Another great day was had by all at the Northern California @Muaythaidevelopmentleague event, held on Saturday, October 22nd in Emeryville.
We had 9 athletes, ages 9 to 24 who stepped into the ring (Many for the very fort time). The day started off for ATT-Tracy with a rookie 9-year-old in Christopher Rodriguez.
Christopher showed great heart in taking on a fighter who was much taller than he. Chris employed a
Go forward" strategy mixed with a good block and counter game.
Next up was 12-year-old Mayleen Mercado. May is a seasoned athlete with some international experience under her belt. She is a balanced (Femur) fighter who employs many lead-side strategies
and a strong clinch game. Mayleen had the opportunity to compete twice and showed her skills well versus two tough opponents, one being a boy!!
11-year old Chase Valdecanas was up next. Chae also fought with a smooth style while showing an excellent clinch game.
Phoenix Amos (13) had the toughest bought of the day taking on a seasoned international competitor from a well-coached gym. As Phoenix has very little ring experience we had to employ a boxing
"bulldog" style of Muay Mat (heavy hand with low kicks) to try to neutralize the smooth experienced style of her opponent. What a tough match, as both girls were told to "tone it down a bit."
First-timer Ryland Julio was up next! Ryland is "Clean"... He employs a very balanced style of Muay Thai. Choosing to work from the outside, striking like a tic-take-toe game.. filling in the squares.
Two brothers Ethan and Noah Ramos stepped up respectively. Both boys we in their debut matches and performed very well. Ethan did not have a match so he got the opportunity to "Spar" with a pro adult fighter.
Much experience was gained. Noah also had the opportunity to go twice and made the most of it as he progressed nicely from his first match to his second, showing more balance in technique and the
ability to see the attacks coming and to counter.
A more experienced athlete on his fourth bought was up next in 16-year-old Cooler Sampson. Cooper was very balanced in his attack but also showed solid aggression as he took the fight to his opponent
until it was clear that he was outmatching him. At that point, Cooper took it down a notch and allowed his partner to work a bit while Cooper worked on his defense.
Calvin Ho-Sy was the first one up in the adult bracket. He scored 4 sweeps in the first round, and after that, his opponent did not want to kick so much anymore. Calvin then moved into combination mode as well as clinch control to finish out the match.
Last up for our team was another first-timer in Danial Pico. Daniel was dominant on his first time in the ring. scoring a leg kick knockdown on his opening series. he then proceeded to employ good, straight jabs, crosses, and lead hooks followed by lead kicks to the body to finish the bought.
These Muaythai Development League events are crucial in the development of the western athlete. they allow the fighter's first experience to be in a more controlled environment before stepping into the ring for a full-contact fight.
the showed are well-organized and as safe as can be.
can't wait for the next one.
