Rajadamnern Boxing Stadium, one of the

oldest boxing stadiums in Thailand

Paying homage to the sacred boxing ring

Wai Kru is a Muay Thai ritual performed

by the boxers to pay respect to their

teachers as well as to warm up before

each fight.

A two-minute break

Taken a straight right on the chin

Muay Thai has 5 rounds, each has 3

minutes with a 2 minute-break

between each round.

Who gets the most points in total or

can manage to knock his/her opponent

out wins the fight.

Points are given by the 3 referees with

10 points maximum per round.

WIN the

fight

NING the

bet

Jaroenthong Kiatbanchong Muay Thai School

About ten years ago Thai people who were looking for a place to learn martial art, picked Tae Kwon Do as their choice. This was perhaps because there were and still are quite a few Tae Kwon Do schools which offered formal training to students. Another reason was probably due to the fact that at that time, there were practically no Muay Thai training schools that offered the same kind of lessons as Tae Kwon Do schools did. There were a handful of Muay Thai Boxing Camps which trained professional Muay Thai fighters mainly to send them to fight in the boxing stadiums. “I started this business because I could not stand watching all the Thai people go to learn Tae Kwon Do,” said Kru (Teacher) Jaroenthong Kiatbanchong, former top Muay Thai prize fighter and the founder of Jaroenthong Kiatbanchong Muay Thai school. “I want them to learn Muay Thai because after all, Muay Thai is our national sport,” he added. No one would guess that this polite, humble-looking man would hold such championship titles as Junior Bantumweight (115 pounds) Muay Thai Champion, Featherweight (126 pounds) Muay Thai Champion at

Lumpini Stadium, and Lightweight (135 pounds) Muay Thai World Champion. After retiring from professional Muay Thai fighting, he started a Muay Thai school and named it Jaroenthong Kiatbanchong Muay Thai School on September 9, 2004 located in the city of Bangkok. The school is easily accessible, located in the corner of the intersection of Pracha-Utiit and Ramkamhaeng 39 although it could be easily missed because of its small sign and because it is not on the main road. However, there is ample parking space and inside the small but compact area, the atmosphere is warm and inviting.

Business was tough at first although Muay Thai became more and more popular worldwide due to the influence of some popular Thai movies such

as Ong Bak and Tom Yum Kung. The main character in these movies, Tony Jaa, uses Muay Thai to fight the bad guys.

With the growing popularity of K1(a famous free style boxing tournament in Japan), MMA (Mixed Matial Arts) and UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), fighters around the world wanted to learn authentic Muay Thai skills. However, nobody was aware of Jaroenthong Kiatbanchong Muay Thai School when it first started. “The first day I came to the gym, there were no students at all and I had to sit there and wait the whole day,” said Jaroenthong with a grin. There was not enough budget for advertising and it was fortunate that the business picked up after just over six months by word of mouth. More students started coming in and in the years following the opening, the number of students doubled from 100 to 200. Now there are 978 students registered for Muay Thai lessons. Each day there are almost 40 students who come in to learn and train at this school. Among these students are Thai movie stars and celebrities such as Thanyawisit Siangwan, Ratchawin Wongwiriya, Paradorn Srichaphan and his wife Natalie Glebova, to name a few. “Sometimes, it’s too crowded in the gym,” Joreoenthong said. “That worries me because the quality of teaching might not be the same. I like to teach a small group at a time so that I can take care of each student better.”

For a small business, Jaroenthong Kiatbanchong Muay Thai School is doing quite well, earning more than 150,000 baht per month with a total cost of 80,000 baht. The income figure this year is a little lower than the previous years due to economic recession and political unrest in the country.

However, the school does not operate without competition. There are now eight other schools in and around Bangkok that are at the same quality level.

When asked how he creates competitive advantage over his competitors, Jaroenthong replied, “I just don’t focus on business, I only focus on giving students a chance to get their

exercise, have fun and at the same time preserve our Thai traditional art.” He continued, “Being healthy is the best thing. We can’t take money with us when we are dead. I’m 40 years old right now and I still feel like I’m 20. I think that’s the most important thing in life. To be fit and healthy.”

It is amazing that Jaroenthong’s view on business coincides with that of Peter F. Drucker, one of the best minds in business thinking. Drucker once said, “We should not focus on short-term profit, instead we should focus on how to make our customers happy and, in the long run, profit will come by itself.” What Jaroenthong said on how to compete in the business was not just talk but it also reflects in the way he operates his school. He charges 4,000 baht for a 30-hour course. For 6,000 baht, one can go in for unlimited number of lessons within one month. “Students can come in and stay the entire day and they pay for just the 2 hours,” he said. These rates apply for Thai nationals as well as foreigners. The school is opened every day except Monday. The hours are from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.. Jaroenthong talked about the future of his school saying that he would like to expand the business by opening more branches in other provinces and also in countries abroad. But he will make the decision only when he can devise the system of quality assurance so that he can maintain the same school quality for every branch.

‘Whatever the future holds, I am ready,” said Jaroenthong with confidence. And with those words, the soft-spoken man smiled.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1LxWvEE-wo