28-year-old Yuthada Lochotinan (Tim) a sense of serenity.
“When I held my sword in my hand and tried to ram darb (sword dance) again, it reminded me how much I loved this sport before,” Tim said.
It had been seven years since Tim last touched his sword, or talked to the teacher who taught him the traditional Siamese martial art. When he finally managed to contact his teacher, Chatmongkol Chatan (Tik), Tim found out that for all the years they had been apart, his master was still teaching the art free of charge and had started his own academy called Prajanripu, which offers lessons to the public. Tim soon decided to leave his job to help his master promote Prajanripu and its values.
Prajanripu is a combination of two words — prajan, which means to confront, and ripu, an ancient term that means enemy. However, Tim said that at this academy, the first and foremost enemy that is dealt with is within ourselves. Free classes are held at Kiak Kai Youth Centre every Sunday.
Unlike other academies, the curriculum at Prajanripu is modern and includes spirituality — an important component for Tim — which is often lacking in martial arts academies in Thailand.
“We’re modern because we have our own armour, so we can really hit each other,” explained Tim. “Some other organisations just teach the old art, but don’t incorporate sports science, which makes the sport more interesting.”
Master Tik, who has a master’s degree in physical education from Srinakharinwirot University, is happy with the help he is getting from his tech-savvy former student.
“Sometimes words aren’t enough, so I got Tim to shoot videos of actions and moves and post them on YouTube,” Tik said. “Students can then follow lessons online and understand them more clearly.”
A typical class starts with everybody chanting a mantra, followed by a 10-minute meditation. Students then warm up and stretch before they start learning techniques. The more advanced students may practise freestyle to develop their own style and characteristics, but newer students get more training. Each class ends with a few rounds of competition. The first sport is Thai boxing, followed by sword fighting and archery.