Like any young adult who has had enough of partying and getting hammered every day, Yuthada "Tim" Lochotinan decided it was time to stop drinking and get a grip on his life.
Yuthada ‘Tim’ Lochotinan takes aim with a traditional bow as Master Tik looks on.
Everyone's solution to change is different, but for this particular 28-year-old, picking up his trusty old sword brought back memories that gave him 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 I didn't have time for it anymore," said Tim.
It had been seven years since Tim last touched his sword, or talked to the teacher who honed his skills in the traditional Siamese martial art. When he finally managed to contact his teacher, Chatmongkol "Tik" Chatan, 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 sumnuk (academy) called Prajanripu, which offers free lessons for the public.
At this point, Tim decided to jump onboard, and left his job to help his master promote Prajanripu and the values it embodies.
Prajanripu is a combination of two words: prajan, which means to confront, and ripu, an ancient term for "enemy". However, he says, in 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, where Thai boxing, sword fighting and archery are taught to anyone who would like to join.
Unlike other academies, the curriculum at Prajanripu is more modern and also incorporates 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.
"With muay boran [traditional boxing], they may make you kick banana trees or dodge dangling lemons. But why would that be necessary with today's technology? It's something we can tell our students about but it's not necessary to do that today."
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, after trying to manage the academy single-handedly. Tim has brought knowledge about ways to utilise social media and marketing to reach a wider audience.
"Sometimes words aren't enough, so I got Tim to shoot videos of actions and moves and post them on YouTube. Students can then follow lessons online and understand them more clearly.
We're willing to share our knowledge and aren't stingy about it," said the instructor.
A typical class starts with everyone chanting the itipiso 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 newbies get more training.
Each class ends with a few rounds of competition. The first sport is Thai boxing, followed by sword fighting and archery; all are accorded a strict time limit by Master Tik, who started Prajanripu five years ago. He decided to make it more substantial with a curriculum that would measure their skills and attitude.
"There are objectives and ways to measure their progress, thereby providing concrete results of development," he said. "This is a modern approach, as opposed to academies that judge by time: when a year has passed, then you are automatically considered skilled enough."
Prajanripu differs from other academies in many aspects. An outstanding example is Thai sword fighting, in which students actually try to hit each other's bodies, rather than just swift hits at the arm.
"Usually, the sword fighting you see as a sport in Thailand is all about winning points," said Tim. "The ancient art is being lost because the style is not the focus and earning points is. With the new rules we've come up with, we hope it will really preserve the art form."
Master Tik's biggest dream is to be able to sit ringside with popcorn, watching sword fighting as a true sport where competitors can really hit for damage, while still retaining the poses. "The highest success will be when it gains acceptance from the masses," he said.
The other major difference is that lessons encourage spirituality and use weapons to make minds gentler.
"It sounds paradoxical, but I tell students to think that they are using paintbrushes, not swords," said Master Tik. "I say try drawing and see what kind of lines it creates. By doing this, students don't see the sword as an object of destruction. What you think of and feel is supposed to be with the tip of the sword and the longer you can hold on to the sword, the better your focus. Some lose focus after just 30 seconds but when you practise every day, your concentration and focus increases.
"After you've done it for a long time, it becomes part of your nature and you'll be able to focus on other things in your life, such as work, for longer as well. This is the benefit of disciplining your mind with weapons. Sometimes you won't be able to focus at all and your mind is distracted with daily worries, but at least you will have got some physical exercise. Martial arts is one of the very few things that can discipline people both physically and mentally."
"We want to go back to the roots [of the sport] because it is our desire to build a strong foundation for people who want to study the art, and will eventually use this knowledge wisely," said Tim. "The hard part isn't learning the skills, it's turning off the switch when you want to use what you've learned."
Tim added his teacher also encourages his students to sculpt Buddha statues, as well as make sword equipment.
"Ultimately, we just want to make this a sustainable art within itself. In the future, we don't want other self-defence art forms, whether krabi krabong or others to vanish, because they are weapons and skills our ancestors used to protect our country from invaders."
Prajanripu runs free classes every Sunday at Kiak Kai Youth Centre. Check Prajanripu on Instagram.
