There are so many popular martial arts sports that can be experienced in DLSU. Taekwondo and Judo are a couple to mention, however, a new martial arts sport has made its way to the public’s attention Muay Thai.
Muay Thai, also known as “The Art of Eight Limbs,” is a martial art that originates from Thailand. A unique trait about the sport is that it uses different offensive techniques using different limbs of your body, such as your legs, arms, and elbows.
The practice of Muay Thai eventually caught the attention of the sporting community across the world, then eventually made its way to the Philippines, and now in De La Salle University. Patrick Keh was the first to introduce this sport to the Lasallian community back in 2014 with the sole purpose of spreading the art and practice of Muay Thai.
Keh’s influence of the sport caught the attention of the Office of Sports Development, and the office eventually recognized this as an official sport of DLSU, and the club was officially named “Muay Thai La Salle”.
Muay Thai La Salle has progressed a lot over the years. From Keh’s inspiration to show the Lasallian community what Muay Thai is back in 2014, the club now has 27 members practicing the martial art. These 27 students practice from Monday to Friday at the 8th floor of Enrique Razon Sports Complex.
Getting a membership needs no application. According to its members, you may just approach their coach and tell them that you would have an interest in training with them.
Testing their skills
For the students of DLSU, Muay Thai La Salle is yet another sports club under the OSD, but for the Muay Thai community outside the walls of the school, this club plays a bigger role than just being a university club. Muay Thai La Salle is one of three clubs under the Jaakphukao Team led by Kru Andre Puertollano. The other two are the Muay Thai teams from UP and Ateneo.
Unfortunately, Muay Thai has yet to be recognized as a UAAP sport since only three universities hold practices for the sport. The three universities under the Jaakphukao Team compete against each other. According to Jolo Teves and Alfred Lim, Muay Thai La Salle has participated only in two competitions; one last year and a competition that recently concluded last April 21, 2018.
Last year, only three fighters from Muay Thai La Salle participated. According to Teves, during last year’s competition, only Alex Bondoc claimed victory among the three of them.
This year, the roster expanded with two new fighters coming in for the ASCEND Tri-School Tournament held in Ateneo De Manila University. The line-up added Lim and Hadija Sato to represent Muay Thai La Salle.
This martial art began from a mere student’s idea to now a progressive Lasallian sport. Muay Thai La Salle continues to grow in numbers since its establishment four years ago, and at its growing rate, more members can get the opportunity to compete in future competitions under the Jaakphukao Team and in the long run could win more competitions for the University.
It’s only the beginning for this club and it is bound to get bigger as the years go by.
